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.
Rian
Thanks for the idea! I had leftover baked slow cooker stuffed cinnamon apples and I blended with some extra almonds and hazelnuts, oats and dates. They're pretty good! My only mistake is not using medjool dates. I found another variety at Costco and they weren't as rich in flavor. But thanks for rescuing my baked apples and now I have a great snack and breakfast bar for the kids!
chucky_k
Hi, was just wondering how long would these bars last in a container, in the fridge??
alexandra
About two weeks I'd say!
Feder
I just made these... taste great ! Recipes for cereal bars without additional sugar/honey are really rare ! I used pistachios and hazelnuts because pecans are sooo expensive >-< Also, i thought my food processor would die on me... But now they're done, looking good :) thanks a lot :D
alexandra
Yay! It is a lot of work on your FP, but I'm glad it turned out well. :)
Anna
Hello! I hate (really hate) dates, the flavour, the smell, the texture... every time I tried to eat one I'd almost puke. So, that being said, what can I substitute it for? Would honey work (flavour and texture wise)?
alexandra
Honey wouldn't work the same because you're introducing an added liquid ingredient into the recipe in that case... You really don't taste the dates in the finished product, so my suggestion would be to try the recipe out as-is, but I understand if that makes you nervous considering how much you dislike them.
Gemma Atkins
Hey, just wondering what the calories are roughly? Trying to make I'm sure I'm eating enough in the day to match my exercise and just want to check this recipe gives me enough.
alexandra
I actually don't calculate nutritional content for any of my recipes, but I'd suggest plugging the ingredients and amounts into an online nutritional calculator if you want to get an idea of calorie count. :)
Gulen
Love them. Even though un,ts of measure is different in my country; i converted them online and the result is perfect. Due to the fact that i am a MS petient, i try to eat clean and this bars are just for me. Thank you.
alexandra
Yay! Happy to hear it :)
Alex silva
Hi Alex loved the recipe idea used 1 cup of almonds and 1cup ofwalnuts instead of pecans added linseed ,sunflower seeds pumpkin seeds and unsweetened coconut flakes to make up the bulk of the nuts and 1 cup of dates +half a cup of dried figs all other ingredients & measurements were the same just out of the oven haven't tasted them yet hope they are as nice as yours seem 2b
Alex
alexandra
Hope they turned out well! Thanks for the suggestions for switching up the recipe :)
Marsha A
Love bars!! They are my favorite snack!
Marshall Bryans
Do you think that these would stay fresh for a couple of days if stored an airtight container but not refrigerated?
alexandra
For a couple of days they should be fine I'd say!
Catia
Hey,
Do you know how many calories these have?
Thanks
alexandra
I don't calculate nutrional counts myself, but you could easily plug the information into a nutritional calculator online and get an idea.
Jason
Thanks for the recipe!
OK. I have no idea how you got these to work without adding some type of liquid. Congratulations for you!
I skipped the nuts (allergy), added raisins, Greek yogurt and protein powder. They're in the oven right now. I can't wait!
alexandra
The apples lend enough liquid to make everything stick together. Hope your version worked out well! :)
Kristin
These are really good, but what kind of food processor do you use? Mine keeps overheating or getting stuck because the mixture is so thick. Thanks!!
alexandra
I have a 7-cup cuisinart. Sometimes you do have to stop and move things around with a spatula, but it never fails to work for things like this! :)
anna-malgorzata
I don't usually comment recipes, but Yours is soooo perfect!!! in recent times I've tested loads of granola bars, oatmeal cakes and stuff like that and these are just ideal - so flavourful, and what's more important: they don't tend to fall apar which was a big problem when you wanted them as a school snack.
A little bit of changes I did:
- used 1 cup of rolled oats and 1 of oat brans
- added 1/2 cup of toasted almonds
alexandra
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I love that you were so happy with the bars!
Crystal
These are delicious! Thank you. I accidentally missed the rolled oats in the recipe and they turned out a bit like a sticky bliss ball in texture, but delicious (and my 9mo loves them)! I was thinking of trying it again because I loved the flavours, but adding flour to make it a bit more bready, like gingerbread or a slice, (to appeal to my almost 3yo) but I'm not good at experimenting and don't want to waste expensive ingredients! Do you think just throwing in some self raising flour would work (I feel like there's no need for butter and sugar?) or would I need baking powder? Would I need egg to help raise it? Your recipe definitely doesn't need changing, it is amazing, just trying to be creative with it:)
alexandra
Have you tried again with the oats? I'm thinking that may make the difference you're looking for without changing anything else. Let me know!
RebECca
These came out perfect. Thanks very much. I used almonds instead of pecans.
alexandra
Awesome! So glad you liked them. :)