These sweet potato oat bars are soft, chewy, and packed with cozy flavors. Made with mashed sweet potatoes, rolled oats, and dark chocolate chips, they’re the perfect balance of naturally sweet and hearty. Enjoy them for breakfast or as a quick snack, they’re a delicious way to use up leftover sweet potatoes!
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I love making homemade energy bars with staple pantry ingredients like these chewy granola bars with chocolate chips. They’re easy, customizable, and great for meal prep.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Soft & chewy texture:These sweet potato oat bars have the perfect balance of chewiness like these breakfast cookies with sweet potatoes, and a hint of sweet from dark chocolate chips like these banana oatmeal cookies with only 3 ingredients, and are lightly spiced with cinnamon.
- Naturally sweetened: With maple syrup, coconut sugar, and sweet potatoes, there’s no need for refined white sugar.
- Great for meal prep: Store them in an airtight container for a quick breakfast, snack, or dessert.
- Customizable oatmeal bars: Swap almond butter for peanut butter, add pumpkin seeds or dried fruit, or mix in coconut flakes for extra texture.
- Toddler-friendly: Soft and naturally sweet, these sweet potato snacks are great for picky eaters.
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make sweet potato oatmeal chocolate chip bars:
Ingredient Notes:
- Flax eggs: A blend of ground flax seeds and warm water helps bind the bars together and keeps them egg-free and plant-based. You can substitute with 2 regular eggs if not vegan.
- Mashed sweet potato puree: Use baked, steamed, or canned sweet potatoes for a naturally sweet flavor.
- Almond butter: Adds richness and helps hold everything together. Swap for peanut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter.
- Pure maple syrup & coconut sugar: Naturally sweetens the bars, adds moisture and a deeper caramel-like sweetness. Brown sugar also works.
- Coconut oil: Keeps the bars moist and soft. Swap for avocado oil or olive oil.
- Dairy-free milk: Almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk all work.
- Rolled oats: Old fashioned rolled oats gives the bars a hearty texture. Quick oats can work but won’t be as chewy.
- Oat flour: A naturally gluten-free flour that adds structure. You can blend rolled oats in a food processor to make homemade oat flour.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds cozy warmth to complement the sweet potatoes.
- Dark chocolate chips: Adds melty pockets of chocolate. Use dairy-free chocolate chips if needed.
- Optional toppings: extra chocolate chips, chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds, dried cherries or coconut flakes.
See recipe card below for all ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Sweet Potato Oat Bars
Wet Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed sweet potato puree, almond butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, dairy-free milk, prepared flax eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Dry Ingredients
Add the rolled oats, oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and sea salt, and mix until combined.
Fold
Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Bake
Pour into 8" square parchment lined pan and bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350°F hot oven until the edges are golden brown.
Cool & Slice
Let the bars cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to cool completely before slicing into bars.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients: This ensures even mixing and a smoother texture.
- Blend oats for oat flour: If you don’t have oat flour, pulse the same weight in rolled oats in a food processor until fine.
- Customize the texture: For softer bars, add an extra tablespoon of dairy-free milk. For firmer bars, add 1-2 extra tablespoons of oat flour.
Common Questions
If you're roasting sweet potatoes, poke a few holes in them to let the steam escape. Bake whole at 400°F for about 45-50 minutes, or until they're soft enough to pierce easily with a fork. Mash or mix in a food processor.
For steaming, simply peel and chop the sweet potatoes into chunks, then steam until tender. Once they're soft, mash them up until smooth.
If you're short on time, the microwave is a quick option. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes, place on a paper towel, and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Flip them over and microwave for another 2 minutes. Keep going in short bursts until fork-tender. Mash or mix in a food processor.
Serving Suggestions
- Drizzle with nut butter: A spoonful of creamy almond or peanut butter adds richness.
- Use as a crumble topping: Crumble over yogurt, or in overnight oats with mango and coconut.
- Pair with coffee or tea: Enjoy as an afternoon snack.
- Top with coconut whipped cream: A fun way to serve them as a dessert. Or top with strawberry frosting made with coconut oil for a little something special.
Storage Tips
- Refrigerator: Store bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Place bars in a freezer-safe bag with parchment paper between layers, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before serving.
More Gluten-Free Bars You'll Love
Recipe
Sweet Potato Oat Bars
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 flax eggs - 2 tablespoons ground flax + 5 tablespoons warm water, set for 15 minutes
- 5 tablespoons warm water
- ¾ cup (210 grams) mashed sweet potato puree
- ¼ cup (63 grams) almond butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup (80 grams) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- ¼ cup (40 grams) coconut sugar
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup dairy-free milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup (165 grams) rolled oats
- 1 cup (90 grams) oat flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (90 grams) dark chocolate chips, plus extra for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed sweet potato, almond butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, dairy-free milk, prepared flax eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.2 flax eggs - 2 tablespoons ground flax + 5 tablespoons warm water, set for 15 minutes, ¾ cup (210 grams) mashed sweet potato puree, ¼ cup (63 grams) almond butter, ¼ cup (80 grams) pure maple syrup, ¼ cup (40 grams) coconut sugar, ¼ cup coconut oil, ¼ cup dairy-free milk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the rolled oats, oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and sea salt, and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.1 ½ cup (165 grams) rolled oats, 1 cup (90 grams) oat flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ cup (90 grams) dark chocolate chips
- Transfer batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top is using.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the bars cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to cool completely before slicing into bars.
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Notes
- If you're roasting sweet potatoes, poke a few holes in them to let the steam escape. Bake whole at 400°F for about 45-50 minutes, or until they're soft enough to pierce easily with a fork.
- For steaming, simply peel and chop the sweet potatoes into chunks, then steam until tender.
- If you're short on time, the microwave is a quick option. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes, place them on a paper towel, and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Flip them over and microwave for another 2 minutes. Keep going in short bursts until they're fork-tender.
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