Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

These flourless (gluten free) blueberry oatmeal bars are soft and chewy. They’re loaded with oats, sweet dried blueberries, and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. These bars are made with better-for-you, wholesome ingredients.

Image of the blueberry oatmeal squares cut in squares with one of them sitting up showing the inside

A great wholesome snack!

These blueberry oatmeal bars are soft, chewy, and bursting with sweet-tart dried blueberries. They’re essentially a mash up of soft granola bars and a bowl of oatmeal — you’ll get thick and chewy, wholesome-tasting, oat-filled bars with this recipe.

These bars are quite healthy and can be made even healthier without the glaze if you’re watching sugar consumption.

How to make Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

Descriptions below correlate with numbered photos.

  1. Combine all the oatmeal bar ingredients (except the blueberries) in a large bowl
  2. Mix ingredients until well combined
  3. Add in dried blueberries
  4. Fold with a spatula to mix in the berries
  5. Transfer batter to a lined 8×8 pan
  6. Bake until lightly browned at the edges and firm in the center

Process shots-- images of all the ingredients being added to a bowl, mixed together, the blueberries being added, and then it being poured into a prepared pan and baked

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars ingredients

  • Old fashioned oats: the oats make up the base of these bars and are what give them that delicious oatmeal granola bar chewiness. Make sure to use old fashioned oats — quick oats are too processed and will make the bars overly dry; steel cut oats won’t soften enough.
  • Oat flour: no need to buy specialty flour, oat flour can be made with quick or old fashioned oats; read more on this below.
  • Cinnamon: this spice adds a really nice complementary flavor to the blueberries and bars; feel free to reduce, omit, or increase the amount depending on personal preference.
  • Salt: this ingredient helps balance all the flavors in these blueberry oatmeal bars
  • Peanut butter: this ingredient provides structure and stability as well as protein to these bars. The peanut butter really makes these bars quite filling! I haven’t personally tested, but I do think a creamy almond butter would work nicely in these bars.
  • Coconut oil: this oil has become popular the last few years as a healthier alternative to butter and gives these bars a nice flavor.
  • Honey: these bars are mainly naturally sweetened with honey. Honey is rich in antioxidants and contains some nutrients.
  • Light brown sugar: I wanted these bars to be fully naturally sweetened, but they did need a bit more sweetness and were too wet with all honey, so we do use a little brown sugar in these bars — only 1/3 cup! 
  • Vanilla extract: this ingredient contributes to a nice subtle flavor
  • Egg + egg yolk: the egg provides stability to the batter and adds flavor and protein to these bars. The egg yolk adds additional structure and flavor. Use the leftover egg whites in this egg wrap!
  • Dried blueberries: make sure to use dried blueberries, not fresh or frozen, in these bars. Dried blueberries are typically found with any other dried fruits and/or raisins/dried cranberries in the grocery store.

How to make oat “flour”

If you have quick oats or old fashioned oats, you can have oat flour ready for these blueberry oatmeal bars in an instant!

  1. Place the oats (you can use old fashioned or quick oats) into the bowl of your food processor or small blender jar.
  2. Pulse the oats until ground into a powder-like consistency that resembles flour.
  3. Stir the oats around if needed to be sure all the oats are finely ground and there aren’t any full oats left. 
  4. Make sure to measure your oat flour after it’s been turned to flour and not in the original whole oat form.

Image of the glaze being made and then added on top of the bars

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars tips

  • Line the pan with parchment paper and leave an overhang for easy bar removal. These bars will stick to the pan and be near impossible to pull out without the parchment
  • Let the bars cool: while it’s so tempting to eat one straight out of the oven (and hey — you do you) these bars are crumbly and a bit gooey while hot. They thicken up a lot as they cool. The glaze also will get overly melty and messy if drizzled on warm bars.
  • Don’t over-bake: remove the bars when they are slightly browned on the edges;  the middle and top of the bars may look a bit wet or gooey, but as long as the bars don’t “jiggle” when slightly shaken in the pan, they’re done. If the bars are over-baked they won’t be very soft or chewy.

Storage

Store these blueberry oatmeal bars in an airtight bag or container at room temperature. These bars are best enjoyed within 2-3 days of making. Leftovers can be frozen and later thawed at room temperature.

To freeze: wrap individual bars tightly in plastic wrap and then place individually wrapped bars in an airtight freezer-safe container.

Overhead image of the blueberry oatmeal bars with glaze on top

More healthy snacks:

FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content.

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

5 from 3 votes
These flourless (gluten free -- See Note 1) blueberry oatmeal bars are soft and chewy. They're loaded with oats, sweet dried blueberries, and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. These bars are made with better-for-you, wholesome ingredients.
Print Recipe

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

5 from 3 votes
These flourless (gluten free -- See Note 1) blueberry oatmeal bars are soft and chewy. They're loaded with oats, sweet dried blueberries, and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. These bars are made with better-for-you, wholesome ingredients.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword Blueberry Oatmeal Bars
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12 bars
Chelsea Lords
Calories 207kcal
Cost $6.24

Ingredients

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1/3 cup blended up oats (oat flour)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 large full egg
  • 1 large egg yolk (save the whites for another recipe or discard them)
  • 3/4 cup dried blueberries

Glaze (Optional)

  • 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/16 teaspoon (tiny pinch) fine sea salt
  • 1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon milk (any milk works; I used whole milk)

Instructions

For the bars:

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper with an overhang. (These will be near impossible to get out if you don't use it)
  • To make oat flour, just place old fashioned or quick oats in a blender and pulse until they resemble flour. Measure AFTER blending to make sure you have the right amount.
  • Combine the all the ingredients except the dried blueberries in a large bowl and stir until smooth and well combined. Add in the dried blueberries and stir. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
  • Bake for 23-26 minutes or until set at the edges (it does look slightly wet in the center, but as long as it doesn't jiggle it's done. The bars will firm up as they cool; be careful to not over bake.)

For the vanilla drizzle:

  • Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl starting with only 1/2 tablespoon milk. Whisk briskly until a very thick glaze has formed. Add up to 1/4 tablespoon milk if needed.
  • Transfer the glaze to a plastic resealable bag and cut off the very tip. Once the bars have cooled, drizzle the glaze over the bars.

Storing

  • Store these blueberry oatmeal bars in an airtight bag or container at room temperature. These bars are best enjoyed within 2-3 days of making. Leftovers can be frozen and later thawed at room temperature.
  • To freeze: wrap individual bars tightly in plastic wrap and then place individually wrapped bars in an airtight freezer-safe container.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: these bars are naturally gluten free, but ensure all the products you use are indeed gluten free and aren't processed in an environment with other gluten products

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12bars | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 28.6g | Protein: 3.8g | Fat: 9.1g | Cholesterol: 23.3mg | Sodium: 41.8mg | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 19.3g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.

 

A simple copycat of the Nature Valley Soft-Baked Blueberry Oatmeal Squares. The perfect on-the-go snack the whole family will enjoy!
More Recipes You'll Love

Cereal Bars

2 hrs 25 mins

Cereal Bars

Click the Bookmark Icon to Add to Your Favories

No Bake Healthy Breakfast Cookies

20 mins

No Bake Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Click the Bookmark Icon to Add to Your Favories

Easy Oatmeal Jam Bars

50 mins

Easy Oatmeal Jam Bars

Click the Bookmark Icon to Add to Your Favories

Chocolate Granola Bar

15 mins

Chocolate Granola Bar

Click the Bookmark Icon to Add to Your Favories

FREE BONUS

FREE BONUS

EASY MEAL SECRETS:
How to Make Mealtime Hassle Free!

5 secrets to easy, fast and delicious dinners.

[gravityform id="2" title="false" description="false"]

Leave a Comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




22 Comments

  1. These are absolutely gorgeous, Chelsea! I love the soft baked nature valley bars, but I have a feeling these are WAY better! What a perfect healthy snack! Pinned!

  2. Love the minimum amount of sugar in these squares and the blueberry overload, also the vanilla drizzle is perfection!

  3. I am interested in all copycat recipes! If it means spending less money on processed and packaged food, I am all in!

  4. These look absolutely perfect, Chelsea! I would definitely choose these homemade oatmeal squares over the Nature Valley ones any day. They look so soft and delicious!

  5. Chelsea, these look so much softer than the NV bars & undoubtedly much better for you! Thanks for sharing!

  6. These look amazing! Plus I love that they are soft and not hard/dry I was never much for the blueberry ones either but these definitely look much better! And you should totally do a Clif Z bar copy I love them too 🙂

  7. These are fantastic! Nice recipe. Not a lot of sugar and were even sweet enough without the drizzle. Will definitely keep this one on hand!

  8. These were super tasty. I did find them a bit sweet. Everyone else in my household loved them so I’m accepting that it was just me. If I eliminated the brown sugar would that change the consistency or texture of the bars?

    1. I wish I could be of more help, but I haven’t tested these bars without the brown sugar. I would recommend just reducing it at first instead of entirely eliminating.

  9. Do you have to use the peanut butter in them? Also can you sub butter for the coconut oil? I would ne making these for my husband and he doesn’t like peanut butter. He loved tastefully simple blueberry oat bars but they were discontinued so I’m hoping he would like these.

    1. You’ll definitely need some kind of nut butter for this recipe; I’d try a good roasted almond butter instead. I haven’t ever personally tried butter in these, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work.

Never Miss a Recipe

[gravityform id="3" title="false" description="false"]