Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bars are a delectable gluten free breakfast or snack recipe that's healthy, filling, and delicious!
Recently I decided to give my ultra-popular Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal Breakfast Bars a fall spin and ended up with Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. Here’s what you need to know about these soft and dense oatmeal bars that make the most perfect breakfast or snack:
They’re healthy, easy to make, and taste like lightly sweetened spiced pumpkin cake.
We typically eat an entire pan in less than 48 hours!
Watch How to Make Them
Healthy Make-Ahead Breakfast Option
I can’t tell you how much smoother our mornings go when I have a pre-made breakfast like oatmeal breakfast bars ready to go.
Like a bowl of oatmeal in bar form, these fall-inspired bars are healthy, filling, and oh-so satisfying. I love that I can simply pop one on a plate and put it in front of my kids for breakfast before school. It’s quick and easy during a time that can feel the exact opposite!
These oatmeal bars are incredible warm out of the oven but keep perfectly in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can even individually wrap the bars in saran wrap and freeze them.
Pick a weekend day to bake a batch or two then enjoy less-stress mornings all week long.
Let’s bake
How to Make This Recipe
This is a 1-bowl recipe so start by whisking up the wet ingredients in a large one. That includes pumpkin puree, an egg, milk (any kind – I use unsweetened almond milk,) coconut oil, vanilla, and pure maple syrup.
Next stir in the dry ingredients including gluten-free oats, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, chia seeds, and pumpkin pie spice.
I make oat flour from gluten-free oats in my food processor – just process for a minute or two until the oats are finely ground. If you already have oat flour on hand, you can use a scant cup in the recipe instead.
Pour the mixture into a nonstick sprayed 8×8 baking pan then bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.
Check on the bars at the 25 minute mark – if the edges are already turning golden brown, place a piece of foil on top which will allow the center to bake through before the sides brown too much.
As I mentioned, these bars are killerrrr warm but also keep super well in the fridge to slice and eat all week long.
Warm, cold – it doesn’t matter, you are going to LOVE these perfectly sweet and spiced pumpkin oatmeal bars — enjoy!
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
- Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Gluten Free Breakfast Bombs
- Blueberry 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 gluten free old fashioned oats, divided
- 1 cup milk, any kind, I use unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup pecan halves, chopped (optional)
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, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla to a large bowl then whisk to combine. Add remaining 1-1/2 cups oats, oat flour, chia seeds, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt then stir to combine. Fold in chopped pecans then pour batter into prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center has set. Check on the bars at the 25 minute mark - if the edges are browning too quickly, place a piece of foil on top of the baking pan. 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.
Yesssss! I was just thinking I need to find a recipe for pumpkin oat bars to use up a can of pumpkin I have in the fridge. This is PERFECT! I love all of your oat bar recipes and this one looks equally amazing!
Can’t wait to make these, Kristin! I make the maple cinnamon ones all the time, and just tried the apple cinnamon ones, and made some with shredded carrots and fresh pears. Yum to all of them! Hope all is well with you and Ben and your growing family.
I love this recipe and will try it
today, I’ve been in the kitchen all my life. Eating unhealthy crap growing up,now vegetarian
and wanabe vegan. My message to you is you don’t need the baking soda/powder it contains aluminum, really bad for us. Your muffins etc. will come out
fine, nort as fluffy, but the other flavors will be more distinct and yummy, that aluminum taste gone!!!!!
Some baking powder does not contain aluminum.
Look for Rumford Baking Powder. No aluminum and can be found in most grocery stores.
Baking soda NEVER contains aluminum.
It’s easy to find baking powder without aluminum.
Baking soda and piwder are used for leavening; skipping them changes the texture for the worse.
I just packed my last blueberry oatmeal breakfast bar from the freezer-looks like this version will be on my to-do list for tonight!
My colleague has four children under the age of 10 and she says vacation is just yelling at your children in a different place. Ha! My husband and I are thinking about flying to Texas between C-mas and NY if we can get cheap flights and ringing in 2019 with friends. We shall see.
These look amazing, making them for sure. Love your blog..
YUM! All things currently in my kitchen right now too ;)
Perfect! Hope you love them, Kelli!
Are the chia seeds necessary in order for this to come together texture-wise, or can they be omitted? They’re the only thing I don’t already have in my pantry :).
You can leave them out though I might add a heaping 1 cup oats to the food processor when making the oat flour to ensure the bars don’t end up too liquidy (the chia seeds absorb a lot of liquid.)
Oh man this looks delicious! If we don’t have gluten issues, would we just sub a cup of regular flour? Thanks!
Hmm, I’m not sure – I tend to think they might end up too dense. If you don’t regularly buy oats, you could scoop some up at your grocery store’s bulk bins!
I had been planning on making your blueberry oatmeal breakfast bars to freeze for post-baby life in November, and now I think I will have to make these, too! Although I can’t be sure they’ll make it to the freezer. We went to Vail at the end of May in 2017 and it is still one of my favorite trips. Colorado is just so insanely beautiful and full of spectacular outdoor activities.
Ugh, I know! I always come home planning our next trip out there – always signs of a good vacation. ;) Congrats on baby, Paula!!
These sound delicious! Would almond flour work?
I think they might end up too dense, but let me know if you give it a try!
I used almond flour in place of the ground oat flour and they turned out great! These have such a wonderful flavor to them and are surprisingly sweet! My 1.5 y/o son loves them too!
These look soooo good! I cannot wait to start baking with pumpkin! I love the oat flour and almond milk use in these :)
Me too – it was so fun to get back into the fall baking spirit!
We just returned from a “vacation” or as we call it, a trip with our 1 and 3 year old. It is not for the faint of heart but definitely served the purpose of breaking up the routine for a bit. This recipe is so perfectly timed, I have a open can of pumpkin puree in my fridge taunting me to use it. I opened it for a pumpkin smoothie a day or so ago. Thank you for all you do!
Ah, it’s fate! I hope you love them! Where did you guys go for your vacation?
We went to Ohio to visit family. Three year old had constant melt downs from being out of normal environment and the one year old wanted to nurse all night long. It was a blast!
I made these bars last night and proceeded to eat 3…I told myself I was sharing with the kids (which I did in very small bites), but in reality I basically ate 3. Delicious!