This healthy baked oatmeal bars recipe is easy and delicious! Not only are these apple oatmeal bars made with simple ingredients, but they also take just 10 minutes to prep and then you’ve got easy breakfasts or a healthy snack that’s ready to go at any moment (Find the best Costco snacks list for convenience snacks or make your own apple nachos). Cut these oatmeal breakfast bars into individual portions and you can take them on-the-go – no spoon required! If you love cozy traditional fall flavors like apple, oats, and cinnamon, you’ll love this easy recipe. Check out my healthy apple muffins recipe for a similar breakfast or snack time recipe in muffin form and serve with sweet cream cold foam for the adults! 😉
Try some of these other nutritious breakfasts like Greek yogurt parfaits, apple cinnamon pancakes, Instant Pot steel cut oats, banana oatmeal pancakes, mini chocolate chip muffins, or creamy scrambled eggs next time. And if you’re looking for desserts, try my mini cupcakes or Halloween monster cookies!
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Table of Contents
- What You’ll Love About Healthy Baked Oatmeal Bars Recipe
- Apple Oatmeal Bars Ingredients
- Storage Instructions
- How to Serve Soft Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars to the Whole Family
- Substitutes + Nutrition
- What to Serve with Apple Oatmeal Bars
- More Healthy Oatmeal Recipes
- More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
- Helpful Tools to Make Healthy Baked Oatmeal Bars
- Pin this oatmeal breakfast bars recipe for later!
What You’ll Love About Healthy Baked Oatmeal Bars Recipe
- Warm, cozy fall flavors
- Soft texture similar to a soft granola bar
- Made with wholesome ingredients
- Nutritious breakfast made with whole grains and fruit
- Take your bowl of oatmeal on-the-go
- Prep these oatmeal bars in just 10 minutes
- Freezes well
Apple Oatmeal Bars Ingredients
You probably have all of these healthy ingredients in your kitchen already, they are pretty basic:
- Whole grain oats – Be sure to use old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant (quick oats) or steel cut
- Whole wheat flour – You can use regular whole wheat, or white whole wheat, oat flour, or your favorite gluten-free flour
- Apples – Any variety will work, we love Honeycrisp apples or try granny smith apples for a tarter bar. TIP: Thinly slice apples and then chop into tiny pieces so the bars hold together well.
- Brown sugar – Optional, see swaps below
- Vanilla extract – Use high quality vanilla for best flavor.
- Cinnamon
- Baking powder
- Milk – I typically use whole milk, but you could use your favorite milk or milk alternative.
- Eggs – Use high quality eggs for best flavor.
- Honey – Only use honey if your kids are over age 1, it’s not safe for babies! You can also use pure maple syrup.
- Butter – I love the flavor butter gives, but you could also use coconut oil if you wanted a dairy-free version.
How to Make Soft Baked Oatmeal Bars
These apple cinnamon oatmeal bars take just 10 minutes to prep, here’s how we make them:
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together oats, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Stir in diced apples until combined.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a smaller glass bowl, melt butter. Add in milk, eggs, vanilla, and honey. Whisk together.
- Combine apple oat bars batter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour the oats mixture a prepared 9×13-inch baking dish and spread out in an even layer.
- Bake healthy soft oatmeal bars. Bake the bars until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
- Cut into individual bars. The recipe is designed for 12 bars, but you can adjust to the size you need. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in freezer-safe bags or stasher bags.
Storage Instructions
Store these healthy apple breakfast bars in the pan, or cut up into squares and store in a stasher bag or storage container.
Store them at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How to reheat oatmeal bars
Gently reheat the easy oatmeal bars in the microwave for 30 seconds
Can you freeze oatmeal breakfast bars?
Yes, these breakfast bars freeze well for 2-3 months. Take them out to thaw on the counter or put them right into a lunchbox and they’ll be ready to eat by lunchtime.
How to Serve Soft Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in. 😉
There are a few different ways to eat these healthy apple bars. The first step is to cut the healthy apple bars into squares and then…
- Eat at room temperature.
- Take out of freezer and warm up for about 30 seconds in the microwave.
- Warm up for about a minute (or until hot) in the microwave and drizzle milk or cream over the top for baked oatmeal cups that can be eaten with a spoon.
All of my articles on feeding kids can be found here and if you want a FULL list of all of the videos I have with hacks, tips, scripts, and ideas for feeding kids, check out my instagram or tiktok page.
Substitutes + Nutrition
You can find the full nutrition facts below the recipe card, but if you want to swap out any of the ingredients and toppings, here are a few ways you can add even more nutrition into this meal.
This oatmeal breakfast bars recipe is pretty healthy all on its own, but you can make a few swaps if you would like to make them even healthier, or if your kids are young (between 1-3).
Originally, these apple oatmeal bars were made without flour and brown sugar, but as my kids got older and I got a little more flexible, I added a little flour and sugar too help the texture of these oatmeal breakfast bars stick together.
- Leave out flour – The best texture is a combination of oats and flour, but for babies, feel free to leave it out.
- Leave out brown sugar – Add an extra 1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup.
What to Serve with Apple Oatmeal Bars
These bars cover your fruit and grain portion of the meal, but pair them with a protein like creamy scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, hard boiled eggs, a slather of peanut butter, almond butter, a sprinkle of chia seeds, or a cup of milk to turn it into a satisfying meal.
More Healthy Oatmeal Recipes
If you like this healthy baked oatmeal bars recipe, you might also like some of these other healthy oatmeal recipes:
- Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
- Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
- Fruit Soaked Oatmeal
- Sauteed Banana Oatmeal
- Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
If you like these baked apple oatmeal bars, you might also like some of these other healthy breakfast recipes:
- Homemade Acai Bowls
- Sour Cream Scrambled Eggs
- Bacon Egg and Cheese Bagel
- Bagel Fruit Pizzas
- Lox and Bagels Recipe
- Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Helpful Tools to Make Healthy Baked Oatmeal Bars
- Kids Knife – Have your kids help you make these baked apple oatmeal bars by chopping the apples. (You may need to run a knife through them again if they aren’t small enough, but they can get them started.)
- Stasher Bags – Freeze this healthy baked oatmeal bars recipe in the freezer in these reusable airtight bags.
- Glass Bowls – These nesting bowls are perfect for mixing, storing, and even serving.
Healthy Apple Baked Oatmeal Bars Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This HEALTHY baked apple oatmeal bars recipe is packed with wholesome oats and apples, and is a filling breakfast or snack to take on-the-go.
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups chopped apple (small dice; about 2-3 medium apples)
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Prepare 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Stir in diced apples.
- In a medium bowl, melt butter. Add in milk, honey, eggs, and vanilla and whisk together until combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and spread out in an even layer. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
- Let cool before cutting.
Notes
- Serve on-the-go as a pre-breakfast or easy snack.
- Heat and serve with milk or cream and a drizzle of honey or syrup for a warm breakfast.
- Freezable: cut into squares and freeze in a ziploc or stasher bag. Let thaw at room temperature or microwave for 30 seconds to heat up.
- You can also make these into mini bites by baking them in a mini muffin tin. You’ll want to cut down on the baking time by about 5 minutes and you’ll also have some extra batter; it’s the perfect size for an individual baking dish.
Keywords: baked oatmeal bars, apple oatmeal bars, oatmeal breakfast bars, healthy baked oatmeal bars recipe
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Mercedes
Yum, I love oatmeal in any form and especially when it is easy to transport! I will be making these this week and I know Sloane will love them too!
Emily
I hope she approves, I know she has a high standard for baked goods! 😉
Arianne Gravunder
we just made these. I wasn’t sure what to do with the butter. Mine turned out a little bit more cake like than your pictures. Not sure what I did wrong, but they were still good.
Emily
Hi Arianne, thanks so much for writing, I just added the butter into the instructions. Sorry about that! You just dot it on the top, so it really just adds flavor, doesn’t do much else. Glad you liked them!
John Baxter
I just made these. They came out a little more cake like. I am putting them back in the oven a little longer as the
top is brown but underneath is still wet. I did substitute almond milk. I think it might be better with a half cup of milk instead of a cup. Just thinking out loud. They are good, though.
Emily
Hi John! How did it turn out with a little extra time in the oven? They definitely are more cake-like than granola bar, so hopefully they turned out just right!
Sharon Annett
In an effort to make these plant based, I made these with a couple of substitutions – almond milk, and peanut butter instead of eggs. The honey is questionable – but, decided to change that next time. They turned really good. Will definitely be making these again.
Emily
I’m so happy to hear this, Sharon! Thanks so much for sharing your swaps too, I know others will appreciate it!
Anne Kim
Hi, Emily~
I’m glad to find you ^^
I’m korean and also live in Korea.
So.. I’m just confused what kind of measuring cup you used. Cause 1 cup means usually 200millimeter in Korea. Thanks ~~ and take care amid outbreak of Covid 19.
Kristina
Do have to refridgerate these?
Emily
You can store them at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze them! They freeze really well.
Nadine Michelle
They were decent. I didn’t love the texture, it was a little tough but maybe I just don’t like oats like that. They don’t taste like store bought which is good and bad. I guess I thought they’d taste different but always worth trying new recipes.
Deborah
This recipe makes a delicious, nutritious oat apple breakfast bar. Keep them in the freezer, and a 30 second microwave zap yields a quick and tasty breakfast! Will definitely bake these again! A winner.
Emily
Thanks Deborah! So glad you enjoyed them. I just took one out of the freezer for my daughter’s lunch. 🙂
Tut Gramling
This is a family favorite! Dan and I really like eating these bars as much as our grandgirls! They have just a hint of sweetness, and satisfying, as well as high on the yum factor.
Marjorie Matzky
I followed the directions. They were very good. A little crumbly.
Amy M.
Hi Emily! I love your content. I’m making these bars tomorrow as the next day is my first day back to full-time work and I need a quick breakfast. Do you think quick oats would work? Maybe just be a little more mushy? I have a huge Costco container of quick oats, so I might give it a try and see what happens. Thanks!
Tut
This is one of our favorite breakfast bars ~ moist, flavorful and just sweet enough.
Emily
Making up a batch soon for lunches! 🙂
Marj
I make this recipe every 2 or 3 weeks. It is easy and healthy. I have learned to chop the apples small and not to overcook. When I put all of the ingredients together and stir Inlet them sit and soak up the milk before I put them in the oven.. Yummy
Emily
Thanks Marj, glad you are a fan!
Crystal
Could I omit the flour and add protein powder to make them healthier. I’m not able to eat anything with carbohydrates in it and would love to try these.
Emily
Hi Crystal, the flour sort of acts as a binder in these bars so I’m afraid the protein powder wouldn’t work in the same way, but let us know if you try it out! Maybe if you blended the mixture together so it wasn’t quite as chunky?
Debby Myers
It was okay. Kinda flavorless though.
Emily
Hi Debby, sorry you felt it was flavorless!
Stephanie Ziesemer
This recipe sounds great! I’m looking forward to making it today.
There’s only one small issue. The adds do not go away when I hit the print recipe option. I would use up way too much ink if I have to print adds. Is this something you’re able to change on your end?
Anyways, thanks for the recipe!
Emily
Hi Stephanie, the ads won’t actually print. They do sometimes show up on the print page, but they won’t print! I just confirmed with my ad network and we tested it. Hope you love the oat bars!
Meagan Miner
I did the sugar substitute by adding maple syrup perfect amount of sweet and sticks with the “breakfast” bar theme. Loved it warm out of the oven. I added pecans as well.