Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars feature all the flavor of a decadent Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie but are healthy enough for breakfast. Made with whole grains and naturally sweetened, these healthy oatmeal bars are filling, chewy, and packed with chocolate.
Oatmeal Bars are one of the easiest recipes to make. With just a few basic ingredients, these bars come together in minutes. They are delightful for an afternoon snack or as a healthy dessert.
If you love Oatmeal Cookies, you will LOVE these Healthy Oatmeal Bars.
They bake up soft and tender, with a bit of chew, just like a good oatmeal cookie. Yet, these bars happen to be lightened up and packed full of nutrients, yet still oozing with flavor and chocolate.
While these Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars are decadent tasting, they also make a reasonably healthy option for breakfast. And when you can have chocolate for breakfast, is that ever a bad thing?
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Healthy Swaps
- Flour: This recipe calls for whole wheat flour. You can use all-purpose flour in this recipe for oatmeal bars, but the whole wheat flour adds nutrients and whole grains.
- Oats: Use regular or quick-cooking oats for these bars, but DO NOT use steel-cut oats. The oats add chew, fiber, and nutrients.
- Yogurt: Instead of an oatmeal bar full of butter or oil, this recipe replaces half the oil has been replaced with plain Greek yogurt. The yogurt keeps these bars soft and tender, cuts down on the fat, and adds a dose of calcium.
- Coconut Oil: For the remaining portion of oil, I love using coconut oil in place of canola oil or melted butter, as it keeps baked goods super moist and tender. However, feel free to use either canola oil or melted butter if desired.
- Sweetener: Instead of using refined sugar, these bars are naturally sweetened with maple syrup. And because maple syrup is so rich, less is needed.
- Chocolate: I highly recommend using dark chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate for an added dose of antioxidants! However, any variety of chocolate works.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. By adding the chocolate chips now, they are coated with a bit of flour which helps keep them suspended in the bar, instead of sinking to the bottom of the bars.
- In a separate mixing bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the oil, egg, maple syrup, vanilla, and yogurt.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the oat mixture and mix until just evenly combined.
- Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper or grease well with additional coconut oil.
- Dollop the oatmeal cookie bar mixture into the prepared pan and using damp hands or a piece of parchment paper, evenly press the batter down to spread out in the pan. The batter will be thick--that is OKAY!
- Bake the bars until just set.
- Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Remove the parchment paper from the pan and cool another 10 minutes, before slicing into bars and enjoying.
Recipe FAQs and Modifications
Store the chocolate chip oatmeal bars in a covered container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze baked, cooled bars for up to 3 months if wrapped well and stored in a freezer-safe container.
Yes! I have made these bars using a flax egg replacement. Mix together 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes. Use in place of the egg. The bars will be a bit denser, but still delicious.
Yes! Use plain nondairy yogurt in place of the regular yogurt.
To make these bars gluten-free, use a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend in place of whole wheat flour and certified gluten-free oats. I have done this many times with success.
YES! Feel free to add chopped nuts, raisins, or dried cranberries in place or in addition to the chocolate chips. Don't exceed more than 1 cup of mix-ins in total.
More Healthy Treats
- Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Bars
- Homemade Larabars
- Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
If you enjoyed these Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Recipe
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup oats
- ½ cup whole wheat flour or all-purpose
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup coconut oil melted
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanila
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper or foil or grease well with coconut spray or oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt together. Add in the chocolate chips and toss to coat.
- In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the oil, yogurt, egg, maple syrup, and vanilla until well combined. Add into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will be thick.
- Dollop the batter into the prepared pan, and carefully spread out the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until set and slightly golden.
- Remove the bars from the oven and place them on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper and cool completely. Cut into bars and enjoy.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in May 2017 but has been since updated in January 2021 with a few tips and new photos The recipe remains the same.
Liz
I make these all the time! They are so good and I love the healthy ingredients! Thanks for a great recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoy these Liz! I need to make a batch asap myself.
Kristen Kemp
Good morning Kristen from another Kristen! Have you ever made these using almond flour? Curious if that will work. Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kristen 🙂 I have not tried these with almond flour. I have made them with a gluten free flour blend and that works great. Almond flour would require some changes in measurements and liquid ingredients.
Stephanie Luong
Delicious and so easy! I was looking for an alternative to chocolate chip oaty bars my son loves (but are expensive and have so much sugar!) I threw this together last minute before school pick up. I had all the ingredients on hand, and tossed in a handful of chia seeds just 'coz. I cooked them in my airfryer (175 degrees celcius, 15 minutes one side, then flipped for an extra 5 minutes). They were perfect, my boys gobbled them up (and didn't even complain about the chia seeds!) Will definitely be making these again. Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you found this recipe Stephanie and that your boys gobbled them up! I am glad to hear you will be enjoying again 🙂
Kelsey
These were quick and easy to prepare. I subbed half the chocolate chips with dried cranberries and sprinkled in a few pumpkin seeds. I just wish that you didn't taste the whole wheat quite so much. Maybe next time I'll try to sub some oat flour.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kelsey!! I am sorry the taste was a bit too much for you for the wheat flour. I would suggest using half whole wheat flour/ all purpose flour instead of using oat flour. Oat flour would change the consistency of these bars...they may need more or less liquid.
Lee Ann
Disappointed to see that the recipe is calculated for 16 cookies at 152 cal each, but as shown in your photos, the bars are cut into just 9 cookies, which brings the calorie count up to 270 cal apiece. Not exactly a low calorie treat, and when cut to the recipe size, they’re very tiny.
Kristen Chidsey
I am sorry if the way I cut the bars mislead you. It was for photo quality, even though we always eat a smaller square. It was in no way done to be misleading. Again, I apologize for that.
Melanie
These look amazing! Any suggestions for making them dairy free? I have dairy free chocolate chips on hand, but I'm not sure what to do with the Greek yogurt. Coconut yogurt seems too thin for a substitute.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Melanie I would use either mashed banana or peanut butter as as substitute. You can use coconut yogurt as well, but start with only 1/4 cup. If batter appears still too thick, use the full 1/3 cup. Enjoy!