Healthy apple flapjacks are sugar free oat bars, naturally sweetened with apple sauce and cinnamon. These moist apple flapjacks are soft and chewy. They are great for a healthy energy snack, on-the-go breakfast or a healthy lunchbox treat.
Reader Review
"Delicious. Really lovely texture and taste. Just the right side of healthy!"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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What you'll love about the recipe
- Healthy apple flapjacks taste like apple crumble. They are satisfying, and the protein and fibre in wholegrain oats will keep you (or your kids) feeling full and energised.
- Unlike traditional flapjack recipes, these healthy flapjacks are low in added sugar and refined sugar-free. The natural sweetness comes from apple puree (or apple sauce), cinnamon and a little honey. There is no golden syrup in the recipe.
- Healthy apple oat flapjacks are dairy-free, with no butter, but the applesauce keeps them deliciously moist. There is no peanut butter in the recipe, just a little olive oil.
- Healthy apple flapjacks with cinnamon are allergy-friendly as they are gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free.
- Quick to make, this is a simple, easy flapjack recipe with just 5 ingredients
You might also like these healthy apple crumble slices. They've got a flapjack layer on the top and bottom with a layer of cooked apple through the centre. They contain a little more butter and honey than these healthy apple flapjacks but they are still made without refined sugar or flour.
Ingredients for sugar free apple flapjacks
Oats. You'll need porridge or rolled oats to make the best apple flapjacks. Instant oats are too powdery. You could use jumbo oats in this recipe, but the flapjacks will be quite chewy.
For gluten free apple flapjacks, make sure that you use certified GF oats which have been processed in a gluten free environment.
Oats are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are also rich in beta glucans which is known for its health benefits.
Unsweetened applesauce. This adds moisture and sweetness to the flapjacks. If you need to make applesauce for this recipe, peel and core one large apple. Add a splash of water, and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes until soft. Mash with a fork. You can also make a large batch of applesauce in the slow cooker.
Honey adds a little extra sweetness to this low sugar flapjack. You could also use molasses instead of honey. Molasses add a lovely caramel sweetness. Maple syrup also adds a lovely flavour, and is ideal if you want vegan apple flapjacks.
Olive oil. You can replace the olive oil with melted butter or coconut oil if you prefer.
Desiccated coconut (optional). This type of coconut is drier in texture than shredded coconut and is unsweetened. It is usually available in the baking aisle of supermarkets.
Omit the desiccated coconut if you prefer. You could either add an extra quarter cup of oats in its place, or ground almonds.
Ground cinnamon goes really well with the flavour of apple. Omit, or change the spices if you prefer. Mixed spice would work perfectly.
You can also use a similar combination of ingredients to make these healthy oat and raisin cookies, or low sugar Anzac biscuits.
Variations
It's easy to vary the basic recipe if you want to experiment
- If you don't have apple sauce, you could use mashed banana instead (1 large banana is about half a cup). See the full recipe for healthy banana flapjacks.
- Add sultanas or other chopped dried fruit such as dates or apricots. Sultana, apple and cinnamon flapjacks are delicious
- Add nuts or seeds for extra crunch
You might also like to try this healthy strawberry flapjacks recipe. Or browse these 14 different healthy oat flapjack recipes.
If you are in a rush and don't have time to switch on the oven, try these no-bake flapjacks.
How to make healthy apple flapjacks
This easy apple sauce flapjack recipe takes just a few minutes to mix together in one bowl.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan). Line the base of a 1lb/450 g loaf tin or 20 x 10cm baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Add the applesauce, olive oil and honey to a bowl and stir to mix.
Add the oats, coconut if using, and ground cinnamon. Stir well.
Spoon the mixture into the lined tin, and smooth level with the back of the spoon. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.
Leave to cool in the tin and cut into 6 apple flapjack bars or squares.
Storage
Healthy apple flapjacks will store well in an airtight container for a few days, making them an ideal make-ahead healthy snack.
If you want to store them for longer, wrap them well and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Frequently asked questions
One of these healthy apple flapjacks has 138 calories. They are lower in calories than many flapjacks as they are low in fat and sugar.
Yes, applesauce flapjacks freeze well. Make sure that they are well wrapped. If you want to defrost individual flapjacks, wrap them separately, or place baking paper between them.
It's best to leave healthy apple flapjacks until they are cold before cutting, as they will be firmer and less likely to break. I use a serrated knife and a slight sawing action to get a neater finish.
Other healthy flapjack recipes
You might also like these healthy recipes made from oats. They are all low in added sugar and gluten free.
- Maple syrup flapjacks are sweetened entirely with maple syrup, giving them a lovely rich flavour.
- Pear flapjacks use grated pear for a naturally fruity sweetness.
- Rhubarb oat bars and date and oat slice both have a layer of fruit running through the middle.
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Recipe
Healthy Apple Flapjacks
Ingredients
- 120 ml unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (or melted butter)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 25 g desiccated coconut (optional, see notes above)
- 90 g whole porridge oats
Instructions
- Line the bottom of a 1lb (7x4 inch) loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180 (or 160 fan).
- Mix the apple puree, oil and honey. Add the cinnamon, coconut, oats and stir together. Add dried fruit or nuts if using.120 ml unsweetened applesauce, 2 tablespoon olive oil (or melted butter), 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 25 g desiccated coconut, 90 g whole porridge oats
- Spoon into the tin and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Slice into 6 fingers or squares when cool.
Notes
- For gluten free flapjacks, use certified gluten free oats. Although naturally gluten free, oats can sometimes become contaminated by other grains in processing.
- Coconut is optional in these healthy apple flapjacks. If you want to omit it, add an extra quarter cup of oats or ground almonds in its place.
- For vegan flapjacks, use maple syrup in place of honey.
- If you want to make applesauce for this recipe, peel and core one large apple. Add a splash of water, and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes until soft. Mash with a fork. You can also make a large batch of applesauce in the slow cooker.
- Add dried fruit, chopped nuts or seeds to the flapjacks if preferred.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Lynn Rothwell says
Perfect as ever. Love the way it is possible to swap over ingredients depending on taste or what is in the cupboard. Thanks again
Hannah says
Delicious. Really lovely texture and taste. Just the right side of healthy! I made apple sauce for the first time by grating & simmering Pink Lady apples. Added a smidge of extra honey as I like them sweet, and used butter option instead of oil.
Victoria says
I made this today but we didn't think it was sweet enough. The texture was nice but I think it needs double the amount of sweetener.
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, thanks for your comment. Yes, you can certainly adjust the sweetness if you need to. As it's a healthy recipe it's not as sweet as some other recipes. You could add another tablespoon of honey if you prefer, but I wouldn't add more than that as the mixture will be too soft.
Ray says
Good, but far too much oil in this recipe.
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, thanks for your comment. 2 tablespoons of oil in 6 flapjacks seems relatively low to me, especially as it's a healthy oil. If you want low-fat flapjack, feel free to reduce it, you can always add an extra tablespoon of apple sauce if the mixture is a little dry.
Sam says
Very tasty - love the idea of applesauce in flapjacks!
Wendy says
Glad you liked it, thank you so much.
Emma says
I've got lots of leftover pears - so you think this recipe would work if I swap apple puree for pear?
Wendy says
Mmm, the thought of it is making my mouth water, I think it would be lovely. The cinnamon will still go very well, or you could even try a pinch of allspice, cardamom or ginger. Let me know the result!