Apple Quinoa Breakfast Bars
Soft, cakey, and loaded with apple chunks, these apple quinoa breakfast bars are a great way to start the day! Made with quinoa, rolled oats, apples, cinnamon and peanut butter, these bars are gluten-free and loved by both kids and grown ups alike.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time40 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 230kcal
- 1 cup apple sauce unsweetened; see note 1
- ¼ cup peanut butter all-natural and drippy
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup coconut oil refined has the best flavor
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 cups quinoa cooked & cooled; see note 2
- 1.5 cups rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 apple peeled and chopped into ½ inch chunks
- 9 almonds
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a 8x8 inch baking dish with oil and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the apple sauce, peanut butter, vanilla, cinnamon, coconut oil and eggs. If the coconut oil solidifies, pop the bowl into the microwave and warm on 20 second increments until it melts back in.
Mix in the cooked quinoa, rolled oats and baking powder until completely incorporated. Fold in the apple last.
Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it to each corner and pressing down gently. Press 9 almonds into the top of the bars.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool completely before slicing and storing.
1- these bars are not very sweet as written; if you'd like, you can add ¼ cup maple syrup, honey or brown sugar
2- make sure you give the quinoa enough time to cool completely before mixing it into the batter
Storage
- fridge– cool completely, then cut into bars. Cover the whole baking dish, or transfer to your favorite air tight meal prep container. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- freezer– cool completely, then cut into bars. These bars are softer with a slight crumble, so they are best stored in a container rather than a bag. Layer pieces of wax or parchment paper between slices so they don’t stick together.
- thaw– leave the container in the fridge overnight; if you absolutely must have a breakfast bar fix, heat on low heat in the microwave until thawed and warmed through.
Variations
You could certainly use these quinoa bars as a base recipe and add your own unique twist on them. Here are some suggestions:
- add 1 cup of frozen cranberries for a ‘cran-apple’ flavor; increase the cook time if needed
- swap the apples for 1- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries (or any berry!)
- swap the apples for fresh pears
- swap the peanut butter for cashew, almond or any other nut butter
- add citrus zest
- add ¼ cup cocoa powder + ½ cup chocolate chips for a chocolate version
- swap the applesauce for pumpkin puree
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 43mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g