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    Home » Breakfasts

    Vegan Oatmeal Bars

    Published: Mar 21, 2020 Updated: Jul 26, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegan Oatmeal Bars

    Vegan oatmeal bars taste like oatmeal cookies! Crunchy, brown sugar sweetened, packed with oats and walnuts and drizzled with chocolate!

    Vegan oatmeal bars stacked up on a white plate.

    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.

    Vegan oatmeal bars topped with drizzled chocolate.

    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.
    Flour, oats, coconut, cinnamon and salt added to mixing bowl and mixed.
    • Add vegan butter to a pot on the stove and melt it on medium heat.
    Vegan butter added to saucepan and melted.
    • Add syrup and brown sugar and stir.
    Syrup and sugar added to saucepan and mixed in.
    • Keep stirring until the sugar has melted completely and the mixture is bubbling.
    Vegan butter, syrup and sugar mix brought to boil in the saucepan.
    • 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.
    Baking soda whisked into sugar mix.
    • Pour the melted butter, sugar and syrup mix over the dry ingredients and stir in.
    Melted butter, sugar and syrup mix poured over dry ingredients and mixed in.
    • Add vanilla extract and chopped walnuts and stir them in.
    Vanilla extract and chopped walnuts added to mixing bowl and mixed 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. 
    Oatmeal bars in a 9x13 baking dish before and after baking.
    • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before lifting out with the parchment paper overhang.
    • Slice into 16 bars.
    Oatmeal bars removed from baking dish and cut into bars.
    • Drizzle the tops with melted vegan chocolate (optional). 
    Vegan oatmeal bars drizzled with chocolate on a parchment lined baking sheet.

    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. 

    Oatmeal bars drizzled with chocolate on a parchment lined baking tray.

    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. 

    Vegan oatmeal bars stacked up on a white plate.

    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. 

    Vegan oatmeal bars stacked up on a white plate.

    More Vegan Oatmeal Recipes

    1. Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
    2. Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
    3. Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies
    4. Vegan Anzac Biscuits
    5. Vegan Oatmeal Pancakes
    6. Vegan Cowboy Cookies

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan oatmeal bars stacked up on a white plate.

    Vegan Oatmeal Bars

    Vegan oatmeal bars taste like oatmeal cookies! Crunchy, brown sugar sweetened, packed with oats and walnuts and drizzled with chocolate.
    4.85 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 300kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    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
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    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

    1. Dessicated Coconut – is also called Finely Shredded Coconut (Unsweetened)
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. Storing: Keep them stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge where they will stay good for one week.
    6. 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!).

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Bar | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 406IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joe Phaneuf says

      October 02, 2022 at 4:46 pm

      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 Joe5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 04, 2022 at 11:11 am

        Brilliant! So happy to hear that Joe! Thanks for the amazing review.

        Reply
    2. Michelle says

      January 23, 2022 at 7:34 am

      Hi there. Can I use coconut oil instead of vegan butter? Looking forward to trying out your recipe.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 24, 2022 at 9:45 am

        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.

        Reply
    3. Barbara says

      March 14, 2021 at 11:07 pm

      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!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 15, 2021 at 11:15 am

        Awesome! Thanks for the great review Barbara!

        Reply
    4. Meena Narayanan says

      January 21, 2021 at 12:20 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 21, 2021 at 10:44 am

        Thanks so much Meena! Hope you love this recipe as well. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Mrs. C says

      January 08, 2021 at 4:09 am

      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.3 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 08, 2021 at 11:08 am

        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.

        Reply
    6. Pranisha says

      August 16, 2020 at 9:41 am

      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 ❤5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 17, 2020 at 9:48 am

        Thank you so much Pranisha! That is very much appreciated. xo

        Reply
    7. Cathie says

      August 14, 2020 at 10:40 pm

      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.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 15, 2020 at 8:32 am

        So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Cathie!

        Reply
    8. Velma says

      March 22, 2020 at 10:23 pm

      Great – my family loved them although im not a big fan of coconut; can I replace with anything or remove without upsetting the recipe?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 24, 2020 at 9:24 am

        Hi Velma, so glad you enjoyed them! I think you could use extra oats and omit the coconut. 🙂

        Reply
    9. Stephanie says

      December 29, 2019 at 3:11 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 31, 2019 at 9:12 am

        Awesome! Thanks for sharing Stephanie! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Bonita says

      November 12, 2019 at 12:07 pm

      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?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 12, 2019 at 12:36 pm

        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! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Kels says

      September 03, 2019 at 2:36 am

      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.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 03, 2019 at 12:07 pm

        Thanks for sharing Kels! 🙂

        Reply
      • Chloe says

        September 04, 2019 at 12:47 pm

        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?

        Reply
        • Alison Andrews says

          September 04, 2019 at 1:27 pm

          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! 🙂

          Reply
      • Gina says

        September 05, 2019 at 5:45 pm

        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!

        Reply
        • Alison Andrews says

          September 06, 2019 at 11:28 am

          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! 🙂

          Reply
    12. Dave says

      January 18, 2019 at 2:50 am

      Hi,
      What size pan? Thx.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 18, 2019 at 10:07 am

        Whoops, I’ve updated the recipe card, a 9×13 quarter sheet pan is great for this.

        Reply
    13. Vivi Belle says

      December 14, 2018 at 2:08 am

      Could you leave out the coconut? My husband is not a fan. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 14, 2018 at 11:11 am

        Hi Vivi, I think it would be fine to leave it out.

        Reply
    14. Anna Andrews says

      May 07, 2017 at 6:46 am

      Simple, useful and tasty tea time treat5 stars

      Reply
    15. Shirley. NUNDOO says

      November 25, 2015 at 11:31 am

      Love your recipes! Need to detox. Shirley

      Reply

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