Lately I’ve been getting a glimpse into what life will be like with two big, burly boys eating us out of house and home in the not too distant future. As hungry as I constantly am, Lincoln, my teeny tiny 3 year old, has been giving me a run for my money – little man can put. it. DOWN.
Watch How to Make Them!
Like many toddlers, the L-man asks for snacks round the clock and if don’t stay ahead of the hunger he reaches hangry status fairly quickly. I always make sure he starts his day with a filling breakfast like peanut butter toast or Blueberry Banana-Nut Oatmeal, but as much as I’d love to start every morning with a bowl of fresh oatmeal, sometimes it’s just not in the cards. This is why I’m OBSESSED with these Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars which are like a bowl of oatmeal in bar form!
Here’s what you need to know about this recipe: Lincoln thinks it’s cake and I haven’t told him otherwise. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about feeding toddlers healthy food, it’s that they can’t be convinced something tastes good if it doesn’t. Isn’t that true for everyone though? That said, he’s needed zero convincing to chow down on these gluten-free bars made without refined sugar. They are such a win, and filled with healthy and nourishing ingredients.
Old fashioned oats mixed with milk, mashed bananas, coconut oil, honey, blueberries, and a few other pantry staples bake into soft and chewy bars that are perfect to grab and go on hectic mornings, or snag as a healthy and energizing snack. The flavor is a cross between blueberry oatmeal and banana bread, and the hint of cinnamon and vanilla truly makes the bars taste like cake. I have loved keeping these bars on hand not only for super easy breakfasts for all of us, but also for when we’re entering hangry-ville and I need something healthy and filling FAST!
Eat the bars warm, keep them in the refrigerator all week, or wrap in plastic wrap and stash in the freezer. In a world full of sugar and bad-fat-laden breakfast and snack foods, I could not feel better about feeding these homemade Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars to my boys. Join us!
Start by whisking the wet ingredients together in a large bowl. That’s 1 cup milk, any kind – I used unsweetened almond milk – 1/2 cup mashed banana, 1/4 cup each honey and melted coconut oil, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.Â
Note:Â the coconut oil might solidify a bit when adding the cold milk and egg but it will melt right back down in the oven. No worries!
Next add 1 cup certified gluten-free old fashioned oats to a food processor then process until it turns into flour (you could also try doing this in a blender.) If you want to use oat flour you may already have on hand, measure out a scant cup. By the way, I love GF Harvest oats which are processed using a product purity protocol!
Add the oat flour plus 1-1/2 cups whole oats, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the bowl then stir to combine.
Last step is to fold in a heaping 1 cup 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
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Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Description
Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars are a healthy bowl of oatmeal in bar form! Keep these refined-sugar-free and gluten-free breakfast bars on hand for a healthy, on-the-go breakfast or snack option.
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
- 1/2 cup mashed banana (about 2 small or 1 large banana)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- heaping 1 cup 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.
Notes
- You can warm the bars up for 15 seconds before serving after refrigerating if you like!
- I love GF Harvest gluten-free oats, which follow purity protocol standards for gluten-free oats, versus being mechanically sorted.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Oh my word, I’m pretty sure I’m going to need to build a shed just for all the Costco-size snacks I’m going to have to buy when my three boys are teens! The hanger is REAL.
You rock! Totally making these! It sounds perfect for grab and go-I am usually not hungry for breakfast until later in the morning and having this in my bag will be great.
Kristin, this recipe is a keeper for us! I made these today instead of birthday cake for my 91-years-young mom today. They passed the Mom test. Great with a glass of milk too. I can think of some good variations to try as well. Thanks!
Making these tonight!!
I made these over the weekend and my husband and I think they are great! I would love the nutritional breakdown!
I knew I had to make these when I saw them. They are very good and healthy! I made them last night. The only substitute I used was vegetable oil. I would highly recommend them. Delicious. Thank you. :)
Made these this afternoon & they are yummy! I substituted maple syrup for the honey (can’t have honey on my current eating plan) & used frozen blueberries which worked just fine. Thanks for the recipe!
You bet, Jen, so glad you were able to make it work for you! :)
Just made these for the week. I, of course, had to taste just to make sure they would work ;). So good! I actually didn’t read before I started and blended all of the oatmeal, but it worked out fine! Your recipes are always so good!
I know it wasn’t intentional, but good to know about the oatmeal! :)
these bars are amazing! i just made them and they are delicious! I added some lemon zest too and swapped maple syrup for the honey cause I didn’t have enough honey left and it worked great. thanks for this awesome recipe!
Awesome!! Thanks for letting us know about the maple syrup – and I love the combination of lemon and blueberries too. I bet the bars taste extra yummy!
Made these today, and they were so good! Thanks for sharing! I’m excited to have a healthy breakfast that I can grab for the week.
So glad to hear it, Emily! Have a great week!
These look perfect for my teenage daughter to grab before school. What do you think about adding mini chocolate chips? I know it’s not as healthy as fruit but if I can get her to eat something before school it’s worth it!! I love all your recipes, thanks so much!
Oh for sure! This recipe is very flexible – you could add in cc or chopped nuts, etc.
These look great! Is there any way you could post the nutrition info.? Thank you!!
Lately, I have been big into the “meal prep” thing, especially when it comes to breakfast. These are going on my Sunday baking schedule for thus week RIGHT NOW!
I love your recipes!! I just started Weight Watchers and was hoping you could include Point values or nutritional info with your recipes.
Thanks!!
When using frozen berries, would you recommend defrosting them first? Or add them frozen?
You could add them in frozen.
I can’t wait to try these. I’m always looking for healthier breakfast ideas.
Thank you for this recipe! I have been looking for easy, portable, healthy breakfast ideas for my 1 yr old. He likes an egg and cheese omelet and oatmeal but I wanted to add a little more variety. These are perfect!
“Lincoln thinks it’s cake and I haven’t told him otherwise.” This made me laugh and remember when my daughter was 3-ish…refusing all food I offered before telling me, “I’m allergic to everything…………….except chocolate cake.” Can’t wait to make these!
Too funny! My 4 yr old turned down zucchini bread, but gobbled up “snack cake”.
Kristin, I started making these within five minutes of seeing your recipe! I have a high school swimmer and he starts practice at 5 a.m. It’s tough getting something into him before he leaves. These are healthy complex carbs that will keep him going! I doubled the recipe (wait until your boys are 17!) and subbed chopped dried cherries and a cup of sliced almonds for the blueberries. They turned out fantastic! Thank you for the breakfast solution!
YAY – so glad to hear it! Love the additions too. :)
These look so good! I know it’s probably difficult, but any way you could post calorie and fat content of your recipes? Is there an app or something for you to do that?
Hi Lynn! Right now I don’t have a plugin that calculates nutritional information for recipes but can look into that for the future!