4 Ingredient Healthier Cranberry Oatmeal Bars (No Flour, Eggs, Refined Sugar, Dairy, Butter or Oil)
These healthier cranberry oatmeal bars are soft, chewy and studded with cranberries. The oatmeal bars need just 4 ingredients and don’t require any flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil. The bars are easy to customize and store well.
These cranberry oatmeal bars are flavored with real cranberries. They are so festive for this time of year and are a great snack or dessert.
Ingredients
- Cranberries
- Applesauce
- Quick Oats
- Honey
Cranberries: This recipe uses fresh or frozen cranberries. I prefer using frozen cranberries because of the softer texture. When mixed into the oatmeal bars and baked, the cranberry pieces are soft and chewy, similar to dried cranberries, but with so much more cranberry flavor than dried cranberries. Some of the cranberries are also broken down so that the juices help to flavor the oatmeal bars.
Applesauce: Applesauce acts as a binding agent and a natural sweetener for these bars. Apple flavor also pairs really well with cranberry flavor. I used store bought unsweetened applesauce.
Quick oats: This recipe works best with quick oats which bind better and cook faster than rolled oats. I find that the bars are harder to cut and fall apart more easily if you use regular rolled oats.
Honey: A little honey is added to help sweeten the cranberries and bars so that the bars are not too tart. Honey can be substituted with other liquid sweetners but the amount may need to be adjusted.
How to Make Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
- Add the cranberries, applesauce and honey to a blender. Pulse a few times just until the cranberries become chopped into small pieces and the applesauce turns pink from the cranberry juices.
- Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add in the oats. Stir until the oats are completely incorporated.
- Spread the mixture into your prepared baking pan.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until the bars are lightly golden on the surface and cooked through.
Texture
These bars have a soft and chewy texture. They are lightly sweetened as they are meant to be healthier oatmeal bars. You can add more sweetener or add sweet mix-ins if you prefer them to be sweeter.
Expert Tips
- This recipe works best with frozen cranberries, but you can use fresh cranberries. I like using frozen because when the berry pieces are baked, they have a soft and chewy texture like dried cranberries.
- You can use other liquid sweeteners instead of honey but the amount and baking time may need to be adjusted.
- You can add other mix-ins like white chocolate chips, chopped nuts and dried fruit.
More Oatmeal Bar Recipes
- 4 Ingredient Apple Pie Oatmeal Bars
- 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars
- 4 Ingredient Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bars
4 Ingredient Healthier Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (239g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup (53g) frozen cranberries
- 1/4 cup (59ml) honey, or more to taste
- 2 cups (175g) quick oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper leaving some overhang for easy removal later.
- Add applesauce, cranberries and honey to a blender. Blend for a few seconds until the cranberries become finely chopped pieces and the applesauce becomes a uniform pink color.
- Add the applesauce mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add in the quick oats and mix with a spatula until the oats are fully incorporated. Taste, and if needed, you can add a little more honey.
- Transfer the batter into your prepared baking pan. Use a spatula to evenly spread it across the pan and smooth the surface.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the bars are lightly golden on the surface and cooked through (the bars will lose their pink color as they cook). Let bars cool fully before removing them from the pan and cutting and serving. Store uneaten bars in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- Honey can be substituted with other liquid sweeteners but the amount needed may need to be adjusted. For example, maple syrup is less sweet than honey so you would need to add more if you use maple syrup and you would need to cook the bars longer.
- Make sure to add the sweetener in with the cranberries to sweeten the cranberries which are naturally very tart.
- I like using frozen cranberries because the pieces are soft and chewy when baked, similar to texture of dried cranberries. You can use fresh cranberries, but the texture is a little different.
- I used Amazon grocery unsweetened applesauce,* Whole Foods frozen cranberries,* Kirkland raw honey and Happy Belly Quick Oats* to make these bars.
- These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
They are so good Thanks for the recipes!
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Cool blog.
Thank you!
Awesome blog.
Thank you! We’re so glad you’re enjoying it!
Can I use dried cranberries?
We haven’t tested the recipe with dried cranberries but you can add other mix-ins like white chocolate chips, chopped nuts and dried fruit so it should work to use dried cranberries!
Cranberry oatmeal bars.
Do you thaw frozen berries and drain?
You can just use them right from frozen.
Can canned whole cranberry sauce be used?
We haven’t tested this recipe with cranberry sauce, only fresh or frozen cranberries so we’re not sure how that would affect the recipe!
I have some cranberry sauce left from Thanksgiving so, it is worth giving it a try. good luck to both of us.
Let us know how it turns out!
Just my type of treat.
Easy and good for you.
Thankyou.
Yes! We’re glad you enjoy this recipe!
I will be making them for Thanksgiving. I just have one question. Will dried dried cranberries work, like the Ocean Spray Craisins? I make cookies and a salad with them all the time.
We haven’t tested the recipe with only dried cranberries but you can add other mix-ins like white chocolate chips, chopped nuts and dried fruit so it should work to use dried cranberries!
So easy to make! I added chopped walnuts and next time I want to add white chocolate chips! I do recommend this recipe!
Yum! We’re so glad you loved these bars!
I was looking for a snack for kids who have nut allergy. This is the perfect snack. Thank you so much for this.
We’re glad you found this recipe!
Does the bars still turn out the same with dehydrated cranberries?
We haven’t tested the recipe with only dried cranberries but you can add other mix-ins like white chocolate chips, chopped nuts and dried fruit so it should work to use dried cranberries!