Kirbie's Cravings

3 Ingredient Healthy Oatmeal Bars

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These healthy oatmeal bars are soft and chewy. They are just 3 ingredients and don’t contain any flour, eggs, added sugar, butter or oil. The oatmeal bars are easy to make and store well.
A stack of four oatmeal bars

These oatmeal bars are great for breakfast, snack or dessert. They are lightly sweet, soft and chewy.

Ingredients

  • Rolled Oats
  • Milk
  • Dates

Rolled Oats: These oatmeal bars are made with rolled oats which are also known as old fashioned oats. You will want to use rolled oats and not quick oats for this recipe because rolled oats will absorb the liquid and moisture better.

Milk: I recommend making these bars with whole milk which adds some fat and richness to the bars. You can most likely substitute whole milk with a dairy milk alternative like soy milk or almond milk.

Dates: This recipe uses Medjool dates. You want to use Medjool dates instead of other date varieties because Medjool dates have more soft flesh and will be easier to puree. Dates are used to naturally sweeten the bars, add moisture and help bind the oats together. Need a substitute for dates? I also have a version that uses bananas.

How to Make Healthy Oatmeal Bars

  • The dates are first soaked in warm milk. They are then blended with the milk. The oats are then stirred in.
  • The batter is transferred to your prepared baking pan and baked for about 25-30 minutes or until done.

Oatmeal bars cut into squares

Texture

These oat bars have a soft and chewy texture, similar to baked oatmeal but with less ingredients. They are also lightly sweet. If you prefer sweeter bars, you can add chocolate chips or dried fruit.

Soft and chewy oatmeal bars

Expert Tips

  • I recommend using whole milk to add some fat and richness to the oat bars but the recipe can be made with low fat milk.
  • Use a small blender or food processor to blend the dates. Make sure to use Medjool dates and not Deglet Noor or other types of dates. Medjool dates have more soft flesh which make for a better and smoother puree.
  • You can reduce the amount of dates to 1/2 cup if you are trying to cut down on sugar.

Oatmeal bars in a stack

More Oatmeal Bar Recipes

3 Ingredient Healthy Oatmeal Bars

Servings: 12 bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
These healthy oatmeal bars are soft and chewy. They are just 3 ingredients and made without flour, eggs, added sugar, butter or oil.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup (94 g) pitted and halved Medjool dates cup measurement is after dates are pitted and halved
  • 1 1/2 cups (12 fl oz/355 ml) whole milk divided
  • 2 cups (230 g) rolled oats

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  • Heat 1 cup of milk in microwave or on the stove until hot but not boiling. Add dates and let them soak for about 15 minutes until they are very soft. Add dates and the soaking milk into a small food processor or blender and blend until you have a thin puree and there are only very small flecks of dates left. Your mixture will be very liquidy. This is normal. Transfer the puree to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining milk into the puree. Add in the oats and mix until the oats are covered in the milk date mixture.
  • Transfer your batter to your prepared baking pan. Smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until surface is light golden brown and the bars are done. When you apply light pressure on the surface, it should not completely sink in but should bounce back slightly. Let bars cool fully before cutting and serving. Store uneaten bars in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

  • This recipe works best with Medjool dates which have a softer flesh. If you can't find already pitted dates, you can easily break the dates in half and remove the pits. 1.5 cups is measured with date halves and not whole dates.
  • I use Joolies Medjool Dates (Amazon | Target | Walmart)* 
  • You can make the bars gluten-free by using gluten-free oats. I did not use gluten-free oats in this recipe.
  • Rolled oats are sometimes referred to as old fashioned oats. I used Quaker Oats old fashioned oats (Amazon | Target | Walmart)*
  • *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
  • This recipe works best with whole milk rather than low fat or fat free milk because whole milk adds a little fat and richness to the bars. You can likely use a dairy free milk alternative such as soy milk or almond milk but we did not test the recipe with dairy free milk alternatives. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar, Calories: 88kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 10mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, NET CARBS: 14

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!

 

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    Recipe Rating




    8 comments on “3 Ingredient Healthy Oatmeal Bars”

    1. Why no , mention in the recipe for how many cups of oats, milk and dates to use?

      • All of the ingredients and amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, right before the comments.

    2. Really tasty. Really easy to make

    3. Kirbie, these look delicious! I have date paste at the ready. How much of it could I use as a substitute for the halved dates, please? Thanks for any help you could offer.

      • Hello! We have not tested this recipe with date paste so we are not sure how much you would need to substitute or what the final result would be!

    4. Can I roast the rolled oats instead of baking…???