Blueberry Breakfast Bars
These Blueberry Breakfast Bars are a healthy vegan and gluten-free make-ahead breakfast recipe that will keep you satisfied all morning long. They're also packed with fiber and plant protein, and can be enjoyed as a sweet treat!
Sure breakfast might be the most important meal of the day. But it can be so difficult to prepare a healthy, satisfying breakfast on busy mornings. It’s so much easier to reach for something quick and easy or to just pour a big bowl of cereal.
And while there’s nothing wrong with cereal (especially oaty homemade granola), some store-bought brands can leave you with a sugar crash or starving a few hours later.
That’s why I started making breakfast bars. They’re not too sweet and full of satisfying fiber and healthy fats that keep me full until lunch. And since everything is better with fresh blueberries, I had to share this recipe for healthy blueberry breakfast bars with you.
How to Make Healthy Blueberry Breakfast Bars
This is a quick baking recipe that comes together in under an hour. And chances are that you probably have most, if not all, of the ingredients on hand.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Quick-cooking oats. Also called instant oats. If you’re avoiding gluten, check that your oatmeal is certified gluten-free.
- Cooked quinoa. You can make 1 cup of cooked quinoa from ½ cup of raw. See here for how to cook perfect quinoa.
- Baking powder. This adds a bit of lift to your baked bars for a light and airy texture.
- Coconut sugar. This less refined sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness to these bars without turning them into dessert. Of course, if that’s what you’re looking for, feel free to add more sweetener for something closer to an oatmeal cookie than a healthy blueberry breakfast bar.
- Hemp seeds. Hemp is full of healthy fats and fiber to keep you satiated.
- Mashed bananas. Opt for riper bananas that are easier to mash and naturally sweet.
- Flax eggs. Make two flax eggs by mixing two tablespoons of flaxseed meal with six tablespoons of water and letting the mixture gel for about 5 minutes.
- Nut butter. Feel free to use any nut or seed butter you like. Almond, peanut, cashew or sunflower seed butter are all great options.
- Lemon juice. This adds just a bit of brightness and acidity to help the baking powder activate in the bars as they bake.
- Vanilla. You can use powdered vanilla or vanilla extract fr the recipe.
- Blueberries. Choose fresh or frozen berries.
Are they Vegan?
Yes! These healthy breakfast bars with blueberries and quinoa are naturally vegan. Instead of eggs, the bars are made with flaxseed meal and rips bananas. There is no milk, butter, or other dairy products in this recipe.
In addition, the blueberry breakfast bars are refined sugar-free. Instead, they’re sweetened with mashed ripe bananas and coconut sugar.
Are they Gluten-Free or Grain-Free?
In addition to being plant-based, these breakfast bars are gluten-free. Just make sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
The oats, however, mean that this is not a grain-free recipe. If you’re looking for a healthy grain-free breakfast idea, try this easy recipe for Grain-Free Coconut Granola.
Fresh or Frozen Blueberries?
I usually make these bars with fresh berries. However, you can substitute them with frozen blueberries if you have them on hand. Using frozen berries also means you can make these quinoa and oatmeal bars year-round, even when blueberries aren’t in season.
You can also make these bars with mashed frozen bananas if you have some piling up in your freezer. To defrost, place the frozen bananas in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until soft enough to mash easily with a fork.
Can I Make Vegan Breakfast Bars Ahead?
Yes, this is one of the best vegan meal prep recipes for breakfast. In fact, I actually prefer the texture of these bars when they’ve cooled on a wire rack overnight. Some of the excess moisture evaporates for a denser, heartier breakfast.
I like to make a big batch of breakfast bars and store them for a quick on-the-go meal all week.
Store cooled bars in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days, in the fridge for up to five days. You can also freeze the bars for up to three months. To serve, defrost the bars on the counter and enjoy at room temperature or warm in the microwave in 10-second increments.
More Healthy Vegan Breakfast Ideas
If you’re looking for more satisfying and healthy plant-based breakfast bar recipes, give these a try next:
- Raspberry Chocolate Chip Protein Bars
- Healthy Apple Crumble Bars
- Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Breakfast Bars
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Power Bars
Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 1 cup mashed bananas about 2 medium
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flaxseed meal + 6 tablespoons of water)
- 2 tablespoons nut/seed butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9"x 9" baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the sides with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, quinoa, sugar, baking powder, and hemp seeds.
- In a separate bowl, mix the banana, nut butter, flax eggs, lemon juice and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients, mixing everything together until fully incorporated. The batter should be moist, but not runny. Fold in the blueberries
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.
- Bake on the center rack for 25 - 35 minutes until the bars are golden brown and firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool completely in the pan, then remove and slice into squares (or rectangles). Store in an airtight container for 4 - 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hello! Can I use desiccated coconut instead of coconut sugar? (I can’t find the sugar where I live) or honey if that’s not sweet enough? Thanks 🙂
I think that would work 🙂 If you have a granular sugar you like to use, that would be a great substitution too!
Has anyone tried this with applesauce in place of bananas? If so would it be 1 cup?
It should work fine, but you might want to reduce by 1/4 cup!
These are delish! Thanks so much for this recipe!
You’re so welcome! Thrilled you enjoyed 🙂
Could I use frozen bananas that I’ve thawed (and removed excess moisture)? Or do you have any suggestions to use them up? I’m tired of smoothies and they are getting old in my freezer😞
Love your site…and love quinoa🥰🥰
It was good but I think it needed a little bit more of sweetness. The texture was different. I cooked it the day before and left it out to cool down. For dinner we tried it again but this time i put it in the fridge and added whipped cream on top. It tasted much better even the texture it was better. Thank you for the recipe.
Glad you enjoyed them! Since they’re breakfast bars, they’re not meant to be super sweet, but the whipped cream is a great addition to make them more dessert-like 🙂
Hi! Can you leave the lemon juice out? I don’t like the taste of lemons (or limes), but know that acids are often important to creating foods.
Definitely!
Finally, a handlheld breakfast I don’t feel bad about. These are great!
Some of the proportions didn’t quite work out for me, but I improvised and am very happy with this. I usually have everything but the fruits so it’s a great way to get those into my rotation. Thank you!
So glad you liked them! Would you mind sharing what didn’t work?
Hi, I was wondering if this recipe can be frozen? Thank you.
Yep, that should work!
These bars look great, thanks for sharing! I’m gluten sensitive and have started reacting to oats as well, do you think I could substitute the oats for quinoa flakes? Thanks! 🙂
Definitely!! You might want to toast them slightly to cut back on the bitterness, but I think it will still work!
Hi. I am a Type1 diabeticcand I grew up eating/loving blueberries that my family would buy from farmers’ markets near the beach. Anyways, i LOVE these gluten free Blueberry bars sooo much!!! Thank you for first posting this recipe to make and cook these blueberry bars!! They have proved not only delicious!, but a subtle yet strong help in not raising my blood glucose numbers very much! (((:
THANK YOU! Means the world to me that you’re able to find recipes that work for you lifestyle! xx
Hi Alyssa, thanks for sharing your recipes! I’ve loved every one that I’ve tried! I was wondering if you could use, or if you’ve tried using, old fashioned oats instead of quick cooking oats? Thanks!
Thanks, Sara!! I think it would work, but the cooking time will probably need to be increased because the oats are so much thicker. Keep me posted if you try it!
[…] Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Bars […]
I had some leftover cooked quinoa and some blueberries, so with some Pinterest searching I came across this recipe. I am excited to eat one of these for breakfast tomorrow. I didn’t have hemp seeds so I tossed in some chia seeds instead and they seem to work well. I also added some fresh raspberries in addition to the blueberries just because I had some. I am breastfeeding so these are perfect to help keep supply up and keep me full!
Sounds fabulous!! Let us know how they ended up 🙂
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[…] Find the recipe here. […]
I made this recipe as muffins instead of bars. I used frozen berries, blueberries, blackberries and grapes. Doubled the vanilla and reduced the sugar to 2 tbsp. Because I used frozen berries so I think it made the mixture too wet. I ended up having to bake them for an additional 15 mins. It was worth it…..really good.
Glad it still turned out!
I love this recipe! I have been making it for breakfast for the last couple months and my husband and I are still not sick of them! For those of us that try to keep our sugar down, I’ve made a few adjustments that have worked pretty well for me. I use 2 Tbsp of the coconut sugar instead of 1/3 C.Then, I replace 1/2c of the oats with 1/2 c of shredded unsweetened coconut and add some cinnamon to taste. I also cook the quinoa with a little bit of coconut oil and a tsp of the coconut sugar in the water. I think it is still plenty sweet but it cuts on the sugar, and possibly the calories! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you SO much for sharing your adjustments! Glad you’re enjoying them 🙂 xo
“…reference this recipe for how to make…”
what recipe???
Updated! It’s just a simple flax egg: 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water (multiplied by two for two eggs!)
[…] Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Bars | Simply Quinoa […]
Found them to be quite flavorless. Won’t make again.
Sorry you felt that way!
[…] 16. Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Bars […]
[…] Adapted from: https://www.simplyquinoa.com/blueberry-quinoa-breakfast-bars/ […]
Does the nut/seed butter and blueberry taste good together? I would probably use peanut butter. Will that taste good? Seems those two flavors aren’t commonly used together.
I think so 🙂
[…] Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Bars | Simply Quinoa […]
These look delicious! I’d make them right now, but my bananas aren’t nearly ripe enough. Would it work to use applesauce instead? Or is there another banana substitution for those of us whose families eat the bananas before they are ready to bake with? 🙂
It should work with applesauce!! xo
Can I use regular eggs instead of flax eggs?
Absolutely!
Hi! Any suggested substitutes for nut butter? Or can it be omitted completely?
Thanks!
I would use a seed butter if possible! I haven’t tested without using one, so I’m not sure!
Can you do a seed butter? Something like sunflower seed or tahini would work!
Hi! The hyperlink for the flax egg didn’t work for me, could someone direct me to the instructions?
Sorry about that! it’s just 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons of water mixed together 🙂
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[…] Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Bars | Simply Quinoa […]
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[…] is a great source of inspiration for recipe ideas, such as these wholesome overnight oats, blueberry & oat slice, and these banana & choc muffins are on my list to make! […]
[…] Quinoa Breakfast Bars | Simply Quinoa […]
WHERE HAS THIS RECIPE BEEN MY ENTIRE LIFE???
Equally easy and delicious.
Accidentally, reached for the almond extract instead of vanilla. Didn’t realize until I poured it. Still fab!
Oh yum!! That actually sounds awesome! I’m feeling like I need to make an almond joy version soon 😉
[…] a big fan of flapjacks and any other kind of sweet traybake really, I like the look of these Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Bars rather a […]