If your sweet tooth is calling for something decadent but you’re looking for something that won’t wreak havoc on your waistline, then our Gluten-Free Date Caramel Oatmeal Bars are the perfect treat for you!
If you haven’t had a Medjool date before, it basically tastes like caramel. I like to call it “nature’s caramel”. Oh, and they are healthy too.
One date contains 8 grams of fiber, 2.6 grams of fiber. They are rich in antioxidants, support gut health, and act as the perfect sugar replacement.
I love the idea of incorporating caramel into breakfast. Because who doesn’t want to eat dessert for breakfast? That’s when the recipe for these gluten-free date oatmeal bars was born.
You can either eat these bars straight out of the oven paired with banana ice cream or let the bars cool and eat them as a meal-prepped breakfast.
These soft and chewy oatmeal bars are packed with delicious dates and smooth caramel, all held together with the wonderful stickiness of pure almond butter. Not only are these bars gluten-free, but they’re also easy to make and are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings.
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Ingredients
You only need 9 ingredients for this recipe!
- Oatmeal
- Dates (Joolies has the chewiest dates!)
- Cinnamon
- Banana
- Almond milk
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Baking Soda
- Almond Butter
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Gluten Free Oatmeal Date Caramel Bars
Let’s get into this deliciously gooey recipe!
To start, let’s make sugar-free caramel batter (made from dates). Add all of the ingredients (with the exception of the oatmeal) into the blender. Blend until smooth.
Then pour the caramel batter into an 8×8 pan. Finally, add the oatmeal & chopped apples (you can choose your favorite mix in for this recipe!) into the 8×8 glass pan and mix.
Bake the oats for ~27-35 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the oats to cool completely.
To make the caramel sauce on top, blend dates, water, salt, and vanilla. Drizzle the caramel sauce on top of the oats.
Serve with banana ice cream or fresh fruit!
Variations
Oatmeal is so diverse. That’s why I love it. The opportunities are endless. So yes, there are a few alternatives to this recipe!
- Chocolate caramel oats – This one is for the chocoholics out there. Add cocoa powder & chocolate chips to the batter before baking.
- Birthday cake – Mix sprinkles into the batter before baking. Then after the oats are done baking, spread melted white chocolate chips on top. Another layer of sprinkles on top will do the trick!
If you like healthy chocolate bars (like me), you might like this chocolate protein caramel bar recipe too.
Equipment
For this recipe, all you need is an 8×8 glass pan and a high-speed blender. I love using Vitamix because it blends the dates into caramel within seconds!
Storage
I would recommend eating the bars within 3-4 days after baking. However, if you meal-prep these bars, you can store them in the freezer for ~1-2 weeks.
Top tip
Cut these oatmeal bars into small squares and store them in a meal prep container. This way, you will have breakfast sorted for the week!
FAQ
We recommend using one mix-in at a minimum. The bars taste great if you mix chocolate chips and blueberries. Experiment and have fun!
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Caramel Apple Oats
Equipment
- 1 Vitamix or High Speed Blender
Ingredients
Oatmeal Bars
- 3 Cups Oatmeal
- 1 Cup Dates
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1.5 Cups Plant Milk
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ⅓ Cup Almond Butter Optional (but recommended!)
- 1 Banana
Caramel Sauce (for the topping)
- 1 Cup Dates
- 2 Tablespoons Almond Butter Optional (but recommended!)
- ¼ Cup Water
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Vanila
Mix In's (choose 1 minimum)
- 1 Cup Chopped Apples
- ½ Cup Chocolate Chips
- 1 Cup Blueberries
- 1 Cup Chopped Pear
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a high speed blender, mix all of the oatmeal bar ingredients with the exception of the oatmeal.
- Pour the batter into glass bowl and mix in the oatmeal and your the mix in's of choice.
- Pour the oatmeal batter into an 8×8 inch glass pan and bake for ~30 minutes. Keep an eye on the bars.
- Once the bars are done cooking, make the date caramel to smear on top. To do this blend togetehr the caramel sauce ingreidnets in a hgih speed blender.
- Pour the date caramel on top of the cooked & cooled bars. Cut into squares and enjoy!
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