Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars are thick, chewy, studded with chocolate chips, and incredibly simple to make. And while these bars taste like a decadent treat, they are made without refined sugar or butter and are packed with nutrients and whole grains.
These Healthy Oatmeal Bars are like a cross between an oatmeal cookie and baked oatmeal in bar form. They bake up soft and tender, with a bit of chew, and are oozing with chocolate. Whether enjoyed as a breakfast on the go, a late-night snack, or an after-school snack, these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars are the ultimate healthy treat.
why you will love healthy oatmeal bars
- One Bowl Recipe. With just one mixing bowl and 5 minutes of prep time, chocolate chip oatmeal bars are one of the easiest recipes to make
- Simple Ingredients. This recipe is packed with nutrients, yet uses simple ingredients you likely have on hand in your pantry at all times.
- Packed with Nutrients. Made with oats, yogurt, and whole wheat flour, these oatmeal bars are loaded with whole grains, fiber, nutrients, protein, and calcium.
- Decadent Tasting. Thanks in part to the maple syrup and added chocolate chips, these oatmeal bars taste insanely decadent.
Notes on Ingredients
- Flour: This recipe calls for whole wheat flour. You can use all-purpose flour in this recipe for oatmeal bars, but whole wheat flour adds nutrients, fiber, and whole grains.
- Oats: Either rolled oats or quick-cooking oats work to make these oatmeal bars. Steel-cut oats will not work for these bars.
- 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.
Tips for Making Healthy Oatmeal Bars
As I stated, this recipe for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars is extremely simple to make. But I have a few tips to ensure success.
Tip #1: Add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients. By adding the chocolate chips to the oat and flour mixture rather than folding them into the batter right before baking, the chocolate chips will be coated with a bit of flour which will help to keep them suspended in the bar, rather than all sinking to the bottom of the bars.
Tip #2: Whisk the egg before adding to the batter. If you whisk together the egg in a small bowl, you can simply add all the wet ingredients right to the oatmeal bar batter rather than mixing them together in a separate bowl.
Tip #3: Don't overmix. Just like any cookie or muffin recipe that contains flour, it is best to just fold the ingredients together just evenly combined. That will prevent a dense, tough bar.
Tip #4. Use parchment paper. The batter for these oatmeal bars is quite thick and sticky, to prevent the bars from sticking to your pan or your hands, line your baking dish with parchment paper and use parchment paper to help press the batter into an even layer into the prepared pan.
Tip 5: Bake until just set. You don't want to overbake the oatmeal bars, as then they can become crispy, rather than soft and chewy. Simply bake until the top of the bars feel set and toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the oatmeal bars.
Tip # 6: Cool Before Serving. So that the bars are easy to slice and you don't burn your mouth when taking a bite, it is best to let the oatmeal chocolate chips bars cool in the pan for 10 minutes after baking, and then remove the parchment paper from the pan and cool another 10 minutes, before slicing into bars.
Recipe Modifications
- Egg-Free Oatmeal Bars: To replace the egg in this recipe, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes. Add in place of the egg. The bars will be a bit denser, but still delicious
- Gluten-Free Oatmeal Bars: 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.
- Other Ideas for Mix-Ins: 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.
- Oil-Free Oatmeal Bars: In place of coconut oil, use unsweetened applesauce.
- Dairy-Free Oatmeal Bars: Use mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce in place of Greek yogurt. Also, be sure your chocolate chips are dairy-free, or omit the chocolate altogether.
More Healthy Treats
- Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Bars
- Homemade Larabars
- Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
If you enjoyed these Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup whole wheat flour or all-purpose
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- â…“ cup plain Greek yogurt
- â…“ cup coconut oil melted and cooled
- â…“ cup maple syrup
- 1 large egg whisked
- 2 teaspoons vanila
- â…” cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper or grease well with cooking 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.
- Add the whisked egg, oil, yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla to the oat mixture and fold together until the ingredients are 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.
sandra
These are great. A nice healthy version of chocolate chip bars, I will be keeping this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you for sharing your review Sandra! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed!
Jenn Link
Made these today and they were delicious! I had some coconut flour I needed to use up so I did half AP flour and half coconut flour and they turned out great. Will definitely be making these again.
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!