These soft-baked apple oatmeal breakfast bars are naturally sweetened and a perfect way to start your day! Flour, butter, oats, honey, and chopped apples combine for a delicious, cozy treat.
Can you think of anything better than having dessert for breakfast? But you don’t want a sugar overload first thing in the morning?
That was my goal when I recently ended up with a whole bunch of extra apples.
Something that felt like a treat, but I could still happily serve to start our day. And these apple oatmeal breakfast bars are perfect!
APPLE OATMEAL BREAKFAST BARS
These apple oatmeal breakfast bars feel like dessert, but they’re healthy enough for breakfast.
- Simple ingredients. Whole wheat flour and oats, naturally sweetened with honey.
- Kid-friendly. You’ll get some extra mom points for serving these oatmeal breakfast bars instead of a boring bowl of oatmeal.
- Freezer-friendly. Great for double or triple batches.
- Super affordable. About $4 for the whole recipe!
- Vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options for easy substitutions.
- Taste like apple pie but they’re not overly sweet.
Plus, we’re using oatmeal, which is high in fiber, and butter for healthy fats to provide some sustenance to hold everyone over to lunch. (Or snack time, LOL!)
APPLE OAT BREAKFAST BARS RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Most of my recipes can be made with ingredients you already have on hand, simply because I don’t think you should have to make a trip to the store for special ingredients to serve a good meal!
This healthy oat breakfast bars recipe is no different. Here’s what you’ll need:
I’ve made this multiple times using a variety of apples… Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, red delicious… it all depends on the type of apple you like to eat and what’s available. I like to use two varieties, simply to get a mix of flavors!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY OAT BARS
These healthy oat bars come together pretty quickly once you have the apples diced. So, start by chopping the apples up and then follow these simple instructions.
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9” x 9” glass baking dish with parchment paper.
Step 2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter using two knives, your fingers, or the paddle blade. The mixture should resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Scoop out 1 cup and set aside.
Step 3. Add the oats and honey to the mixture in the bowl and use your fingers or a spatula to mix together without creating a paste.
Step 4. Pour this mixture into the prepared pan and press down firmly and evenly to create a crust.
Step 5. Add the apple cores and leftover apple pieces (if any), plus lemon juice and vanilla extract, to a food processor or blender and process until the mixture looks like thick applesauce. Make sure to discard the seeds first.
You will need about ¼ cup of this mixture, so add additional apple pieces if necessary. You can also simply use ¼ cup of applesauce.
Step 6. In a medium bowl, combine the pureed apple mixture with the diced apples and stir well. Pour evenly over the crust.
Step 7. Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping over the apples, pressing down lightly.
Step 8. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool completely at room temperature for about 2 hours.
For best results, place in the refrigerator for 2 hours before cutting.
One important note! These bars won’t hold their shape well until they’re cool. I HIGHLY recommend baking these the day before you want to serve them so that they have time to cool and chill in the refrigerator. This also gives the naturally occurring pectin in the apple time to do its magic to the filling.
If you want to serve them warm, you can – but you’ll definitely need a spoon to serve and eat, LOL.
TIPS AND IDEAS FOR BREAKFAST BARS
Just a few tips and ideas for breakfast bars I’ve learned over the course of making these many times:
- Let these bars cool COMPLETELY before cutting. This is at least two hours on the counter, and I highly recommend refrigerating them before cutting and serving.
- If you store these bars in the freezer, be sure to cut them first and wrap the bars twice to prevent freezer burn.
- Make these gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour substitute. Oat flour works in this recipe, too!
- Make dairy-free oatmeal breakfast bars by substituting coconut oil for butter.
- Resist the temptation to slice apples thinly, instead of in chunks. This method results in bars that are very hard to cut into squares… although they’re just as delicious!
- Swap out the apple layer. Did you make this Chunky Homemade Applesauce? Or a simple Apple Pie Jam? Try substituting ½-¾ cup of that in place of some of the apples for another delicious variation.
- Or try a different fruit! Chopped pears or peaches would also be yummy in this breakfast bars recipe.
- Since this is a healthy breakfast bars recipe, they’re not overly sweet. If you’re looking for more of a dessert, drizzle the finished bars with a bit more honey or some Salted Caramel for extra sweetness.
- Add some nuts! Walnuts, cashews, or almonds on top would taste delicious.
CAN I REALLY START MY DAY WITH OATMEAL BREAKFAST BARS?
These apple oatmeal breakfast bars look delicious, but can I really start my day with them? Yes!
Full of fiber and carbohydrates, and without a sugar overload, these baked oatmeal bars are a great option for breakfast for those who like baked goods but don’t want to eat empty calories like pop-tarts or pastries.
To help hold you over and keep your blood sugar stable, add protein. This can be a side of meat, like Breakfast Sausage or Bacon, or a glass of Almond Milk with protein powder mixed in.
You also want to make sure you’re getting enough produce. One of my favorite ideas for breakfast bars is to add a green smoothie on the side – I get my produce, and I can add my favorite collagen for that protein boost!
OAT BREAKFAST BARS FAQS
Are oat breakfast bars soft or crunchy?
This oatmeal breakfast bars recipe turns out soft and chewy.
What oats are best for breakfast bar recipes?
Old-fashioned or rolled oats are going to give you the best texture. Instant oats are too small of pieces, and steel-cut oats will not soften enough during baking.
Do you need to peel the apples for oatmeal breakfast bars?
No peeling is necessary! I actually prefer to leave the peels on the apples because there is so much nutrition and fiber in the peel. That’s also where you’ll find the pectin, which helps the apple layer firm up as the bars cool.
Help! My oatmeal breakfast bars are dry and crumbling and falling apart! What should I do?
Let’s troubleshoot! Juicy apples with the peels on will add more moisture and pectin to the finished bars than peeled, drier apples. Letting the bars cool completely AND refrigerating them will give you a firmer finished texture than bars that are still warm. I used einkorn flour, which absorbs the liquid from the butter and honey more slowly than wheat flour. The good news is, even if this breakfast bars recipe turns out crumbly for you, it still tastes amazing when eaten with a spoon!
MORE FAVORITE OATMEAL RECIPES FOR BREAKFAST
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WATCH HOW TO MAKE EASY OATMEAL APPLE BREAKFAST BARS
Oatmeal Apple Breakfast Bars
These soft-baked apple oatmeal breakfast bars are naturally sweetened and a perfect way to start your day! Flour, butter, oats, honey, and chopped apples combine for a delicious, cozy treat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9” x 9” glass baking dish with parchment paper
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter using two knives, your fingers, or the paddle blade. The mixture should resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Scoop out 1 cup and set aside.
- Add the oats and honey to the mixture in the bowl and use your fingers or a spatula to mix together without creating a paste.
- Pour this mixture into the prepared pan and press down firmly and evenly to create a crust.
- Add the apple cores and leftover apple pieces (if any) plus lemon juice and vanilla extract to a food processor or blender and process until the mixture looks like thick applesauce. Make sure to discard the seeds first.
- You will need about ¼ cup of this mixture, so add additional apple pieces if necessary. You can also simply use ¼ cup of applesauce.
- In a medium bowl, combine the pureed apple mixture with the diced apples and stir well. Pour evenly over the crust.
- Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping over the apples, pressing down lightly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool completely at room temperature, for about 2 hours.
Notes
- For best results, place in the refrigerator for 2 hours before cutting.
- One important note! These bars won’t hold shape well until they’re cool. I HIGHLY recommend baking these the day before you want to serve them so that they have time to cool and chill in the refrigerator. This also gives the naturally occurring pectin in the apple time to do its magic to the filling.
- If you want to serve them warm, you can – but you’ll definitely need a spoon to serve and eat, LOL.
