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These Apple Oatmeal Bars are naturally sweet and chewy, packed with apples and cinnamon flavors. Made with no sugar, no eggs and no oil, they are the perfect healthy snack or dessert for kids and adults of all ages.
Looking for more healthy snacks with oats? Try my banana baked oatmeal cups, oatmeal cake and oatmeal chocolate chip bars next.
When fall comes around, I can’t get enough of apple, cinnamon, and pumpkin flavors. They’re cozy, sweet, and taste like…autumn! That’s why I’m excited to share this recipe for apple oatmeal bars. These cinnamon bars are made with natural ingredients like apples and oats, so they make an easy healthy snack. They’re great for breakfast, after school, or whenever you need a little energy boost. Rich in fiber and vitamins, they’ll satisfy cravings, fuel your body, and keep you full longer.
Why you will love this recipe
- Quick and easy. These apple bars with oats are incredibly easy to make, requiring just one bowl and minimal prep. In no time you’ll have a delicious batch ready to go, with hardly any mess to clean up.
- Healthy and nutritious. Packed with apples, oats, and wholesome ingredients, these bars are a great way to fuel your body. They’re gluten-free, sugar-free, and vegan friendly. Additionally, they’re also low calorie and high in protein.
- Sweet and chewy. These cinnamon oatmeal bars come with a soft and chewy texture, sweet taste and tender chunks of apples. Add chopped walnuts or almonds for little more crunch. I promise, both kids and adults won’t be able to resist.
- Meal-prep friendly. They store very well, making them a convenient grab-and-go breakfast or snack option for busy mornings. In the freezer, they will last for months.
- Versatile snack – Apple cinnamon bars are great for breakfast, school snacks and dessert. They make an easy, wholesome addition to lunchboxes or snacks for whenever hunger strikes.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Apple. Choose sweet varieties such as Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Gala and Pink Lady. The apple will add lots of natural sweetness and flavor without the need for sugar.
- Applesauce. This recipe is made with unsweetened applesauce, store-bought or homemade. For more flavor, I recommend trying my cinnamon applesauce.
- Rolled oats. For a chewy texture, use old fashioned rolled oats – gluten-free if necessary. With instant or quick oats they will get softer and mushier, so I don’t recommended them.
- Oat flour. Use store-bought or homemade oat flour, gluten-free if needed. Great replacements are almond flour, wholewheat flour, more oats or protein powder.
- Greek yogurt. The yogurt adds moisture and richness without the need for oil or nut butter. It also replaces eggs in binding the dough. I used 2% fat plain Greek yogurt. You can substitute with nondairy yogurt if vegan.
- Vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt. To enhance flavors and balance sweetness. Feel free to add a pinch of ground nutmeg, or swap cinnamon for apple pie spice mix.
How to make apple oatmeal bars
Step 1 – Get everything ready. Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and fold a 7 x 7 inch (15 x 15 cm) brownie pan with parchment paper. Wash, core and dice the apple into small pieces.
Step 2 – Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl combine applesauce with yogurt, vanilla extract, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. For sweetener bars, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey to taste. Stir until smooth.
Step 3 – Add dry ingredients. Add rolled oats and oat flour to the wet mixture, then stir until combined. Fold through your diced apple until it’s fully incorporated into the dough.
Step 4 – Let cool. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan, spread it out evenly and top with more diced apples, if desired. Bake in hot oven for 17 to 20 minutes, or until they have set in the center. Let cool to temperature, then slice into bars.
Watch the video recipe
Recipe tips
- Pick the apple carefully. Choose Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Gala. These varieties will give your bars lots of natural sweetness and flavor without the need for sugar.
- Sweetness to taste – For me, applesauce is enough as a sweetener. But if you have the sweet tooth or plan to make this recipe for kids, add little maple syrup or honey. Three to four tablespoons should be okay.
- Add some extras – If you want more texture and flavor, I recommend mixing in the dough additional ingredients such as chopped walnuts, pecans, peanut butter, chocolate chips or dried cranberries.
- Store in the fridge – Keeping the bars in the fridge helps them last longer. Additionally, their texture improves and all the warm cinnamon flavors become more pronounced.
- Serve with toppings – These apple oatmeal bars are delicious on their own, but to take them to the next level, try adding a few tasty toppings. Pair them with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a drizzle of maple syrup. For a nutty boost, add a spoonful of peanut or almond butter.
Make ahead and storage
To store or freeze, first allow them to cool fully to room temperature. Once cooled, slice into bars or squares — I ended up with six large pieces. For a short-term storage, keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or refrigerate for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
If you’d like to store them longer, transfer cinnamon apple bars into freezer-safe bags and freeze for up to 4 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, simply remove as many pieces as you’d like and reheat in the oven or microwave. There’s no need to thaw them beforehand —just warm them up straight from the freezer for a quick and delicious snack.
More healthy oat snacks
- Oatmeal protein cookies
- Strawberry oatmeal bars
- Banana oat bars
- Oatmeal cake
- Protein oatmeal bars
- Oatmeal chocolate chip bars
- Oatmeal breakfast bars
- 2 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies
Apple Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (150 g) rolled oats
- ½ cup (50 g) oat flour, replace with almond flour or protein powder
- 1 cup (250 g) applesauce, unsweetened
- ¼ cup (60 g) Greek yogurt , or dairy-free yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- a pinch of salt
- 2 to 4 tbsp maple syrup, optional, to taste
- 1 apple, finely diced
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F (180°C) and fold a 7 x 7 inch (15 x15 cm) brownie pan with parchment paper.
- Wash, core and dice the apple into small pieces.
- In a large bowl combine applesauce with yogurt, vanilla extract, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. For sweetener bars, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey to taste. Stir until smooth.
- Add rolled oats and oat flour to the wet mixture, then stir until combined. Fold through the diced apple until it's fully incorporated into the dough.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and spread it out evenly. Top with more diced apple, if desired.
- Bake in hot oven for 17 to 20 minutes, or until they have set in the center. Let cool to temperature, then slice into bars.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Sweetener: Applesauce add plenty of natural sweetness. For sweeter apple squares, add a couple tablespoons of maple syrup or honey – taste the dough and adjust with sweetener if it is necessary.
- Vegan: Replace Greek yogurt with your favorite nondairy yogurt, I recommend Greek style soy yogurt.
- Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free rolled oats and oat flour.
- Protein powder: For high protein apple bars, replace oat flour with half a cup of protein powder. I recommend vanilla vegan protein powder, it provides a great taste and texture.
- Extras: Customize this recipe with the addition of chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, dried cranberries, raisins.
Storage notes
- To store: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: Place in zipper bags and freeze for up to 4 months.
- To reheat: Remove apple bars from the freezer, then warm up in hot oven or in the microwave.
