Name: Pumpkin Spice Pecan Baked Oatmeal Bars with Cashew Maple Icing (Vegan)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups large flake rolled oats, divided; 1/2 cup toasted pecans; 1/2 cup soft pitted Medjool dates; 1 cup pumpkin puree; 2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened; 2 tablespoons chia seeds; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ginger; 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/8 teaspoon cloves; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons maple syrup; 1/3 cup non-dairy milk; 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar (see note for how to make); 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 45 minutes and drained; 3 tablespoons maple syrup; 2 teaspoons lemon juice; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Pinch of sea salt; 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

These vegan and gluten-free pumpkin spice pecan baked oatmeal bars with cashew maple icing are the perfect cozy breakfast to enjoy this week. They are made with healthy, wholesome ingredients including rolled oats, pecans, dates, pumpkin, chia seeds, coconut oil, spices, and maple syrup. The simple cashew icing is totally optional, but highly recommended.

Happy November, everyone! I’m finding it very hard to believe that it is already November 1st. Anyone else? I’m sharing a wholesome, healthy fall breakfast today; one that I hope you will enjoy just as much as my family and I do!

A funny thing about blogging is that some of the recipes that I don’t think will perform well or be all that popular end up being the ones that get the most social media shares and page views. These include my Moroccan Lentil Carrot Salad, Raw Vegan Banana Cream Pie, and Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Bars.

The popularity of my carrot cake oatmeal breakfast bars totally caught me off guard, but it has shown me that people out in the world really appreciate healthy, make-ahead portable oatmeal options for breakfast.

It felt appropriate to come up with some new baked oatmeal bar flavours for you all to try, starting with pumpkin spice. I think you will love these bars. For one, they’re sweetened with dates and just a touch of maple syrup. They’re packed with healthy ingredients, such as rolled oats, pecans, pumpkin, spices, chia seeds, and coconut oil. And they’re made in your food processor, so you won’t have to dirty a bunch of dishes.

The icing just makes them that much more special. It was a bit of an afterthought, and it is technically optional. But if you do have an extra five minutes, you must make it. It only requires a blender and five ingredients: soaked cashews, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and non-dairy milk… plus a pinch of salt. It’s creamy, a touch sweet, and tangy… kind of like a cream cheese icing, only vegan and packed with nutrients.

here are the ingredients you’ll need:

For the pumpkin spice pecan oatmeal bars, you’ll need rolled oats, toasted pecans, Medjool dates, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, chia seeds, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, sea salt, vanilla, maple syrup, non-dairy milk, and cinnamon sugar.

For the cashew icing, you’ll need raw cashews, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, sea salt, and non-dairy milk.

how to make these baked oatmeal bars:

Make the baked oatmeal bars: Preheat the oven to 350 F and line an 8×8-inch glass baking dish with parchment paper. (Leave some overhang so that you can lift it out of the pan after.)

In a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade, combine 2 cups of the oats and the pecans and process into a meal. Add the dates, pumpkin, coconut oil, chia seeds, spices, salt, vanilla, maple syrup, and non-dairy milk. Process until almost smooth. Some texture is fine. Add the remaining ½ cup of oats and pulse a couple of times to incorporate.

Scoop the dough into the prepared baking dish. It will be quite sticky, so wet your hands and press down into an even layer that covers the whole pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired, and lightly press it into the dough.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the bar cool in the pan for 20 minutes before lifting it out and transferring it onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Make the cashew icing: In a blender, combine the cashews, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and non-dairy milk. Blend until very smooth. This might take a couple of minutes; I recommend using a high powdered blender, such as a Vitamix or Blendtec, for best results. You can also use the food processor, but it won’t get super smooth.

Once the oatmeal bar has cooled completely, spread the cashew icing over top, slice, and enjoy with some fresh fruit. Pomegranate arils make for a beautiful accompaniment!

a few final thoughts and tips

To make these nut-free, replace the pecans with ½ cup toasted sunflower seeds or pepitas.
If you skip the cashew icing, spread some nut or seed butter and jam or apple butter over top right before enjoying for some extra sustenance. Greek yogurt with a drizzle of maple syrup would also be a nice accompaniment.

more healthy oatmeal breakfast recipes

I hope that you love these vegan pumpkin spice pecan oatmeal breakfast bars! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made.

Finally, I’ll be back tomorrow with a favourite fall harvest beet, pomegranate, and apple kale salad recipe.

Enjoy!