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Don’t let the fact that these oatmeal breakfast bars are healthy turn you away! They are chewy, a little sweet and very satisfying.
This recipe was shared in the Facebook group I was a part of for an 8 week challenge. I adjusted it to make it much smaller, because I wasn’t sure I would like them. This recipe will make 20 bars.
Ingredients needed:
- unsweetened applesauce
- cinnamon
- vanilla
- honey
- salt
- coconut oil
- old fashioned oats
I brought them to Sunday School and there were only a couple left when I got home. I would call that another clean eating success!
If you store them in the refrigerator they will stay fresher longer, but they don’t need to be refrigerated. They also freeze well, so if you make a big batch you’ll have a great grab-and-go option for snacking!
If you like these Oatmeal Breakfast Bars, you might like some of these breakfast recipes!
- Breakfast Tacos
- Southwest Breakfast Burritos
- Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Maple Danish
- Overnight Apple Oatmeal
Chewy Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup coconut oil no other oil can be substituted
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- 3 1/2 cups old fashioned oats, 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup coconut oil, 2 tbsp cinnamon, 3 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp saltStir together all the ingredients in a large bowl and make sure the oats are evenly coated. If needed, warm the coconut oil slightly so it is liquid and easier to mix evenly.
- Press evenly into a 2 quart baking dish. The thickness will be similar to a brownie.
- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
- Cool completely before cutting into 20 bars.
Nutrition
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Marcia says
Easy and my husband really liked them. I didn’t make them as the recipe stated because I didn’t have applesauce. I substituted a puréed banana. I also added cranberries, flax seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Let them cool completely before cutting and after refrigerated they stayed together just fine. Thanks for the easy and very tasty breakfast.
Nicole Burkholder says
Your substitutions sound delicious!
Toni says
Hi Marcia, did you sub out some of the oats for your add-ins, or were they in addition to the 3.5c oats?
Carol says
I’ve made these 3 times in the past month- we love them!! I substituted a cup of oatmeal for 1/2 cup of organic coconut flakes, and 1/2 cup of organic almond slivers, and they turned out great. Like Nicole said, you really need to make sure that they have cooled completely and keep them in the refrigerator, in order to have the intended bars. They’re awesome- thanks, Nicole!!
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m so glad you liked them! They are a fabulous “grab and go” breakfast or snack 🙂
Lori says
Hi, I had the same problem as Kerry. Is this recipe supposed to have eggs? My grandkids loved the recipe but had to eat it with a spoon because it was just like loose granola. I plan to try this again with an egg and see if that makes any difference.
Nicole Burkholder says
Did you keep them in the refrigerator? And you used the ingredients exactly as indicated? This isn’t really a substitution-friendly kind of recipe. 🙂 It doesn’t require eggs, but you could certainly try if you’d like! I’m curious how that would be 🙂 My bars are a little dry/crumbly around the edges of the pan sometimes, but they should still be chewy and able to be cut, for sure.
Kerri says
I made these and it was delicious but they did not come together as “bars” at all. It was kind of just like clumps of chewy granola. Tasty but not lunch box-able. Any ideas?
Nicole Burkholder says
Did you keep them in the refrigerator? You can see mine were cut into bars and they stayed together, but I did keep them refrigerated. If the coconut oil gets too warm it gets soft (it’s liquid over 76 degrees) so that may have had something to do with it. I’ve also kept them frozen so they stay fresh longer. Pull one out of the freezer, and by the time lunch rolls around, they are ready to eat!