How to make healthy choices every day

Matcha Green Granola Bars

matcha

I have to start off by saying THANK YOU.

I just came back from my cookbook tour in London, which is the very last trip I’m taking until the autumn. Now that I have some time to reflect, I have to say how deeply touched and grateful I am to all of you that have showed your support these past few months. Whether you’ve come out to an event, book signing, cooking class, reposted a recipe on your own blog, sent me a love note, or happy vibes through the ether, I have felt it all and will carry the collective experience with me always. I mean it. I am officially overwhelmed with love.

It’s been a very fulfilling time for me, but if I’m being honest, it’s also been a very challenging one. Being on the road and away from my sweet little family has been hard, despite being surrounded by so much goodness. My workload has also been full-on at the same time, so there hasn’t been much in the way of breaks, or breathing, or looking after myself at all. As someone who is perpetually beating the drum of balance, wellness, and self-love, I am beginning to feel like a hypocrite! And how can I expect to be the best I can be for everyone else if I can’t take care of my precious self?

So in the name of practicing what I preach, I’m introducing My New Roots Summer Lights again – all new delicious, healthy recipes, just without the lengthy article. As it takes an average of 20 hours to create a single blog post, shaving a few off of that will give me some time to regain a little more sanity in my life. And maybe even inspire some of you to do the same.

So. These granola bars. They are really, really yummy. Satisfying in all the ways that count; filling without making you feel full, and a salty-sweet flavor balance to make you feel like you’ve gotten everything you need. Maybe more. I have been relying heavily on these to fill the 11am / 4pm gap, avoid late night bad food decisions, and I’ve mowed down a couple (maybe more) for my personal favourite: breakfast-in-a-taxi/airplane/subway/train. Hey, at least I get to sit down.

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The matcha green tea powder is what makes the granola bars green. It has a lovely tea-like flavor as it is literally ground tea leaves — a whole food! This beautiful and ancient Japanese tea / tradition is a specialty item that has become very popular worldwide. The quality can differ greatly between brands and styles (culinary vs. ceremonial grade) and I encourage you to look into the process, brand, and source for the matcha that’s right for you and your preferences. Because it is a rarity and a very prized food, it can be cost prohibitive and in that case you are welcome to sprinkle in another kind of superfood powder if you have it (lucuma, maca, baobab, raw cacao -all with their own unique ancestral roots, uses, and traditions), cocoa powder, or protein powder, or whatever else you’re in the mood for. The point is, these are flexible and simple, and a great granola bar base recipe for you to play with. Party on.

The brown rice syrup makes the granola bars ooey-gooey, but because it isn’t overly sweet, I poured in a few tablespoons of maple syrup for good measure. If you are not vegan, you could replace the maple syrup with honey, but I wouldn’t replace the rice syrup with honey because then these would be way too sweet. Just sayin’.

If your tahini is unsalted, add a little more salt to the dry ingredients – I promise that you want the salty-sweet thing going on here. And if you have an allergy to sesame, or feel like something different, use another kind of nut or seed butter instead – hazelnut butter would be divine, pumpkin seed butter too, or combo it up, wild cat! 

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So dear friends, I’m wishing you a very healthy, happy summer full of crazy adventures, (responsible) sun-worshipping, belly laughs, and of course, delicious food.

I love you!
xo, Sarah B






148 thoughts on “Matcha Green Granola Bars”

  • Making these on repeat Sarah…so delicious! Thank you for the recipies and the inspiration to eat truly great food xx

    • I love this recipe- I like to also melt some dark chocolate and have this on top- naughty i know but super yummy. I use a little less matcha too as my matcha is nice quality so don’t want to put too much in- I use https://zengreentea.com.au – what brand do you use?

  • You are very right with regards to getting some of the best for your family. I always ensure that I stay there for them at all times.

  • These granola bars looks really yummy. I’m not sure how matcha green tea powder tastes, but as you said it will be delicious, I’m surely gonna try this.

  • You are very right with regards to getting some of the best for your family. I always ensure that I stay there for them at all times.

  • I have never tried something like this, I guess its time 🙂
    These bars look delicious, thank you for this good receipt.

  • Popped AMARANTH (I used about 2 cups instead of 1 1/2) is so yummy! I followed Amy Chaplin’s easy instructions for popping in a pan. These bars have been so yummy and so fun to customize. Thanks for the recipe!

    Stasia

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  • Wow. These are SO delicious!!! I’ve made them 3x already- so easy for breakfast on the go. I used 1/2 C toasted sunflower seeds and 1/2 C pumpkin seeds and closer to 3/4 C dried fruit. My kids also love them for an afternoon snack. The tahini and salt are lovely complements to the sweetness of these bars. Thank you for this recipe!

  • I love this idea. In my busy life quick grab and go items are a must. Thanks for sharing! I can’t wait to try these out.

  • Happy Canada Sarah ! I know you are far away but we still think of you as Our Canadian treasure.
    Just made these bars with cocoa and love them. They will be my new travel buddy on the road.
    Take care of yourself and your lovely family !

  • I love matcha so much and love anything relating to matcha. Your recipe is awesome, it looks so sweet and delicious. I’ve saved and will try to make it for my family. Thank you for writing this recipe!

  • This granola bar must have the tea flavor that make me like it. I think I’m going to make this to serve with tea or coffee in the mornings. It will be great. Thanks for sharing!

  • I think I’m going to buy matcha to make this granola bar for my family next week. It look good but can you tell me how long I can preserve this granola for several uses? Thanks for sharing this great recipe.

  • It’s so yummy, we can make this granola bars to eat as snacks. I sometimes buy matcha for putting face mask, and this is the opportunity to try it for cooking, hope that it will taste good. Thanks for sharing this recipe. It’s so yummy.

  • Wow these are amazing! Just made them as I fancied a late night snack and have been trying to avoid processed foods recently. These did the job as they were so quick & easy to make. I didn’t have brown rice syrup or matcha so used honey & raw cacao but they turned out yummy. Thanks for the recipe!

  • I had all the ingredients on hand and whipped these up yesterday in no time. Delicious! I followed the directions (did not bake), made sure to really press them into the Pyrex dish and left them in the fridge for several hours before removing to store in Tupperware. They stayed together beautifully! They are perfectly chewy and not at all dry.

    Only one note about the recipe: I followed the recipe from the app which states 1-1.5 tsp of matcha, while the website says tbsp. They didn’t have an overly strong matcha flavour and I’m guessing the tbsp. serving is the correct one.

    Thanks for another great recipe Sarah!

  • Really delicious!
    I did not bake as some have tried, and instead of the brown rice syrup i just made a little syrup by putting about four chopped dates in simmering water for about five minutes or so before adding the other wet ingredients.
    Thanks!

  • Really delicious! I used honey in place of brown rice syrup. Added raw, sprouted hemp seeds, baked in the oven for about ten minutes after stuffing into glass dish with parchment paper. Everyone loved it and they stayed together beautifully!

  • I just made these and they fell apart, although I followed the recipe to a t! Waaaaaaahhhhh! I suppose I can use the crumbled mess as a granola thing. I feel peeved because the ingredients cost a small fortune.

    • Try baking them in a 250 or 300 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. They will hold together then. cut into bars and then refrigerate.

  • These granola bars are divine!!
    (made them with cacao powder)
    I will have to be forcing myself to ever try out another granola recipe!!

  • Love love love them! I bought a beautiful matcha from zengreentea.com.au and I also bought lovely parchment and twine and wrapped the bars up as a gift for some friends. Looked beautiful ! Xx

  • I tried these with honey instead of rice syrup, and I did bake them for 10-15 mins rather than refrigerate them. They worked well, family loved them, I will be making them again!

  • I just got your book and I LOVE it sooo much. I am new to whole food living but I’m trying and I really appreciate finding truly quality books and blogs like yours so thank you so much. I know it isn’t easy keeping up with everything but I just want you to know that your hard work is much appreciated. And lighter posts are great too. By the way, I just made sprouts for the first time out of organic lentils, and my 11 year old daughter ate the whole jar herself! That made me really happy that my 11 year old loved them. I am going to make a couple more jars of lentil and try some other varieties. (My quinoa sprouts didn’t turn out as well as the lentils but I’m still learning.) Finally, I just read this post and also your new year – new breakfast post and I want to give you another HUGE thank you. I am always trying to find easy but super healthy ways to start the day and so I love that you have that really helpful article and that you included variations on how to make grain cereals. What I love about this post is that you also include subsitutions because unfortunately, I’m a recipe follower but not very creative when it comes to changing things up on my own, so thank you again and I look forward to reading more!

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  • watching all your book pr from the other side of the internet looked so intense! Impressed with how hard your working but I understand it must be so tough to be away from your people. I hope rest and a recharge are somewhere near. These are beautiful, sarah. Hugs to you!

  • Oh Sarah these are absolutely divine!!! I made them exactly as you noted and the entire family went nuts over them. They will now replace my regular granola bars AND my chocolate covered nut bars. THANK YOU!!! I’m so glad I got your cookbook – need to start making recipes this weekend.

  • This is an incredible recipe! I made it for my family, and they all loved it. Finally found something green that my seven year old will eat! Thanks for post like this, and keep them coming!

  • Thanks for this recipe!
    Regarding Matcha, there are several grades of Matcha powder. The “Culinary” grade is less expensive than the “Ceremonial”, which is best for drinking. I began using the Culinary grade in my breakfast smoothies this summer and love it. I figured out that because only 1/2 teaspoon is needed it is no more expensive than making a cup of good quality coffee. I was trying to reduce my coffee intake and found that the small amount of caffeine in my smoothie not only satisfied me, but also kept the “no morning coffee” headaches at bay. Also, last week I was pretty excited when I found that my local Bulk Barn (Toronto) now has a bin of The Culinary grade of Matcha powder! Soon I am going to order some of the more expensive Ceremonial grade to drink at work.

  • Hi Sarah
    I lover reading your blog, and wonderfull recipes.
    It is popular in Japan, to make green tea with green tea powder.
    Not matcha, powder made of ordinary green tea.
    So, it is cheaper and easy to make tea. I use it all the time.
    Sushi restaurant use it too.
    Lucky you, because you liv in Denmark.
    The best strawberries in the world.
    And you can get green tea powder, in Boutique Taeko,
    Gothersgade 17 Copenhagen.
    I payed 58 kr. for 100 gr. and it is really japanies tea powder.
    Happy summers

  • Yummy! These look divine! The benefits of matcha are amazing and I can’t go a day without it. What holds these together, is it the syrups? Also, is brown rice syrup sweet like maple and date syrup? -Lauren 🙂
    laurenheartsfood.wordpress.com

  • Hi Sarah!

    I just bought your cookbook, My New Roots, and I have loved immersing myself in the gorgeous photographs and inspiring recipes!

    I am a Nutrition Coach pursuing my Master’s in Dietetics, and posted an adapted form of your fully loaded breakfast bars onto my website’s blog: http://www.victae.com/blog/

    I have also included a shout-out to you in my second email newsletter! I would be honored if you took a look at the website and/or signed up for my newlstters!

    All my best,

    ~Chelsea

  • I made these today using raw cacao instead of matcha and they are absolutely delicious! Everyone in our household (including the 1 year old) loved them. Thanks Sarah for sharing all your wonderful recipes.

  • Granola bars are something I really love doing for me and my kids… I eat them anytime of day, anywhere! But I never think I could use matcha green tea powder in them, this is such a wonderful idea! Thanks for the neverending inspiration. 😉

  • Oh man! Made these bad boys yesterday, subbed cacao powder for matcha…lets just say I have a new go to G-Bar recipe!!!! I make a batch every week and these are the best I’ve ever made. Thank you Sarah!

    (Still curious as to whether or not spirulina would taste good in place of matcha though???)

  • Hi – These look great. Would I be able to use wheatgrass powder instead of matcha? Just because I have loads to use up!

  • thanks Sarah, finally a granola bar that my husband loves & is taking to work!!!!! big success & delicious

  • We are obsessed with matcha and finding new ways to eat it! We recently featured Motto’s Sparkling Matcha Green Tea but have never seen it in a granola bar before – love the idea! Do you have a favorite brand / powder?

  • Long time reader, first time commenter. I just gave birth to twins in May and had exited the blogosphere (blissfully) for awhile. Yesterday I visited your blog, saw these bars, determined I had all ingredients on hand (squee!) and whipped up a batch. Yummers! Really nourishing for this super duper busy breastfeeding mama! Thank you for always posting whole, delicious recipes. Love!

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  • Como estas Sarah
    Hermosa receta, tengo que ver si se consigue el polvo Matcha, aca por mis pagos Argentinos. Se me presento la idea de prepararlos con sal, que te parece? Con que se podran unir para dar una buena forma y que nos se desarmen?
    Tambien voy a pensar en esto y en cuanto tenga novedades, aca las compartire!!

  • Hi Sarah – First of all congrats on the book and subsequent tour! I love reading your blog. I just made these and they were a disaster! I followed the recipe and have just tried cutting them up and they crumbled everywhere. I couldn’t even get a muesli bar out of the mixture. I will just use as muesli or a topping for yoghurt as a snack. I wonder what I did wrong – any advice appreciated? Yours look so solid in the pics…..also I don’t know if it’s just Australia prices but the ingredients cost me about USD$20 and I had some of them already so not the cheapest muesli bars out there.

  • Wow, I just made these and they’re like ALL your recipes SO good! I hadn’t enough tahini, so I used coconutbutter (which of course was crazy good!) and I hadn’t got any matcha powder, but tried with a tablespoon of maca powder instead… Very caramel-y and exactly the right thing for a lot of moments.
    Xxx,
    Signe R.

  • Hi Sarah, I can’t wait to give these a try they look delicious! I was so sorry to miss you in London but so happy to hear all of the exciting stories about your book. You deserve a well earned rest x

  • I mean really? That is an awesome idea to get those greens in. It now makes my head spin and turn to think about the ways I could use the matcha. Why not use it in muffins or all sorts of raw vegan treats – oh man I’m excited 😀 Thanks so much for the inspiration.

    Also I have a ton of green tea that I cant drink since I’m very sensitive and get jitters when I drink it. I’m gonna try and grind that up to use it as matcha.

    Looking forward to your Summer Lights…

  • Hey Sarah,

    My sister in law and I are big fans and love the book. We are working our way through the book and so far love it! These matcha bars look so yummy!

  • Hey Sarah! I was just wondering how much (percentage) of your daily calories are composed of fat, on average. I’ve been fiddling with that lately and am curious as to how much fat others consume. Thanks!

  • made these right away after I read the post yesterday, and for one time I had everything for the recipe 😀 They are divine, but that’s probably why I love everything that has matcha inside 😉 Bonus, they’re supergood for me, so, THANK YOU Sarah! ^___^
    I’m also already at work on your book, trying recipes between the spring and summer section…and I found a great deal on raw cashew today(in Italy, they’re hard to find and super expensive) and tonight I made your cashew dream cake…definitely gonna end fattier at the end of the summer 😀

  • Sarah, you are an inspiration to us all. Keep up the good work (with tons of rest in between to maintain balance, of course). Love this recipe. Thanks for everything!

  • It was so lovely to meet you at Paradise. What a gorgeous event.
    I can imagine you need some time to recoup and recover from the intensity of the last few weeks.
    So extra special thanks forr putting this post together. The recipe looks awesome!

  • Wow, I love the idea of using matcha in a snack bar! If I use matcha I always want it to be the main flavor, so i’m never sure how to use it. But I’m sure it states its presence in this recipe 🙂
    And it’s a totally great idea to just take your time for yourself. You should.
    I just read your latest interview and loved it! Thanks for the constant inspiration!

    • Adore the idea of matcha in a snack bar as well ~ It’s new for me but I’ve read so much about how healthy it is for you and these days, if it’s healthy, I’m in!!! Pumpkin seeds make the world go round in my book. Thank you for sharing such a healthy and delicious recipe with us Sarah. I love that name.

  • Hi Sarah,

    Thank you so much for coming to Amsterdam, I had such a great time watching you cook and eating your food.

    Now its time to enjoy your summer! Take some time to enjoy the family and amazing weather.

    Lots of love

  • Just made these today and they are beautiful! Thanks Sarah! Added maca powder and hemp seeds for an added boost. Also substituted brown rice syrup for date molasses and used dried apple as my fruit. Yuummmm 🙂

  • Yay for you–please take good care! I’m new to your site, and found out about it through 101 Cookbooks a few weeks ago. Oh man, I’m giddy with excitement with all of your beautiful recipes. And the nutrition info as well? I’m hooked.
    I requested your cookbook from the library because well, I have a lot of cookbooks I don’t really use, and wanted to make sure it was right for me. Oh man (did I say that already?!!) I am buying it right away. Eye candy and mouthwatering at the same time!! And darn don’t these Matcha bars look good…thanks for your work! Now back to reading My New Roots… 😉

  • These look fantastic!
    I live in Taiwan and brown rice syrup is not available here. Can you recommend a substitute?
    Your blog is such a source of inspiration, thank you!

  • I’m loving these granola bars, Sarah! Adding matcha definitely boosts some lovely flavors there and of course, the color – screams healthy in all aspect if you ask me, lol!

  • You completely deserve having some time to yourself, some time to just breathe! As much as I love reading the articles you write, your recipes more than speak for themselves! And congratulations again on the MNR cookbook 🙂

  • So thrilled to see you in my inbox this evening 🙂 . I am new to your blog and I absolutely love it. I love your writing, recipes, photos, everything. I recently posted a recipe for date brownies on my blog that were inspired by you. I can’t believe how amazing an ingredient dates are. They blow my mind! Thank you for everything that you do to create such beauty. I am looking forward to your Summer Lights!

  • These look absolutely delicious Sarah 🙂 Can’t wait to try them. Am yet to taste Matcha, so super excited 🙂
    Thank you for your constant inspiration. Take care
    Xxx

  • Absolutely love the idea of adding the matcha powder, great boost in flavor, colour and healthy factor! And congrats on a successful tour 🙂

  • These are crazy gorgeous – and I love tahini in my granola bars. Gives them the perfect balance with a bitter/salty/sweet (like you were saying). Just ate my own homemade protein/granola bar while reading your post and am already craving to try these now too! Welcome home (!!!) and hooray for these bars and your brilliant addition of MATCHA <3

  • Hi Sarah!
    These look amazing and I will be making them tomorrow for sure! Do you think spirulina would be good instead of matcha? I’ve only ever used it in smoothies, so I don’t have a lot of experience with it, and what flavors it goes well with. Thank you!!!! Enjoy your beautiful summer and your family!!!!!!!

  • These look amazing and i will be making them tomorrow! Do you think I could use spirulina instead of matcha? Ive only used it in smoothies, so I dont have a lot of experience with it. Thank you Sarah, and enjoy your beautiful summer and family!!!!!

  • Hi Sarah,

    can you please tell me where do you find brown rice syrup in Copenhagen? It is a challenge to find some ingredients in Denmark, like puffed amaranth, maca powder etc. I order this things online. But was wondering if brown rice syrup I can get here in Copenhagen?
    As soon I get it I will make this:)

  • Dearest Sarah B., we love you too & I wish you a WONDERFUL summer. Are you flying home to Canada? I sure hope so! Either way, enjoy spending time with your family and friends, having impromptu summer dindins by the water, and laughing till you cry. Beathe in. Breathe out. See you in September! Byeee love, xo xo xo xo

  • Yum! These bars look so delicious! I love that you added matcha. So creative. This is exactly how I like my granola bars. Clean, not too sweet (I know brown rice syrup is perfect for the right sweetness), and filled with yummy foods from the earth. Thanks for sharing this, and great job doing all the traveling you’ve been doing. It can really be tough on a person, but I’m glad you’re making time for yourself. When you are at your most vital, you’ll only be that much better and more effective in every area of your life.
    Happy Summer!
    Lane

  • Damn Sar. Just as I was set to make the sunflower seed brittle for my camping trip you had to go and throw a wrench in my plans… ;). xox

  • Happy Canada Sarah ! I know you are far away but we still think of you as Our Canadian treasure.
    Just made these bars with cocoa and love them. They will be my new travel buddy on the road.
    Take care of yourself and your lovely family !

  • Sarah, it was so lovely to see you in Toronto during the North American leg of your book tour! I wish we got to chat for longer but I realize there are other people who also adore you and your wonderful recipes and I wouldn’t want to deprive them of that 😉 I love matcha and I’m excited to make these granola bars- I feel like I always succumb to those bad late night decisions… maybe those granola bars will fix that!

  • Oh nice, I will make these for my trip to Bali in August, so I can survive the 30 hours getting there (12h stop in Doha :P). And I was already thinking that you are really travelling a lot since the book release and how you find the time to care for yourself in between book signings, interviews etc. so good to hear you are giving yourself a break! Looking forward to Summer Lights and wishing you all the best and a relaxed summer, too! XX Julia

  • Sarah–
    I had the pleasure of seeing you at the talk with Sous Style in NYC. It was such a treat to see in the flesh all the amazing goodness that oozes through the page every time you post. I have been reading you forever and am finally writing to say thank you, THANK YOU. I adore your book, blog, and everything you do brings pure pleasure and light to so many. Take care of yourself, girl! So many of us need you. xo

  • These sound amazing! I just bought oats last night to make your amazing salt and pepper cookies, so now I have been wondering what to do with the rest of the bag!

    I have a question about brown rice syrup, though–I have too many bottles and jars in my pantry, so when I made the cookies I just used maple syrup instead. In these bars, I was thinking of just using honey… is there any nutritional reason I should give brown rice syrup a try?

    p.s. I am in school to become a nutritionist, and you are such a role model! I get so excited about your ability to explain important nutrition facts to people in a way that is easy to understand… and delicious!

  • Amy Chaplin mentioned to me some of the hard work you had to do (yikes)! Enjoy your summer, all those fresh Danish berries, and your family! You deserve some Sarah B time <3

  • I think you’re absolutely right! You should definitely take some time to breathe and spend time with your family! You deserve it! These bars look wonderful, I will give them a try as soon as possible!

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