These moist peach oatmeal bars are perfect for breakfast or for a healthy dessert. Vegan and no added sugar or fat!
Something came over my daughter and me at the local produce stand. Juicy Alabama peaches piled high in baskets cast a spell on us, and we wound up buying way too many, considering we were leaving on vacation in just a few days. So, in an effort to leave no fruit behind, the whole family feasted on peaches at (and between) every meal.
Still, the day before we were to leave, two succulent, ripe fruits were left, but by that time, we were all peached out. I could have frozen them, but instead I decided to transform them into WFPB peach oatmeal bars that we could take along with us on the plane.
As it turned out, these moist and fruity bars never made it to the plane. They never even made it to the next day because somehow the peach magic spell was still at work, and bar by bar, the plate grew emptier as the day went by. Good thing they were low in sugar and fat because they turned out to be irresistible.
Lining the pan with parchment paper makes the bars easy to lift out.
These are soft, chewy bars, not hard and crunchy like granola bars, so if you plan to take them along on your next trip, be sure you carry them in something sturdy, like a BPA-free plastic storage container. They’re equally delicious as a breakfast or as a dessert–if you can keep them around that long!
More WFPB Summer Desserts
One of the best things about summer is the fresh fruit. Here are some of my favorite fat-free vegan fruit desserts:
- Peach Upside-Down Cake
- Blueberry Applesauce Cake Bars
- Cherry-Walnut Banana Bread
- Vegan Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler
- Strawberry Snack Cake
Peach Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned or rolled oats (use gluten-free oats if necessary)
- 1/4 cup chopped dates
- 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
- 1 tablespoon chia seed or ground flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder optional
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used vanilla soymilk)
- 2 peaches about 1 1/4 cups, peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 8×8- or 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper (this makes sure they don’t stick and makes clean-up a breeze).
- Combine dry ingredients (oats through stevia) in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, making sure that they are thoroughly combined. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for about 25 minutes. If you’d like a crunchier top, put the pan under the broiler for a minute or two, watching carefully to make sure they don’t burn.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Remove from pan by lifting up parchment paper. Cut into 9 squares and enjoy.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Please pin and share:
Enjoy!
Diane
Can’t wait to try these, thank you! We’re drowning in peaches this year.
Karen
Hi Susan,
First of all, thank you so much for wonderful recipes! All the recipes I tried from your blog came out outstanding!
Question regarding this one – can I use raw honey or maple syrup instead of stevia? If yes, should I adjust the baking time?
Thank you.
Susan Voisin
Karen, as long as you don’t add too much liquid sweetener, they should come out fine, but you’re right that you will probably need to bake them a little longer.
sandra
What a great idea – peach bars. I know what you mean by being mesmerized by a pile of luscious fruit. Happens to me all the time. AND I also know about having them eaten all up before I can make anything of them.
Galina
These look yummy and I just happen to have all ingredients:) Just wondering though how these turn out chewy or crispy and if they can be stored at room temperature? Thanks!
Susan Voisin
They’re chewy or soft rather than crisp, and I’m sure they will do fine at room temperature for a day or two, but any longer than that and I would refrigerate them.
michael
I just made these tonight and they turned out beautifully. I used half dried apricots and half dates – very tasty. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I am also wondering if they can be stored at room temp or if they’d do best in the fridge?
Susan Voisin
I’m so glad you liked them , and the apricots sound like a great idea. Personally, I would refrigerated them after a few hours, but I tend to err on the safe side.
Carol
Thank you for the great and timely recipe! I tried a bit before putting them in the oven and it was so good, very similar to our morning oatmeal concoction. They are baking right now as I rest my back after making 5 dozen pints of various peach jams. We over bought at the peach orchard, too!
Your website and recipes are a joy. Thank you!
moonwatcher
These look scrumptious Susan! I feel a “strong future event” coalescing into a version of these bars cming out of my oven!! I like the idea of using the parchment paper for easy lifting out before cutting up the bars,
Great photos, too.
xoxo
moonwatcher
maryeb
These look wonderful! Thanks for the recipe.
Dina
… Hi Susan … i want to say thank you very much for sending these beautiful recipes … so appreciated … God Bless you Susan … love & peace … God Bless …
Claire (Eat Well. Party Hard.)
Looks de.li.cious.
Where in Alabama were you? Orange Beach used to be my family’s annual vacation destination, when all of us kids were still young enough to live at home. AL will always have a place in my heart.
Susan Voisin
Claire, the peaches came from Alabama, but we vacationed in Minnesota (we always go somewhere where the weather is much cooler than here in Mississippi). But I’ve been to Orange Beach before, and it’s very nice.
Claire (Eat Well. Party Hard.)
Very cool! Totally get the need for a cooler-weather vacation at times. Thanks for the reply 🙂
Art Scott
Yum! I made these today, and they were delicious! Thank you! I also had some strawberries and bananas I needed to use up and use the recipe again to make strawberry-banana bars which were also good and now in my freezer tucked away for a sweet rainy day :]
Marta@What should I eat for breakfast today
Peach bar, yes please. I need to make it for a second breakfast. So easy to take it wieth me.
Annie
Hi this looks like a wonderful idea to try. Thank you for your efforts. Do you think it would work with tinned fruit? Peaches are not in season where I live at the moment. Annie
Susan Voisin
I’m sure that would be fine. Just chop up the peaches and add a tiny bit of the juice.
Maureen
I too went crazy purchasing peaches from our local farm last weekend and ended up canning 10 1/2 pint jars of Honey-Ginger Peach Jam. I’ve been looking for a bar recipe like this to go in my daughters lunch box when school starts. Do you think I could substitute homemade jam for the fresh fruit?
Susan Voisin
I think jam would work, but you probably won’t need as much of it, maybe only half to 2/3 of a cup. And since it’s sweet, you could probably skip the stevia. Please let me know how it turns out if you experiment with the recipe.
Maureen
I made the bars this past weekend but when I discussed it with my daughter she said she was tired of peaches and wanted cherries. So we substituted chopped up cherries for the peaches and it was amazing! For this weekend she has asked me to try bananas. I’ll let you know how it goes.
glenda
How do I print this ?
Susan Voisin
Click the print button just above the recipe. That will bring you to a page with just the recipe that you can easily print.
Catherine
Wow those look great and I love the parchment in the baking dish. Very clever. We have eaten all of our peaches from our tree but there are some really good looking ones at the farmers market.
Can’t wait to try this!
luminousvegans
Mmmm, I’m not usually one for bars, but for some reason I really wanna try these. They look like a great way to take advantage of the in season peaches here.
Estelle
Hi Susan, I made these and used grapes instead of peaches (not in season here in NZ right now). They came out delicious and I will definitely use this recipe again and experiment with other kinds of fruit. Thanks!
Cate
Thanks so much for this recipe. I made it with white nectarines and its delicious! Another great recipe!!!
Wendy
These smell so good baking in the oven right now.
Tasted an extra peach, nothing like Ontario peaches YUM.
moonwatcher
Hi Susan,
I made a version of these last night and they are wonderful! I had ripe bananas I wanted to use up, so I subbed out one ripe mashed banana for most of the almond milk. The banana makes a nice binding agent so I reduced the ground flax and almonds a bit. I also added cardamom along with the cinnamon to the batter and sprinkled the top with ground ginger before baking. They came out great. I left of couple with my neighbor so I’ll let you know what she thinks, too. I really liked just lifting the whole cooked “square” out of the baking pan on the parchment and slicing it up afterwards. That worked really well. I never would have thought to make peach bars, so thanks again!!
xoxo
moonwatcher
ps the version with white nectarines someone mentioned sounds great too
moonwatcher
meant to say, too, that one of my peaches was also really ripe, so I mashed it with the banana and chopped up the remaining peach.
Marina
I have tons of ripe bananas here, so I thought I could try making these using bananas instead os peaches. Thank you for the recipe, I’ll let you know how the banana version turns out.
Problem is I think I’m having a craving for peaches right now…
Gen
Hi Susan,
Thanks for this recipe! One question: is the flax operating as a binding agent or flavor inhancer in this recipe? Could I substitute applesauce or wheat germ, do you think? Thanks!
Susan Voisin
The flax (I used chia) is mostly there for nutritional value and a little binding. I think you could just leave it out and reduce the liquid by two tablespoons. I would not substitute apple sauce.
Tami@Nutmeg Notebook
These look so yummy! I have some peaches that need to be used and this recipe will be perfect for them. I made a healthy peach cobbler the per day that really let the peaches shine. Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I’ve learned a lot about vegan cooking from your blog
amy
I absolutely love your recipes! I made these for the weekend, and we have been munching away on them. I had another for breakfast today- chopped up and combined with peach-mango soy yogurt. Thanks much!
Sylvia
Yum! Sounds like a peach crumble in bar form!
Franziska
Hi Susan,
they seem to be the perfect snack for to go ! I especially like the fact, that they don´t have added sugar 🙂 going to make these tomorrow !
thanks and greetings
franziska
Ruth
These look great can’t wait to make them! Susan, my daughter is moving to the Jackson area, are there health food stores or healthy supermarkets?
Thanks for all you do, you have made such a difference!
Susan Voisin
Hi Ruth, yes, we have a nice co-op called Rainbow Grocery and a Kroger with a large natural foods section. Between them, I haven’t had any trouble finding most foods that I want. But there’s a Whole Foods being built now and opening later this year. So tell her that the grocery situation is good, and restaurants are offering more vegan options all the time. If she’s interested, we have a vegetarian group that meets for meals and is planning potlucks, and we’d love to have her join us. We have a group on Facebook called Mississippi Vegetarians, and she can follow us there to get notices about upcoming events.
Robin
Yum! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Dessert is one of my major challenges as a vegan. Especially because I don’t want it to be fattening. I’m looking forward to giving this one a try. Just wondering, have you tried making it with almond milk?
Rose
Hi there! I just made these last night and although they tasted delicious, they kept falling apart :(. I used old fashioned oats and followed the recipe exactly (i even let them sit for 20 mins before cutting them.) Any idea what I did wrong? Should I let the wet ingredients soak the oats for a few minutes before putting it in the oven?
nicole
Hi Susan, Just curious..are the dates necessary? I don’t have any on hand at the moment and wanted to try these out. Thanks so much
Susan Voisin
Nicole, the dates add sweetness. You can leave them out (and increase the stevia if you like) or replace them with raisins or other dried fruit.
Jenn
Looks yummy! Will have to try this. I’m completely new to vegan baking, so I have what may sound like a stupid question: is there a vegan way to grease a pan? Is Pam spray vegan, for example? Or could you brush the pan with a light film of canola oil? I don’t think parchment paper is recyclable, and it’s not reusable.
Jennifer
Jenn, I believe…parchment paper is compostable. Earth Balance makes a vegan butter you possible could use to Greece your pan or you could even use coconut oil.
Ruth
Hi Susan
Not sure if this went through the first time. Can’t wait to try these bars, love all your recipes.
Daughter is moving to Jackson area, are there any good grocery/health stores?
Thanks for all you do!
Susan Voisin
Hi Ruth, I answered your question a few comments up the page. Look for my reply in the green box.
Ruth
Hi Susan!
Just saw your response, thanks so much for the info. My daughter will definitely be interested in the group, her name is Claire.
Susan Voisin
Great! We would love to have her join us!
Esther J
This recipe was entirely too simple. “That’s it! ” said I to myself when putting the ingredients together.
Will happily enjoy them jazzed up with some other fruit, walnut pieces, and milk (non-dairy) for breakfast tomorrow.
Thanks!
Margaret fahy
Susan,
I made your Peach Oatmeal Bars today. They came out great! The recipe was very easy to follow. I decided to include both chai seeds and ground golden organic flax seeds. I omitted the stevia.
I have enjoyed your website and tried some other recipes. Your photos and descriptions are wonderful! You are very generous to share your recipes and reflections.
Thanks
Margaret in Boston
Amy
These were wonderful! I instantly made a second batch substituting blue berries for the peaches and I added 1/3 c. of vegan dark chocolate chips. I took both over to the in-laws house and they were both a huge hit!
Thank you again for the wonderful recipe!
nancy
I love all your recipes. I am so glad I found this site. I have never been disappointed with your recipes although I did tweak some of them just by reducing stuff like stevia or honey etc… but they always turn out nice. well done.
Debbie B.
Thanks for the recipe. My kids and I liked these a lot. I want to share an alternative to the parchment paper that worked for me the 2nd time I made them. Rather than pressing the mixture into the 9×9 baking pan, I placed my silicon mat on a baking sheet and created a long rectangular oatmeal mixture bar. After I removed the oat bars from the oven, I let them cool on a wire rack and cut into single serving bars.
Carry
I wanted to like these. They smelled heavenly in the oven. Unfortunately, they didn’t hold together at all. I made the recipe as directed, omitting the stevia. I just have crumbly oats, fruit and nuts. Did anyone else have this problem? Any suggested fixes?
Lakshmi
Hi Susan,
I tried baking these bars and used apples instead of peaches and skim milk instead of soy milk. I was not able to cut them into bars and it was stuck to the paper. Could you please tell where I could have gone wrong?
Thanks for the very simple and healthy recipe.