These delicious Blueberry Oat Bars are full of the flavor of fresh blueberries but contain no refined flour, oil, or white sugar.
Sometimes I really miss living in the country. When I was growing up, acquiring fresh blueberries was just a matter of walking outside and picking them from one of the bushes in our yard.
Getting my blueberry fix these days takes a little more effort. For the past few summers, E and I have visited a local U-pick blueberry farm where we’d spend an hour or so in the sun and come home with a couple of gallons of blueberries, some to be eaten immediately and most to be frozen for later.
Well, this year “our” U-pick farm has gone out of business, and we haven’t succeeded in finding another. So we’ve had to make do with the next best thing: organically grown blueberries from the local natural foods store. When I saw them there a few days ago, I just had to pick up a pint; even though the cost was several times what I’d pay to pick my own, blueberries are such a part of summer to me that I couldn’t pass them up.
Besides, I really needed them to make these bars, which I’d been craving for a few weeks. You won’t believe how healthy they are: no refined flour, no white sugar, no added fat, no soy, and no gluten*. They’re not super-sweet, but they’re full of fresh fruity taste.
Blueberry-Oat Bars
Ingredients
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1/4 cup agave nectar , maple syrup, or other liquid sweetener
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with enough water or juice to form a smooth paste
- 3 cups rolled oats (regular, not instant)*
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces unsweetened applesauce
- 6 tablespoons agave nectar or other sweetener (3/8 cup)
- 6 tablespoons water (3/8 cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Oil an 8×8-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper.
- In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup agave nectar, and juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, stir in the vanilla and the cornstarch mixture. Continue to stir as the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Put 1 1/2 cups of the oatmeal into a blender and grind it to a fine powder. Pour it into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add the remaining oatmeal, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Stir in the apple sauce, remaining agave nectar, water, and vanilla, and mix well.
- Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing well to cover the bottom of the pan. Spoon the blueberry filling over the batter, and cover the blueberries with the remaining batter.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Please pin and share:
Lauren
These look delicious! I was looking for a treat to bring to friends of mine who are gluten free and sugar free – this looks perfect! I never have juice in the house, though. What would be a good substitute for the apple juice?
SusanV
The apple juice just adds sweetness and moisture, so you could replace it with water with a little agave nectar or other sweetener. Hope you enjoy!
Allyne
I just baked them last night, and they were very tasty! Although I did have some trouble with the batter…. this could have been because i only had quick oats on hand. And I guess i put more than half on the bottom, because i did not have a full layer on top (the blueberry’s were popping thru). The end result was tasty, but a bid glopy…..perhaps from my quick oats.
Pierre
Susan, i’m allergic to the cornstarch is there anything i can replace it?
Susan Voisin
Potato starch should work just as well.
Nadia
This recipe is amazing. I made the bars today and even my 2 year old loved it. I used frozen blueberries and frozen mango chunks from Trader Joe’s; I didn’t have fresh blueberries. My whole family including me is enjoying it.
Thank you!
Courtney
Could you use chia seeds as a different sort of thickener instead of the corn starch?
Susan Voisin
I haven’t tried it, but my sense is that it wouldn’t hold together as well.
AVBear
Has anyone tried these with frozen blueberries? Should I thaw them first? And if I use frozen do you think I need to compensate by adding more cornstarch? Thank you! 🙂
Susan Voisin
Yes, measure them first and then thaw them. If it looks like the blueberry mixture won’t be thick enough you can add more corn starch, but it may not be necessary.
AVBear
Thanks! I made these as suggested, though I honestly didn’t wait for them to thaw before I cooked them. Extra corn starch was unnecessary. They turned out beautifully and were REALLY yummy! 🙂 Definitely a keeper recipe. Thank you!
kelly
Love the blueberry oat bars (and many other recipes from your site). I have been trying to veganize and ‘healthy-up’ the classic fruit and oat bar recipes from other sites, but with minimal success. I am trying to use up the last of my home-made blackberry and blueberry jams from last year prior to this season, so I used that as the filling. Thanks for the great site!
Mariette Costin
Great recipe!!!
Can someone answer one question? Agave nectar is not a powder is it? I don’t have any, by what fluid sweetener may I replace it?
Thank you for answering!
Susan Voisin
Agave nectar is a liquid. If you can’t find it, the best substitute would be maple syrup.
debbie stevenson
what can be used in place of agave. I dont use that stuff. date syrup? dates? and how much?
thanks
Susan Voisin
You can use an equal amount of date syrup or any liquid sweetener. A half cup of chopped dates would probably work in the filling.
Katherine
These bars look delicious! I’ll be trying them with fresh, Quebec blueberries. My daughter (a new vegan but life-long vegetarian) and I (long-time veggie) have tried and Pinned many of your recipes. It’s always fun to add something new to our list of favorites.
I have noticed that you often list oatmeal as one of the ingredients. I believe you mean oats, right (rolled, steel-cut or quick)? I know, picky, picky! It’s an occupational hazard for an editor!
Heidi
Sounds delicious and may just work for this vegan, flour-free, gluten-free, sugar-free house. BUT has anyone tried this with no added sweetners of any kind? Blueberries and juice are sweet enough on their own perhaps to make this work without agave.
Esther
These taste and smell wonderful! I use real maple syrup instead of agave and frozen berries. They turned out so well!!
Lindsey
Dear Susan-
Your website is absolutely amazing. I’ve tried several recipes and I LOVE all of them. These bars are DELICIOUS. For years I have struggled with weight, food and eating a healthy diet. Your website has shown me you can eat delicious and healthy foods at the same time! Please.. please… please continue the great work!!!
Your new friend,
Lindsey
Angela
Just made these today!! I was very pleased with the results, and they were super easy to make!! They had a nice texture and they were just sweet enough without being too sweet. Thanks for the great recipe!!
Will
A little tricky to spread the top layer with the warm blueberry mix below it…maybe I should have them completely cool? My oat mixture was a bit thick as I used steel oats didn’t have any rolled oats, just quick ones. Still should be yummy though it’s baking right now!
Lakshmi
Hi Susan,
Can I use quick cooking oats as I don’t have the regular oats? Will the calories increase if I use dates syrup/maple syrup?
Lakshmi
Susan Voisin
Quick oats will work fine, and I don’t think the type of syrup will affect the calories much.
Sophie
Hi! I found your recipe for Blueberry Oat Bars today on Pinterest and I made them tonite. Oh my goodness, they are a hit! My husband & 2 girls LOVE them so much. We eat a high starch lowfat vegan diet (McDougall) and this recipe is simply amazing and fits in so perfectly with our meal planning. Thank you so much! We’re huge fans. 🙂
lasassafras
OMG just made these and I absolutely love them! SO DELICIOUS!
I used frozen blueberries, and didn’t have any juice, so I used homemade yogurt..anyway- the filling is blueberry pie-esque and oh so tasty. I had some issues with the batter topping- as the bottom you can shape by pressing in to the pan; so I used a rolling pin to try and get the shape of my pan and placed it on top. So not nearly as pretty as the picture- but dang is it good! 10/10!!
Janet ZDichavsky
Hi Susan,
I would like to post your Blueberry Oat Squares recipe and picture on my face book page and of course credit you for it. Wondering if that would be ok.
Janetzdichavsky Rncp Rohp
janethealth.com
Susan Voisin
Janet, I am happy for you to post the photo and a LINK to the recipe here on my blog, but please do not post the recipe. I would like people to come here to get the recipe. Thanks for asking!
Debbie Scharmen
Applesauce is so easy to make. Just take apples and a little water and put it into your blender. You can add cinnamon if you want. Fresh applesauce without cooking!! Works perfectly in recipes or to just eat right out of the blender!!! Can’t wait to try the blueberry bars…
miri
I was thinking to sub the agave with stevia . And to use 2 cups of oats and 1 cup od almond meal. . This will be gluten free, sugar free and fat free !!
Diane
I had no oats for oat flour and used coconut flour. Epic fail 🙁 The batter never turned moist no matter how much apple juice I tried to add. I am guessing 3 cups of oats- before grinding is less than 3 cups of regular flour. I am going to try again with the correct ingredient.
Sharon
Here it is, 2015 ansd we are still raving about your oatmeal bars! Love them, probably too much. We usually eat them rather fast around here. Ok, I doubled the recipe last night and I was wondering how best to store these. Left them out last night, ate a few more, cut them into bars but now I think I should put them in the frige and maybe even the freezer. How long can I keep them? Thanks so much for your super fine recipes!!
Susan Voisin
I would put them in the fridge for up to a week and the freezer for longer than that. I’m so glad you like them so much!
Ruth
How much oat flour should I use if I don’t grind the recommended 1 1/2 cup oat So?
SuperSel
Try using 1.5 cups. If you’re nervous, start with 1 cup, then see if it needs more. You can make it to your liking! Worked for me!
Arlo
Delicious!
Step 2 is just good on it’s own too, it makes great Jam!!!
Love it!
🙂
Marian Erickson
Susan,
I assume you put the glaze on after it has cooled. Is there a substitute for apple juice? Or can I just leave it out? I’m bringing it to my vegan potluck I co-host once a month in Lansing, Mich.
https://www.meetup.com/VegMichigan-Greater-Lansing/
Susan Voisin
Right, wait until they are completely cooled or the glaze will slide right off. Instead of apple juice, you could just use water.
Linda MB
I need to make a large quantity of these for next weeks school camp. Do you know if they freeze well?
thank you
Susan Voisin
They should freeze without problems.
Maria A.
Fabulous recipe! I have several Gluten free cooking friends that I am always looking to prepare new recipes for. They will LOVE these! Thank you for sharing!