Porridge oatmeal bars recipe

Our porridge oatmeal bars are only 153 calories per portion making them a great breakfast option or if you need a post-workout energy boost. 

These porridge oatmeal bars are a healthier alternative to flapjacks but have lots of the same ingredients. Mummy blogger Anneliese Giggins wrote the recipe for these porridge oatmeal bars and says they are a fabulous option for kids. 

She explains: ‘I find weekday breakfasts a tad stressful. Attempting to get out of the door to pre-school is enough to send my blood pressure sky high. Breakfast cereal or toast is left half eaten and my little boy goes to pre-school with hardly anything in his tummy. Not good! I believe breakfast bars to be the way forward. They are so easy for my boys to eat. Plus, they are packed full of nutritional goodness and provide plenty of energy to get the boys through to snack time. Some homemade breakfast bars tend to fall apart when sliced, so I came up with these porridge bars and they hold together beautifully. The bars have an almost cake-like texture - an added bonus.’

Ingredients

• 130g rolled oats
• 5 dried apricots
• 25g dried cranberries
• 30g raisins or sultanas
• 20g chopped mixed nuts (optional)
• 15g sunflower seeds
• 10g pumpkin seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 300ml milk
• 1 large egg
• 1-2 tbsp runny honey (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4) and line the base and sides of a 23cm x 23cm square baking tin with greaseproof or parchment paper.
2. Combine the oats, apricots, cranberries, raisins, nuts and seeds in a large mixing bowl.
3. Sprinkle over the ground cinnamon, then give everything a good mix.
4. In a jug or bowl, mix the milk with the egg, honey and vanilla extract. Whisk briefly with a fork so that everything is combined.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix thoroughly. Don’t worry if it looks very wet. Leave the mixture to sit for 10 minutes to allow the oats to absorb the liquid.
6. Transfer the mixture to your prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until the mixture is set and golden in colour.
7. Leave the porridge oatmeal bars to cool completely then once cold slice into bars.

Top tips for making porridge oatmeal bars

Not only are these oaty porridge bars great for breakfast on the run but they are also very handy for those of us watching our weight as they contain no added sugar or butter. We have lots of advice if you want to get the kids involved when making these bars and can also help if you’re not sure at what age your little ones can eat nuts and seeds. 

We recommend storing the porridge oatmeal bars in an airtight container once baked but to take them on a picnic you might like to use a Beeswax wrap instead of clingfilm. It is better for the environment and less bulky than tupperware. 

Beeswax Wraps set of 6 - View at Amazon

Available in an assortment of sizes and patterns, this set of beeswax wraps it a great starter kit. You can use the wraps to store things like cheese in the fridge or to secure sandwiches and snacks for a picnic. They are easy to clean and reuse which is great for the environment. 

Porridge is cheap and easy to make but for a more exciting breakfast, make our healthy flapjack recipe. Alternatively, our granola bar recipe is inspired by the flavours of the popular breakfast cereal but makes a delicious treat which can be enjoyed in the afternoon.