Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

These Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars are crumbly, sweet, and scream Fall. These Pumpkin Bars are Made with gluten-free oat flour, brown sugar, and canned pumpkin puree. If you’re looking for a fun treat to add to your Fall recipe lineup, keep reading!

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I am a huge fan of Fall flavors. Fall Recipes containing sweet potatoes and pumpkin are my jam around the holidays! I am completely over this Houston heat and totally ready for some cooler temperatures. Because the heat and humidity don’t ease up until November around here, I have to play pretend. The fact that there are already Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations for sale at Hobby Lobby makes this game a lot easier. So, even though my thermometer reads 101 degrees, I’ve decided to start working on some Fall recipe blog posts. My most recent recipe for Vegan Sweet Potato Cookies was a smash hit among friends. Now I am sharing this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars.

While crawling my way out of a Fall recipe rabbit hole on Pinterest, I stumbled across Ambitious Kitchen’s Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bar recipe. The photo initially caught my eye, followed by the Vegan| Gluten-Free label and the easy baking instructions.  With Emory getting older and faster, I have to be quick on my feet. Finding the perfect recipe that capitalizes on the few moments I have where she isn’t attempting to climb up my legs is optimum.

HOW TO MAKE OAT FLOUR?

The original recipe calls for you to make oat flour from gluten-free oats. I already had oat flour in my fridge, so I used that instead. That saved me a minute or two, but in hindsight, I possibly should have made the oat flour. You can also incorporate the oats by themself.  By using the oat flour, my bars came out a bit dense than they would have with the oats. The bars are still yummy, just a bit heavier. Also, depending on what your dietary restrictions are, you can use all-purpose flour!

CAN I USE VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIPS?

Yes. You can use milk chocolate chips or carob chips!

After using Enjoy Life’s Chocolate Chips (vegan-friendly) in my Cherry Chocolate Muffins recipe, I’ve fallen in love with them. Sometimes I will eat them right out of the bag. I added them to the actual batter as well as on top, before popping the dish in the oven. I should have added more chocolate chips to the batter because those on top didn’t melt. In my opinion, dark chocolate and pumpkin are two very compatible ingredients.  Pumpkin alone isn’t sweet. Pairing it with melted dark chocolate is just what it needs.

Feel free to get creative with this recipe by adding candied pecans, almonds, walnuts, or milk chocolate chips!

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Check the notes section to see the suggested modifications I will make with my next batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars.

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars | TastyBits

If you're looking for a vegan-friendly fall treat give these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars a try. I enjoy them for breakfast with my coffee or after dinner with a dollop of coconut milk ice cream.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 16 Bars

Calories 128 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 2 1/2 cups oat flour 
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetend applesauce
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tbs melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips + more for sprinkling

Instructions

 

• Preheat over to 350 degrees and spray 8 x 11 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl whisk together oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla extract, oil and applesauce and mix until smooth and creamy.
• Slowly whisk in oat flour until combined.
• Gently fold in chocolate chips
• Pour batter into pyrex dish
• Bake for 15-25 minutes. As ovens vary I suggest checking your bars at the 10 minute mark and every 5 minutes after that. Insert a knife to test doneness. The knife should come out clean.
• Once done allow to cool for 10 minutes on a wire baking rack.

Notes

MY SUGGESTED MODIFICATIONS

I followed the exact recipe as listed above and was not super pleased with the outcome. Here are a couple of modifications I will make with my next batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Oat Bars.

1. Make the oat flour as directed OR sift pre-made oat flour
2. Increase unsweetened applesauce to 1 cup
3. Increase oil to 2 tablespoons
4. Increase Brown sugar to 1 cup
5. Add more chocolate chips to the batter

Keyword Baking, Dairy Free, Dessert, Egg Free, Gluten-free, Nut Free, oat bars, Vegan, Vegan Recipe, Wheat Free