These apple bars are packed with nutritious ingredients and topped with a vegan caramel sauce. They are vegan and gluten free.
What you will need
Crust Ingredients
- oats: I used old-fashioned oats for this recipe.
- almond flour: blanched almond flour works best.
- cinnamon
- baking powder
- maple syrup: agave, honey, or another liquid sweetener will also work.
- coconut oil: vegan butter will also work.
- vanilla
- dash of salt
Filling Ingredients
- apples: any apples will work. I love using honeycrisp.
- lemon
- coconut sugar: any granulated sugar will work such as white, cane sugar, or brown sugar.
- vanilla
- cinnamon
- cornstarch
Caramel Sauce Ingredients
- coconut cream: Coconut cream comes in a can. This is the brand I like. For this recipe, you will need to refrigerate the coconut cream overnight. Once you remove it from the fridge, open it and only scoop out the solid part that has formed at the top. Do not use any of the water.
- coconut sugar: again, any granulated sugar will work, but I love using coconut sugar because of the unique flavor that it gives to this recipe.
- cornstarch
- vanilla
- salt
How to make the apple bars
Start by making the crust. In a large bowl, combine the oats, almond flour, baking powder, maple, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Mix them well.
Line the bottom of a baking dish with parchment paper and grease it lightly with some coconut oil.
Add the crust to the pan, but save about ½ of the mixture for the top layer.
Use a spatula or your fingers to pat down the crust until you have a tightly packed, even layer.
Now it's time to make your filling. Cut and peel the apples, then slice them as thin as you can.
To a pan over medium heat, add the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, coconut sugar, and vanilla.
Cook the apples for 3-4 minutes, then add in the cornstarch. Stir everything together for another minute, then remove from heat.
Pour the apple filling on top of the layer of crust. Use a spatula to make sure it's even.
Add the remaining half of crust on top of the apples.
Bake the bars for 30-35 minutes at 400F/ 200C.
Remove from the oven and give the bars plenty of time to cool so that the filling can set.
I sliced mine into smaller squares and made 9 bars with this recipe. Store it in the fridge for 5-6 days.
Video
If you liked this recipe, you might also like these other fruity oat desserts:
Easiest Apple Bars (with Vegan Caramel Sauce)
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup oats 180 g
- 1 ½ cup almond flour 180 g
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- dash of salt
Filling Ingredients
- 3 medium sized apples 510 g
- juice of ½ lemon
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
Caramel Sauce Ingredients
- ⅓ cup coconut cream 100 g
- ½ cup coconut sugar 100 g
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Start by making the crust. In a large bowl, combine the oats, almond flour, baking powder, maple, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Mix them well.
- Line the bottom of a baking dish with parchment paper and grease it lightly with some coconut oil.
- Add the crust to the pan, but save about ½ of the mixture for the top layer.
- Use a spatula or your fingers to pat down the crust until you have a tightly packed, even layer.
- Now it's time to make your filling. Cut and peel the apples, then slice them as thin as you can.
- To a bowl, add the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, coconut sugar, and vanilla.
- Transfer the apple filling to a pan over medium heat. Cook the apples for 3-4 minutes, then add in the cornstarch. Stir everything together for another minute, then remove from heat.
- Pour the apple filling on top of the layer of crust. Use a spatula to make sure it's even.
- Add the remaining half of crust on top of the apples.
- Bake the bars for 30-35 minutes at 400*F/ 200*C.
- Now it's time to make the vegan caramel topping. To a small pan over medium heat, add the coconut cream that you scooped out from the can of coconut milk. After it has started to melt, add in the coconut sugar.
- Stir them together consistently until the mixture starts to bubble. Turn off the heat and add in the vanilla, salt, and cornstarch. Whisk them together, making sure to break up any cornstarch clumps.
- Transfer the caramel into a jar and place it in the fridge for it to cool and harden a bit.
- Remove from the oven and give the bars plenty of time to cool so that the filling can set.
- Once the bars have cooled, top them with the caramel sauce.
- I sliced mine into smaller squares and made 9 bars with this recipe. Store it in the fridge for 5-6 days.
Katy
Hi there! I noticed both here and on your Pinterest post for this recipe there are no directions for making the caramel sauce. Could you please add them? This recipe looks great and I look forward to making it. Thanks!
Gaby Dimova
Hi there! The caramel ingredients are actually in the recipe card! (all the way at the bottom under caramel sauce ingredients) but I'm going to paste them here as well 🙂
Caramel Sauce Ingredients
1/3 cup coconut cream 100 g
1/2 cup coconut sugar 100 g
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
Dee
Do you cook the sauce?
or just mix the ingredients?
When to pour on the bars? after the come out of the oven? or wait a while?
So excited to try this!
Thank you,
Gaby Dimova
Hi there! Thank you for your questions! I just updated the recipe card to include all of the directions for the caramel sauce- I apologize I had forgotten to add them before ! 🙂 I hope you give the recipe a try!
Ellen
Ingredients are there but no directions. Do you just mix ingredients together? Heat it up? Etc. thanks!
Gaby Dimova
Hi there! Just added the directions in the recipe card- thank you so much for pointing out that I didnt have them 🙂
Amy
Looking for the actual recipe for the caramel, not the ingredients!
Gaby Dimova
Oh my gosh I really appreciate you pointing out that I didn't have those! I was so sure that I did! However I have added them now, thank you 🙂 I'm pasting them here for you as well!
Now it's time to make the vegan caramel topping. To a small pan over medium heat, add the coconut cream that you scooped out from the can of coconut milk. After it has started to melt, add in the coconut sugar.
Stir them together consistently until the mixture starts to bubble. Turn off the heat and add in the vanilla, salt, and cornstarch. Whisk them together, making sure to break up any cornstarch clumps.
Transfer the caramel into a jar and place it in the fridge for it to cool and harden a bit.