Your oatmeal breakfast bars are on my recipe “to do” list, but this pumpkin variation was that catalyst I needed to finally bake them last night! My afternoon snack today was like a delicious bowl of oatmeal in a portable bar, both fulfilling and nutritious. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and almond butter. My mix-ins were raisins and toasted walnuts. I noticed that your oatmeal breakfast bars include unsweetened applesauce, so I added 1/2 cup while omitting the maple syrup. I did bake 30 minutes to account for the extra moisture. These bars may be a weekly creation in my kitchen now, and I am excited to try other variations too!
Any, I’m so glad to hear that you liked these bars, and I bet the raisins and walnuts were absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and for letting me know how it turned out for you. I truly appreciate it!
This recipe is so versatile: made these with Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk as the milk ingredient, and then used coconut and Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed as the add-ins.
Chocolate almond milk sounds dreamy Lisa! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know how it turned out for you. Love the flaxseed too. Enjoy every bite!
Can you use quick oats for this recipe….it’s all I have on hand as I seem to digest that form of oats better than the traditional rolled. I would love to have this as a prerun snack during the week to grab and go.
Hi Tracy! I have never baked these bars with quick oats, but I think that they will work just fine. Since quick oats are more ground than rolled, the bars may have a softer texture, but they’ll still taste great. I hope you enjoy them!
YESSSSSS!!!!! These are fantastic. I made some modifications to fit my dietary needs like adding a scoop of vanilla protein powder and I find that anything baked needs chia seeds. I loooooooove baked oatmeal and for my running mornings this is so much easier than actually cooking oatmeal. I’m going to make up a batch of these and send them to my brother and his kids……we are a family that loves ANYTHING with pumpkin & peanut butter and don’t even get me started on the combination.
YAY!!!!! I’m so happy to hear this Tracy! Pumpkin and peanut butter is one of my favorite combinations too, and the chia seeds are a great addition. Thanks for leaving this lovely review.
Hi, Tracy! When adding a scoop of protein powder did it change the texture at all? Does the liquid need to be upped at all to balance that? Also scoop as in the scoop that comes with the bag of protein powder? Thanks for your help! I try to add extra protein where I can. Usually in my shakes, so this would be a nice change!
Hi Kelly…I used whey which isn’t a starchy powder so it doesn’t absorb much liquid buto I did add 2 egg whites just for good measure….according to my fitness pal ad I entered the ingredients it came out to 18 grams of protein per bar….but I cut mine into 6 bats as I use them on mornings I do long runs and need the calories…they are only about 370 calories how I made them…
Oh i have also made them without the peanut butter as I feel I may have a sensitivity to it and they were great that way too ….
Hi Annie! You could try swapping wheat flour for the oat flour, but I’ve only tested the recipe with oat flour so far. Fortunately, if you have oats on hand, you can easily make oat flour! Please see recipe notes for directions.
Yay! Thank you so much for being so helpful. I can’t wait to make these! I make recipes from your blog all the time and they’ve always been incredible, so I’m sure these will be too!
Loved this recipe! I did tweak it according to what I had available…almond cashew milk, raisins and pecans. I also cut the maple syrup in half. Shredded coconut on top…just because. Great way to start the day. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you!!
Hi Erin, is there a difference between using a glass pan or regular pan for this recipe? I used an 8×8 glass pan and had to cook for 40 mins before the knife came out mostly clean. I followed your exact recipe. I’m worried I over cooked and wondering if I should have used a regular pan vs. glass? The bars are still cooling and smell delicious so hopefully I didn’t mess them up too much!!! :)
Hi again! I forgot to mention that glass *does* affect baking times and temperatures—next time, I’d suggest decreasing the oven temp by 25 degrees or using a metal pan. Metal might help with getting more consistent results!
My result is like ‘cake’ I used an 8×8 glass pan. Didn’t sub any ingredients….So excited for my first ‘bar’ recipe ever! but it ended up like a ‘cake’ Not sure what happened Erin? The ingredients are amazing and guilt free…but eating a cake is not what I was hoping for );
I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with the recipe. The amounts, flavorings and timing have worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would have been a hit for you too! I know it can be so disappointing to try a new recipe and it does not turn out for you.
Hello Erin! I baked the bars last night. As I was getting ready to put my baby to sleep, we were tasting the bars as it finished cooling down. She wanted to keep on eating the bars, but we had to stop so we can go to bed. They are moist and yummy. My son also took some with him for his school snack versus a store bought snack. I am happy about that. Thank you again for a recipe keeper.
These turned out yummy. I used dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds as my add-ins. I love all things cooked with pumpkin and was not disappointed. I had to cook it longer than called for like one of the other commenters said (mine was a metal pan with parchment paper). I was expecting more of a bar (harder) and it is more of a soft muffin-type texture, which is fine. I will likely add a little more salt next time.
I am a type 2 diabetic- I have a sweet tooth and would like to try your healthy pumpkin bars. How can I reduce the carbs and sugar from your recipe ? Thanks,Joann
Hi Joann! I’ve only tested the recipe as written so I’m not sure how to do that. You could probably play around with using less maple syrup using whatever substitute you normally use in baked goods. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Love the ingredients in this recipe but would like to use almond butter & almond flour. Do you think that would work or would adjustments need to be made! Love your recipes.
Hi Annette! You can use any kind of nut butter that you’d like in this recipe. I have not tested it with almond flour so it would be hard to say for sure. I believe they can be interchanged fairly easily. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Hi Connie, they would not be a 1:1 substitute. Coconut flour is highly absorbent so you’ll have to add some additional liquid. Also a good rule of thumb is : 1/4 to 1/3 cup of coconut flour for 1 cup of oat flour. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
These are healthy but were a little bland for us. I used chocolate chips and walnuts as add ins. Decent to eat with some cream poured on top, but my son did not like them at all.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, KJ. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
Great early morning breakfast for my daughter and me before her swim practice. The taste is a subtle pumpkin pie and not overly sweet which is perfect for breakfast. I added a 1/4 cup of protein powder to up the protein content. Really easy to make too! Had to shoo other family members away from them! I also froze a batch so I’ll see how they hold up.
These sounded really tasty and healthy…I am a very experienced cook and baker…followed recipe exactly and it was terrible! Tasteless!!!! I did the whole maple syrup thing and fresh nutmeg and all…did Erin’s recommended mix of fruit and nuts and again, just terrible tasting!
I’m so sorry to hear that, Cheryl. Were there any substitutions or ingredients left out? I’m having a hard time understanding how they were tasteless with peanut butter, pumpkin, spices and the mix-ins.
These bars are the perfect start to fall and SO DELISH. I added a little extra maple syrup a chocolate chips and raisins. My kids cannot get enough. These will be on repeat this fall!!
I have had a written recipe in my book for oatmeal breakfast bars that I’ve used for, I don’t know, some years. Love it, but hadn’t written down the site where I found the recipe. Then yesterday
I was looking for a pumpkin bread/bar recipe and found this one. Thought they tasted very similar to the oatmeal breakfast bar recipe we use. Ha, found out it’s also yours. We enjoy them both now! Love that these use OATS and OAT FLOUR and no white or wheat flour! And they taste great!! Awesome, energizing, clean food to fill us up! How could you incorporate frozen strawberries or blueberries?
This makes me so happy to hear, Tia! You can mix dried fruit into these but frozen fruit will not work for these or the oatmeal breakfast bars. Best to serve it on top! Enjoy!
I made this over the weekend and they are an AWESOME breakfast or snack, and my kids love them too. Thanks for the great recipe!
I am SO SO SOOOO excited to hear this Kelly. Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know how it turned out for you!
Your oatmeal breakfast bars are on my recipe “to do” list, but this pumpkin variation was that catalyst I needed to finally bake them last night! My afternoon snack today was like a delicious bowl of oatmeal in a portable bar, both fulfilling and nutritious. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and almond butter. My mix-ins were raisins and toasted walnuts. I noticed that your oatmeal breakfast bars include unsweetened applesauce, so I added 1/2 cup while omitting the maple syrup. I did bake 30 minutes to account for the extra moisture. These bars may be a weekly creation in my kitchen now, and I am excited to try other variations too!
Any, I’m so glad to hear that you liked these bars, and I bet the raisins and walnuts were absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and for letting me know how it turned out for you. I truly appreciate it!
This recipe is so versatile: made these with Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk as the milk ingredient, and then used coconut and Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed as the add-ins.
Chocolate almond milk sounds dreamy Lisa! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know how it turned out for you. Love the flaxseed too. Enjoy every bite!
HI, can these be frozen? if not, how long will they stay fresh?
Hi! These can be tightly wrapped and frozen for 2 months or stored in the refrigerator for a few days.
Can you use quick oats for this recipe….it’s all I have on hand as I seem to digest that form of oats better than the traditional rolled. I would love to have this as a prerun snack during the week to grab and go.
Hi Tracy! I have never baked these bars with quick oats, but I think that they will work just fine. Since quick oats are more ground than rolled, the bars may have a softer texture, but they’ll still taste great. I hope you enjoy them!
YESSSSSS!!!!! These are fantastic. I made some modifications to fit my dietary needs like adding a scoop of vanilla protein powder and I find that anything baked needs chia seeds. I loooooooove baked oatmeal and for my running mornings this is so much easier than actually cooking oatmeal. I’m going to make up a batch of these and send them to my brother and his kids……we are a family that loves ANYTHING with pumpkin & peanut butter and don’t even get me started on the combination.
They held together quite nicely ……
YAY!!!!! I’m so happy to hear this Tracy! Pumpkin and peanut butter is one of my favorite combinations too, and the chia seeds are a great addition. Thanks for leaving this lovely review.
Hi, Tracy! When adding a scoop of protein powder did it change the texture at all? Does the liquid need to be upped at all to balance that? Also scoop as in the scoop that comes with the bag of protein powder? Thanks for your help! I try to add extra protein where I can. Usually in my shakes, so this would be a nice change!
Hi Kelly…I used whey which isn’t a starchy powder so it doesn’t absorb much liquid buto I did add 2 egg whites just for good measure….according to my fitness pal ad I entered the ingredients it came out to 18 grams of protein per bar….but I cut mine into 6 bats as I use them on mornings I do long runs and need the calories…they are only about 370 calories how I made them…
Oh i have also made them without the peanut butter as I feel I may have a sensitivity to it and they were great that way too ….
Is it possible to substitute another flour? I usually buy white whole wheat flour.
Hi Annie! You could try swapping wheat flour for the oat flour, but I’ve only tested the recipe with oat flour so far. Fortunately, if you have oats on hand, you can easily make oat flour! Please see recipe notes for directions.
I saw that, but I don’t have a food processor. Would a blender work to make oat flour? Thanks! :)
Hi Annie! You will probably need to stop and stir more often or work in small batches, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work!
Yay! Thank you so much for being so helpful. I can’t wait to make these! I make recipes from your blog all the time and they’ve always been incredible, so I’m sure these will be too!
Loved this recipe! I did tweak it according to what I had available…almond cashew milk, raisins and pecans. I also cut the maple syrup in half. Shredded coconut on top…just because. Great way to start the day. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you!!
Linda, thank you so much for giving the recipe a try and reporting back! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Hi Erin, is there a difference between using a glass pan or regular pan for this recipe? I used an 8×8 glass pan and had to cook for 40 mins before the knife came out mostly clean. I followed your exact recipe. I’m worried I over cooked and wondering if I should have used a regular pan vs. glass? The bars are still cooling and smell delicious so hopefully I didn’t mess them up too much!!! :)
Hi Tracy, I’m not sure, as I’ve never used a glass pan for this recipe. I hope you enjoy the bars! :)
Hi again! I forgot to mention that glass *does* affect baking times and temperatures—next time, I’d suggest decreasing the oven temp by 25 degrees or using a metal pan. Metal might help with getting more consistent results!
My result is like ‘cake’ I used an 8×8 glass pan. Didn’t sub any ingredients….So excited for my first ‘bar’ recipe ever! but it ended up like a ‘cake’ Not sure what happened Erin? The ingredients are amazing and guilt free…but eating a cake is not what I was hoping for );
I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with the recipe. The amounts, flavorings and timing have worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would have been a hit for you too! I know it can be so disappointing to try a new recipe and it does not turn out for you.
Hello Erin! I baked the bars last night. As I was getting ready to put my baby to sleep, we were tasting the bars as it finished cooling down. She wanted to keep on eating the bars, but we had to stop so we can go to bed. They are moist and yummy. My son also took some with him for his school snack versus a store bought snack. I am happy about that. Thank you again for a recipe keeper.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Doll! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
These turned out yummy. I used dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds as my add-ins. I love all things cooked with pumpkin and was not disappointed. I had to cook it longer than called for like one of the other commenters said (mine was a metal pan with parchment paper). I was expecting more of a bar (harder) and it is more of a soft muffin-type texture, which is fine. I will likely add a little more salt next time.
Hi Rae! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I am a type 2 diabetic- I have a sweet tooth and would like to try your healthy pumpkin bars. How can I reduce the carbs and sugar from your recipe ? Thanks,Joann
Hi Joann! I’ve only tested the recipe as written so I’m not sure how to do that. You could probably play around with using less maple syrup using whatever substitute you normally use in baked goods. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Love the ingredients in this recipe but would like to use almond butter & almond flour. Do you think that would work or would adjustments need to be made! Love your recipes.
Hi Annette! You can use any kind of nut butter that you’d like in this recipe. I have not tested it with almond flour so it would be hard to say for sure. I believe they can be interchanged fairly easily. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Do you think I can make these with coconut flour instead of oat flour? I’m dying to try these bars!
Hi Connie, they would not be a 1:1 substitute. Coconut flour is highly absorbent so you’ll have to add some additional liquid. Also a good rule of thumb is : 1/4 to 1/3 cup of coconut flour for 1 cup of oat flour. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
These are healthy but were a little bland for us. I used chocolate chips and walnuts as add ins. Decent to eat with some cream poured on top, but my son did not like them at all.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, KJ. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
Great early morning breakfast for my daughter and me before her swim practice. The taste is a subtle pumpkin pie and not overly sweet which is perfect for breakfast. I added a 1/4 cup of protein powder to up the protein content. Really easy to make too! Had to shoo other family members away from them! I also froze a batch so I’ll see how they hold up.
So glad to hear, Lara! Thank you!
These sound amazing! I’m wondering if I can make them with steel cut oats (not quick cook).
Hi Kristin, I’m not sure if they would work which them being different in texture and size. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
These sounded really tasty and healthy…I am a very experienced cook and baker…followed recipe exactly and it was terrible! Tasteless!!!! I did the whole maple syrup thing and fresh nutmeg and all…did Erin’s recommended mix of fruit and nuts and again, just terrible tasting!
I’m so sorry to hear that, Cheryl. Were there any substitutions or ingredients left out? I’m having a hard time understanding how they were tasteless with peanut butter, pumpkin, spices and the mix-ins.
These bars are the perfect start to fall and SO DELISH. I added a little extra maple syrup a chocolate chips and raisins. My kids cannot get enough. These will be on repeat this fall!!
So glad you enjoyed them, Kyla! Thank you!
I have had a written recipe in my book for oatmeal breakfast bars that I’ve used for, I don’t know, some years. Love it, but hadn’t written down the site where I found the recipe. Then yesterday
I was looking for a pumpkin bread/bar recipe and found this one. Thought they tasted very similar to the oatmeal breakfast bar recipe we use. Ha, found out it’s also yours. We enjoy them both now! Love that these use OATS and OAT FLOUR and no white or wheat flour! And they taste great!! Awesome, energizing, clean food to fill us up! How could you incorporate frozen strawberries or blueberries?
This makes me so happy to hear, Tia! You can mix dried fruit into these but frozen fruit will not work for these or the oatmeal breakfast bars. Best to serve it on top! Enjoy!