Easy Baked Vegan Oat Bars Recipe (Gluten Free, Top 9 Free)

Table of Contents

Today we’re going to make delicious bars together! This vegan oat bars recipe comes together easily with a handful of simple ingredients. The best part, in my humble free-from opinion, is how versatile this recipe is. Once you’ve made them once, you’ll be able to take the idea and make a range of different vegan oat bars recipes on your own using different freeze dried fruits.

If you happen to be managing a free-from kiddo, I’d encourage them to have you help make this tasty recipe. Kids can help push buttons on the food processor, press the dough, and so on. Now let’s get to work.

Allergy Status

Free From: Wheat/Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Tree Nut (including Coconut), Peanut, Fish, Shellfish, Sesame, Top 9 Allergens, Alliums, Apple, Avocado, Banana, Beans & Lentils, Berries, Buckwheat, Cane/Refined Sugar, Carrot, Celery, Cinnamon, Citrus, Cruciferous, Garlic, Latex Cross Reactive Foods (H/M), Legume, Lupin, Mushroom, Mustard, Nightshade, Onion, Pea & Pea Protein, Potato (Nightshade Variety), Poultry, Red Meat, Rice, Seeds, Squash & Gourd, Strawberry, Sweet Potato & Yam, Tapioca/Cassava/Yuca/Manioc, Tomato, Yeast

Friendly To: EOE, Low Histamine

Compatible With: Stone Fruit Free, Vegan, Pollen Cross Reactive Free (Alder, Grass)

Stone Fruit Free, Pollen (Alder, Grass): Swap the freeze dried cherries for a freeze dried fruit you enjoy. Strawberry and blueberry are both great starting points.

Low Histamine Reminder: If vanilla extract is not tolerated, swap for 3/4 teaspoon of ground vanilla instead. Skip the optional white chocolate layer if needed and make a safe-for-you glaze if desired to replace it.

Needed Tools

To make these vegan oatmeal bars, you will need a few specific tools:

Blender (this is the blender I use)
Food Processor (I have this large Breville)
Heavy Duty Spatula (this is the one I like)

Part 1 Ingredients

56g Organic Freeze Dried Cherries (the brand I use)
200g Organic Nut/Seed/Tuber/Legume Butter of Choice
100g Organic Honey of Choice OR Organic Maple Syrup (see notes)
1 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract OR 3/4 tsp Organic Ground Vanilla (here’s a brand I love, shared facility with tree nuts last I checked)

Part 2 Ingredient

200g Organic Gluten Free Purity Protocol Rolled Oats

Optional Ingredients

65mL Milk of Choice (may not be needed, see directions)
White Chocolate Chips of Choice (these are the vegan + top 9 free chips I use)

Ingredient Notes

You can swap the honey for date syrup, brown rice syrup, sorghum syrup, or organic maple syrup. However, this will alter the sweetness level some, so taste after adding 70g, then add the rest as need. The key is that you can use any liquid sweetener. When swapping, if your bar batter is on the loose side (honey has more binding power than some liquid sweeteners), add more of your nut/seed butter.

Any spread/butter will work: cashew butter, natural peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, tiger nut butter (tuber, not a tree nut), and so on.

For the milk of choice, and plant milk will work including soy milk, homemade milk, almond milk, rice milk, and so on.

More Delicious Recipes to Try

Check these out if you’d like more oat focused or vegan oat bars recipes:

Directions

Let’s use some basic ingredients and make delicious vegan oat bars. Start by placing your freeze dried cherries (or other freeze dried fruit) into your blender and blitzing into a fine powder. It’s OK if it’s not perfect. If you have a safe-for-you cherry powder you can purchase, use that instead.

Next, add all of the Part 1 Ingredients into your food processor. Mix until a smooth paste forms. This is where the optional milk comes in. Depending on the consistency of your spread of choice, you might end up with something that’s clumpy, like I did. I used 65mLs of dairy free milk to bring it together. If you have a clumpy mix, it won’t take much milk to get to a smooth paste, so start with 1 – 2 ounces (30 – 60mL).

With the paste finished, remove the blade of your food processor which allows it to function like a large bowl. Now, add the oats. Use a heavy duty spatula to mix everything together well.

Next, preheat your oven to 350f/175c, then line a glass baking dish with parchment paper. Allow the paper to go over the edge, as this will act as “handles” so you can lift the bars straight out after baking. As pictured, I used an 11 x 13 inch (27.5×32.5cm) glass baking dish. You can use a smaller dish for a thicker bar, or a larger dish for a thinner bar. Either way, that will alter your baking time.

Transfer the mix to your baking dish and distribute evenly. Finally, if you’re using the optional chocolate chips, add them on top. Bake at 350f/175c for 25 – 30 minutes.

When you pull the bars out, if you’ve used the chocolate chips, use an offset (angled) spatula to spread the soft/melted chocolate chips. This will create a smooth layer as pictured.

Allow the bars to cool completely, then use the parchment paper overhang to lift them out. You can then cut them right on the paper with a sharp knife, no cutting board needed.

More Tasty Snack Recipes

If you need gluten free, vegan, allergy friendly snack recipes, I’ve got you covered.

Oat Free, Gluten Free, Egg Free Protein Muffins (top 9 free, vegan, and more)
Baked Fruit Bars (grain free, truly corn free, top 9 free, and more)
Easy Seed & Nut Free Power Balls (top 9 free)
Gluten Free, Egg Free, Grain Free Muffins (top 9 free, vegan, and more)

Fun Ways to Change These Vegan Oat Bars

The next time you make this recipe, consider trying one of these tasty ideas!

Make peanut butter oat bars by using peanut butter as your spread of choice. You can also spread peanut butter on top of the bars (crunchy peanut butter would add a really fun texture).
Make raspberry oatmeal bars by swapping the cherry for raspberry. You could also make a delicious raspberry glaze with freeze dried raspberries and pip on top.
Create a citrus forward bar by using freeze dried orange in place of the cherry. Then, make a lemon yuzu vanilla glaze and pipe that on top of your bars.
Use granola butter as your spread for a more cookie dough-like bar.
Make lemon thyme bars by using freeze dried lemon as your fruit, a lightly flavoured spread, and adding a little thyme to the mix when you add the oats.
Use mango, blueberry, or peach as your fruit. Don’t be afraid to use more fruit powder so the flavour is very present.
Make Hawaiian bars by using macadamia nut butter as your spread and freeze dried pineapple as your fruit.

Storage

Generally, vegan oat bars recipes do well with counter top storage. With this recipe, you can store it covered on your counter for 3-4 days at room temperature. Whilst you can technically store them uncovered, they’ll dry out some. If you’re seeking that kind of texture, absolutely store them uncovered.

Alternatively, you can freeze your bars. If freezing or storing covered at room temperature, be sure to use an airtight container..

More Vegan Baking Recipes to Enjoy

If you’d like to see more vegan options for baking recipes, check out the Advanced Recipe Search on RAISE. Note: each of these recipes is gluten free and very allergy friendly.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Peanut Butter Bars
Banana Bread (make sure you have very ripe bananas on hand)
Vegan Cakey Sugar Cookies (an easy recipe that’s incredibly delicious)
Gluten Free Orange Cake

Answering Your Vegan Oat Bars Recipe Questions

Could I use quick oats in this recipe?

No, I don’t suggest using quick-cooking oats in this recipe, as they’ve been pre-cooked. Since this is a baked recipe, you don’t want that property to create a negative outcome. You’ll want to stick with old-fashioned oats or rolled oats (they’re the same thing).

Can I add protein powder to this recipe?

You could try to add a plant-based protein powder to these bars. I’d suggest starting with 30 – 45 grams. Since this isn’t something I’ve tested, I’d have you start on the lower end. You need to see if the protein powder tastes good with the bars, and you’ll want to make sure it doesn’t disrupt the binding of the bars.

If all else fails, you could always make a protein powder glaze, or melt down your chocolate chips, add the protein powder, mix well, then pour on top of the bars to let it set.

Do I need to use certified gluten-free oats to make these bars?

If you don’t have Celiac Disease, a wheat allergy, Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, or follow a gluten free (or wheat free) diet for any reason whatsoever, no, you don’t need to use certified gluten-free oats to make these bars.

I call for gluten free, purity protocol oats because my recipes are primary developed for those with food allergies and other dietary restrictions. Just make sure you’re using regular rolled oats and not something like quick oats, as they aren’t the same thing.

Can I use agave syrup instead of the honey?

The great news is that you can use any liquid sweetener in this recipe including agave syrup, pure maple syrup, date syrup, and so on. Each liquid sweetener will have a different binding strength, so don’t be afraid to add a little more spread/butter if your mix is too loose.

Know that coconut sugar, date sugar, brown sugar, maple sugar, etc., won’t work, as these are all granulated sweeteners.

Is this considered a healthy oat bar?

It’s important to remember that the term healthy isn’t a regulated one, and this will be based on personal nutrition goals, medical/dietary needs, and so on. Personally, I think this vegan oat bar recipe is a good alternative to a lot of the snack bar options on the market right now. It’s pretty common to see bars with a lot of added sugar (refined sugar), whereas this recipe only uses natural sweeteners that are unrefined.

This is the kind of bar I would happily make for my kids rather than buy granola bars (even organic ones) since they’re made with whole oats, organic fruit, no natural flavours, etc. Just remember though, the perfect healthy snack will be different for everyone. If you don’t digest oats well, this is a terrible snack. See what I mean?

Would dark chocolate chips work in place of the white chocolate chips?

Yes! Any sprinkle of chocolate chips would work and you’d still have a great snack or breakfast on hand. Just make sure you love the chocolate chips you use, and make sure it’s an amount you enjoy. If needed, you can do a small sprinkle of chocolate chips and when you spread them after they melt, you’ll have a nice and thin coating rather than a thicker one like mine in the picture.

Will this recipe taste good with sunflower seed butter?

Yes, as long as you like sunflower seed butter. If you need to avoid tree nuts, other healthy fats/spreads to choose from include tiger nut butter (tuber, not a tree nut), peanut butter, chickpea butter, and even granola butter (this does contain added sugar).

Essentially, any spread/butter will work, so just pick one YOU love.

Can I use vegan butter instead of the nut butter?

No, you can’t use vegan butter, melted coconut oil, or liquid fats such as olive oil in place of the nut/seed butter. The butter is there for flavour and function. If you were to use vegan butter instead, not only would your bars taste very strange, they wouldn’t bake up properly.

Could I add chia seeds to this recipe?

Yes! You can add chia seeds, hemp seeds, or flax seeds to this recipe to boost the nutrition profile. I’d suggest adding up to 8 Tablespoons when you add the rolled oats. Make sure you mix well so the chia seeds (or seeds of choice) are well incorporated.

Are these considered vegan breakfast bars?

I would absolutely consider these a vegan breakfast bar. They’re made with whole oats, there’s no added sugar (refined sugar), and they’re pretty tasty. To make this an easy breakfast, make them the night before you want to have them so the morning is smooth sailing.

You could also serve these with a side of fresh fruit or oven roasted veg (my kids love eating roasted vegetables with breakfast).

Should I use cooking spray in the baking dish?

No, you don’t need to use cooking spray. The only thing I use to prevent sticking is parchment paper and it works like a dream.

Can I use coarse almond flour in place of the rolled oats?

No, you won’t be able to use any type of flour (almond flour, all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, gluten free flour, etc.) in place of the rolled oats. If you were to do that, you’d have something more like a large strange cookie than a proper oat bar.