Now as much as I love a traditional baked oat recipe, they aren’t that practical for quick breakfasts on the go and definitely aren’t great for weekday breakfasts when you are in the office. Which is where these baked oat bars come in! Originating from the typical baked oat recipe these lemon and blueberry baked oats are naturally high in protein, gluten and refined sugar free and don’t include any mashed banana or protein powder.
This recipe is super simple to make and uses just store cupboard ingredients. A total winner for weekend meal prep, when you are looking to create tasty healthy breakfast options for the week. Packed full of zesty citrus flavour and bursting with blueberries, these are soon going to become one of your go to recipes.
Baked oat main ingredients and subsitutions
The key ingredients you are going to need to make these are:
Rolled Oats: you want to pick either a regular rolled oat or a jumbo oat variety, I have used both in the past to make this recipe. Avoid the quick oats that you can pick up in the supermarket as they will be too fine and won’t give you the chunky consistency you are after. The oats you choose will determine the cooking time, the chunkier the oats the longer they take to soak up the liquid and therefore the longer they need in the oven.
Dairy Free Milk: I used almond milk to make the batch you can see pictured, but any dairy free milk will work. Just pick a variety that is unsweetened and ideally not a barista variety as they contain added oils and emulsifiers.
Blueberries: either fresh or frozen will work or you an even swap them out for a different type of berry if that is what you have available.
Lemons: adding both the zest and the juice of the lemon allows you to really maximise the citrus flavour and means you are also cutting down on waste.
Smooth Nut Butter: in this recipe I used a smooth peanut butter, but any nut or seed butter will work. Just try to pick one that doesn’t have palm oil added to it, or extra sugar. My go to brands are Pip & Nut, Manilife or Meridian.
Chickpeas: yep this is not a typo. The chickpeas add a lovely fluffy moisture to the bars and helps increase their protein content, naturally. Just make sure you drain and rinse them if you are using a canned version. If you are using dried, soak and cook them before adding them to the blender cup.
Maple Syrup: this can also be swapped out for any other liquid sweetener like agave or date syrup. If using maple syrup, whilst expensive try to pick one that is 100% maple. A lot of the cheaper options have carob syrup added to them to make them more cost effective and therefore allowing them to lower the price.
Tips for making this recipe
- Avoid using quick oats. These oats are finer in consistency which means they soak up the liquid faster and as a result speeds up the cooking time, leading to a dried out oat mix.
- Do not combine the oats with the dairy free milk ahead of time. If you are looking to get ahead on the preparation of these oat bars just mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another and keep them separate until just ready to bake. Combining them too early gives the oats too much time to soak up the liquid, resulting in a dried out oat mix.
- Store these bars in the fridge. If you aren’t eating these oat bars immediately, store them in the fridge where they will keep for a few days.
Recipe variations
The great thing about this recipe is how adaptable it is. Whilst this one is lemon and blueberry why not mix it up a little and add whatever flavour combination you have handy in the kitchen:
- Chocolate chips
- Raisins, dried fruit or nuts
- Raspberries, blackberries or grated apple
- Grated vegetables
If you like the sound of these oat bars, why not try one of my other oat recipes:
Frequently asked questions
Yes, these bars freeze really well (just don’t add the peanut butter drizzle to the top if you are freezing them). Allow them to cool completely, before cutting them into bars and storing them as individual portions in airtight bags or containers. To eat, allow to thaw and warm through with a splash of water to prevent them from drying out.
Oats are a delicious and healthy option for breakfast, especially during busy mornings as they help you stay fuller for longer thanks to their high fibre content.
The baked oat bars are intended to be a meal in their own right. But if you wanted to add something to go with them, dairy free yoghurt and some extra berries would be a lovely accompaniment.
Yes absolutely. Frozen blueberries will work just as well as fresh ones and there is no need to thaw them out before using. Just pop the blueberries into the oat batter frozen.
Lemon and Blueberry Baked Oats
Course: Snack, BreakfastCuisine: Breakfast Cookies, BarsDifficulty: Easy9
servings5
minutes30
minutesThese healthy blueberry baked oat bars are full of zesty flavours, naturally high in protein as well as being gluten and refined sugar free. Perfect for weekend batch baking so you have a tasty yet nutritious breakfast option for the week.
Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients
200g Rolled oats
100g Blueberries + optional extra to top
1 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Sea salt
- Wet Ingredients
80g Smooth nut butter
2 Lemons, juiced and zest of
120ml Dairy free milk
1 Can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
60ml Maple syrup
1tsp Vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat an oven to 180oc and line a square 9 inch x 9inch baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add all of the wet ingredients to a blender cup and blend until silky smooth (you might need to push down the sides of the blender cup with the back of a spoon to make sure all the mixture is blended).
- Add the remaining dry ingredients (with the exception of the blueberries) and blend for a few seconds until combined.
- Stir through the blueberries and add the mixture to the baking tin, smoothing down the top with the back of a spoon so it sits evenly in the pan. Stud with (optional) extra blueberries.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minute (they are done when they are starting to go golden on top).
- Allow to cool completely before cutting (they will harden as they cool) and cut into 9 bars.
- If not eating immediately, store them in the fridge and they will keep in there for a few days.
Notes
- Store these bars in the fridge if not eating immediately
- Your baking time will vary on the type of oats you use. Whole jumbo rolled oats will take longer to soak up the liquid, whereas smaller rolled oats will absorb the moisture quicker and result in less cooking time.
I canβt wait to hear what you think of these Lemon & Blueberry Baked Oat Bars so please leave a comment below and tag me in your wonderful creations! Iβm @fortheutterloveoffoodΒ onΒ Instagram and use the hashtag #theutterloveoffood. Iβm also onΒ FacebookΒ β please say hello!
