These easy chocolate oat bars are thick, chewy and chocolaty. They have the flavour you love from a delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, baked into easy and delicious bars! Vegan, No-Egg, No-Dairy, Natural Sugar… not that anyone would be able to tell! You’ll love these!
This cake has been made in collaboration with Options. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. (For more information along with affiliated links, check out my disclosure policy.)
Easy Chocolate Oat Bars
I have a very special and delicious recipe for you today, you’re not ready for this! Imagine an oatmeal cookie in flapjack form, with a hidden layer of melty chocolate spread in the middle. It mixes chewy oats with melted chocolate spread and delicious cocoa flavours. It’s what dreams are made out of, they’re impossible to stop eating!!!!
These chocolate bars offer the perfect healthy alternative: all of the wholesome ingredients, without all the extra butter and sugar. I swapped out the sugar for pure maple syrup, you can even use agave. I substituted butter for melted coconut oil which helps bind the bars and adds a subtle coconutty flavour. SUPER TASTY!
Looking for more chocolate recipes? Check out my Vegan Chocolate Ombre Mousse, Vegan Triple Chocolate Brownies, Vegan Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake and Vegan Chocolate Cream Pie! More of the BEST vegan chocolate recipes can be found here.
Why you NEED to make these bars:
What can I say to persuade you to give these chocolate oat bars a go? Firstly, just LOOK at the drool worth photos, don’t you just want to grab one through the screen? – haha! Well, if that’s not enough, here are a few key points:
- They are fully vegan – They contain no animal derived ingredients!
- SUPER EASY TO MAKE – Literally whip up a batch in under half an hour!
- You won’t be able to stop eating them – They’re just too good!
- Gluten-free – Just check your ingredients to make sure they’re free from gluten / wheat.
- They contain natural sugar – This recipe uses natural sugar in the form of maple / agave syrup.
- Great for storing – Keep these fresh in an air tight / sealed container in the fridge and snack on when hungry.
- Amazing for breakfast – Good in fibre and tasty with a cup of tea / coffee in the moring.
- Real fun for kids to make – A fun and simple treat for all ages to enjoy making!
- Great for lunch boxes – they stay fresh in lunch boxes / on the go!
Ingredients you’ll need:
You’re going to fall ‘head over heels’ in love with those chocolate oat bars. They contain only 6 ingredients (minus the chocolate layer), and contain simple kitchen staple ingredients, which you probably already have to hand in your pantry / kitchen cupboard.
Here’s you simple shopping list:
- Almond flour – If you cant find almond flour, simple add the same amount of almonds into a high speed blender and whizz up.
- Whole oats – To make this recipe free from wheat / gluten-free, use gluten-free whole oats.
- Options Vegan Belgian Hot Chocolate – To give the bars the most delicious flavour, instead of cocoa powder, I use the Options Vegan Belgian Hot Chocolate Powder. Absolutely scrumptious! It’s vegan, gluten-free and a great alternative to cocoa powder in this recipe.
- Baking powder
- Maple syrup / agave syrup
- Coconut oil – You’ll want to weight out the exact gram in the recipe card then melt the coconut oil.
- Vegan chocolate nut butter – A vegan ‘nutella’ alternative.
How to make Easy Vegan Oat Bars?
These chocolate oat bars are a great recipe for breakfast as they contain low / natural sugar, are easy to make, and great cut into bars served with a hot drink! They are also fab for taking out and about as a snack on the go! Here is a quick overview of how to make them, find the full written recipe and method in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Combine ingredients
In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients (minus the chocolate spread) in a bowl until a sticky, kind of flapjack consistency.
- Pour in tin
Pour 3/4 of the mixture into the lined baking tin, flattening it down into an even layer. Spoon on and spread the chocolate spread over the base layer and spread out. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 of the oat mixture on top.
- Bake
Place into the middle of the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Serve
Allow the bars to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes, use a sharp flat knife to cut the bars into squares. Serve and enjoy!
Chocolate Oat Bar FAQ
Why did my oat bars turn out dry?
- This is usually due to too much flour or dry ingredients. When measuring the almond flour and flour, make sure to use gram measurements as this will give you a precise measurement, and stay as close to the recipe as possible. If the mixture does feel a-little dry, add in a little more syrup or coconut oil. It should feel sticky like a flapjack mixture but not ‘wet’.
Can I use old fashioned oats instead of the quick oats?
- Yes! They’re my favourites to use in this recipe and give the bars a nice chewy texture.
Alternative to syrup, can i use caster or light brown sugar?
- Unfortunately not. The syrup acts like a binder for the oats and flour, it helps to keep the bars moist and stick together.
Can I use homemade chocolate spread?
- You sure can! I have the most amazing vegan nutella recipe in my baking book. Alternatively you can use store bought. You can also keep this recipe natural sugar using a natural cocoa spread.
How long do chocolate oat bars keep?
- Store in an air tight / sealed container in the fridge and these bars will keep for about a week.
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking! Make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram , Tiktok, Facebook! And if you want to pin this recipe for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, above or below this post, or on any of the photos. Happy baking all!
PrintEasy Chocolate Oat Bars
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Thick, Chewy and Easy Chocolate Oat Bars – Vegan, Natural sugar and absolutely delicious! Filled with hidden chocolate spread, oh my!!!!!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 100g of almond flour (ground almonds)
- 280g of whole oats (gluten-free)
- 2 heaped tablespoons of Options Vegan Belgian Hot Chocolate
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 150g of maple syrup / agave syrup
- 140g of coconut oil
+
- 150g of vegan chocolate nut butter
- Options Hot chocolate (for sprinkling)
Instructions
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 180°c fan (350°F, gas mark 4) and line a 8 x 8 inch baking dish / tin with grease-proof paper. Allow the paper to hang over the edges of the tin, this makes it easier for removing the bars when baked.
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, oats, Options hot chocolate, baking powder, maple / agave syrup and melted coconut. Mix well to combine.
- Add 3/4 of the base mixture to the tin (save the other 1/4 for the crumble on top). Use your fingers to press down until you have a tightly packed, even layer. Set aside. The texture of the mixture should be squidgy. If it feels too dry, add in a splash more coconut oil / syrup.
- Pour the chocolate nut butter over the top and level out, making sure it’s even and gets right into the edges.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumble on-top of the chocolate in an even layer, making sure the majority of the filling is covered.
- Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown in colour.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully in the tin before lifting the slab out of the tin and cutting into squares with a sharp knife. It’s important they are cool because as they cool they will bind together. If you try. cutting them warm, they’ll turn into a crumbly mess.
- Serve and enjoy. Great served with a sprinkle of Options hot chocolate powder, with a Options hot chocolate on the side.
Notes
To store: Keep the bars fresh by storing in an airtight / sealed container in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: bars
- Method: Baking
Fabulous so tasty!!
Author
Hello,
Aw thank youu!! SO happy you enjoyed xxx
These look fabulous! I wanted to know if I could use vegetable shortening instead of the coconut oil? Can’t wait to make these!
Thank you 🙂