These cinnamon apple oatmeal bars are perfect for those days when you need a quick grab-and-go snack that's both filling and nutritious. With just 6 wholesome and all-natural ingredients, they couldn't be easier to make! These simple bars are also kid-friendly, gluten-free, and vegan.
Protein bars, granola bars, energy bars - they all seem like such great snack options, but have you ever read their ingredient lists? So many of them are loaded with sugar or filled with questionable ingredients, and for that reason I'd much rather stick to homemade options when I can. I've tried my hand at everything from peanut butter protein bars to strawberry cereal bars, and I promise you - the from-scratch version is always better!
These apple oat bars are no exception, combining just a few whole food ingredients to make a quick, easy snack that actually tastes good - without sacrificing on nutrition. And if you have a food processor, you're just a few minutes away from having them in the oven!
What You'll Love About These Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bars
- Real Food Ingredients: Apples, pecans, oatmeal, dates... there's just a handful of ingredients in this recipe, and they're all simple, familiar, and minimally processed.
- Low Effort: You'll need about 15-20 minutes of hands-on time for this recipe, and your food processor will do all of the heavy lifting.
- Convenient and Versatile: Serve these as apple breakfast bars, a mid-day snack, or even a healthy dessert. They work for any occasion and they're easy to take on the go.
- Dietary-Friendly: These bars are naturally vegan and gluten-free (use gluten-free oats to be sure!) and made without flour or added sugar. Plus, if you can't eat pecans, I've heard from many readers that the recipe works well with other nuts too!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
I promised an easy recipe, so this is a short list! You only need six ingredients to make my apple and oatmeal bars:
- Raw pecan halves - The naturally sweet, maple-like flavor of pecans is one of my favorite pairings for dates (like in my date scone recipe) and apples (apple crumble anyone?), so they're my go-to nut for these bars. That said, readers who have made this recipe have also successfully used hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, and even various seeds, so feel free to experiment!
- Rolled oats - Old fashioned oats act as the base of these apple cinnamon bars and soak up all of the liquid naturally present in the apples. If you need to make sure your bars are gluten-free, use gluten-free oats. Quick cooking oats - which are essentially rolled oats that have been processed to an even finer texture - can also be used and will minimize a bit of the work your food processor needs to do.
- Medjool dates - You'll need to pit and halve your dates before measuring them, or you can buy them pre-prepared this way. Because we're relying on the dates to add moisture and sweetness to these bars, I would not recommend other varieties of dates like deglet noor, which tend to be less sweet and juicy.
- Cinnamon and salt - Cinnamon pairs especially well with the apples, dates, and pecans in these bars, and a little bit of salt helps bring out the flavor in all of the ingredients. If you'd like, you can also add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Apples - I've always made my cinnamon oatmeal bars with granny smith apples, but feel free to try a different variety. In the spirit of keeping things simple, there's no need to peel them!
How to Make Healthy Apple Oatmeal Bars
- Toast the pecans and oats: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread the pecans and oats out in a thin, even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until they're fragrant and appear lightly toasted.
- Prep baking pan: Keeping the oven on, line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on at least two sides to be able to easily lift the bars out of the pan once they're finished baking.
- Process the "dry" ingredients: Add the toasted nuts and oats to a food processor along with the dates, cinnamon, and salt. Using the blade attachment, process until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, with no large pieces remaining.
- Add apples: Add the chopped apples to the food processor and pulse in until there are no longer any large chunks left. Then, process for several minutes, until all of the ingredients clump together into a fine-textured mixture. It does not need to be completely smooth.
During this time, you'll likely need to stop the food processor occasionally and use a spatula to help move things around, since the mixture will be very thick. If needed, you can drizzle in up to ¼ cup of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to help everything come together. You can also add vanilla extract at this step, if using.
- Transfer to pan: Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan, using a wide, flat spatula (or bench scraper) to pat it down into a flat and compact layer. To prevent sticking, I like to fold the extra parchment from the sides of the pan back over the surface of the mixture to use as a barrier between the bars and my spatula. These bars will not spread or otherwise change shape while baking, so do your best to make them as flat and even as you can before you put them in the oven.
- Bake and slice: Bake your cinnamon apple bars in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, at which point they should be slightly darker in color. Cool for 10-15 minutes, and then lift from the pan and slice into 10-12 individual bars.
Storing and Shelf Life
Once cooled to room temperature, transfer the baked oatmeal bars to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. They can also be kept at room temperature for up to a day or two, so don't worry about keeping one cold if you're taking it to work or school!
When kept refrigerated, they should stay fresh for at least 1 week.
Quick Tips and Tricks
Before you head to the kitchen, here are a few key things to keep in mind when making this cinnamon apple oatmeal bars recipe!
- Do: Feel free to try this recipe with a mixture of different nuts and/or seeds! You can also add additional spices, like a touch of nutmeg or cloves.
- Do: Use gluten-free oats if you need to make sure your bars are 100% gluten-free.
- Do: Use a spatula to assist your food processor by helping move the ingredients along if they get stuck while processing.
- Do: Place a layer of parchment under your spatula when pressing the mixture into the pan.
- Don't: Be afraid to add a small amount of water (or juice) to help bring the bars together in your food processor.
- Don't: Attempt this recipe with a weak food processor, unless you plan to make the mixture in batches.
FAQs
For this recipe, we use a combination of medjool dates (a particularly juicy date variety), fresh apples, and, if needed, a small amount of water to act as the "glue" that keeps the bars together.
Unlike many snack bars that are much less healthy than they appear, these have quite a few things going for them on the nutritional front! They're made with complex carbohydrates (oats), high in fiber (again thanks to the oats, plus the apples), and completely free of added sugar.
Looking for more?
More Healthy Snacks
If you enjoy these oatmeal breakfast bars, you'll also love these recipes:
Recipe Card
Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Bars
Rolled oats, toasted pecans, and fresh, juicy apples come together to make this easy snack that's both tasty and healthy! These apple oatmeal bars are gluten-free, dairy-free, and made without added sugar.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 bars 1x
- Category: snack bars and bites
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups (227 grams) raw pecan halves
- 2 cups (163 grams) old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups (234 grams) pitted and halved medjool dates
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (227 grams) chopped apples, skin on (I used granny smith)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread the pecans and oats out in a thin, even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until they're fragrant and appear lightly toasted.
- Keeping the oven on, line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on at least two sides to be able to easily lift the bars out of the pan once they're finished baking.
- Add the toasted nuts and oats to a food processor along with the dates, cinnamon, and salt. Using the blade attachment, process until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, with no large pieces remaining.
- Add the chopped apples to the food processor along with the vanilla extract, if using, and pulse in until there are no longer any large chunks left. Then, process for several minutes, stopping to move things around with a spatula as needed, until all of the ingredients clump together into a fine-textured mixture. If necessary, you can drizzle in up to ¼ cup of water, one tablespoon at a time, to help everything come together.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan, using a wide, flat spatula to pat it down into a flat and compact layer. To prevent sticking, I like to fold the extra parchment from the sides of the pan back over the surface of the mixture to use as a barrier between the bars and my spatula.
- Bake bars in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, at which point they should be slightly darker in color. Cool for 10-15 minutes, and then lift from the pan and slice into 10-12 individual bars.
Notes
Ingredients Notes:
- Pecans can be substituted with other nut varieties as desired.
- Quick cooking oats can also be used. Use certified gluten-free oats to make this recipe gluten-free.
Storing and Shelf Life:
- Once cooled to room temperature, transfer the bars to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. They should stay fresh for at least one week. Bars can also be kept at room temperature for up to a day or two.
Have you made this recipe?
If so, I'd love to hear your feedback; you can leave a rating and review in the comments section below! It's also so helpful if you help spread the word by sharing this post on your favorite social media channel. If you happen to snap a photo of what you've baked, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me (@brighteyedbaker) so I can give you a shoutout!
This post was originally published in 2013. It has since been updated with additional information to help readers make this recipe successfully, including step-by-step photos, and a suggestion to add water to the bars to help them come together.
Stephanie
These are so good! My husband made them and used mixed nuts (that's what we had). Our teenagers love them - so good. Thank you!
alexandra
Hi Stephanie,
That's so great to hear! Glad the recipe was a hit with your family. :)
Teri Weber
I love these and have people at work hooked on them. These are a great hold-over until your shift is done. Being that I'm from NM I added a little powdered red chile to the mix. Red chile goes great with cinnamon and apples. Yummy!!!
alexandra
Love the addition of chile! So glad you're enjoying this recipe. :D
Deanne
Hej, wondering if you really have to store them in the fridge, or could you drop them in your backpack for a backpacking holiday of a few days? Thankss!
alexandra
Hi! They would probably be fine for a few days so long as it's not super hot. :)
Nadine
What is the weight and calories for each bar
alexandra
Hi Nadine,
I haven't calculated nutrition facts for this recipe yet. I plan to update the post in the future and will do so at that time!
Ebony
hi just wondering if i could use almonds instead of pecans?
alexandra
Yep, that should work fine. :)