If you love chewy, soft and nutty snacks or breakfast bars you need to try our popular vegan oat bar recipe!
It’s made with simple pantry ingredients, ripe banana and crunchy nuts, and can be customized to your preferences.
free 7-day vegan meal plan
Your next week of eating is planned out with these quick and delicious vegan bowls, meal prepping steps & full grocery list.
Our healthy oat bars offer great taste, texture, and a wonderful nutritional profile: complex carbs, healthy fats, protein, and fiber join forces to keep you full and satiated for hours!
You can make these vegan oat bars within only 30 minutes and add a layer of raspberry chia jam to make fruity flapjacks or top them with granola!
Why you’ll love them
- Budget-friendly & accessible
- Vegan, gluten-free and tasty
- Endlessly customizable
- Nutritious and satiating
- Great for meal prep & to-go snacking
- Kid-friendly & healthy
We’ll share with you how you can customize these vegan oat bars to your preferences in just a bit. Here are the basic ingredients!
Ingredients needed
- Rolled oats – obviously. They double as flour if you process them in a blender!
- Bananas – great as an egg & sugar replacement.
- Soy milk – more nutrients, creaminess & plant-based protein!
- Cinnamon – our favorite spice for baked treats.
- Nuts, seeds & dried fruit — our favorite combination is dates, walnuts, chia and coconut.
- Maple syrup – adjust to your prefered level of sweetness!
In terms of kitchen equipment, get an 8×8 baking dish, two mixing bowls, a spoon and measuring equipment.
How to make vegan oat bars
- Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C) and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Make oat flour by pulverizing rolled oats in your blender.
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl with a spoon.
- Mix wet ingredients (mashed banana, soy milk and maple syrup) in another bowl using a spoon.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until you create a somewhat homogenous batter.
- Fold in nuts, seeds or dried fruit, then pour the batter into your baking dish.
- Spread it evenly and top with addition nuts or seeds if liked.
- Bake for around 20 minutes until firm and lightly golden on the top! The baking time depends on how thinly you spread your batter and how soft or crunchy you want them to be.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes on a rack before slicing into bars!
Storage & serving
Our vegan oat bars taste wonderfully fresh from the oven but keep well for 3-4 days at room temperature when stored in a container.
You can keep them for up to a week in the fridge and even freeze any leftovers!
Wrap the oat bars individually in parchment paper and place them in a freezer-friendly container. They can be frozen for a couple of months and defrosted for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.
Enjoy the vegan oat bars alongside some creamy almond milk or almond latte, fresh fruit, berry smoothie or our mango chocolate smoothie!
Tips & FAQs
If you don’t end up with the perfect texture of your oatmeal bars, here’s a tip for how to save them!
Cut them into small bites or crumble them to use as a muesli or granola replacement for breakfast. Top with fresh fruit, milk, nuts or almond yogurt!
Adjustments
- Oat flour: swap with all-purpose flour
- Bananas: swap with applesauce
- Soy milk: use any plant-based milk
- Maple syrup: go for your favorite sweetener
- Dates: raisings or dried figs also work
- Walnuts: pecans, cashews, almonds are all tasty
Make the oat bars higher in fat by adding 2 tablespoons of nut butter to the batter or using more nuts.
To ensure the oat bars are 100% gluten-free, you need to make sure your oats are labeled as such and are not contaminated with glutinous grains!
For a smoother texture of your oatmeal bars, use only oat flour (1.75 cups or 210 g) and no rolled oats.
Are oat bars healthy?
This obviously depends on the exact oat bar in question but they are usually a healthier snack choice because they are based on whole grains.
Choose healthier oat bars by making some that are lower in added sugar and saturated fats while featuring more wholesome ingredients like nuts or dried fruit.
Are oat bars usually vegan?
Many store-bought oat bars are vegan, yes! However, they may contain honey, a non-vegan sweetener, eggs or dairy products.
You can make some easy vegan swaps if you’re following a non-vegan oat bar recipe or check the ingredients of any store-bought breakfast bar.
Delicious add-ins & variations
We never get tired of making oatmeal bars simply because we can create so many different versions! Here are some great add-ons and add-ins you can try.
- Peanut butter or almond butter
- Raspberries or blueberries
- Chocolate chips
- Dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, apple or banana chips
- Pistachios, almonds, peanuts
- Sunflower, hemp, pumpkin or sesame seeds
- Spices like vanilla, gingerbread, anise, cloves or cardamom
More healthy vegan snacks
If you liked these easy vegan oatmeal bars, try some of the following goodness next!
- Raspberry Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Blueberry Muffins
- Carrot Cake Bites
- Cozy Cinnamon Rolls
Did you make our vegan oat bar recipe and like it? Comment below, leave a rating and Pin the recipe here!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats 90 g
- 1 cup oat flour 120 g
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas chopped or mashed
- ½ cup soy milk
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup
Optional Add-ons
- ⅓ cup walnuts chopped (40 g)
- 5 dates chopped
- ¼ cup coconut flakes 20 g
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C) and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients: oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix with a spoon.
- Add the mashed banana, soy milk, and maple syrup to another bowl. Mix thoroughly with a fork.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix them thoroughly. Fold in any nuts, seeds, dried fruit or add-ins of choice!
- Put your mixture onto the baking dish, spreading it evenly. The bars should be 1-1.5 inches (3-4 cm) thick.
- Sprinkle with toppings of your choice and press them down gently.
- Transfer into the preheated oven and bake for around 18-20 mins until firm and lightly golden. The baking time depends on how thinly you spread your batter and how soft or crunchy you want them to be!
- Once the oat mixture has turned golden, remove it from the oven. Place the baking dish on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then slice your oat batter into bars.
- Enjoy warm or store in a container and eat over the next few days!
Notes
- Make your own oat flour by pulverizing 1 ⅓ cups (or 120 g) rolled oats in your blender or food processor.
- Use any plant-based milk for this recipe.
- You can swap the ripe banana for applesauce if you want!
- Find more tips & adjustments in the article.
These easy vegan oat bars are made with just a handful of everyday ingredients and ready in 30 minutes. They’re a great homemade treat, breakfast or snack for the whole family and naturally gluten-free!