4 Ingredient Apple Oatmeal Bars (No Flour, Eggs, Refined Sugar, Dairy or Butter)
These apple oatmeal bars are soft and moist. The bars need just 4 ingredients and don’t require any flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy or butter. The bars take only a few minutes to prepare and can easily be customized.
These apple oatmeal bars are an easy one-bowl recipe. You can adjust the flavors or add mix-ins to suit your personal preferences.
Ingredients
- Unsweetened cinnamon applesauce
- Quick oats
- Honey
- Coconut oil
Unsweetened cinnamon applesauce: Unsweetened cinnamon applesauce is used to give the bars their apple flavor. You can use homemade applesauce or storebought. I used store-bought to save time. You can use plain applesauce without cinnamon as well but I like the addition of cinnamon in the bars.
Quick oats: The bars can be made with quick oats or old fashioned rolled oats. I prefer using quick oats because they bind better. Rolled oats will result in a chewier texture.
Honey: The oat bars are sweetened with honey. You can use another liquid sweetener.
Coconut oil: Coconut oil adds a little fat to the bars which helps with the texture. You can substitute with another oil but you would want to use a neutral-flavored oil and you likely would need to increase the sweetener amount because another oil will take away some of the sweetness from the bars.
How to Make Apple Oatmeal Bars
- The applesauce, honey and coconut oil are mixed together until evenly combined. Add in the quick oats and mix until they are evenly coated. Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and smooth the surface with a spatula.
- Bake the oat bars for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and done. Allow the bars to cool and then cut with a large sharp knife.
Expert Tips
- Make sure your applesauce is room temperature before using. If it is too cold, it will cause the coconut oil to solidify.
- You can make half the recipe and bake in an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.
- You can add small mix-ins like mini chocolate chips or finely chopped dried fruit.
More Apple Recipes
4 Ingredient Apple Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) unsweetened cinnamon applesauce, brought to room temperature
- 4 tbsp (60ml) honey, room temperature
- 3 tbsp (45ml) melted coconut oil
- 2 cups (176g) quick oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal later.
- Add applesauce, honey and coconut oil to a large mixing bowl. Make sure your honey and applesauce are room temperature because if they are cold, they will cause the coconut oil to solidify. Stir until the ingredients are evenly mixed. Add in oats and stir until they are evenly mixed in and coated. You can taste and add another 1 tbsp of honey if the batter is not sweet enough. If you want to add mix-ins, stir them in now.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan. Use a spatula to even and smooth the surface. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and set. Let the bars cool completely before cutting and serving. Once cooled, cut the bars with a large sharp knife. Store any uneaten bars in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- Mix-ins: If you want to add mix-ins, I recommend 3-4 tbsp of mix-ins, such as mini chocolate chips, finely chopped dried fruit or chopped nuts. The bars are more difficult to cut with mix-ins.
- I prefer using coconut oil because it helps enhance the sweetness of the bars. If you need another oil substitute, you can use a neutral flavored oil like avocado oil but you may want to increase the honey amount because the bars won't taste as sweet.
- I used Amazon Grocery Refined Coconut Oil.*
- I used Amazon Grocery Quick Oats.*
- I used Whole Foods unsweetened cinnamon applesauce.* If you have unsweetened applesauce without cinnamon and you want cinnamon flavor, you can add 1 tsp of cinnamon to the batter.
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.