My kids have always loved cereal bars. I never got it…they were too sweet for me.
When we had to go gluten free, the options out there for this breakfast staple were pretty dismal.
Not only were they atrociously expensive, they left more than a little to be desired nutrition AND taste wise.
My kids couldn’t even go through one box. First, I couldn’t blame them! Secondly….they were not even kind of healthy at all!
Can gluten free cereal bars be made healthy?
They can!! Many commercial varieties have some major issues:
- expensive (at least the allergy friendly ones)
- loaded with sugar! A high sugar breakfast is not in the best interest of anyone, including our kids! Sugar is a short lived energy burst followed by an inevitable sugar crash. A balanced meal of slow burn high fiber carbs with some protein and healthy fats is a much better way to go.
- problematic ingredients: when conventional corn and wheat products are used, there is a high likelihood of their being GMO’s inside. For us, this a is a big problem as glyphosate residue in GMO crops in the US are often bed mates. I don’t think anyone could argue the damage that Roundup, in any amount ,can cause our guts!! My son is super sensitive to it.
But now I have something better to give them, and YOU do too! Meet the quintessential fruit filled cereal bar with no weird ingredients.
Wholesome nutrients and allergy free goodness are first and foremost here! Healthy fats, fiber, and some protein!!
Think Nutrigrain Bars…but healthier and tastier! Seems to me, that is a mom win!
These cereal bars took a lot tries to get right, therefore, I hope you think they’re worth it! Woot woot!!
Gluten free breakfast bar ingredient notes:
- Make your own oat flour by whirring rolled oats in a coffee grinder or blender, it’s easy and works great! A blender also works well! just note that the end texture will have more texture than professionally milled gluten free oat flour.
- When it comes to the jam filling, we have many options to choose from! Trader Joe’s make some great lower sugar jams that we love. St Dalfours brand has no added sugars and is sweetened with fruit juice only.
What if I have some extra dough leftover?
I use this same dough to make my gluten free emapanadas!! They are simple, wholesome, and totally delicious!
Want some more kid-friendly breakfast ideas with wholesome ingredients?
- These Oatmeal Muffins use whole rolled oats for a lovely, chewy texture.
- Totally grain free and nutrient dense: Paleo Maple Nut Porridge
- My creation of a childhood favorite: Cream of Not Wheat Cereal
- These egg muffins are a great way to make a protein rich breakfast…each family member getting their favorite add ins!
How to make gluten free cereal bars
Making these bars is not as fussy as you think!
I have learned a few tricks over the years to make rolling dough out much easier, check out my step by step pictures to get an idea of what my process looks like!
Tips detailed in the recipe card below.
Homemade Gluten Free Cereal Bars Recipe:
If you try these these homemade cereal bars, be sure to come back and leave a comment!
Healthy Fruit Cereal Bars - Gluten Free
An allergy friendly and wholesome gluten free cereal bar made at home!
Ingredients
Dry:
- 1 cup gluten free oat flour could whir rolled oats in blender to make your own: will have more texture.
- 1 cup teff flour or more oat or brown rice flour If you can do gluten, I imagine spelt, and whole wheat pastry flour would work great!
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup palm sugar or other granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons chia meal or flax meal
Wet:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or more if needed
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or other oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla optional
Filling:
- 2/3-1 cup favorite jelly I linked to brands I buy above in post. More or less ok!
Alternative Cooked Fruit Filling:
- 12 ounces berries fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons organic sugar to taste
- 3 tablespoons tapioca flour or other starch or 1.5 tablespoons chia seeds
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Grease an 8 x 8 pan or line with parchment paper.
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Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
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In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the wet ingredients. Pour into the dry mix and blend until a soft dough is formed. You may add a couple tablespoons milk or more applesauce if it is necessary. I use my hands to mix thoroughly and add more applesauce if the dough in a bit dry, you want it slightly sticky. Divide the dough in half.
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Place half the dough on a piece of parchment, place another piece of parchment over the top, and roll it out into a rough 8 x 8 square (the dough should be too wet to roll without the parchment on top). I have used plastic wrap, waxed paper, and a Silpat for this job too with success, just be sure you don't try and bake the plastic wrap or waxed paper!
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Invert the rolled dough into the pan (be sure to grease it if you are not using parchment paper), pressing and smooshing until the bottom crust is dispersed if needed. Gently remove the parchment.
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Spread your filling evenly over the bottom crust. The amount you use it totally up to your taste preference.
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Roll out the top crust in the same manner, and flip over onto the top of the filling. Press and smoosh with the parchment in place and then remove when you are happy! I have also just moved pieces of the dough and overlapped pieces as a top crust...works great too!
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Bake for 20-25 minutes until the center is just set.
Alternative Fruit Filling Directions
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Place all ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium low heat and simmer for multiple minutes.
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Once cooked through and thick, puree with an immersion blender for texture-averse kiddos! If you used chia seeds version, add after the fruit is cooked and let rest to thicken (suggest making this version ahead of time).
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This is the first time I’ve seen a homemade version of nutrigrain bars! I grew up on these, it’s fun to see how to make them from scratch.
I just made these tonight and they’re super delicious! I used millet and buckwheat flour. It was a little gooey to spread, but not too bad. We’ll definitely be enjoying these often!
Great Jamie!! We make them all the time to still…and yes, the dough IS sticky…but it keeps the end results very moist!
Makes sense! I’m new to gluten free flours so I wasn’t sure how the dough might have been different from using different flours than suggested. Thanks for the awesome recipe <3
Hi,
I was just curious if you know if these freeze well? And for a kiddo who can’t tolerate oats at all – including gluten free oats, would a different kind of gluten free flour work? I haven’t made that determination yet with my kiddo, but just in case thought I’d ask. Thanks!
Oh yes Kristina…I freeze them all the time, it is how I store most of my baked goods for freshness. I would use brown rice and maybe a little tapioca for the oat flour!
Found your site on Pinterest. Have made your cereal bars twice now with oat and brown rice flour. My daughter loves them. The recipe is quick and easy. Had wanted them for a quick breakfast idea for when we are running late but they don’t see to last long. Thank you.
I can’t deal with oats (heart attack symptoms!) too scary to try them. So just wondering what to replace it with and how much. Would like for like with a gluten free flour be fine. If I went a coconut flour route I guess I would need less? Need to wait now to get home to test it!
I would do half tapioca half brown rice Elinor. Oat flour lend elasticity, so that is the reason I suggest part tapioca. Do those subs work for you?
Tried these today with sugarless jam from our local Amish store…need to add more next time.
Very yummy, thanks for the recipe.
Do you have your honey sweetened jam recipe?
I can’t remember which jam recipe I used Michaela, maybe one from Whole Life Nutrition blog. I sometimes add more jelly too..it totally depends on which jelly (and how sweet it is) that I am using. Thanks for letting me know!
Darn it! I am using a brand new computer and printer, cannot get this to print!!!
darn technology Barb! Cut and paste always works for me too!
These look GREAT! Pinning for later! I think I’ll try apple butter in place of either/both apple sauce and jelly. It’s what I have on hand.
Hi Anjanette…apple butter should work great, however I would reduce the palm sugar in the crust as apple butter almost always has sugar… Do it to taste!
When I saw this on Healthy 2Day Wednesday I was like, “hmmm… I bet this is one of Tessa’s recipes!”
You always have such delicious-looking baked stuff. Thanks for sharing!
Pinning this one. I prefer cereal bars to regular granola bars… this might be what I’ve been looking for!
Very sweet Steph, thank you!
Amazing – thanks! Won’t show these to my boys—yet. :).
You made them Adrienne? or just liking the look of them?
These look scrumptious. Always looking for a new reasonable lunchbox treat and my little ones have gotten a little bored with mine. 🙂 These look like a nice alternative. Thanks!
Hi I’m hoping to make these tomorrow, but I have two quick questions. 1) Can I maybe use another egg-replacer in this recipes besides the flax and chia seeds? I can’t have either, but I can have xanthan gum or I also have Ener-g egg replacer. I was thinking about just using the Ener-g egg replacer, but I’m not sure how much would be equivalent to 2 tablespoons of flax or chia seeds. Or even with the xanthan gum, I’m not sure what the appropriate equivalent amount would be. 2) I have a huge bag of Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free quick cooking oats. Can I grind these to make oat flour even though they aren’t rolled oats? Hopefully you can help me figure out these substitutions and what not. Thanks!
Hi Dana! I would use couple teaspoons of egg replacer….or a 1/2 teaspoon of gum. The applesauce is a great binder…so those may not even be necessary!
Quick oats are always a great option too….they grind down into the same thing!
This recipe is AMAZING. It is a lot of work, but well worth it. I was tired of buying gluten free fruit bars for my kids – they are expensive, aren’t organic (main ingredient probably being GMO corn), and quite frankly they don’t taste good at all. This recipe rocks my world. I changed it up a bit; I doubled the recipe, and used ground pumpkin seeds and a bit of coconut flour instead of the teff flour. Yum, yum, yum yum. Thank you!
OO, I love your idea of adding pumpkin seeds Nicole! So glad you enjoy them as much as we do!
I just came across this recipe and it looks fantastic. I would like to make them without the sugar tho. Is the sugar totally necessary or could i use something else like coconut??
Hey Aleisha! You could replace up to half with stevia…use some applesauce in place of some if the oil…it is up to you and your tastes! Adding coconut would be fine too. I think the recipe would work without the sugar, just never tested it that way!
I’m thinking about using the dough for the base of pumpkin pie. Have you ever tried that? Just curious….Thanks.
Jennie
that would interesting..it is more cakey than shortbread/crust dense. You could also use the dough from the Amazing Allergen Free Choc. Chip Cookies…that is more of a shortbread texture. Let me know what you come up with!
Hi Tessa. I tried this with a chocolate butternut squash pie and the crust did taste “cakey”….but still delicious. I also made a pumpkin pie and used a recipe from the Spunky Coconut. http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2010/10/pumpkin-pie-egg-free-gluten-free-no.html
Since my daughter can’t have nuts, I subbed the almond meal for quinoa flour and added a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk. It didn’t roll out but I was able to press it into the pie dish well. I tasted it this morning and it was great. Happy Thanksgiving!
Woohoo! So glad you had success! Thanks for letting us know!
We recently went vegan and my kids love the cereal bars in the mornings so I was a little concerned about what to do, but my mom found this recipe and it was FANTASTIC. We ALL love them! We had to tweak it a little bit (difference in elevation perhaps?), but they are really great. I just wanted to leave you a comment and tell you how much I appreciated all the hard work you put in to perfecting this recipe and then sharing it with us so that I can reap the benefits! Thank you =)
and thank YOU Christine for taking the time to let me know! it’s comments that keep us bloggers fueled and affirmed! we adore this recipe too…I have been experimenting with different filling lately for fun….most recently a pumpkin butter filling!
If I wanted to omit oil do you have any recommendations for substitues??
sure, applesauce or prune puree Nichole!
hi. i’m new to your site, but i’m loving it so far. these bars look awesome, and i really think my kids will love them. i am a homemade kind of girl. i love to try new things and make things myself. we just found out my daughter can’t have wehat and dairy, or peanut and tree nuts. i’ve always wanted to make cereal bars for them instead of buying them, and now i actually need to. we can’t use the coconut oil. i saw that you said applesauce, how much should i use instead of the oil? i’m very excited to make these. i’m gonna get all the ingredients tonight and start testing tomorrow!
Hi kristin! The good news is that you were already homemade kind of girl…for people who have to transition from buying everything to making everything, it can be a tough transition! Why can’t you use coconut oil? It is not a tree nut…so just curious. You can also replace with any light-tasting oil you prefer (I like LIGHT olive oil), but any vegetable oil would work too. If you go the applesauce route, then use 1:1 ratio for the trade! I am here to help…it can be a bumpy road in the beginning as you get used to cooking with new ingredients that behave differently, but you can do it and the pay-offs are worth it!
I have been looking for a recipe that was like some of the bars I had while in England. These sound really close. I am going to add diced dried bing cherries to the dough and leave out the jam. Another option that sounds good to me is to use fig jam. Thanks for the recipe.
SOunds like a good idea Audrey! I also have a fig newton recipe, and have used fiig jam in this recipe too1 Lots of options, hope you get to try them!
BTW, do you have any ideas for a yogurt based filling (egg free)?
Looks great! How necessary is the flax/chia? Any recommended substitutions? My daughter is allergic to all seeds. Thanks!
Hi Jennie! flax and chia are binders…..I bet in this recipe you would be OK…you could also sub gum, maybe a half teaspoon!
Thanks! I’ll try it. 🙂
I tried it and it turned out great! I used 1 1/2 cup of oat flour and 1/2 cup of quinoa flour. I used a mango butter filling I bought at Trader Joes and my kids gobbled them up. Thanks for the great recipe!
Mmm..mango butter sounds fab Jennie! Glad you liked them!! I hadn’t thought of a yogurt filling before…buy now i am intrigued and will have to investigate!
These look great!! I can’t wait to try these for school snacks! How long do they stay fresh in the fridge?
i usually freeze individual portions for quick lunchbox stuffing Andrea…I haven’t tested the fridge yet! I have left them on the counter for a few days with no issues….
YUM! I’ve been spending a fortune on organic cereal bars for my kids that really weren’t that tasty. Homemade is so much better! Only problem now is I can’t keep out em 🙂
Thanks!!
I get it Janel…the one drawback to making all these healthier goodies..having yummy snacks around to gobble up all the time! So glad you like them, I appreciate you commenting and letting me know!
Wow those look wonderful. These would be great to travel with this summer. Love that you took this idea and made a healthy version. Bravo. Thank you for sharing it on Friday Foodie Fix.
Thank YOU Diane, excited to be particpating!
I just made these and they turned out great. Instead of brown rice flour I used King Arthur GF multipurpose flour mix. I was surprised and how good the batter tasted. I made the filling myself and even though it was a little runny it turned out fine once I baked it, I wish I had used more filling! Next time I will use some stuff to make jelly and put lots of it in there. really good recipe!
*note, I sprayed my fingers with pam spray and i was able to mash out the dough fine with my fingers. getting it into the pan from the parchment paper didn’t work, it flopped over but it was easy to press it into the pan and for the top crust it looked better but I still had to do some fixing. next time I will cut the dough in squares and put it over the top.
Thank you for taking the time to comment Aimee! I think I will be changing the recipe to include more filling…it kind of depends on the jelly….regular ole jelly is super sweet, so a little can work….but I love people’s idea of using a quick homemade jelly! So glad you like them…a favorite here too!
Just made these today – I'm the only gluten-free one in my family, but everyone loves them! For the filling I just cooked down frozen strawberries and raspberries with some arrowroot powder. I'm trying not to eat the whole pan!
I would use a mixture of oat flour and all-purpose, or all whole wheat pastry flour! Good luck!
We're not a gluten-free house, but I'd love to try this recipe! Can I use regular whole wheat flour, or do I need to get special pastry flour or whatnot?
Thanks!
Thanks you for telling me Marissa! What a fabulous idea to just cook down some whole fruit, I will try that next time!
I like the new look of your blog! It's lovely – and so are these wonderful cereal bars. I agree, the store bought ones are way too sweet, and your homemade version sounds delicious!
This looks fantastic! I am bookmarking this to totally make in the weekend. Thanks! =]
New to your page and this is the first thing I saw, yum! Looks amazing, can't wait to give them a try!
Made these and they are delish!!! Even the hubs thought they tasted like the store bought version!!!
Tessa!!!!
I don't know what to look at first, these bars or the site upgrade. Oh my goodness. Just beautiful. Eye candy – all of it! Great job Tessa!!
Hugs,
–Amber
These look delicious!
If only Laura…we'd have kiddos in a world of better sahpe to be their best…..sigh…in a dream world (at least mine!)
Tessa, You are such a genius in the kitchen. Now these are the kind of cereal bars that kids need to be eating and schools need to be serving! Your site's new look is fantastic!!
Your cereal bars look great! I like the new look of your blog.