Healthy breakfast bars

Healthy breakfast bars are so delicious and just 4 ingredients, with no baking needed. These wholesome bars are whole grain, naturally sweetened and perfect in the morning or as a snack for fueling a busy day!

This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Did you know it’s National Breakfast Month right now in September?

I am a huge breakfast lover. ❤️

Sure, I don’t have much time to devote to it during the week. I start work at 6:30 a.m. and then I am on deadline all morning for my job as a health and nutrition editor.

But I do adore all kinds of breakfast and brunch foods, both sweet and savory.

Banana bread baked oatmeal, Instant Pot steel cut oats and cheesy baked eggs are some of our regular go-to options in the morning. And freezer breakfast burritos are great to have on hand.

Bonus points: They can all be made ahead and be ready to go for you come wake-up time.

Today’s recipe for these easy, healthy breakfast bars has became a fast favorite in our house. I made them 5 times in two weeks after I first tested them. And y’all, there are just 4 people in my house!

We all adore them. My husband and I snack on them in the afternoons and the kids either enjoy them for breakfast or for a morning snack at school.

They are a little crunchy, a little chewy and just perfectly sweet. They set up great and are ready to enjoy straight from the fridge, so you can grab one and devour.

Plus, they are 100% whole grain and they’re naturally sweetened, too. (They can also easily be made gluten-free and vegan if needed. Keep reading for details.)

They’ve got the goodness from the oats and cereal and a good dose of protein from the peanut butter. So they are a great way to fill up in the morning and fuel a busy day.

We also almost always add in the mini chocolate chips (it’s just ¼ cup) for an extra dose of fun. (Can’t we all use an extra dose of fun this year?!) But those are optional so you don’t have to use them if you don’t want.

Oh, and if you love these flavors and love a healthy snack, check out my healthy no bake granola bars and my classic homemade granola bars that I’ve been making for a decade now. So, so tasty.

Needless to say, these breakfast bars are definitely going on the regular rotation in our house. I will happily make them a couple of times a week if it means we’ve all got a healthy breakfast or snack to grab.

(Note to self: Need to make another batch this afternoon.)

And shh, they are really easy to make. It takes just 10 minutes to put them together before you pop them in the fridge to set up.

I also love having the opportunity to partner with Bob’s Red Mill again this year. They truly are a company that’s as wholesome as its products.

They are dedicated to quality ingredients, they make so many of my favorite products (the oats, the whole wheat flours, the whole grain products, the snack bars, and more), and I appreciate that it’s an employee-owned company.

I also appreciate that they partner with No Kid Hungry and local food pantries, as well as other hunger-related programs. ❤️

OK though, let’s get back to today’s recipe.

Now, I’ve got some notes and substitutions coming up on how to make these oat breakfast bars. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making healthy breakfast bars:

• The recipe calls for old-fashioned rolled oats. You can choose organic or certified gluten-free oats if you prefer (Bob’s Red Mill has both of these options). Quick cooking oats would work here too, I think, but I don’t recommend using steel cut oats.
• Creamy peanut butter is our go-to, but I think you could substitute almond butter if you wanted to make a peanut-free version of these bars.
• The vanilla and mini chocolate chips are optional, but they add great flavor and a little fun, so I’d recommend adding them if you have them on hand in the pantry.
• Be sure to choose a certified gluten-free O-shaped cereal -- and oats -- if you need this recipe to be gluten-free.
• You can also easily make these vegan-friendly by using maple syrup instead of honey. (Either leave off the chocolate chips or use a dairy-free/vegan version.)

Oh, and the total yield here is up to you.

I’ve listed it as 10 bars because I usually cut our pan in half and then in long rectangular strips to make 10 total bars. (It’s basically a 5x2 arrangement.)

However, you could also make 9 large squares (3 rows in both directions) or 12 rectangular bars (3x4) or even 16 small squares (4x4), depending on what size you’d like.

Since we are making a lot, let’s talk about what to do with the extras. Though I doubt they'll last very long.

How to store breakfast bars:

- You can store leftover breakfast cereal bars in the refrigerator for up to a week. Just keep them covered in saran wrap or a plastic container.

- These also travel well. You can throw one in your bag (wrapped in plastic wrap or in a snack size ziploc bag) and enjoy it on the go. It’ll get more crumbly as it sits out, but overall they stay together really well.

I hope you make a batch of these easy healthy breakfast bars to make your mornings a little more tasty and a little less stressful.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Stay tuned: I’ve got more yummy breakfast recipes coming your way later this week and over the next couple of weeks.

You can sign up for my free e-newsletter to get all of my new recipes delivered straight to your inbox so you never miss a thing. I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Healthy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!

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4.29 from 7 votes

Healthy breakfast bars

Healthy breakfast bars are so delicious and just 4 ingredients, with no baking needed. These wholesome bars are whole grain, naturally sweetened and perfect in the morning or as a snack for fueling a busy day!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Additional TimeAdditional Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Yield: 10 bars

1x2x3x

Cook Mode

Ingredients

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup honey (or sub maple syrup)
• Splash of vanilla (optional)
• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups O-shaped cereal
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, heat the honey and peanut butter over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring until smooth and well combined. Turn off the heat.
• Add the vanilla, if using, then the oats and cereal. Stir well until everything is coated.
• Mix in the mini chocolate chips, if using.
• Transfer the mixture to a greased 8x8 pan and press down into an even layer. (The mixture will be sticky so it helps to slightly wet your hands before you press it down.)
• Let cool then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to set up, about 1 hour.
• Cut into squares or rectangles and enjoy! Store extras, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

The recipe calls for old-fashioned rolled oats. You can choose organic or certified gluten-free oats if you prefer (Bob’s Red Mill has all of these options). Quick cooking oats would work here too, I think, but I don’t recommend using steel cut oats.

Creamy peanut butter is our go-to, but I think you could substitute almond butter if you wanted to make a peanut-free version of these bars.

The vanilla and mini chocolate chips are optional, but they add great flavor and a little fun, so I’d recommend adding them if you have them.

Be sure to choose a certified gluten-free O-shaped cereal if you need this recipe to be gluten-free.

You can also easily make these vegan-friendly by using maple syrup instead of honey. (Either leave off the chocolate chips or use a dairy-free/vegan version.)

You can cut these into 10 rectangles, as shown here, or make more or fewer bars by cutting them in a 3x3 (for 9 square bars) or in a 3x4 or 4x4 pattern for smaller rectangles.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 138mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g

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