Quinoa Breakfast Bars
These baked quinoa breakfast bars are the perfect way to use up leftover quinoa and make a delicious, wholesome breakfast or snack anytime of day.
Features
- Dietary Features: Vegan, gluten-free, no added sugar, oil-free.
- Easy to make with just a few simple, healthy ingredients.
- Great way to use up leftover quinoa.
- Perfect for a quick breakfast, snack or even dessert.
- Enjoy on their own as a portable bar or with yogurt or milk, berries and banana.
Ingredients & Substitutions
A complete list of ingredients with amounts and full instructions is located in the printable recipe card below. This section covers ingredient and substitution considerations.
- Banana: Just ripe banana is perfect. They don’t need to be overripe or super spotty but it’s okay if they are too! The riper they are, the sweeter the bars will be.
- Nut or Seed Butter: Any nut or seed butter works. Peanut butter is delicious but almond butter or sunflower works too for nut-free bars.
- Plant-Based Milk: Almond, cashew, soy or oat milk all work. Use whatever you prefer.
- Flax: Ground flax helps to bind everything together. Make sure you use ground flaxseed and not whole flaxseeds.
- Quinoa: You’ll need cooked and completely cooled quinoa so it’s perfect for using up leftovers. I would recommend making quinoa the day before if you’re making it specifically for this recipe.
- Oats: Rolled oats or large flake oats are best.
- Blueberries: Fresh blueberries work best in this recipe, or any other fresh fruit like chopped strawberries, peach or raspberries. You can use frozen but since they add moisture, you may need to bake the bars a bit longer.
Optional Add-In Ideas: Add up to 1/2 cup any add-in you like such as chocolate chips, chopped dark chocolate, coconut, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or hemp seeds.
Instructions
- Step 1: Mash the banana up in a bowl using a fork or immersion blender.
- Step 2: Add everything but the quinoa, oats and blueberries.
- Step 3: Stir until smooth and fully combined.
- Step 4: Mix in the oats and quinoa.
- Step 5: Gently mix in the blueberries.
- Step 6: Press into a baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Let the bars cool in the pan for at least one hour to allow them to firm up. Slice and enjoy!
Notes and Tips
- It’s important to let the bars cool in the pan if you want them to be firm. You can slice and enjoy right away but they’ll be a bit soft and may fall apart. Once they cool, they’ll be solid bars.
- They’re really good warmed up and served with yogurt, berries, banana and peanut butter (or nut/seed butter of choice).
- Try them warm or cold, spread with peanut butter, jam, vegan butter or other nut or seed butter of choice.
- Since they have no added sugar, the bars aren’t very sweet as is. For a sweeter bar, add 1/4 cup coconut sugar, cane sugar or maple syrup and/or up to 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips such as Enjoy Life or Camino. They can also be sweetened with a sugar-free sweetener such as stevia or monk fruit.
Storing
- Fridge: Let cool then store in a sealed container for up to 6 days.
- Freezer: Let cool then store individually wrapped or in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge or microwave.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review.
PrintQuinoa Breakfast Bars
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These delicious baked blueberry quinoa breakfast bars can be enjoyed on their or served with yogurt or milk, berries, banana and peanut butter. This recipe is a great way to use leftover quinoa!
Ingredients
- 2 ripe medium-sized bananas (240 g)
- 1/4 cup nut or seed butter of choice (60 g)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup plant-based milk (120 mL)
- 2 tbsp ground flax (14 g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1.5 cups cooked cooled quinoa (225 g)
- 1.5 cups rolled oats (150 g)
- 1 cup fresh blueberries or other fresh fruit of choice (150 g)
Instructions
- You will need cooked and cooled quinoa before beginning. If you’re making quinoa specifically for this recipe, I recommend making it the day before or in the morning and then letting it cool in the fridge for a few hours before making the bars. If you have leftover quinoa ready to go, that’s perfect!
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Add the banana to a mixing bowl and mash into a smooth paste using a fork or immersion blender.
- Add everything except for the quinoa, oats and berries and mix until fully combined into a smooth mixture.
- Stir in the quinoa and oats until they’re fully incorporated into the wet ingredients.
- Gently fold in the berries and any other add-ins you wish.
- Lightly coat a 7 or 8 inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Transfer the mixture to the pan and use a spatula (or your hands) to firmly press into the pan until spread flat.
- Bake for 30 minutes then let cool in the pan for at least 60 minutes before slicing. The bars will continue to firm as they cool and are firmest after they’ve completely cooled in the fridge. You can certainly enjoy them right away but they’ll be soft and mushy until they cool.
- Enjoy warm or cold as a portable bar, spread with peanut butter, jam or vegan butter, or serve in a bowl with milk or yogurt, berries, banana and your favourite nut or seed butter.
Notes
Adapted from Well Plated.
Fruit Options: Chopped apple, peach, cherries or strawberries or fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries. Fresh works best in these but you can also use frozen. If using frozen, you may need a little additional cooking time due to the added moisture.
Other Add-In Options: Add up to 1/2 cup total of chocolate chips, raisins, dates, coconut or any nut or seed such as walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
Storing: Let bars cool completely before storing. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.
Serving: Enjoy as a portable bar or warm in a bowl and top with milk or yogurt, fresh berries, banana and peanut butter.
Sweetener: The bars are not very sweet as is. If you want them to be sweeter, say for a sweet treat for kids, add 1/4 cup coconut sugar, cane sugar or maple syrup and/or up to 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 121
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 81 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
Keywords: baked quinoa bars, quinoa breakfast bars, quinoa breakfast bake
Made these this morning, no fruit, just oatmeal and love them! My 2 year old even ate them!
★★★★★
Glad they were enjoyed, Samantha! Thanks or letting me know 🙂
Delish -i love anything chewy, oaty, -i added diced apple and red grapes, chunky peanut butter -ate a huge chunk for breakfast 🙂