With nutritious yet accessible ingredients, these easy Oatmeal Bars are a yummy snack or breakfast to share with the kids. They have carrots and blueberries, plus whole grains and protein. They’re so yummy…and made without eggs or dairy for friends with allergies.
Oatmeal Bars
These healthy baked Oatmeal Bars are one of my favorite ways to serve up a lot of nutrients in an easy-to-eat format. The carrots blend into the batter so while you can see them, the aren’t an obvious texture distraction. The blueberries add some sweetness and vitamins. The combo of the two really adds such yummy flavor.
We love these for snack time and also breakfast. I like to pair them with a smoothie, yogurt, or a hard-cooked or scrambled egg. Or sometimes just water, depending on hunger levels.
I often put half of the batch into the freezer to save for a future week—they freeze really well—and that helps us to be excited about eating them since we don’t have to eat them all at once.
These are a yummy shortcut meal or preschool snack, too.
Your toddler won’t eat? Help is here!
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Ingredients You Need
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these bars so you know what to pick up at the store—or get out from the pantry.
- Quick or instant oats: You can also use regular rolled oats ground up in the food processor or blender so they’re a finer texture that blends in nicely with the batter.
- Whole wheat flour: A little flour in the mix helps the batter hold together. You can use all-purpose flour if that’s what you have on hand.
- Baking powder: A little baking powder helps the batter from being too dense, so we use it here.
- Cinnamon: A little cinnamon adds nice flavor to the base of the bar.
- Melted coconut oil or butter: Melt this, then let it cool for a minute or two so it’s not piping hot when you add it to the batter.
- Creamy unsweetened almond butter: You can use sunflower seed butter as needed for a nut allergy or peanut butter would work, too.
- Maple syrup: Honey will also work here (though avoid it for kids under age 1.)
- Grated carrot: I prefer to grate a whole carrot on a box grater for the finer texture versus using shredded carrots from the store, but both would work.
- Blueberries: If the berries are very large, I recommend cutting them in half with kitchen scissors.
- Egg: This is totally optional but makes the bars a little more cake-like than the slightly crunchy texture they have without an egg.
TIP: You can use regular all-purpose flour, gluten-free cup for cup, sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter, and honey instead of maple syrup. Lots of options!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the basic process of making this recipe so you know what to expect. Scroll down to the end of the recipe for the full information.
- Preheat the oven and line a pan with parchment paper. Add the ingredients to a bowl.
- Stir together gently, trying not to smash the berries.
- Press into the prepared pan, pressing evenly to the edges.
- Bake and remove from the oven. Let cool completely before slicing.
TIP: I like to line the pan with parchment paper so the edges hang over the sides. This makes it easy to lift out of the pan once the bars are baked, cooled, and ready to slice.
Frequently Asked Questions
This oatmeal bar recipe will last for about 5 days in the fridge or much longer in the freezer. You can also leave them at room temperature for a few days if you prefer.
Try serving oatmeal in all sorts of forms, including regular oatmeal in a bowl, in these oatmeal bars, in Breakfast Bars, Oatmeal Energy Bites, and in Banana Pancakes. You might find an option they prefer by trying a few different recipe ideas.
These oat bars have whole grains, healthy fats, produce, and protein and are a nutritious meal or snack option to share with the kids.
How to Store
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible.
Best Tips for Success
- Cool fully before slicing to prevent the bars from crumbling when slicing.
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour mix instead of whole wheat flour.
- Nut-free: Use sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter.
- Creamy unsweetened peanut butter (I like Teddies or Smuckers) should work in place of almond butter).
- You can use honey instead of maple syrup.
- I prefer the texture of carrots that are grated at home on a box grater as they are finer than those you can buy at the store.
- Fresh blueberries work best in this recipe (frozen ones can cause the batter to seize up and be hard to press into the pan).
Related Recipes
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3-Ingredient Cereal Bars
I’d love to hear your feedback if you try this recipe. Please comment below and rate the recipe!
Easy Oatmeal Bars (with Blueberry and Carrot)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup quick or instant oats (or rolled oats ground up in the food processor or blender)
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil (or butter)
- ¼ cup creamy unsweetened almond butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 egg (optional)
- ½ cup grated carrot
- ½ cup blueberries (cut in half if very large)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper so it overhangs on two sides so the bars are easy to lift out once baked and cooled.
- Mix together all of the ingredients in a medium bowl except the blueberries. (Add the egg if using.) Stir in the blueberries gently.
- Press into the prepared pan so the batter is even and pressed to the edges.
- Bake for 24-26 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown and set.
- Cool fully. (Really, please let it sit until it's cool to the touch! You can pop it into the fridge to speed this up if you'd like. It may crumble a bit if you slice when still warm.)
- Slice into bars and serve or store. I typically cut into 16 small squares, but you can cut them larger if desired.
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible.
- Gluten-free: Use cup for cup flour instead of whole wheat flour.
- Nut-free: Use sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter.
- Adding an egg makes these bars slightly cakier than the slightly crisp texture (like a cookie bar) you get without an egg. It’s up to you.
- Creamy unsweetened peanut butter (I like Teddies or Smuckers) should work in place of almond butter).
- You can use honey instead of maple syrup.
- I prefer the texture of carrots that are grated at home on a box grater as they are finer than those you can buy at the store.
- Fresh blueberries work best in this recipe (frozen ones can cause the batter to seize up and be hard to press into the pan).
- Cool fully before slicing to prevent the bars from crumbling when slicing.
Nutrition
This post was first published August 2020.
Kids and parents loved this recipe! It was devoured the same day and baked again in the same week.
Do you squeeze out the moisture from carrots first?
No, usually there isn’t much to come out of them.
These are fantastic and my picky kids loved them!
Thoughts on using frozen berries ?
Works similarly!
Holy moley these are phenomenal!!! I made these for my 18 month old son who loves blueberries & isn’t a fan of veggies. I have already had 3 bars hahah
These were perfect for my 1 year old. I didn’t use eggs but used a very ripe banana in its place. I also didn’t use any maple syrup as I’m trying to keep her sugar intake low- they were still plenty sweet and tasty.
These are delicious! Baby loved them and so did I! Due to allergies I used sun butter and applesauce instead of eggs. They still came out great! The texture was perfect and easy for my baby to eat.
How could I make this without the nut and seed butter?
You can replace it with an egg.
This recipe is perfect! I replace the carrot with grated apple and use the egg. It came out like a soft cake. I like to eat it hot. Haha. Got to bake more. I reduce the nut butter because I’m not a fan 😅
Obsessed! Perfect breakfast treat! I skip the brown sugar because I like it a little less sweet.
This recipe is delicious. My one year old loved it. I added the egg for a cake like texture, I figured it’d be easier for her to eat. I saw a comment with someone asking if they can use baby cereal, and yes It works. I used gerber oatmeal cereal and it worked perfectly. And I used chocolate pbfit instead of nut butter. It turned out perfect and really good. Thank you!
Glad to hear that!
Love these for baby and I made extra the second time around so I could eat them too! I have a question though, baby boy was just diagnosed with low iron. Do you think there’d be a way to incorporate some of the iron fortified baby oatmeal in these and should I lessen another measurement? Thanks so much!
I haven’t tried this so I can’t say for sure if this would work, but I think you could use 1/4 cup of the baby food oatmeal and 1/2 cup of instant oats.
Made these as I thought they’d be a good copy cat of Oaty Chomps. I really liked them. I used less maple syrup but the coconut oil and carrots made them slightly sweet which was perfect for us. Can’t wait to let MG little one try them!
Just made these. I used sunflower butter for a group of kids. I didn’t have carrots so I tried a 1/2 cup of apple sauce as another commenter mentioned. I included the eggs. (My husband has already eaten two!) I wanted to say that I baked these on a large cookie sheet with a silicone liner. I just laid it into a big ~8×16 biscuit shape about a 1/2” tall.. when it was about halfway cool, I used a pizza cutter to slice it and there was no crumbling! I have beautiful bars! I’m excited to have my boy try them in the am!
So delicious- thank you for the recipe. I have to remember to leave some for my toddler! I like to pack out with other veggies by adding mashed sweetened potato and grated zucchini!
How much of those veg did you add?
Any suggestions to make this school friendly – no nut or seed butter? If I skip it and use chia and eggs would it be ok?
sunflower seed butter or an egg instead of the nut/seed butter