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.
how could I adjust it to add Greek yogurt to the recipe
Hi Ginger! I’ve never made nor tested this recipe with Greek yogurt so I can’t say for sure.
Hi Kristin! I would love to make this recipe but live in the middle of nowhere and don’t have chia seeds or flax seeds, and it would take (literally) a month to get them. Do you have any other substitution ideas, or do you think the recipe would turn out ok without them? Thanks!
I totally understand, Izzie! I’d try reducing the milk to 2/3 cup or maybe a bit less to see if that works for you. Just keep baking until the center of the bars are set. If the edges start becoming overly-browned, tent a piece of foil on top of the baking dish.
These breakfast bars taste delicious and were easy to make. The only thing that bothered me a bit was the dense texture, but that didn’t stop me from eating them!
You can’t go wrong with Iowa girl eats…her gf recipes are a God send!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Lori!! Since they’re oat based, the bars will naturally be a bit more dense than a flour + baking powder-based bar, for example.
What can I use in place of coconut oil?
You can use butter or vegetable oil.
Husband loved them, thank you! Do they need to be stored in the fridge or can I leave them on the counter for a couple days?
Hi hi — so glad these were a hit! I keep these in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or you can freeze them wrapped individually with saran wrap.
Is there a substitution for the baking powder and baking soda? I am sensitive to both.
Hi Kari! Unfortunately not, though you could leave it out — your bars will just be denser.
Hi, wondering if the chia seeds are crucial to the recipe. Don’t happen to have any, but would love to try to the recipe. Thanks!
Hi Penny! Do you have ground flaxseeds on hand? You can use the same amount of that instead of chia seeds!
this is so good to know! I am allergic to chia seeds and they are in so many recipes I want to try. Thank you for this info!
My pleasure!!
easy to make and so…delicious! Love the texture of the chia seeds . Thank you!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Linda!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This was delicious & easy. My 7yo doesn’t love the texture of old fashioned oats, so I used about 3/4c quick oats & 3/4c old fashioned. I doubled the pumpkin as I had 1c to use up, and about a scant 1c milk. I also added in 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder. I used walnuts instead of pecans & might add a bit more next time. The sweetness level was good for me and my daughter enjoyed her slice with a drizzle of maple syrup. I really enjoyed this recipe, thank you!
I’m so glad you were able to make this recipe work with what you had on hand, Toni! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Is the nutrition information for the maple pumpkin breakfast bars for nine servings or 12?
9 bars. Are you seeing 12 somewhere? I can fix that. Thanks!
I have such a hard time with oat flour, it always turns out mushy. I followed the recipe exactly. I baked uncovered for 45 minutes and the middle was still mushy even though a tooth puck came out clean. Eventually I had to cut off the edges, cut through the middle and separate the middle into two parts, and then it finally baked through. Any tips?
Hi Kelly! When you say mushy, do you mean undercooked? Did you make your own oat flour or use pre-made? Is it possible any of the liquid was mis-measured? I haven’t received this feedback before, but am happy to help troubleshoot!
TO Kelly, I have baked probably 100 recipes with only oat flour and your findings are common. Some tips: Watch the liquid and error on the dry side initially. A bit of ground flax seed helps. Also be super sure your b. soda/powder is fresh and add a bit more. A T. of vinegar helps the rise when using b soda. Watch your pan size. The bigger the pan the more trouble with the middle being dense/wet. Try muffin/mini muffin pans and bake at 375 or a loaf pan instead. Bake off a sample in a cupcake liner if you want to be super sure about your recipe turning out. Oat flour recipes will never be quite like wheat flour recipes in my experience. I prefer them but they can be tricky for sure.
Have you tried letting the oat mixture sit for a few minutes (even 15 mins) so the oats absorb some moisture before going in the oven? I haven’t had a chance to make this yet but I make oat flour biscuits for my anaphylactic daughter and the consistency changes when left to sit. They bake much better. Maybe something to try 😉
Hello!
I love this recipe, but being thrifty, I modified it.
Instead of buying pumpkin puree in the store, I roasted off a butternut squash and used some of it in place of the puree. I used homemade rich simple syrup instead of maple syrup because that stuff, like pumpkin puree, costs dear at the store. I also added in a half cup of toasted sunflower seeds. I ran out of eggs. So for a double batch, I made one chia egg, and one flax egg. The final tweak was to sprinkle some turbinado sugar on top of the bars and the result was reminiscent of coffee cake.
Thank you very much for this recipe!
That sounds so delicious, Wayne! I’m so glad you were able to make this recipe your own. Thank YOU so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I am excited to try these! Could I just use whole wheat flour instead of oat flour?
Hi Julie! I’ve only tested this recipe with oat flour so unfortunately I can’t say for sure what the final texture would be if swapping for AP flour!