Made with whole grains, dried fruit, nuts and seeds, these homemade Oat, Fruit and Seed Bars are an ideal breakfast or snack when you’re on the go.
If you want a wholesome, portable bar you can make at home, these Oat, Fruit and Seed Bars are simple, satisfying and full of texture. They bake up moist and chewy from the oats and dried fruit, with crunchy cashews and seeds for contrast. They’re mildly sweet and balanced, making them a great option for breakfast, a hike, or an afternoon pick-me-up.
How to Make Them
These bars are flexible — swap the dried fruit and nuts to suit what you have. For my batch I used dried blueberries and cranberries, cashews, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, plus shredded coconut. A mix of whole wheat pastry flour and quick-cooking oats produces a tender, chewy texture, while orange juice is used to plump and lightly flavor the dried fruit.
Storage Instructions
Wrap bars individually for a portable snack or keep extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator to stay fresh longer. They also freeze well for up to three months — wrap them and place in a freezer-safe container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or defrost in the microwave.
Enjoy them as a convenient breakfast or snack.
More Snack Ideas
- Homemade Coconut and Seed Bars
- No-Bake Brownie Energy Bites
- No-Bake Maple Espresso Bites
- 5-Ingredient Date Energy Balls
Oat, Fruit and Seed Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pure orange juice (not from concentrate)
- 1/2 cup dried blueberries
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 2 Tablespoons wheat germ
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons orange zest, loosely packed
- 1 cup cashews, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F (160°C). Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly butter the paper.
- In a small saucepan, bring the orange juice to a boil. Add the dried blueberries and cranberries, reduce heat to medium-high and simmer for one minute. Turn off the heat and let sit a couple of minutes.
- Strain the juice from the berries; set both juice and fruit aside to cool.
- In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and beat until combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the honey, strained orange juice, vanilla and orange zest until smooth. Add oats, flour, wheat germ, salt, baking powder and baking soda and mix until just combined. Fold in the fruit, cashews, coconut and seeds until evenly distributed.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan, pressing down to compact. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is golden.
- Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. When completely cool, lift the bars out using the parchment overhang and transfer to a cutting board.
- Cut into bars and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Toasting nuts and seeds enhances texture and flavour. Toast at 350°F (175°C) for about 10 minutes or until fragrant, then cool before using.
- Leaving an overhang of parchment on two opposite sides makes it easy to lift the bars from the pan for cutting.
- Nutrition info is for one bar when the pan is divided into 16 equal portions.