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.
[…] Breakfast Bars, only slightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats – makes 20 […]
Can you use almond milk?
Yep! That’s what I use. :)
Forgot to add the 5 star review. They’re definitely worth it!!!!!
Thank you so much, Diane! I so appreciate it!
These are awesome! They are our new favorite breakfast-on-the-go!
Will quick oats work? I don’t have old fashioned oats right now.
They should – I might use a bit less then the oats left whole so the bars don’t turn out gummy.
I made these last week and my 2 year old and I love them! I substituted melted butter for the coconut oil. I think I will be making these again and again!
Have you made your breakfast bars without fruit of any kind? I really dont like bananas or cooked fruit but Im sure it serves a purpose in the recipe so Im not sure if I can just leave it out? Thoughts? Thanks!
I was hoping to make these and incorporate them in our baby-led weaning journey — Do you think I can substitute agave nectar or maple syrup for the honey for kids under one?
Maple syrup for sure!
[…] Blueberry Oatmeal Bars […]
I made these and they were great! You wouldn’t happen to know the calories and other nutritional info would you?
I made this and it turned out great! I used whole-wheat flour instead of oat flour, and increased the amount of old fashioned oats slightly and also decreased the milk to 3/4 cup (last time I tried a recipe like this it turned it way too gooey). Used 1/3 cup brown sugar instead of honey, and olive instead of coconut oil. The only other tweak I would make would be to increase the amount of salt. I will be making this recipe again!
Nutritional info?
Do you have nutrition info for this recipe ?
What would you recommend substituting cinnamon for? One of us is allergic but otherwise these should awesome!
Oh no! I would probably just leave it out and maybe increase the vanilla by 1/2 teaspoon. I hope you love them!
Love how there are so many comments from moms whose 2 and 4 year olds would love this recipe. Meanwhile, I’m getting ready to make these for myself and my husband alone. No kids, just two adults who are short on time in the mornings! Haha. I do have a question: how long will these last Saran wrapped in the fridge or freezer?
They should last 3-4 days in the fridge and a couple months in the freezer. I hope you love them!
[…] As always, I can’t just copy a recipe verbatim. I have to tweak. So, I took this recipe for Blueberry Oatmeal Bars and changed out the banana to be 1/2 a cup of pureed pumpkin, and subbed egg whites for a whole […]
Can you use the dried blueberries for a same/similar outcome?
I think so!
Your recipe calls for ½ cup mashed bananas but then you say “about 2 small or one large banana). Either of those would be more than half a cup, more like
1-1 1/2 cups. Can you clarify that, please?
Hi Jean! In my testing, 2 small or 1 large banana yields roughly 1/2 cup mashed banana. You will need 1/2 cup mashed banana for the recipe.
How many calories? How many carbs? I love them!
I tried this recipe and loved the flavor but they seemed to be a bit gummy/chewy. Is that the correct texture or is there something I should tweak?
Hi Dan, I’m sorry to hear that! The bars are definitely dense, but they shouldn’t be gummy. The only thing I can think of is to make sure the batter isn’t overmixed, which could lead to the bars being gummy. I hope the second time is more successful for you!