Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (V, GF): a healthy fall recipe for oatmeal breakfast bars bursting with pumpkin spice, walnuts and chocolate chips. Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Healthy, Refined Sugar-Free.
Is it finally getting brisk where you live? Are the leaves turning different shades of red, orange and brown? Have you just dusted off your favorite fall boots and unearthed the cute and chunky knit-scarf your mom made you last year?
If you have, then fall is finally here! There’s just something so cozy, warm and comforting about fall. It’s like a nice big bear hug from your favorite person… but in the form of thick sweaters and warm apple crisps.
When I was a kid, my favorite part of fall (besides all the dark chocolate almond clusters and pumpkin coffee cake, of course) was knowing that breakfasts were gonna start becoming really tasty. If us kids were good, my mom would make sure we had an extra special treat for breakfast. Sometimes that extra special treat was pumpkin bread, sometimes it was our favorite maple pecan pumpkin muffins, and sometimes it was going out for breakfast.
There was just something special about this time of year. I still feel that way once the end of September and the beginning of October starts coming around. This year, and every year, I make sure there are homemade seasonal treats ready to go for breakfast for Erik and me.
This year, we were fortunate enough to move closer to my mom, so we’ve been making extra efforts to drop off breakfast treats made with pumpkin, maple and apples for my momma (and Jenny and Kai and PB, of course!).
Did I tell you, my sister Jenny called me while walking by our apartment a few weeks ago, on her way to pick up her kiddo from daycare? I just so happened to have made a super fresh, piping hot batch of paleo apple crisp for her. It was on my to-do list for ages! But the thing is, I had to make it and give it to her right away (you know how apple crisp is—the first day is the BEST).
Anyway, I was so excited that she just happened to be walking by (especially right after I finished making the crisp). It was literally cooling off when she called. Erik and I had planned to drop it off after work, but I worried that she wouldn’t be able to have that first, fresh and heavenly bite. But there she was! Sometimes, I think members of my family have a sixth sense about these food-related things.
Sometimes, I think some of our best skills revolve exclusively around food…
In any case, she absolutely LOVED it. She shared a pic of the pan during her walk home and almost a third of it was gone!! (Don’t tell her I told you that, she might get embarrassed). But that totally counts as a food skill, amiright?? Oh, how talented we all are. 😉
Meanwhile, a week ago, I got the chance to make these Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars for my mom and sis. It felt really good to hand wonderfully mysterious boxes over to my mom and go, SURPRISE!! A yummy holiday treat!!
(My mom calls everything fall/October/pumpkin/Halloween/Christmas/peppermint/New Year’s-related “holiday”.) I told my mom she could even eat these for breakfast. Even though they had chocolate in them—just like she’d let us on special occasions growing up. 🙂
You should’ve seen her smile when she opened up those boxes (I may or may not have included some homemade paleo granola, easy vegan gluten free pumpkin muffins, and chocolate pumpkin bread).
I hope you love this recipe just as much as my mom does. 🙂 And that you have homemade “holiday” treat traditions to share, too. While I eagerly await to hear all about those, let me tell you about my Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. They’re:
- deliciously texture-packed with oats, pecans and chocolate chips
- super easy to make, in just one bowl
- vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free
- made with as little added sugar as I could manage
- delightfully refined sugar-free
- awesomely whole grain
- bursting with your favorite fall flavors: pumpkin spice, maple, oats, pecans
- made with the whole, simple healthy ingredients you love
- plant-based and allergy-friendly
- just the delicious, healthy breakfast bar you’ve been looking for
- so tasty for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or warmed up for dessert (with a scoop of nice cream on top!)
- the perfect start to a homemade holiday breakfast tradition
It’s always so wonderful sharing these homemade goodies with you. I’m super excited to see how these turn out on Instagram and more. Wishing you a fun and safe season filled with all the love in the world. It’s my pleasure to get back into the kitchen with you. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe, in the meantime, tell me:
What’s your favorite memory of a home-baked treat during fall?
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤
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If you enjoyed these Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars, then you’ll just love these healthy breakfast recipes:
☀︎ More Healthy Allergy-Friendly Breakfast Recipes ☀︎
Good Morning Breakfast Cookies | Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars | Banana Nut Muffins | Chocolate Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars | Maple Pecan Pumpkin Muffins | Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins | Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars | Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Cookies | Banana Oat Muffins | Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins | and… Ultimate Chewy Paleo Coconut Cookies, just for fun. 😉
- ½ cup 100% pure pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water, whisk together, set for 15 mins)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup gluten free rolled oats
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons gluten free oat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon*
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves*
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg*
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips
- ¼ cup pecans, chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegan chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon pecans, chopped
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or greased foil. Set aside.
- Add the wet ingredients to a large bowl: pumpkin, coconut oil, maple syrup, sugar, flax egg, and vanilla. Whisk until well incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients: oats, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Whisk together until just incorporated, making sure no flour patches remain. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Using a rubber spatula, smooth into an even layer. Optionally, press chocolate chips and nuts into the batter.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the edges have browned. Mine took 25 minutes. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 1 hour, or until completely cool. Lift out, slice and enjoy! Storing instructions below.
- *You may replace these spices with 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
- Storage notes: Cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freezing instructions: store in an airtight, freezer-friendly container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw for 10-15 minutes before enjoying; or heat in the microwave in 10-second increments until warm.
- More plant-based, allergy-friendly Pumpkin recipes: pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, chocolate pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie smoothie.
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SHOP THE RECIPE
Here are a few items I used in today’s recipe. ????
Baking Pan (8-inch) | Organic Pumpkin Puree | Silicone Spatulas | My Favorite Knife | Glass Mixing Bowls | Coconut Sugar | Cooling Rack | Maple Syrup
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I love that you can now share these with you mom. What a special memory! I bet she loved them!
She’s the best! Thanks for reading and stopping by. P.S. She LOVED them! 🙂
Can I replace the flax egg with a normal egg in this recipe??
Hi Cierra, yes, I think that will work just fine. Can’t wait to hear how they turn out! 🙂
I bet your mum loved getting that box full of delicious treats – I know I would!
I love everything about these bars, and I’m definitely craving them for breakfast! Hope you have an awesome weekend, Demeter! xoxo
She was beyond happy! 🙂 Hope you get to try these and love ’em Marsha. xoxo
I bet your mum loved these! I’ve been looking for healthy treats and I’m sure gonna try them!
It was love at first bite! 🙂 Can’t wait to hear what you think, Richa!
If these make it ok to have chocolate and oatmeal for breakfast, I am ALL over this!
Lol. Right!! Pretty much the tastiest reason to wake up at my house! 😉
Demeter I just love your work! From your recipes to your videos and photography! Just wanted to share!
Aw, that’s so sweet of you to say! Thanks so much Heather! 🙂
Can I use almond flour instead of oat flour?
Hi Lauralee, I’m not 100% sure about the results, since I’ve never tried making these with almond flour. Oat flour is much more absorbent than almond flour, so if you do try, make sure to increase the amount by at least 1/4 cup. Good luck!
Do you know the nutritional info on these?
Hi Angela, I’m currently working through adding nutrition info to the recipes across my site. Unfortunately, it’s going to take a while. 🙁 Thanks so much for your patience! 🙂
Hi! This is the third recipe I’ve made from your website – everything is SO good! I don’t do oil so I swapped that out for 1 T of applesauce and 1 T of raw almond butter. Not sure how it is compared to the original, but it tastes awesome!
Hi Angie! I’m so happy to hear that your enjoying making your way through the site. 🙂 Such a genius move to swap the oil out for applesauce and almond butter–I’ll have to try that some time. 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you try next!
Thanks for the great recipe. I made it with what I had on hand so am posting this to encourage others about the flexibility of the recipe, not necessarily as improvements. I made a lot of substitutions but all were in the realm of the original recipe:
– Used avocado oil instead of coconut oil
– Used brown sugar instead of coconut sugar
– Used a real egg
– Used spelt flour (whole grain) instead of oat flour
Everything else was the same, baked for 23 minutes.
Hi Sarah! Thanks for taking the time to list out your substitutions. 🙂 I’ve GOT to try these with avocado oil! I know many readers will appreciate this. Happy baking!
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to try these ????
Woohoo! Hope you enjoy them Emily!
I’m sorry if this is a dumb question, but I’m new to using coconut oil in baking recipes and was wondering if the 2 Tbsp is measured in melted form or solid form then melt it prior to adding to the recipe?
Hi Valerie! There’s absolutely no such thing as a dumb question. 🙂 I measure the coconut oil as a solid, then melt it and add it to the recipe. Happy baking!
My son is 10 months old and hates the texture of oatmeal so I always trying to find healthy oat breakfast bars he can eat. I am wondering if these could be made with just the maple syrup no sugar, or if dates could be added( possibly applesauce blended with dates) to make sweeter but not too sweet. I think id also leave out chocolate chips for him.
These sound so yummy and I love the idea of having pumpkin in an oat bar.
Hi Casi! I haven’t tried swapping the sugar with applesauce so I’m not totally sure, though I have had a few readers swap the oil for apple sauce with success. I’d say try it and let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I absolutely love your recipes. Since I’ve been eating all these oats and I’m not gagging like I do when I eat a bowl of oatmeal, my total cholesterol has dropped from 260 to 188. You’re going to help me live forever! Thank you and big, BIG hugs. XOXO
Omigosh, that’s AWESOME!!!! I’ve been helping my mom with similar issues. She’s spent too many years gagging over plain oatmeal too! Ha. Terri, here’s to, like, a 100 more years of living!! 😉 Sending you even BIGGER HUGS back!! Xoxoxo
Can oatmeal and oat flour be substituted with anything else, gluten free, as oatmeal does not agree with me
Hi Jackie! In terms of the oat flout, you can sub it with GF all purpose flour. As for the oats, I’m not sure but you might try a mix of coconut and quinoa. I’m not sure about the amounts, since each of these ingredients absorbs the wet mixture very differently than oats. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
This recipe didn’t turn out for me. The dough mixture was too dry. Any suggestions?
Hi Jenn! Did you make any substitutes? Also, perhaps the flour was too packed—did you fluff it up before scooping? Sometimes it can settle and become much denser. Spooning and leveling the flour might help. Good luck!
Hi Demeter -I found your website this summer and have to say I am loving it! I am neither vegetarian or vegan but love recipes made with real ingredients ….every one of your recipes I have made has been fantastic! Please keep posting
Hi Elizabeth! That’s so wonderful to hear! I’m truly so pleased that you’re enjoying my recipes. 🙂 Happy baking!
Can I use Casavaa flour instead of the oat flour? Love all your recipes by the way. I just recently started following you. So glad I found you!
Hi Carolina! I’m not sure… I’m planning to learn more about & experiment with cassava this year. Not the answer you were looking for, but I’m working on it. 😉 I’m so glad to have you!! Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Hugs!