These vegan pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal bars are the perfect snack to munch on all October long. They’re sweet, but not too sweet, making them the perfect healthy-ish dessert, cheeky breakfast or afternoon treat to go alongside a cup of tea.
Even though the seasons are flipped here in Australia, October still means all things pumpkin to me! Maybe it’s seeing all the pumpkin-filled recipes across Instagram and Pinterest, but I can’t help but want to delve right in.
These vegan pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal bars are my take on the pumpkin trend and are a perfect snack to have around the house for when you need a little nibble. If you’re looking for a healthy-ish dessert option, these might pass the test. They:
- Sneak in some veggies, thanks to pumpkin puree
- Are made without any refined sugar, thanks to coconut sugar
- Are gluten-free, thanks to a combo of oat flour and coconut flour
- Are 100% vegan-friendly
Making Your Own Pumpkin Puree
Anyone who’s based in Australia will understand: Getting canned pumpkin is A CHALLENGE. In the US, it’s super easy to find canned pumpkin at any grocery store. But here? No such luck.
Thankfully, making pumpkin puree is easier than you might expect.
I like to make a big batch of pumpkin puree, saving it all for recipes to use throughout the week. You can even it alone as a side, with a bit of salt and spice added for flavour. I’ve also stirred it through my oats for breakfast, and it brings a lovely taste and texture.
To make your own pumpkin puree:
- Pour a bag of frozen pumpkin chunks into a colander or steamer basket
- Fill a large pot with about ½ - 1 inch of boiling water
- Steam the pumpkin by placing the colander or steamer basket into the pot
- Turn the heat to high, and cover the bot (and colander/basket) with a lid
- Steam for about 10-15 minutes, until all pumpkin is defrosted and soft
- Remove pumpkin from the pot, letting it sit in the colander or steamer basket for a few minutes, so any excess water can drain away
- Blend steamed pumpkin until smooth
Making Your Own Oat Flour
You’ll also see that this recipe calls for oat flour. Again, this is super simple to make yourself.
All you need to do is put your oats in a blender, and blend until they’ve become a fine powdery flour. I recommend doing this as the very first step so that you can have all your ingredients ready to go as you bake these oatmeal bars.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
- Coconut sugar
- Pumpkin puree
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla
- Oat flour
- Oats
- Coconut flour
- Baking powder
- Pumpkin pie spice/ mixed spice
- Pinch of sea salt
- Vegan chocolate chips
📖 Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 squares 1x
Description
These vegan pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal bars are the perfect snack to munch on all October long. They’re sweet, but not too sweet, making them the perfect healthy-ish dessert, cheeky breakfast or afternoon treat to go alongside a cup of tea.
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup pumpkin puree ((canned or homemade, see notes above))
- ¼ cup coconut oil (melted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup oat flour ((see notes above for how to make))
- ½ cup oats (whole)
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice/ mixed spice
- 1 pinch sea salt
- ½-¾ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- If you don't already have oat flour, blend 1 cup oats to make oat flour.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- In a large bowl, mix coconut sugar, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, and vanilla.
- Once well-combined, add in oat flour, oats, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and sea salt.
- Finally, stir through chocolate chips until they're evenly distributed. The batter should look somewhat cumbly but still stick together. If you find that your batter is too dry, add a little extra pumpkin puree.
- Line a 20x20 centimetre (8x8 inches) square baking pan with baking paper.
- Spoon batter into pan, pressing it down as you do to distribute it in an even layer. I like to use the back of a metal spoon to press the batter into an even layer.
- Bake for 30 minutes, and remove from oven. Let cool completely before slicing into squares. These will stay good for up to a week, when kept in an airtight container.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Cuisine: Australian
Nutrition
- Calories: 177
- Fat: 7.2
- Carbohydrates: 27.4
- Protein: 1.8
Keywords: bars, oatmeal, pumpkin
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Jacqui
Amazing recipe, easy to follow! I love that they are not only vegan, but gluten free also.
★★★★★
Simply Fresh Foodie
Thanks Jacqui! So happy to hear. I love that you loved this recipe 🙂