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These Oatmeal Fig Bars are one of my favorite ways to use fresh figs! These gluten-free + vegan bars taste like healthy Fig Neutons, but without the guilt or refined sugar. Enjoy them for breakfast or as an easy healthy snack!
Are you a fig lover, like me? There are SO many fig trees that grow all around San Diego. I see beautiful fig trees loaded with figs in my neighbor’s yards, and my jealousy ABOUNDS. One day, I too shall grow my own beautiful fig trees and have bounties of figs to make fig bars with. I hope one day I get to wonder, what can I do with lots of fresh figs?! A beautiful problem to have. Maybe you already grow your own figs and you’ve got a plethora you don’t know what to do with…if so, this recipe is for you!
But for now, I go on a fig hunt to the local grocery stores. Luckily, I found a BIG container at Costco, so these new-favorite Oatmeal Fig Bars were in order! They are SO good, easy to make, and the perfect way to use all your fresh figs.
If you’re a Fig Neuton fan, you’ll definitely love these Oatmeal Fig Bars. They’re not Fig Neuton copycats exactly – I wasn’t going for that at all in developing the recipe, but they have a similar taste to them. I think these have a leg up though, in the form of a crumbly oatmeal crust.
How do we make these Oatmeal Fig Bars?
These are made up of the most delicious oatmeal crust paired with a sticky-sweet fig filling. The oatmeal crust dough comes together quickly and easily, and it also doubles as the crumble topping.
For the crust ingredients, you’ll need the following:
- Almond Flour: or any other nut flour, or oat flour! If you’re not gluten-free, all-purpose flour works great here too.
- Tapioca Flour: also known as tapioca starch. This can be substituted for any other starches you have on hand, like potato starch, arrowroot, or cornstarch.
- Old-Fashioned Oats: make sure to seek out gluten-free certified oats to ensure the recipe stays gluten-free if needed.
- Baking Soda & Salt: for a better texture and flavor!
- Coconut Sugar: I love using this refined sugar-free sweetener, but brown sugar works just as well.
- Maple Syrup: This helps bind the crust together and adds a beautiful maple flavor.
- Coconut Oil: Use refined coconut oil for no coconut flavor, or substitute your favorite butter, either a vegan option or dairy butter.
How to make the fig jam filling:
The fresh fig filling is simple. To make it, we’ll lightly sweeten the fresh, chopped figs with maple syrup and cook them down until thick and jammy. At the end of cooking, you’ll stir in vanilla extract, lemon zest, and juice. They add SO much flavor and brightness to the bars.
How to store oatmeal fig bars:
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can also store them in the freezer for up to six months.
I prefer these fig bars straight out of the fridge when the fig filling is cold and thick with a little bit of bite to it. Though they’re also fabulous at room temperature, just a whole lot gooier.
This oatmeal fig bar recipe is gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan, so I’ve got no shame in admitting they were a morning snack! These are a worthy way of using your much-cherished fresh figs. They’re reminiscent of all-time-favorite Fig Newtons, but a much fresher and healthier version. They are delightfully crispy, with a hearty oat flavor and a sticky fig center. You’re going to LOVE these homemade fig bars – enjoy!
P.S. Can’t get your hands on fresh figs? You can use about 8 ounces of dried figs to replace 1 pound of fresh figs (since dried figs are more concentrated and lighter). To rehydrate, chop the dried figs well and soak them in warm water, fruit juice, or wine for 30 minutes, or until plump and soft. Drain well before using and continue with the recipe. You can skip the simmer and just mix the filling ingredients in.
More recipes to try:
Cinnamon Fig Chia Pudding u0026amp; Oat Breakfast Parfaits
These Cinnamon Fig Chia Pudding u0026amp; Overnight Oat Breakfast Parfaits are a delicious make-ahead breakfast that you’ll love to have ready to go in your freezer! The fresh figs are such a scrumptious and beautiful treat in this gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan breakfast.
Plum Crumble Bars (Gluten Free + Vegan)
These Plum Crumble Bars have a delicious oatmeal crust and crumble topping that’s filled with a simple plum jam. These simple bars highlight one of the summer’s best stone fruits in a delicious gluten-free and vegan dessert.
Gluten-Free Vegan Peach Crisp
This Gluten-Free u0026amp; Vegan Peach Crisp recipe is a healthy summer staple! The fresh peaches are baked until bubbling and perfectly complemented by the pecan oatmeal topping. Top with a scoop of ice cream for the perfect dessert or with plain yogurt for a healthy breakfast.
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Fig Bars (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ripe figs, washed, stems removed and chopped
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, plus the zest of the lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crust
- 1½ cups gluten free rolled oats
- ⅔ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup tapioca flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and grease with non-stick spray.
- Start by making the fig jam filling. In a medium or large pot, combine figs and maple syrup over medium heat, stirring occasionally until bubbling and thickened (15-20 minutes). Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the mixture is sticking to the sides or burning at all. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Let cool while preparing the oatmeal crust.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together oats, almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Add melted coconut oil and maple syrup to oat mixture and stir until combined.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of the oatmeal crumble and press the remaining oat mixture firmly into the prepared baking pan. The mixture needs to be well pressed in to avoid crumbling.
- Next, carefully spread the crust with the fig mixture. Crumble the remaining oat mixture evenly over the fig mixture and pat it down firmly to press the crumble into the fig jam.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into 16 equal squares – I like refrigerating mine before cutting to help them keep their shape more easily. They can crumble if cut when warm. Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
Hi Rachel,
I made these today and while the bars tasted great, I noticed that some parts of the crust had blue-ish black mold-like particles (are these molds?). I literally just left it on the counter to cool down for maybe an hour and when I was about to cut it down, voila! Seem to have developed molds that quick! Was I supposed to put it in the fridge as soon as it is cooled down? Can I still eat this (though I did taste it already)?
Thanks,
Michelle
Thanks,
Michelle
Hi Michelle…that’s so odd! There’s pretty much no chance that it could’ve developed mold within an hour. I’ve never had anything like that happen, so I’m not at all sure what that could be from. Were all the ingredients that you used fresh? Sorry I can’t be more help – without being in the kitchen and seeing it, I honestly have no idea what any blue-ish black particles could be from.
:-/
The figs were just one day old and were still plump. I checked them today and broke into the layers- it may have been the skin. I was wondering if you used green figs for this recipe? I used purple ones.
Thanks.
I noticed that the black specks were in the middle of the filling and the crust..
I think I know what you are talking about. When I left my fig bars to cool down, I noticed some darkish parts that look like bluish black mold. It’s actually more on the black side. It’s not mold! It’s the fig fruits that bubbled out between the oats and almond flour mixture that got toasted. :-)
Thanks for sharing!!
I’m eating a lot of fresh figs this summer as my parents have a fig tree in their garden that is giving us so many figs we can’t keep up! I think I need to make these bars as they look soooo delicious, yum! :-) As for the instagram stories, I think it will be almost impossible to post quality content on both that and snapchat so I think I’ll do everything in one app as it’s much easier that way and also many more followers see instagram stories than snapchat. I do have to say that I feel kind of bad for people from Snapchat as instagram basically took their whole concept and that’s not very nice! :/
These have been on my mind ever since I first saw them on your blog. I love and miss fig newtons! Since fresh fig season has passed here, I am going to try to make them with an imported Italian fig jam that I just found last week. Hopefully that will work!
Fig jam would be a delicious filling as well, Carol! It would definitely work here – just replace the whole filling step with the jam. I hope you love them :)
Hi, I’m wanting to make these bars, but I only have fig puree from fresh figs I had this summer. Do you know approximately how much 1 pound of figs cools down to? They look yummy- can’t wait to make! thank you!
Hi Sarah, you know, I should have taken note of that when I made them! I want to say it was around 1 cup though. I’d start with that amount and add a bit more if you need it to cover the bottom. Sorry I don’t have a more precise answer. If you make them, I’d love an update with how much you used!
These taste great! I’m lucky enough to have a big fig tree in my backyard and the figs this year are huge. I will be baking more. Yes, they are yummy straight from the fridge! Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Leslie, I’m so glad you enjoyed these bars…and I’m also so jealous of your fig tree! Hope you enjoy many of these bars this fig season :)
Hi Rachel, from Dylan’s mom, and one of your long-time fans:)
Can I sub anything for the tapioca flour? Oat flour, maybe? And butter would work instead of coconut oil, right?
You make everything look like it’s the best thing I’ll ever eat:)
Hi Kim! Hope you’re doing well :) Oat flour should work fine in place of the tapioca flour and butter will definitely work instead of the coconut oil. I hope you love them, thanks so much for your kind words! xoxo
I made these today, following the recipe exactly with one minor exception. Instead of tapioca, I used arrowroot (2 tablespoons & 2 teaspoons). It’s a good binding agent replacement. Also, I waited till figs were extremely ripe! This recipe is a keeper!
I’m so thrilled you’re enjoying them, Kimberly! Reminding me I need to make a batch soon ;)
Can you substitute the almond flour for coconut flour? I’m allergic to almonds
I’d recommend using a different kind of nut flour – coconut flour is much more absorbent than almond flour and won’t perform the same way.
These were easy, super delicious, and used lots of our super, duper ripe King figs! I added just a sprinkle of cinnamon and clove, doubled the recipe, but didn’t double the lemon ’cause my hubby isn’t a huge sweet lemon fan. Great for our vegan diet and pals eliminating processed sugar and gluten! Yippeeee! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so jealous of your figs! So glad you enjoyed the bars. Thanks for your feedback, Dana.
I didn’t see a reply if dried figs could be used. Yes?
Hi Brenda, I haven’t made them that way but I’d recommend rehydrating them in hot water before using. Enjoy!