Classic Oat Date Bars (Gluten-Free Option)
I love these highly addictive and decadent oat date bars. My mom has been making these amazing dessert bars for years. She got the original oatmeal date bars recipe from a cookbook that she received while attending college in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I made a few minor changes and added fresh orange zest to the recipe. Make these bars and watch them disappear.
My mom and I share a love for baking. There is nothing more comforting than the smell of baked goods in the kitchen. The homey aroma of fresh bread, pies, cookies, and cakes makes me happy. It also reminds me of my childhood. These kinds of sweet memories are some of the best memories.
If you are not a fan of dates, you can substitute the date filling for a fruit jam filling (raspberry, blackberry, strawberry jam, etc).
These bars are also great lunch box snacks for the kids. Dates are good for you, too, full of good nutrients, like fiber, magnesium B6, and iron. These oatmeal date bars are still great even though I cut out some of the added sugar content in the original version, since dates are naturally very sweet you don’t really need that much. Enjoy~
How to make Oat Date Bars
Boil together:
1 cup of chopped, pitted dates (tightly packed)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp fresh orange zest
Mix together:
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour- can also use whole wheat pastry flour, or King Arthur cup-for-cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 tbsp real maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
Combine dates, 1/2 cup brown sugar, zest and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until thickened.
*Printable recipe below
Into the pot and boiling…
Thickened and ready to cool.
Cool the mixture completely and combine the remaining ingredients for the oat mixture in the order given. Mix thoroughly.
Pack half of the oat mixture in a 9×13 pan sprayed with olive oil cooking spray or lightly greased with butter, pressing lightly.
Spread the date mixture over the top.
Top with the other half of the oatmeal mixture, pressing lightly.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until lightly golden on top. Remove the bars from the oven and cut into squares while warm. My kids love these oatmeal date bars for breakfast or a snack.
These date oatmeal bars are so delicious with a tall, cold glass of milk!
Storing
These oatmeal date bars freeze beautifully. Store them in an airtight container in the freezer, so they’re ready to pop out for a quick snack.
If bar cookies are your jam, also check out these Paleo Dark Chocolate Nutty Bars!
If you love this Medjool date bars recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a 5-star 🌟 rating in the recipe card below. I love reading your comments and feedback!
Stay posted on my latest cooking adventures through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Also, don’t forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!
Classic Oat Date Bars
Ingredients
- Boil together:
- 1 cup dates pitted and chopped
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp fresh orange zest
- Mix together:
- 2 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour *can also use whole wheat pastry flour or cup-for-cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar *I often cut this to 1/2 cup to cut the sweetness
- 1 tbsp real maple syrup
- 1 cup butter softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
Instructions
- Combine dates, 1/2 cup brown sugar, orange zest and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until thickened to a spreadable texture.
- Cool mixture completely and combine remaining ingredients in order given.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Pack one-half of the mixture in a 9×13 pan sprayed generously with cooking spray or lightly greased with butter, pressing lightly.
- Spread date mixture over top.
- Top with the other half of oatmeal mixture, pressing lightly.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until lightly golden on top.
- Remove from the oven
- and cut into squares while warm.
Nutrition
- Reese’s PB Overnight Oats - June 23, 2025
- Sweet Potato Kefir Pancakes (Gluten-Free) - June 16, 2025
- Boursin Tomato Pasta (Healthy & High Protein) - June 9, 2025
I can’t stop eating these.
Lol, so glad you love them!
May I sub coconut oil for butter? Thanks!
Hi Josie! Yes, that will definitely work but change the flavor profile a bit.
I really want to make these but my husband and I try to avoid butter and oils as much as possible. do you think I could substitute half of the butter for applesauce?
Hi Lisa! That should work fine, but I have tested it out for consistency and flavor. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out with the changes!
I can’t wait to try these. They look sooo… good! I have a recipe for fig bars that I’ll have to give you. They’re low in sugar and taste like a fig newton.
Please share the fig bar recipe. I have a fig tree now and I need some good fig recipes. I love them!!