Easy Vegan Breakfast Bars

This vegan breakfast bar recipe is made with basic ingredients you likely have on hand, delicious, and the perfect quick and easy breakfast or snack. 

I'm always looking for an easy breakfast or quick healthy snacks for my two very active boys to eat.

With groceries getting so insanely expensive, I've been turning more and more into homemade foods to keep them well-nourished and not break the bank.

These breakfast bars are made with wholesome ingredients with healthy fats and can be made pretty quickly.

Plus, my kids and I love them.

You can tweak many things in the recipe to make them how you like them.

My kids prefer just adding chocolate chips to them, but you can add any mix-in you see fit.

I'm a sucker when it comes to chocolate chips; they just make everything taste better.

The bars are very fast to make, but you do need to factor in the soaking time and the baking time. 

The actual physical making of the recipe only takes about 5 minutes.

These came in super handy this morning. 

If you don't like personal stories in blogging posts, you can just keep on skipping down for this one.

My oldest, who will be 12 in August, had his first go with contact lenses.

If you've ever worked with someone trying to take contact lenses in and out of their eye, let me to you, it's rough!

And prior to being SAHM/ blogger, I worked as an ophthalmic technician and occasionally taught patients how to take their contacts in and out.

Doing it with your kid is next-level fun.

So, I woke him up at the normal time, and we started the process of getting his contacts in; let's just say I ended up putting them in and had 10 minutes to get their lunches made and them out the door.

That's where these premade breakfast bars came in super handy. And I felt good that he was getting some good food on his way out the door.

Better luck tomorrow, and we will definitely be waking up earlier to start that fun process.

What do I love about this great snack?

• It's naturally gluten-free
• Easy to make
• Customizable
• Oil-free if you use oil-free nut butter
• Made with simple ingredients

These have a very soft and delicate texture to them. That's thanks to soaking them in their liquid before baking them.

Vegan Breakfast Bars Recipe Q&A

What are some good mix-ins for these breakfast bars?

• chocolate chips
• fried fruit; raisins, craisins, whatever you like
• pumpkin seeds
• sunflower seeds
• nuts
• chia seeds
• hemp seeds
• coconut flakes
• fresh blueberries

Can I make this nut-free?

You can replace the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter in a 1:1 ratio.

Can I use other kinds of nut butter?

Yes, you can use whichever flavor you prefer; almond butter, cashew butter, or vegan Nutella.

Can I use something other than apple sauce?

Yes, if you don't have applesauce, just use ripe bananas mashed in the same quantity.

Can I use quick-cooking oats?

I've only ever tried this recipe with rolled oats, but I'm sure it would work, but it might not stay together as well.

Can I use all-natural sweeteners and leave out the brown sugar?

You could use all maple syrup or agave, date syrup, or whatever healthier liquid sweeteners you prefer. 

If it adds too much liquid, I would add a little more oats to combat it.

What ingredients do I need to make these vegan oatmeal breakfast bars?

Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.

• old fashioned oats
• brown sugar
• pure maple syrup
• baking powder
• salt
• flax meal (grind flax seeds)
• cinnamon
• peanut butter
• applesauce 
• non-dairy milk (almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, whichever you prefer)
• vanilla extract

How do you make these vegan breakfast bars?

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Take an 8x8 baking dish and spray it with cooking spray or use parchment paper and set it aside.

Take a medium bowl and add all your dry ingredients; oats, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and flaxseed.

Take a liquid measuring cup and add your wet ingredients; maple syrup, plant milk, applesauce, peanut butter, and vanilla.

Now mix the dry and wet ingredients plus any mix-ins you want until combined, and then let sit for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes, pour your mixture into your prepared pan and spread until even.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Let these cool before cutting, or they will fall apart. 

How do you serve these vegan oat bars?

You can serve these warm or at room temperature. They do tend to fall apart more if they are warm, but they are still delicious.

They make a great easy grab breakfast option or an easy snack.

How do you store this healthy breakfast bars recipe?

Let them come to room temperature. Either store them in an airtight container or tightly place plastic wrap over the baking dish.

These can be placed covered on your counter for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Can you freeze homemade breakfast bars?

Yes, these freeze great. 

Flash freeze these by; placing the bars on a parchment-covered cookie sheet and making sure the bars don't touch.

Let them freeze for 1-2 hours; then, you can stack them in a freezer bag in the fridge for up to 4 months.

Or you can individually wrap them.

Want some other vegan breakfast or snack on-the-go recipes?

• Easy No-Bake Vegan Energy Bites
• Vegan Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars
• Filling Vegan Breakfast Cookies

If you loved this recipe, then give it a 5 star rating and leave a comment! I love to chat with you all. Please feel free to share on social media and tag #courtneyshomestead. I would love to see you over on Instagram or Facebook.