Start your day smiling with an easy vegan oatmeal raisin breakfast bars recipe that's chewy, healthy, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and always sure to satisfy.
If you are tired of the same old breakfast or need something to grab and go, these 11-ingredient breakfast bars are ready for action. And of course, breakfast is really an umbrella term for any time. These bars make great snacks too.
This post contains helpful tips and tricks to make sure you're successful in your first attempt. Below, you'll find a handy table of contents with links. But if you're in a rush, please use the link at the top to jump to the recipe card at the end!
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⭐Why this recipe works
This easy recipe is perfect for reluctant bakers or folks looking for quick baking wins. Grab a spoon, mix the dry and wet ingredients and bake ‘em.
Between gathering and prepping the ingredients, mixing, and baking, this recipe will take about 45 minutes.
Not only are these bars gluten-free, but they are powered by healthy rolled oats. They are not as sweet as traditional oatmeal raisin cookies, making them perfect for breakfast or a healthy dessert.
📋 Ingredients
Rolled oats: Oats are one of the central figures in whole food diets. They are filled with fiber which positively influences everything from blood sugar to digestion. Oats are also a good source of protein, so there is no need for a bacon side, although I'm always up for tofu bacon. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but please, double-check the package. Sometimes oats are processed alongside other ingredients, making them not certifiable as gluten-free.
Cinnamon: The only spice I used was ground cinnamon. If you aren’t big cinnamon fans, use a little more nutmeg and a pinch of allspice.
Cardamom: Fragrant and slightly peppery, cardamom adds a warming flavor.
Nutmeg: Sweet nutmeg is a natural fit with oatmeal and raisins. Add a little extra if you are skipping or cutting back on the cinnamon.
Salt: These bars aren't overly sweet, but you'll want to add a little salt to balance the flavor. By a little, we're talking about ¼ of a teaspoon. This assumes that your tahini doesn't contain salt.
Applesauce: We like the chunky kind of applesauce, but the more traditional pureed apple kind works. You could also toss a few apples in a food processor and call it good. The key is to use unsweetened applesauce.
Tahini: The subtly nutty flavor of tahini makes part of the binder and thickens the applesauce and other wet ingredients. If desired, you can substitute with smooth peanut butter, almond butter, or another nut butter. If you avoid nuts, consider sunflower seed butter.
Maple syrup: These bars are not intended to be super sweet, so maple syrup just tones down the unsweetened apple sauce. If you substitute coconut sugar or brown sugar or use them for added sugar, you may want to add an extra tablespoon of applesauce. Date paste is a good substitute if you need one.
Vanilla extract: I can’t think of making oatmeal raisin anything without vanilla, and I'll use it anywhere I can. I've never tried this recipe with almond extract, but it might be a tasty substitute.
Raisins: Brown, golden, Thompson, use whatever raisins you’ve got handy. Yes, currants work too. And if you really don’t like raisins, try dried cranberries. You’ll still end up with a great breakfast bar.
Walnuts: Raisins and walnuts are natural compadres, but walnuts are rightfully healthy. If you don’t want nuts, omit them. You can use hazelnuts, almonds, or try seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
🔪 Pro tips & notes
- The purpose of mixing the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls is to ensure that all the flavors are evenly distributed. You might have success tossing everything into one large bowl, but tahini can be a bit dense and tough to mix, so use 2 bowls.
- Fold (mix) the raisins and walnuts at the end after the dry ingredients are moist.
- I used a glass baking dish, and even without added oil, the bars didn't stick to the bottom or sides. A non-stick pan can also be used. Aim for a square 8 x 8-inch pan. If you use a 9-inch baking pan, your bars will be thinner. You may need to adjust the baking time.
- If you are concerned about sticking, you can line the bottom with parchment paper; however, it can sometimes impede the bottom from firming up. We've tried this strategy with bread with mixed results, which is the basis of my hesitancy.
- Preheat the oven before baking the bars. This will help the middle to cook before the edges get too brown.
- This recipe is not meant to have the texture of hard and crunchy granola bars. They should be firm in the middle but expect them to be soft to the bite with crunchy walnuts and chewy texture from the raisins and oats.
💭 Common Questions
Quick oats or instant oats are more highly processed than rolled oats. For this reason, they are difficult to substitute for rolled oats in baking. Rolled oats retain their texture and are the best option. Quick oats behave more like all-purpose flour. You can still get a bar form, but if you substitute, the measure of liquid ingredients needs to be adjusted. They may also need extra time to bake.
To freeze oatmeal raisin bars, cut them and allow them to cool to room temperature. Wrap them individually before freezing.
Different kinds of rolled oats behave differently, and it's easy to make a slight mistake measuring ingredients. If your oat bars are too crumbly after baking them, likely, there is not enough moisture in the batter. Check that all the oats are moist before adding them to the baking dish. If you add extra nuts or raisins, you may need to add more applesauce.
Smashed ripe bananas can be used as a replacement for applesauce. Start with a 1:1 ratio and add a little more banana if the oats remain dry after mixing.
🍽 Serving & Storage
The flavor of these breakfast bars isn't quite like a super-sweet oatmeal raisin cookie, but it does give your sweet tooth a little wake-up. This is a great recipe for switching up the dried fruit and nuts or seeds to suit your tastes or pantry. If you want something extra, add a few vegan chocolate chips. This means that next time, you can use this basic recipe and make entirely different breakfast bars or bar cookies.
After cutting the bars, cover them and store them in the original baking dish (they won't last long). Freeze them individually. You can also transfer the bars to an airtight container.
📖 Related recipes
👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Easy Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Bars
Start your day smiling with an easy vegan oatmeal raisin breakfast bars recipe that's chewy, healthy, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and always sure to satisfy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Bready Things
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 ½ cups apple sauce
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients. Toss together the rolled oats, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine wet ingredients. Add the apple cause, tahini, maple syrup, and vanilla to a small bowl. Use a whisk or spoon to combine the ingredients until they are smooth.
- Preheat the oven and mix the batter. Preheat the oven to 400 F. (200 C.). Meanwhile, add the wet ingredients to the oats. Mix them together, and then add the raisins and chopped walnuts.
- Add to a baking dish and bake. Turn the oatmeal bar mixture into an 8x8 inch glass baking dish or non-stick pan. Lightly press the mixture into the pan and spread it in an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and firm in the center.
- Cool and slice. Remove the breakfast bars from the oven and allow them to cool (preferably on a wire rack) for a few minutes. Slice the bars and enjoy!
Notes
- The number of bars depends on how big you make them. We’ve adjusted the nutritional information to reflect 12 servings.
- Substitute peanut butter or another nut or seed butter for the tahini.
- We recommend rolled oats for this recipe. Quick oats are highly processed and won’t retain enough texture for the bars to set up.
- If you use a larger baking pan, the bars will be thinner. Adjust the baking time accordingly.
Keywords: vegan oatmeal raisin breakfast bars, plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free
Michelle Duran
I may try this! Will let u know!!
Denise
Enjoy! It's a great, healthy (gluten-free) snack to take along too 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help in any way. Best, D.