Vegan oatmeal bars taste like oatmeal cookies! Crunchy, brown sugar sweetened, packed with oats and walnuts and drizzled with chocolate!
This recipe for vegan oatmeal bars is loosely based on our vegan oatmeal cookies. And it’s also inspired by a South African favorite recipe called an ‘oatmeal crunchie’.
They are seriously delicious and also really filling with a very ‘wholesome’ vibe from the oatmeal and the brown sugar.
They are also very versatile! We added chopped walnuts to these and drizzled the top with melted vegan chocolate, but other optional add-ins are raisins, cranberries or other nuts and seeds.
And if you love delicious oat-y vegan bars then also check out our equally delicious vegan granola bars. You’ll also love our vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
How to Make Vegan Oatmeal Bars
Full instructions and measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is just a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add rolled oats, all purpose flour, dessicated coconut, cinnamon and salt to a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Add vegan butter to a pot on the stove and melt it on medium heat.
- Add syrup and brown sugar and stir.
- Keep stirring until the sugar has melted completely and the mixture is bubbling.
- Remove from the heat and add baking soda and whisk it in quickly with a hand whisk. The mixture will foam up when the baking soda is added.
- Pour the melted butter, sugar and syrup mix over the dry ingredients and stir in.
- Add vanilla extract and chopped walnuts and stir them in.
- Transfer this to a 9×13 baking dish (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with parchment paper so there is overhang on each side) and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 325°F.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before lifting out with the parchment paper overhang.
- Slice into 16 bars.
- Drizzle the tops with melted vegan chocolate (optional).
Ingredient Notes
Dessicated Coconut: Dessicated coconut is also called finely shredded coconut. It is the dried very finely shredded unsweetened coconut.
Maple Syrup: You can use pure maple syrup in this recipe OR maple flavored syrup or golden syrup or really any variety of good tasting table syrup.
Baking Soda: When the baking soda goes into the hot butter and sugar mixture, it will foam up. So just be careful and prepared for that to happen.
Walnuts: We used chopped up walnuts which worked great in this recipe! However, if you want these to be nut-free you can omit the nuts, or you can substitute a different nut. Pecans or macadamias spring to mind as good options.
Chocolate Drizzle: The chocolate drizzle is entirely optional (but delicious). You can melt any good quality vegan chocolate bar or you can use vegan chocolate chips.
Baker’s Tips
Additions: You could add raisins or cranberries or seeds or really anything that springs to mind as a good addition to these bars.
Make it Gluten Free: You can make these gluten-free if you use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend and also ensure that your rolled oats are gluten-free.
Storing and Freezing
Keep your bars in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to a week. They are also freezer friendly up to 3 months.
More Vegan Oatmeal Recipes
- Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies
- Vegan Anzac Biscuits
- Vegan Oatmeal Pancakes
- Vegan Cowboy Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups Rolled Oats (175g)
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour (125g)
- 1 cup Dessicated Coconut (80g) Finely shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¾ cup Vegan Butter (170g)
- 3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (200g)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Walnuts (100g) Chopped
- 3 ounces Vegan Chocolate (85g) Melted, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray and line it with parchment paper so that there is overhang on each side.
- Add the rolled oats, all purpose flour, dessicated coconut, cinnamon and salt to a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Add the vegan butter to a pot on the stove and melt it on medium heat.
- Add the syrup and brown sugar and stir until the sugar has melted completely and the mixture is bubbling.
- Remove from the heat and add the baking soda and using a hand whisk, quickly whisk it all together. The mixture will foam up when the baking soda is added.
- Pour the melted butter, sugar and syrup mix over the dry ingredients and stir in.
- Add the vanilla extract and chopped walnuts and stir in.
- Transfer to your prepared baking tray and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before lifting it out using the parchment paper overhang.
- Slice into 16 bars.
- When the bars are completely cooled, melt your chocolate. Break the chocolate up into pieces and place into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 15-second intervals bringing it out to stir every 15-seconds until completely smooth. Drizzle over the top of the bars and place into the fridge for the chocolate to set.
Notes
- Dessicated Coconut – is also called Finely Shredded Coconut (Unsweetened)
- Maple syrup – you can use any table syrup here it doesn’t have to be pure maple syrup. It could be maple flavored syrup, or golden syrup or really any syrup.
- Walnuts – are optional and can be omitted if you prefer. Or you can replace them with chopped pecans or macadamias or another nut of your choice. You could also add in raisins or cranberries.
- Chocolate drizzle – is completely optional. You can use melt down either regular vegan chocolate or vegan chocolate chips. If you’re using chocolate chips use ½ cup of vegan chocolate chips.
- Storing: Keep them stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge where they will stay good for one week.
- This recipe was first published in October 2015 and called ‘Oatmeal Crunchies’. It has now been updated with new photos and text (and a new name!).
I ❤️ your recipes. My spouse and I are vegan and she was craving oatmeal bars. Tried your recipe because I’ve had success with you in the past. You did not disappoint! I only had large flake coconut so out comes the coffee grinder and voila: desiccated coconut. Also subbed an apple, this time in the blender for applesauce in lieu of butter (we’re trying to keep it oil free). Melted carob chips did the trick for the added touch. Capt Joe
Brilliant! So happy to hear that Joe! Thanks for the amazing review.
Hi there. Can I use coconut oil instead of vegan butter? Looking forward to trying out your recipe.
Hi Michelle, yes that should work. I haven’t tried it in this recipe but in other recipes I’ve found it doesn’t come out exactly the same but does tend to work.
Did this with gluten-free flour for my early-morning climbing class and got great reviews. Also, the part where the soda foams up is pretty cool!
Awesome! Thanks for the great review Barbara!
Dear Alison
I have tried many of your recipes, sweet and savory, and i know i cannot go wrong. They are absolutely delicious and simple to make. Thank you so much for sharing all your tested vegan recipes.
Cant wait to make these bars.
Thanks so much Meena! Hope you love this recipe as well. 🙂
Hi. I made your vegan oatmeal bars tonight (1/7/2021), and they were tasty. However, the mixture was very dry when I incorporated all of the ingredients into the bowl according to your instructions. I ended up adding about 1/2 cup of water to get the mixture to a decent consistency.
Did you make any substitutions? As you can see from our process photos, our mix is not dry at all. If you didn’t make any substitutions then my guess would be using too much flour. If you’re not weighing your flour then the correct way to measure it is the spoon and level method, spoon it into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup.
I’ve tried so many of your recipes and I must say they all come out so perfect. I love love your blog. It’s one the prettiest and most user friendly blogs I’ve seen. And being vegan this is a paradise for me ???? keep inspiring through recipes. Love your work ❤
Thank you so much Pranisha! That is very much appreciated. xo
These bars are absolutely delicious. I cut the brown sugar to 3/4 cup since I knew I’d be drizzling the chocolate.
Thank you for another great recipe.
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Cathie!
Great – my family loved them although im not a big fan of coconut; can I replace with anything or remove without upsetting the recipe?
Hi Velma, so glad you enjoyed them! I think you could use extra oats and omit the coconut. 🙂
Tried the recipe as a base for ginger snap oat meal cookie. I didn’t use coconut, but did add ginger, molasses, guar gum and and coconut milk. I also use coconut oil. They’re the bomb! Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Stephanie! 🙂
So I’m all prepared to make this and cannot understand your gramage? How can 1 cup of sugar be 200g and 2 cups of oats be 180g? Should I use a scale or a cup?
A scale is going to be the most accurate. In terms of understanding it, the gram measure is a measure of weight not of volume. So a cup of stones is going to weigh more than a cup of feathers, but they’re both still a cup. That’s the best way I know to explain it. All the best! 🙂
I made mine with even less vegan butter and then sprinkled water in until I could work with the dough. Still delightful but more chewy and less crunchy.
Thanks for sharing Kels! 🙂
What vegan butter do you recommend, or do you make your own?
Or is vegan butter margarine/palm oil, cant find vegan butter in store?
Hi Chloe, you can make your own and we have a recipe for homemade vegan butter. But you can also use dairy free margarine and this is usually what is meant by ‘vegan butter’. All the best! 🙂
Hi..looking forward to making these, and your oatmeal cookies (with chocolate chips, please) for a friend. I’ve never heard of desiccated coconut here in the Midwest. What exactly is it?
Thanks!
Hi Gina, apparently it can also be called ‘sweetened coconut flakes’ in some places. It is the finely shredded coconut, not the larger flakes. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi,
What size pan? Thx.
Whoops, I’ve updated the recipe card, a 9×13 quarter sheet pan is great for this.
Could you leave out the coconut? My husband is not a fan. Thanks!
Hi Vivi, I think it would be fine to leave it out.
Simple, useful and tasty tea time treat
Love your recipes! Need to detox. Shirley