If you need nut free breakfast bars, look no further. Today I’ll be sharing options/alternatives, recipes, and a few brands for you to check out as well. Breakfast bars and granola bars are awesome in school lunches, and for those who need something that’s nut free, you’re covered as well.

Reading Labels

Here in the United States, we have what’s called the Top 9 Allergens (previously called the Top 8 Allergens). In the EU, they have the Top 14 Allergens. In some countries, they recognize the top 10, 11, and 12. Know what your country recognizes as you prepare to read labels.

The good news is that in countries that recognize top allergens, tree nuts are one of the major allergens that must be labeled. Whilst there are some loop holes, most companies/brands choose to disclose if they’re using their own nut-free facility, or if their product is made in a shared space with tree nuts (or peanuts).

When you’re reading the label, if nuts are in the product, the allergen statement will say something like “contains tree nuts” or “contains nuts”. Alternatively, the nut (such as cashew, pecan, etc.) will be listed in bold in the ingredient list. As the diagnosis rate of children with food allergies continues to rise, a lot of schools have opted to become a nut-free school, so it’s important that you learn how to read labels if you’re shopping for a school like this.

Related Article: Hidden Source of Tree Nuts

Common Ingredients Used in Nut-Free Granola Bars & Breakfast Bars (Store Bought and Recipes for at Home)

These ingredients are commonly used in breakfast bars and granola bars. If you can’t have some of these, especially oats, be sure to check out my recipe links further down in the article.

• Brown Rice Syrup
• Chia Seeds
• Chocolate Chips
• Dates and Other Dried Fruit
• Sunflower Seeds/Sunflower Seed Butter
• Maple Syrup
• Oat Flour or Quick Oats
• Peanut Butter (legume, not a tree nut)
• Puffed Cereal (Rice, Millet, etc)
• Sea Salt

Nut Free Granola Bar Recipes on RAISE

If homemade granola bars for snack time is your thing, I’ve got you covered. Making easy nut free bars at home is pretty quick, but will also save you a lot of money. My recipes are freezer friendly, and can also make for an easy breakfast.

• Baked Chocolate Bars Recipe (An Enjoy Life Cocoa Loco Copycat since many Enjoy Life Foods products were discontinued)
• Easy Homemade Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (Gluten Free, Vegan)
• Nut Free & Dairy Free Raspberry White Chocolate Bars (Glute Free, Vegan, Top 9 Allergy Free)
• Buckwheat Granola Bar Recipe (Oat Free, Seed Free, Wheat/Gluten Free)
• Honey Oat Squares (an amazing breakfast bar you can make in advance)
• Maple Banana Oat Squares (another great breakfast option)

Planning to Make Bars at Home? Here are Common Tools to Have

• Large Mixing Bowl (you don’t even need a stand mixer or food processor to make most recipes at home)
• Parchment Paper
• Sheet Pan (for pressing out your mix)
• Airtight Container for Storage (or cute little baggies which I sometimes purchase)

Now, a sheet pan will absolutely work for making nut free breakfast bars and granola bars at home. However, if you haven’t seen this before, you should check out the Granola Bar Pan. It’s so amazing, and can create an authentic commercial shape at home. The pans are oven, dishwasher, and freezer safe. Know that if you order the press, it is coated in an oil, however, if you reach out to the company, they can send you an uncoated bar press tool.

Brands That Sell Nut Free Snack Bars and Granola Bars

Being able to purchase nut-free bars may be your top priority. I know not everyone has time to make nut-free options at home. Here are brands you can purchase, and each offers a range of wholesome ingredients and flavour options. Know that not every grocery store will carry these specific brands. Additionally, your store may have other brands that are available that will be a great school snack.

Note: the info that I have here is accurate as of the last I checked in with each company. However, any company can change at any time, so be sure to read their info and contact them if you have questions. Many brands have allergen info available on their website, sometimes it’s under the FAQ section.

• 88 Acres (they have a dedicated facility)
• Blakes Seed Based (they have seed bars and a faux rice krispies bar, made in a major allergen free commercial kitchen, their website has details)
• Don’t Go Nuts (not free from all common allergens, but is suitable for a peanut allergy and/or tree nut allergy)
• Free Yumm Foods (they have a dedicated wheat-free facility and their facility is also free from common allergens, details are on their website) You can read my kids’ review of their bars here.
• Libre Naturals (free from top allergens)

Answering Your Questions About Nut Free Breakfast Bars and Nut Free Granola Bars

Are coconuts tree nuts?

Coconuts are botanically a drupe fruit, not a tree nut. However, the FDA has coconut classified as a tree nut for the sake of labeling laws. This can get confusing for some customers. If your child is attending a nut-free school, ask them what their policy is on coconut, as a lot of store-bought granola bars will contain coconut as an alternative to ingredients such as almond. Coconut oil is also commonly found in store-bought bars (especially those labeled as healthy granola bars).

I bake granola bars at home and am stuck in a rut. Any suggestions?

You can keep your base ratios/recipe the same and try a variety of new ingredients to mix in. You can also easily alter the flavour profile by changing up what you mix together.

Let’s say the base is 5 part oats, 2 parts tree nut substitution (seeds, etc), 1 part chocolate chips, and 1 part misc add ins. Here’s how we can change that up.

• Use 1 part white chocolate chips in place of regular chocolate chips.
• For the 1 part misc, try new dried fruits such as golden raisins, goji berries, dried cherries, or dried apricot.
• Use chopped or crushed freeze dried fruit for the misc add in.

Another option is to keep your standard base, and change the overall flavour profile. Here are a few fun flavour profiles:

• Spicy Chocolate (you can use spice powder or purchase a spicy chocolate)
• Blueberry Vanilla (use dried or freeze dried blueberries along with vanilla powder or ground vanilla)
• Raspberry Lemonade (use freeze dried raspberries with lemon zest)
• Salted Caramel (create a caramel sauce, then use that to coat your tree nut substitution)
• Coffee Bars (mix in ground coffee, this would pair well with caramel or chocolate)

I’d like to make a nut free trail mix. Any suggestions on nut substitutes?

Pumpkin Seeds and sunflower seeds would be my first suggestion. If I were personally making this, I’d also add in sliced tiger nuts (tuber, not a tree nut). It has a bit of natural sweetness and behaves a bit like sliced almonds. Smaller seeds such as hemp, flax, and chia aren’t at the top of my substitution list since they lack the size and crunch tree nuts usually bring to the trail mix table.

Including freeze dried fruit in your trail mix can also help with texture. Be sure to choose a fruit that won’t clash with the rest of your ingredients. To ensure the freeze dried fruit stays crunchy, you’ll need to add it to your trail mix just before eating.

I really miss the taste of almond butter, and the seed butters aren’t doing it for me. Any suggestions?

Please, allow me to introduce you to tiger nuts, one of the best kept secrets if you ask me. First, they’re not tree nuts as the name would suggest and are safe for someone with a tree nut allergy. Tiger nuts are tuber root vegetables that can be harvested and processed. One of the products you can purchase is called Tiger Nut Butter, and it has the taste similar to an earthy nut butter. I’d suggest starting there first.

I once had my kids taste test a range of spreads, and they said that almond butter and peanut butter are a bit similar in taste. I can’t personally vouch for that since I’m allergic, but if you haven’t tried a good peanut butter (legume, not a tree nut), that may scratch the itch for you.

Healthy snacks are important to me, but since going nut free, I’ve struggled to find good nut free snacks. Do you know of any good options?

I can totally understand your struggle as a lot of brands that tout healthy ingredients often include tree nuts. When your focus is on healthy and natural ingredients, sometimes the best option is to make the food at home. If that’s not possible, here are a few tips.

1. Check out the brands I’ve linked to above. I think a few of them will fit your requirements.
2. Look up AIP Paleo snacks, as those fall under the healthy category as defined by most people, and it’s a nut free diet type.
3. Look into snacks outside of granola bars such as meat sticks, puffed snacks, grain free chips & dip, fresh produce, etc.
4. Create small baggies of trail mix for yourself. Chop up dates, crush/chop seeds, and mix in flavouring agents. It’s not quite a bar, but it’s something you can prepare in bulk and have on hand anytime you need an afternoon snack.