Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (Gluten Free + Vegan)
Enjoy these hearty and easy oatmeal breakfast bars anytime for a quick and sweet snack! Filled with seeds and cranberries, they are dairy free, egg free, gluten free, and totally delish.
These breakfast bars are loaded with simple ingredients like pumpkin seeds, whole grain oats, and your choice of natural peanut butter or sunflower seed butter. All combined into a delicious treat that anyone will love. Plus, it’s made in one bowl for easy clean up!
Free from: Wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn, sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, nightshades, tomatoes, and more
In the mood for more oatmeal and nut butter recipes? Check out my gluten free oatmeal cookies, sunflower seed butter cookies, and no bake chocolate chip cookie dough balls.
Why You’ll Love These Oatmeal Bars
- Sweet, Hearty, and Filling
- Perfect grab and go breakfast
- Easy to mix up in one bowl
- Gluten free, Dairy free, Egg free, Nut free recipe!
Ingredients
Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need for this recipe.
- Oats: Use rolled oats for the best results on this recipe. Instant oats can be too mushy and steel cut oats won’t cook in the baking time. Zego Oats makes a great top 14 free oat and I’ve also used Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Rolled Oats with success.
- Flour: Use any kind of flour that you like in this recipe! I’ve made it with all purpose flour, gluten free flour, and whole wheat flour. For gluten free flour, make sure you use a good 1:1 baking blend like King Arthur Measure for Measure.
- Cinnamon, Baking Powder, Salt: Used to help the batter rise and give flavor.
- Sugar: Use your favorite sugar in this recipe. I typically reach for brown sugar, but coconut sugar or white sugar will also work.
- Applesauce: This keeps the batter moist and gives a sweet taste of apples to the finished oatmeal bars.
- Nut Butter: In this recipe I used sunflower seed butter, but any kind of nut or seed butter will work. See below for more details.
- Milk: Use any kind of unflavored and unsweetened milk in this recipe.
- Vanilla: I love adding vanilla to all my oatmeals.
- Flaxseeds: This not only provides a great source of omegas, it also helps to stick the recipe together without eggs.
- Cranberries + Pumpkin Seeds: Adding dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds for flavor and texture.
- Optional frosting! You can mix up powdered sugar and water to make a little frosting on top. Not required but recommended.
Allergy Substitutions
If making this recipe gluten free, make sure that your oats are certified gluten free. My favorite gluten free oats are from Zego Oats which are top 14 free. Trader Joe’s and Thrive Market also have great options.
Use any type of nut or seed butter that you like in this recipe. In these photos, I used sunflower seed butter. However, any kind of nut or seed butter will work. Think things like peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, pumpkin seed butter, soy butter, and more.
Use your favorite dairy or dairy-free milk for this recipe. In these photos, I used unsweetened soy milk. However, any kind of milk will work.
Variations
- Jazz it up with different combinations of dried fruits and seeds! If you aren’t allergic to nuts, replace the seeds with things like almond slivers or walnuts.
- Add chocolate chips to the batter because who doesn’t need more chocolate! If you are allergic to chocolate, you can also add carob chips.
- Feeling festive? Replace the applesauce with an equal amount of pumpkin!
Instructions
For the full instructions, complete with recipe measurements, please see the recipe card below.
These oatmeal bars are so easy to mix up! It really has only a few steps.
First, prep the oven and the baking dish. I like to use an 8×8-inch (20x20cm) metal pan to really help conduct the heat through the thick bars. Line it with parchment paper on the bottom and up a few sides. No need to oil the pan. Set that aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients. It helps if the wet ingredients are all room temperature. If you keep your applesauce or nut/seed butters in the fridge, make sure that they sit out for 30 minutes or so before making this recipe. That really helps the batter come together nicely.
After whisking, it’s time to add the dry ingredients. Just add them to the bowl and switch to a spatula, give the batter a stir. It will be a really thick batter!
Tip! If it is too thick, you can add an extra splash of milk to help make the batter more manageable.
Dollop the batter into the prepared pan and using a spoon or a spatula, gently press it into the pan. Sprinkle more cranberries and pumpkin seeds on top.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, depending on your oven. A toothpick inserted into the center will pull out clean when it is done.
Let the bars rest on a wire cooling rack until totally cooled before slicing and adding the optional frosting.
To make the frosting, mix powdered sugar with water till you have a good consistency. Drizzle on top and enjoy.
How to Store
Store these oatmeal bars in an airtight container on the kitchen countertop for 5 days.
You can freeze these bars after fully baking and cooling. Slice them and wrap in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight before serving after freezing.
More Oatmeal Recipes
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Equipment
- Baking tray 8×8-inch (20x20cm)
- parchment paper
- mixing bowls
- whisk
- Spatula
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
Breakfast Bars
- 2 cups rolled oats gluten free
- 1 cup all purpose flour can swap for gluten free or whole wheat
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup applesauce unsweetened
- ¼ cup nut butter I used sunflower seed butter can use peanut butter, almond butter, etc
- ¼ cup milk I used soy milk, can use oat milk, rice milk, dairy milk, etc
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 5 tablespoons hot water
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
Frosting
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line an 8×8-inch (20x20cm) pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the flaxseeds. In a bowl, combine the ground flaxseeds with hot water. Give it a stir and let rest for 5 minutes to gel together.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, applesauce, sunflower seed butter, milk, vanilla, and flaxseed mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients. Into the same bowl, add the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Give this a good stir (I like to switch to a spatula at this point). Then, add in the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds.
- Bake. Bake uncovered in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the oatmeal bars have slightly pulled away from the edges of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars pulls out clean.
- Cool and serve. Let this cool for 15 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle with the optional frosting if you want. Slice and serve! Enjoy!
Notes
- How to Store
- Store these oatmeal bars in an airtight container on the kitchen countertop for 5 days.
- You can freeze these bars after fully baking and cooling. Slice them and wrap in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight before serving after freezing.
- Allergy Substitutions
- If making this recipe gluten free, make sure that your oats are certified gluten free. My favorite gluten free oats are Zego Oats. Trader Joe’s and Thrive Market also have great options.
- Use any type of nut or seed butter that you like in this recipe. In these photos, I used sunflower seed butter. However, any kind of nut or seed butter will work. Think things like peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, pumpkin seed butter, soy butter, and more.
- Use your favorite dairy or dairy-free milk for this recipe. In these photos, I used unsweetened soy milk. However, any kind of milk will work.
- Variations
- Jazz it up with different combinations of dried fruits and seeds! If you aren’t allergic to nuts, replace the seeds with things like almond slivers or walnuts.
- Add chocolate chips to the batter because who doesn’t need more chocolate! If you are allergic to chocolate, you can also add carob chips.
- Feeling festive? Replace the applesauce with an equal amount of pumpkin!
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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