Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars are a bowl of oatmeal in bar form. Keep these healthy, gluten free bars on hand for easy meals and snacks.
I cannot tell how much more smooth our morning go when I’ve got something prepped and ready to go for breakfast, vs scrambling around trying to assemble this or that while keeping an eye on the time, checklists, whose brushed their teeth — you get it.
That said, Mini Egg Bites are always a hit, plus my Gluten Free Breakfast Casserole which can be reheated as individual servings in the microwave.
But if my kiddos or I are craving something an the sweet vs savory side, my Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars are a slam dunk. You can eat them straight out of the fridge, or freeze then reheat in the microwave in under a minute.
These blueberry-stuffed babes are like a healthy bowl of oatmeal in bar form. You know what we call that? An upgrade!
Watch How to Make Them!
Naturally Sweetened Oatmeal Bars
Here’s what you need to know about these oatmeal bars: they kind of taste like cake yet are naturally sweetened with banana, honey, fresh blueberries, and vanilla extract, which isn’t sweet but drives home that baked-good flavor.
Joining the natural sweeteners are old fashioned oats, milk (whatever you’ve got in the fridge for drinking, including plant-based milk), coconut oil, egg, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
I always have the everyday, fridge and pantry staples on hand to whip these bars up any day of the week.
Eat the bars warm then keep on the counter for a couple of days, or extend their shelf life by refrigerating for up to 5 days. Or, as I mentioned, they freeze fabulously once individually wrapped in plastic wrap.
In a world full of sugar and bad-fat-laden breakfast and snack foods, I could not feel better about feeding my family homemade Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. Join us!
Start by whisking the wet ingredients together in a large bowl.
That’s milk, any kind – I use unsweetened almond milk – mashed banana, honey, melted coconut oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Note: the coconut oil might solidify a bit when adding the cold milk and egg, but it’ll melt right back down in the oven.
Next add certified gluten-free old fashioned oats to a food processor then process until it turns into flour. If you have oat flour on hand, you can use a scant cup instead.
Add the oat flour plus whole oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to the bowl with the wet ingredients then stir to combine.
Last step is to fold in fresh blueberries then pour the batter into an 8×8″ baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray.
Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the sides are golden brown and the center has set.
Slice into bars then enjoy warm, stash in the refrigerator for the week, or wrap the bars in saran wrap and stick in the freezer for later. Whenever you eat them, ENJOY!
More Easy Breakfast Recipes to Love
- Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Mini Egg Bites
- High Protein Overnight Oats
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups certified gluten-free old fashioned oats, divided
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk, any kind, I use unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup mashed banana, ~2 small or 1 large banana
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup heaping blueberries
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees then spray an 8x8" baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Add 1 cup old fashioned oats to a food processor or blender then process until oats have turned into flour. Set aside. (Alternatively you could use a scant cup oat flour.)
- Add milk, mashed banana, honey, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla to a large bowl then whisk to combine. (Coconut oil might solidify a bit but it's fine and the oil will melt right back down in the oven.) Add remaining 1-1/2 cups oats, oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt then stir to combine. Fold in blueberries then pour batter into prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center has set. Cool before slicing into bars then store in the refrigerator, or individually wrap bars in saran wrap and freeze.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Use vegetable oil instead of coconut, and grease the pan with butter. Use the type of milk. Your child is used to drinking. These changes might make all the difference.
These were a flop for me, and I’d recommend this recipe only if you are gluten free and love coconuts. Overwhelmingly tastes of coconut and is much lumpier than the picture. Like squishing coconut oatmeal into a soggy patty. My toddler threw it on the floor. :(
I’m sorry to hear that, Kim! Is it possible the ingredients were mismeasured? I have never received this type of feedback on the flavor before.
I used unsweetened coconut milk and added a 1/2 cup extra oat flour because the batter was very runny. I microwaved the coconut oil so it was warm to the touch and had the coconut milk at room temperature so I had no problem with the coconut oil solidifying. They are a healthy no added sugar bar so don’t expect them to be super sweet.
So glad these worked out for you, Nicole! The batter is very runny to start out with but thickens up in 2-3 minutes as the chia seeds and oats/oat flour begin to quickly absorb the liquid. Just a heads up for next time. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Chia seeds? I don’t see them on the ingredient list. How much do I use? I have made these several times, but never used chia seeds in them. They have always been great! When cranberries are in season, I use them instead of blueberries.
Ooops! I think I thought I was commenting on my Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars (https://iowagirleats.com/maple-pumpkin-oatmeal-breakfast-bars/), which DO contain chia seeds! You’re correct — this recipe does not contain chia seeds!
Hi, is the nutrition information for these breakfast bars available?
Estimated nutrition information will be added to recipes in 2024.
Can you just subsititute sugar — brown or white — for the honey? If so, would it would be just a straight swap — a quarter cup? I don’t have honey and don’t want to go to the store just to make these bars
Hey Tom! I haven’t made that swap for these bars, but I think that would be fine! Pure maple syrup would also be a good substitute.
Hi there. I was curious as to how long these will stay refrigerated? I’m sorry if I missed this somewhere. Thank you!
Hi Jenna! You can refrigerate them for 4-5 days. :)
Can we use quick oats for these?
I make these all the time and freeze them for on the go snacks they are perfect!
Nice!! So glad this is an easy staple for you, Christel!
How do you freeze them? Like do you just put them in an airtight container?
Hey there! I wrap each cooled bar individually in saran wrap then put all the wrapped bars in a gallon Ziplock bag.
Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. I’m not a baker and just made these. They are so delicious and love the recipe!!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Belinda! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Hi,
Was excited to try this recipe but the coconut oil did not in fact melt back in, it remained in clumps. Overall bars were too wet and didn’t have a ton of flavor. To be fair I did use frozen berries that I rinsed and patted dry, but I added the full amount of oats plus a little extra to account for the extra moisture. Since I altered the recipe a little im giving it 2 stars, but overall for taste and texture it’s a 1 :(
If there is a way to assure that the coconut oil will melt, I will alter the recipe to add some maple syrup for taste and use fresh berries for taste and moisture content, but if not then I will not retry.
Sorry I don’t mean to be negative just very sad this didn’t turn out because this is supposed to be my breakfast for the rest of the week.
Hey August! I’m sorry to hear about your troubles with this recipe! What kind of coconut oil did you use? Standard coconut oil has a melting point of 78 degrees so its impossible that the bars were cooked through but the coconut oil stayed in clumps. Using frozen berries would increase the baking time and, as you said, add extra moisture.
Can you substitute dried blueberries?
Sure! I might cut the amount back to 1/2 cup or so since they’re much sweeter than fresh blueberries.
Can I substitute applesauce for bananas and if so, how much? Thanks, c