These Chewy Apple Oatmeal Bars are a deliciously healthy on-the-go breakfast. They’re perfect for workout fuel, as well as a tasty afternoon snack you’ll feel great about.
Apple Baked Oatmeal Bars
We are a little more than halfway through our annual January sugar fast. Halfway and a day, hip hip hooray!
Aside from a bit of necessary glucose for fueling my long runs, going without refined sugar has been pretty manageable. Every January, I’m once again surprised how doable a sugar fast can be. And this is coming from me, the girl who eats cookies for breakfast.
It absolutely helps that I allow a small amount of raw honey or pure maple syrup occasionally throughout the month. Truth: the boys have gone from mugs of hot chocolate with ‘mallows to cups of herbal tea with a teaspoon of honey. I casually act like it’s no biggie when my teen boys reach for chamomile tea. I’m not about to mess with that.
It also helps that when the baking bug strikes hard, I can whip up delicious goodies like these Apple Oatmeal Bars — sweetened with pure maple syrup and applesauce, so it fits into our healthy January vibe. [If it prevents me from running to DQ, it’s a total win.]
These Apple Oatmeal Bars are gluten-free, dairy-free as well, making them perfect for those who are intolerant to either of those ingredients.
Apples and oats, here we go…
Ingredients for Chewy Apple Oatmeal Bars
- Gluten Free Old Fashioned Oats – Be sure you’re using the old fashioned rolled oats, rather than quick cooking oats. This helps with the chewy good texture.
- Ground Cinnamon – We’re not shy here, going with 2 tsp good quality cinnamon in the bars themselves, and a little sprinkle on top after baking.
- Baking Powder – Always be sure your baking powder is fresh and not even close to expiring. Baking powder gives these bars a higher lift and a soft texture.
- Unsweetened Applesauce – If you want to keep these apple oatmeal bars sugar free, be sure to get applesauce that’s labeled “no sugar added.” It can be easy to accidentally grab a jar of applesauce that is laden with added sugar. If you’re into making your own applesauce via slow cooker, that’s another great option.
- Pure Maple Syrup – Definitely use 100% pure maple syrup here; not pancake syrup or any other syrup. We only use 6TB in this recipe, as our goal was to keep these bars light and healthy. Feel free to amp up the maple syrup a bit if the batter tastes too light for you. Another great option is raw honey, in place of the maple.
- Coconut Oil – Measure the coconut oil as a liquid, melting it before measuring. Coconut oil lends a subtle aromatic flavor, while remaining mostly undetected in this recipe. It’s a fabulous alternative to butter, and allows these oatmeal bars to remain dairy-free.
- Egg – Eggs are classified as a protein and not a dairy product. So happy about that, as it allows those who are dairy intolerant to enjoy these bars. Just 1 large egg will help the binding of these yummy oat bars.
- Vanilla – Only 100% pure vanilla extract belongs in these delicious oat bars. We go with a generous 2 tsp vanilla here, which provides great aromatic flavor.
- Apple – You’ll need 1/2 cup loosely packed grated apple here. I love Honeycrisp apples, as they have such amazing apple-y flavor. You can also use Fuji or Granny Smith. If you prefer to chop your apple instead of grate them, you’ll have little chunks of apple bits to enjoy in every bite.
Optional Add-ins for Apple Oatmeal Bars
Add-ins are seriously my fave part of recipes like this. I love, love playing with various add-ins. Obviously, I kept mine basic for these pix, since I didn’t want to throw anyone off with my impulsive add-ins, but here are some yummy ideas if you’re so inclined. About 1/2 to 1 cup of any of the following:
- Your choice of chopped nuts
- Roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- Shredded toasted coconut
- Your choice dried fruits (i.e., blueberries, cranberries, raisins)
- Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Any other ideas for fun add-ins, feel free to share!
What’s the texture of these apple oatmeal bars?
These apple oatmeal bars are similar to baked oatmeal, like this Maple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal (Gluten-Free). They’re soft, chewy, and dense with a bit of fluff. I do find that these apple oatmeal bars are a just a tad fluffier and lighter in texture than your typical baked oatmeal. That’s possibly due to using applesauce instead of milk in this recipe.
These are definitely not crunchy nor crispy. If you’re looking for crisp, go with Crunchy Granola. Ultimately, their texture might be like a merger of an oatmeal cake and a chewy bar. Whether that makes sense or not, I’ve no idea, but just make these bars and you’ll know what I mean.
Why we love this apple oatmeal bars recipe
- These apple oatmeal bars are gluten-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free so pretty much all my friends can freely devour
- These bars manage to be both healthy and super delicious
- They’re chewy soft and stay that way for days
- They keep well, airtight, at room temp for a few days
- They’re a feel-good breakfast, workout fuel, or afternoon snack (read: no guilt)
- They’re super easy to make
- You can play with all the fun add-ins you like, changing it up every time you make them👉🏼 Even picky tweens inhale these. ‘Nuff said.
Chewy Apple Oatmeal Bars (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined sugar-free)
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
These Chewy Apple Oatmeal Bars are a deliciously healthy on-the-go breakfast. They’re perfect for workout fuel, as well as a tasty afternoon snack you’ll feel great about.
Ingredients
1 1/3 cup pure applesauce (no sugar added) 6 TB pure maple syrup 1/3 cup melted coconut oil 1 large egg, room temp 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup grated apple, loosely packed (I like honeycrisp) 2 1/2 cup GF old fashioned oats, divided 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp table salt Optional add-ins: 1/2-1 cup nuts, seeds, shredded coconut, dried fruit, chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F, with rack on lower middle position. Grease an 8×8 baking pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine applesauce, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, egg, vanilla, and grated apple. Use hand whisk to combine well; set aside. Using a strong blender or food processor, blend 1 cup oats until you have oat flour. In a bowl, combine your oat flour with remaining rolled oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and table salt. Use hand whisk to combine well. Gradually pour oat mixture into applesauce mixture, using rubber spatula to fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until no more dry flour streaks remain (do not overmix) Use rubber spatula to fully transfer batter into greased 8×8 pan, evening out the corners. Bake 30-35 minutes or just until edges are golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Do not overbake. Let baked oatmeal cool at room temp before cutting into bars. Can be stored at room temp, airtight, for 2-3 days.
Notes
These oatmeal bars may be wrapped airtight and frozen for a week or two, for easy grab-and-go. Maple syrup can be substituted with pure honey; keep in mind honey is a bit sweeter than maple. For more texture, you can chop your apples instead of grate them, if you like.
If you enjoyed this recipe, we’d love for you to come back and give it a rating 🙂
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Bars
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These sound so good! I have been kicking around the idea of making my own bars for awhile, with an always-hungry swimmer who needs to fuel up with good food choices. I might be spending some time in your recipes soon!
I get it, Shannan! As an endurance runner, I’m always hungry too 😉 Making your own bars is healthier and cheaper than buying. Enjoy!
These look so good, i’m a sucker for anything apple and easy to make. Sometimes as a mom I forget to eat so these would be great to keep on-hand.
Those are like a healthy dessert, and I cannot wait to devour them! They look so absolutely amazing.
This is surely a yummy treat, perfect for a quick healthy snack when you are on the go and just craving something sweet. I like it that it can suit so many dietary intolerances.
These bars combine so many of my favourite ingredients! I love all of these flavours, so I know I will love the bars 🙂
I’m not a fan of sweets but these oatmeal bars are very energetic. Maybe I’ll try it because of the oatmeal since i like oatmeal, but girl you rock !
Perfect timing – the doctor just told me and my husband that we needed to get more oatmeal into our diet… and I’m sick of eating it for breakfast! We will make these this weekend!
Just made this – delicious!
I definitely have to try these!! Love having quick & easy & healthy breakfast ready to go!
I’ll have to make these for my kids breakfast instead of their go to Z bars! They look delicious!
I love how your chewy apple oatmeal bars are gluten, dairy, and low in sugar.
This look like the perfect snak to bring to work to help me go through my twelve hours shifts.
These would be awesome for keeping in the freezer for a quick snack grab when you are craving something sweet but healthy!
I wish I liked oatmeal more! These look great but my oatmeal aversion makes it hard. I have experimented with my own bars using brown crisped rice as a base. Maybe I will try again. Thanks for sharing!
I’m always making my bars so I can ensure they are vegan, but this recipe is great that I share with my hikers club
These look great for breakfast, without the guilt. The recipe looks really easy, and that’s a plus!
These look so good! I especially love how its free of refined sugar, That stuff really is the worst of the worst!
i love a good granola bar. these look easy and yummy!
These oatmeal bars look so tasty. I would love to try this recipe.
Thanks for sharing, my boyfriend loves protein bars and I planed to make him on our anniversary 🙂
They look delicious and I know that they would be a hit at my house. Apple things are pretty popular around here.
These look like the perfect afternoon snack
I love granola bars, and these ones are so easy to make! Great recipe!
I would love to make that apple oatmeal bar recipe next week This will be a favorite snacks here at homefor sure!
look so good! I definitely gonna try these. love this recipe.
Your apple bars look absolutely delightful and perfect for this snowy day. I’d love one right now!
Just the recipe I needed to make my own snack bars. Thanks for sharing it. Will definitely try it.
These look so good! I could totally throw a few in a baggie to snack on at work.
These look so good. Oats are so good for you!
★★★★★
I made these today. They were a hit with my while family. They said they are delicious and politely asked for more! I will definitely make these again! Thank you for this amazingly delicious recipe!
★★★★★
You’re so very welcome, Brianna! Thanks for coming back to let us know you guys enjoyed this! 🙂 🙂
I initially made these as a breakfast for my almost 2yo twin grandsons as they are reminiscent of things I used to make for my sons. These were not only a big hit with them but also with my husband. So easy!! My 2nd batch baked up perfectly in my 24 count mini muffin top pan making them easy to share/freeze. I am stirring up my 3rd batch in 2 weeks this afternoon. Thanks so much.
★★★★★
You’re so welcome, Annie! 🙂 I love that you can now bake for your grandsons, like you did for your sons! 🙂
Made these and they were good. Not sweet but good energy food for tennis! Kids liked them too!
This recipe looks tasty, but the recipe is very hard to read given the format. If I did make this recipe I would have to re-write it into standard recipe format. It would be lovely if you would do it for me. 🙂
I have to leave out the egg and I use date syrup instead of maple syrup but they are really yummy for lower glycemic, gluten-free treats. I’ve used coconut oil and canola oil and I like them both! They freeze up great.
★★★★★
Thanks for that idea! Happy you liked these! 🙂