These Vegan Apple Oatmeal Bars are soft and chewy, lightly spiced and packed with chunks of sweet, juicy apples! They're quick and easy to make, require just a few simple ingredients, and the recipe is easily customisable. They're gluten-free and refined sugar free, and can also be made completely sugar free and oil-free. They're great for dessert, a snack or breakfast, and also perfect for meal prep and packed lunches.
What type of apples should you use for Apple Oatmeal Bars?
- I recommend using eating apples for this recipe, rather than cooking apples.
- The reason why I recommend eating apples for this particular recipe is because they tend to cook faster (which is better since this recipe uses raw apples baked directly into the bars), they contain less water so you won't have any problems of excess water from the apples releasing itself into the oatmeal bars whilst baking, and eating apples are naturally sweeter so less added sugar is required.
- I recommend peeling the apples before using them.
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Mix together all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Tip: Leave the mixture for 10 minutes as leaving the oats to soak for a bit will make them much easier to bind together.
- Transfer the mixture into a square baking tin.
Tip: Line the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove the bars after.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Leave to cool before cutting into squares!
Substitutions you can make
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- To make this recipe free from added sugar, omit the maple syrup.
- You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
- For an oil-free version, the coconut oil can be replaced with almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
- If you don't like cinnamon, it can be omitted.
- You can replace the ground almonds with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version, use ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds and use a nut-free plant-based milk.
Other ingredients you can add
- Dried fruit: raisins or sultanas, dried cranberries, dried cherries, chopped dates, chopped dried figs etc.
- Chopped nuts: walnuts or pecan nuts.
- Desiccated coconut or coconut flakes.
How long do these Apple Oatmeal Bars keep for?
- They keep well in the fridge in an airtight container for a good few days.
- They also freeze well.
More vegan apple recipes
- Apple Crisp (Apple Crumble)
- Apple Cake
- Apple Muffins
- Apple Bread
- Apple Pie
- Apple Snack Cake
- Apple Pie Bars
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I'd really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Vegan Apple Oatmeal Bars (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil, or nut butter such as peanut butter or almond butter)
- 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- Pinch salt
- 200 g (1 ⅔ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) * (or sub ground walnuts)
- 200 g (1 ⅔ cup) rolled oats (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 120 ml (½ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 300 g (10.6 oz) apples , peeled, cored and diced (two medium-sized apples)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
- Once melted, add the maple syrup, salt, ground almonds, oats, baking powder, milk, cinnamon and diced apples.
- Mix well, adding more plant-based milk if it's looking too dry.
- Leave the mixture for 10 minutes - leaving the oats to soak for a bit will make them much easier to bind together.
- Transfer the mixture into a square or rectangular baking tin lined with greased baking paper - I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin.
- Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Leave to cool before cutting into squares.
- Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog - thank you.
Mary Mauerer
Thanks Rhiana I will try these sometime! they look good!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much!