These baked oatmeal bars are such an easy and convenient way to enjoy oatmeal for breakfast or as a snack. They’re easily customizable and great for kids and adults!
Everyone has been going wild over my baked oatmeal recipes so I thought I would create a new variation to get you hooked on… baked oatmeal bars! I love these bars because they’re perfect for meal prepping, portable and who doesn’t love bars?! The best part? They’re super similar to my regular baked oatmeal recipes or my baked oatmeal cups… I just modified the ingredients a little bit so you get bars that hold their shape better and are easier to package up and take on the go. They’re basically a mix between a bowl of oatmeal and a soft granola bar.
Like most of my baked oatmeal recipes, these oatmeal bars are vegan and gluten-free. Prep them ahead of time and take them for on-the-go breakfasts and snacks!
This is a great recipe to get your kids involved with! If they’re old enough, they can help measure out the ingredients otherwise you can measure and the kids can dump everything into a large bowl! Stir it all up and pour into a pan.
What You Need + Common Substitutions
oats – make sure you grab gluten-free oats if needed!
maple syrup – you can also use honey.
baking powder – to help the bars rise.
cinnamon – for a little spice.
salt – just a pinch.
almond milk – I like using unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any milk will work. Use whatever you have on hand.
applesauce – I prefer using unsweetened applesauce. If you don’t have any applesauce on hand or simply not a fan you can use 1/4 cup mashed banana instead of the applesauce.
coconut oil – butter will work too.
vanilla – the perfect flavor enhancer.
ground flaxseed – if you don’t have flaxseed, you can use 1 egg instead.
berries – both fresh and frozen work for this recipe, but I prefer fresh because they don’t release as much liquid as frozen berries do. I used a blend of fresh blueberries and strawberries for this recipe, but any berries will work.
I love berries in this recipe, but feel free to experiment with different mix-ins… most fruits should work and chocolate chips would be delicious as well.
Storing & Serving
I’ve tried so many different ways of storing and serving these bars. Here’s what I recommend:
Let the bars cool completely. They can cool in the pan or on a wire rack if you want to speed up the process. I can’t stress enough… be patient and make sure they are 100% cool!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Place your cooled bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week or the freezer for 2-3 months. I don’t recommend storing these at room temperature.
Pop them in the toaster oven! You can absolutely eat these bars cold, but I prefer to reheat them in a toaster oven before eating. The bars get a little crispy around the outside and perfectly heated throughout! You can also heat them up in the microwave. Just wrap in a damp paper towel and cook for 20-30 seconds or until warm.
These baked oatmeal bars are such an easy and convenient way to enjoy oatmeal for breakfast or as a snack. They’re easily customizable and great for kids and adults!
1cupfresh berries + 1/2 cup more for topping, I used blueberries and chopped strawberries
Instructions
Set oven: Preheat oven to 375°F.
Mix ingredients: Combine all ingredients except for the berries in a large bowl. Stir until combined and gently fold in 1 cup of berries.
Spread batter: Pour into a 8×8 square baking pan lined with parchment. Evenly spread batter in pan and top with remaining berries. I think it looks really pretty with sliced strawberries on top.
Bake: Cook for 30-35 minutes or until bars are cooked through and hold their shape.
Let cool+ enjoy: Remove from the oven, cool and then cut into 6 bars and enjoy.
Store: Store leftover bars in the fridge for up to 1 week. Enjoy cold or reheat in a toaster oven.
Video
Notes
oats – make sure you grab gluten-free oats if needed!maple syrup – you can also use honey.almond milk – I like using unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any milk will work. Use whatever you have on hand.applesauce – I prefer using unsweetened applesauce. If you don’t have any applesauce on hand or simply not a fan you can use 1/4 cup mashed banana instead of the applesauce.coconut oil – butter will work too.ground flaxseed – if you don’t have flaxseed, you can use 1 egg instead.berries – both fresh and frozen work for this recipe, but I prefer fresh because they don’t release as much liquid as frozen berries do. I used a blend of fresh blueberries and strawberries for this recipe, but any berries will work.
I’ve been making an oatmeal bar recipe every couple weeks for years but decided to try this one for comparison: Your recipe is my new favorite. The texture was particularly good. I used frozen blueberries with no problem and because I didn’t have syrup or honey, I put an extra 1/4 cup of almond milk in the blender with some whole dates. It all came out perfect. So good, that I think I may make these with chocolate chips when I’m craving sweets.
Oh yay!! So pumped to hear that you loved this recipe, Sophie. Thanks for giving it a try and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
I made these with the egg. The bars came out gluey and soft. If using an egg, the milk and strawberries (which I dried thoroughly) there is simply too much moisture to bake properly. Complete failure. The taste was good but the texture awful. Your site has too many ads and pop ups.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe did not work out for you, Linda. Thank you so much for this feedback in regard to the ads. I realize how frustrating that must be. I will reach out to my ad network and have them do some testing on the backend to see if we can fix this issue.
Wonderful recipe! It is great as is but also so easy to make adjustments for whatever you have on hand. This is my #1 go to when making breakfast for my grandma, she loves it!
Yay! I’m happy to hear this recipe is a hit! Thank you for making these bars and coming back to leave a review and star rating, Amanda. I really appreciate it!
This recipe looks great and I am excited to try these bars out! I am wondering if you have any insight on how they might do in the freezer to possibly extend their life? Been loving make-ahead freezer foods recently for their convenience! Thanks in advance!
Leave a Comment
I’ve been making an oatmeal bar recipe every couple weeks for years but decided to try this one for comparison: Your recipe is my new favorite. The texture was particularly good. I used frozen blueberries with no problem and because I didn’t have syrup or honey, I put an extra 1/4 cup of almond milk in the blender with some whole dates. It all came out perfect. So good, that I think I may make these with chocolate chips when I’m craving sweets.
Oh yay!! So pumped to hear that you loved this recipe, Sophie. Thanks for giving it a try and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
I made these with the egg. The bars came out gluey and soft. If using an egg, the milk and strawberries (which I dried thoroughly) there is simply too much moisture to bake properly. Complete failure. The taste was good but the texture awful. Your site has too many ads and pop ups.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe did not work out for you, Linda. Thank you so much for this feedback in regard to the ads. I realize how frustrating that must be. I will reach out to my ad network and have them do some testing on the backend to see if we can fix this issue.
Wonderful recipe! It is great as is but also so easy to make adjustments for whatever you have on hand. This is my #1 go to when making breakfast for my grandma, she loves it!
Yay! I’m happy to hear this recipe is a hit! Thank you for making these bars and coming back to leave a review and star rating, Amanda. I really appreciate it!
absolutely love these! so good!!
So pumped to hear these oatmeal bars were a hit, Erica! Thanks for the review and star rating. It means so much to me.
This recipe looks great and I am excited to try these bars out! I am wondering if you have any insight on how they might do in the freezer to possibly extend their life? Been loving make-ahead freezer foods recently for their convenience! Thanks in advance!
You can definitely freeze these! They’ll last for up to 3 months in the freezer. 🙂