Berry Baked Oatmeal Bars
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Published Jun 15, 2020, Updated Apr 24, 2023
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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.
More Fun Oatmeal Recipes to Try
More Bar Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Tahini Fig Bars
- Oatmeal Raisin Protein Bars
- Banana Power Bars
- No Bake High Fiber Bars
Berry Baked Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, or your fave milk
- ½ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup, or honey
- 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh berries + ½ 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are delicious! I doubled the recipe and used a 9×13 pan, which worked great. Thanks for your recipes, Brittany!
Yay!! So glad this recipe turned out for you, Joann! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. 🙂
I love your regular baked oatmeal so it wasn’t surprising that I ended up loving these bars as well! I ended up subbing honey instead of maple syrup and olive oil instead of coconut, and they turned out delicious!
Yay!! So glad you loved these bars, Amy! Thanks so much for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I haven’t tried yet so I can’t rate but I am very excited to make these! They look delicious and I love that you mentioned heating them up when you are ready to eat them, I wouldn’t have been sure if they would survive being warmed up if you hadn’t mentioned it! So excited!
Definitely come back and let us know what you think of it when you make it!! 🙂
Could quick oats be substituted in this recipe?
Hey Liz – Yes, that should work just fine. 🙂 Let me know how these bars turn out for you if you try them.
We’ve been loving these so much that we now make a x3 batch every time (which fits perfectly in a half-sheet pan btw). We subbed mashed banana for the applesauce and added a few tablespoons of peanut butter… so good!
Ahh yay! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m so glad you’ve been loving these baked oatmeal bars. Thanks for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. <3
FAB!! These came out tasting more like cake than breakfast. Will definitely make again. I had to make applesauce from scratch when I saw it in the recipe (they don’t sell it here) and I think I added too much, as they don’t hold shape very well but that’s not really a problem since I’m expecting them to be gone by tomorrow..
I’m glad you enjoyed these bars Beata! In the future, you can used mashed ripe bananas instead of the applesauce. 🙂
My first EBF recipe! 😊 I did not have rolled oats so I substituted them for quick oats. I used blueberries and peaches for my fruit in this recipe. They turned out amazing! Now just to figure out which recipe I want to try next!
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Sarah. I’m so glad these bars turned out for you. Thanks for sharing the subs you made and for coming back to leave a star rating. It’s super helpful for other readers. 🙂
These came out amazing!! I subbed mashed banana for applesauce and an egg for the ground flax, and my husband and I love them. Made with strawberries and a few chocolate chips on top, and they’re perfect for a snack, breakfast or dessert.Thank you for this recipe- I’m already planning to make them next week!
That makes me so happy to hear, Allie! I’m so glad these bars were a hit. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
These were good! I only put blueberries in it since I didn’t have any strawberries or other berries. I did add some grated lemon peel which is something I like as in a muffin and I used bananas instead of applesauce. They came out good. Matter of fact, I cannot stop eating them. I am going to put them in the freezer and forget about them for a while.
Ahh yay! I’m so pumped that you’re loving these bars, Betty. I so appreciate you making them and coming back to leave a comment + star rating. 🙂
This was a HUGE hit during the summertime with the abundance of fresh berries! I loved how sweet it was, yet kept me so full due to the oats. Very very delicious.