Have a very good morning with my 5-ingredient blueberry oat breakfast bars ! They are vegan, added sugar-free, oil-free, gluten-free & only 75 calories each.
Healthier Fruit-Filled Cereal Bars
I love the idea of a fruit-filled, portable cereal bar.
I don’t love the reality of ready-to-eat cereal bars from the grocery store, including the organic, all-natural, “nourishing” options.
In fact, I don’t like them at all. Mostly, I find them far too sweet and insubstantial (i.e., I am hungry again in about 15 minutes). Further, what is being added to the cereal layer? No matter the brand, it always tastes weird.
So I made my own version:Blueberry Oat Breakfast Bars.
Recipe Benefits
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Made with only 5 ingredients
- No added sugar
- Oil-free
- Customizable (add spices and flavorings as you please)
Ingredients
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post.Toggle betweenUS Customary(volume) andMetric(weights) for preferred measurement option.
- blueberries (fresh or frozen (thawed))
- rolled oats (certified gluten-free, as needed)
- arrowroot or tapioca starch
- very ripe banana
- flaxseed meal (read on if you cannot have flaxseed meal).
Flaxseed Substitute
Not to worry if you cannot eat flaxseed meal.The purpose of its addition here is to add some fat, without adding oil, as well as some extra nutrition.
You can sub any number of other ingredients, including equal amounts of almond meal/flour, ground chia seeds, hemp hearts, or other finely ground nuts or seeds. You can also add more ground oats, but the oat layers will be a bit more dense without the added fat.
Banana hater?Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered, too. See the recipe notes for using applesauce.
Step by Step Instructions
Note that the complete instructions are also in the recipe card below.
Step One: Process Some of the Oats into Flour
In a food processor, process 1.5 cups of the oats into a flour.
Step Two: Combine the Oat Crust Ingredients
Next, combine the oat flour with the remaining rolled oats, the flax, mashed banana (use especially-ripe, mushy bananas for maximum sweetness), water, and (optional) salt.
Mix until combined and crumbly. The oat mixture will not be very sweet, which I like. It will have a toasty flavor after baking that suits my breakfast preferences.
Optional sweetener:If you want your oats sweeter, go ahead and adjust. Add a bit of coconut sugar, monkfruit, a keto-style sweetener, or replace some of the water with maple syrup.
Optional flavorings:If you like, add flavoring(s) to your liking (e.g., cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, vanilla, almond extract, lemon zest).
Optional fat:You can replace some or all of the water with the oil of your choice, which will result in crispier oat layers. It’s all up to you!
Step Three: Make the Blueberry Filling
Coarsely mash the berries with a fork, sprinkle with the arrowroot, and stir to combine.
Optional sweetener:You can customize here, too: if you want your berries sweeter, add some sweetener. Monkfruit, maple syrup, stevia, coconut sugar, whatever you like. Any given batch of berries can be more or less sweet, so taste and decide what works for you.
I also like to add a pinch of salt, to enhance the sweetness, but it is optional. Adding a drop of vanilla or almond extract, or some lemon zest, is also a fine & satisfying idea.
Step Four: Assemble the Bars
Press half of the oat mixture firmly and evenly into a parchment paper-lined baking pan (8-inches/ 20 cm square).
Spread with the berry filling and crumble the remaining oat mixture on top.
Step Five: Bake
Bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbly. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Once the bars are cool, refrigerate until they are cold. Use the parchment paper overhang to remove the bars from the pan and cut into 16 squares (or bigger bars, if you like).
These are definitely my kind of breakfast bars.
I hope you enjoy these bars as much as I do! I am sure they would be smashing with other summer fruits, including raspberries, cherries, blackberries, peaches, plums, and apricots.
Happy baking!
More Memorable Oat Recipes to Try:
- Oat Flax Skillet Bread {3 ingredients, vegan, oil-free, GF}
- Nourishing Oat Blender Muffins {Vegan, Oil-Free, GF}
- 3-Ingredient Vegan Oat Muffins
- Nourishing Oat Gingerbread {vegan}
- Pumpkin Oat Blender Muffins {vegan, oil-free, GF}
5 ingredient Blueberry Oat Breakfast Bars {vegan, sugar-free, oil-free, gluten-free}
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
- Oat layers:
- 2 and 1/2 cups 225 g rolled oats (certified GF, as needed), divided
- 3/4 cup 175 mL mashed very ripe banana
- 1/4 cup 26 g flaxseed meal
- 3 tablespoons 45 mL water
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- For the filling:
- 2 cups 500 mL blueberries (fresh, or frozen (thawed))
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch or arrowroot starch cornstarch will work, too
- Optional Pinch of sea salt
Method
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Line an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray . Set aside.
- Oat layers: In a food processor , process 1 and 1/2 cups (135 g) of the oats into a fine flour. In a large bowl , combine (use a fork) the oat flour, remaining 1 cup (90 g) oats, banana, flaxseed meal , water and salt until combined and crumbly.
- Filling: In a large bowl , coarsely crush the blueberries with a fork. Sprinkle the arrowroot over berries and stir to combine. If desired, add a pinch of salt.
- Assembly: Firmly press half of the oat mixture into the prepared pan, evenly tamping down. Evenly spread with the blueberry filling. Coarsely crumble remaining oat mixture over filling.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden. Cool completely, in the pan, on a wire rack. Refrigerate until cold.
- Remove from pan and cut into 16 bars.
Notes
Storage: Store the cooled bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for up to 6 months. Tips for adding more sweetness, fat (for crispness) and flavor: I like the minimally sweet flavor of these bars, but you can tailor them to suit your preferences. Taste both the uncooked banana oat mixture and the blueberries and decide if you want them sweeter. For crispier oat layers, feel free to add some fat by replacing some or all of the water with the oil of your choice. And add flavorings (spices, vanilla extract , almond extract lemon zest) in the oat layers or filling, as you like! Flax substitute: If you cannot eat flax, replace it with an equal amount of ground chia seeds or almond meal /flour. Banana Substitute: An equal amount of applesauce can be used in place of the banana. It will not be sweet, so you may want to add a bit of sweetener (of your choosing) to taste. Oat Notes: Either old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats can be used in the recipe.
