Vegan Cranberry Oat Bars (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

November 16, 2022

Vegan Cranberry Oat Bars have a sturdy oat base with a tart cranberry layer and crumbly oat topping that contains notes of brown sugar for a delicious, healthy holiday dessert with a high fiber twist.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free, Egg Free, Soy Free

Bring on the holiday desserts!! While I’m typically a chocolate dessert fan, this one is for my fruity dessert lovers. And even as a chocolate dessert lover, I couldn’t get enough of these bars.

Consider these Cranberry Oat Bars to be pie-esque but also like a crumble… in bar form.

They may take a few steps to make, but you’re going to love them!

These Vegan Cranberry Oat Bars are…

Tart, with sweet notes
Allergy-friendly
Gluten free
Hearty
Crumbly
Delicious

Cranberries are totally an underused fruit in the late fall and winter. They’re usually found frozen so many people don’t know what to do with them… except make cranberry sauce! Now when you stock up when they’re on sale you’ll have another recipe to add to your repertoire!

Cranberries are also packed with nutrients! Did you know that CRANBERRIES are…

Full of fiber – 1 cup contains almost 5 grams of fiber!
An excellent source of vitamin C – which is great for cold and flu season to help shorten the length of a cold!
Rich in antioxidants, specifically polyphenols

Ingredients to Make Vegan Cranberry Oat Bars

You only need 8 ingredients to make these Vegan Cranberry Oat Bars, including…

Frozen cranberries
Chia seeds
Oat flour
Rolled oats
Light brown sugar
Baking soda
Cinnamon
Coconut oil

I adapted this recipe from my Blueberry Oatmeal Bars I created years ago, but with a holiday-inspired twist and I think you’re going to love the tartness.

FAQs about the ingredient list

Can I use a different flour?

This recipe has not been tested with a different flour, however, white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour should work. Coconut flour and almond flour are often not substituted in a 1:1 ratio, so I would avoid those.

I don’t like coconut, can I use a different oil?

Although you can’t really taste coconut in coconut oil, YES, you can use a different, mild oil. You can also substitute melted butter. Please be sure to measure the fat (oil or butter) MELTED.

Can I use honey or maple syrup instead of light brown sugar?

NO! That will add more moisture. You want to keep the sweetener as a “dry” sweetener. If you want a less processed sugar you can opt for coconut sugar.

How to Make Vegan Cranberry Oat Bars

Although this recipe has a few steps, they’re all relatively straightforward.

First, you’ll prepare the cranberry filling...

To make the cranberry filling you’ll add the cranberries to a small saucepan over medium heat. The cranberries will burst and begin to breakdown. That’s your cue to help them along and mash them with a potato masher. Then bring the cranberries to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Be sure to stir occasionally as mixture thickens over approximately 10 minutes.

Now you’ll turn off the heat and mix in the chia seeds. While the cranberries cool the mixture will continue to thicken until it’s time to use it.

Next, we’ll make the oat part of the oat bars…

You’ll mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then you’ll add the coconut oil, mixing until well combined.

We do need to pre-bake the base of these bars first, so you’ll firmly press about 3/4 of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared 8 x 8 pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Add the cranberry filling and oat crumble topping…

Spread the cranberry filling on top of the oat base and then crumble the remaining 1/4 of the oat mixture on top. You’ll bake the bars for just 25-30 minutes, until the cranberry filling looks set. I prefer to really let these cool, so I refrigerate them before serving.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need to Make Cranberry Oat Bars

You don’t need any fancy kitchen tools to make these bars. You’ll need…