Healthy Date Flapjacks

These healthy date flapjacks are delicious chewy date oat bars. They are entirely sweetened with dates, with no added sugar. They are an ideal healthy snack at any time of day (even for breakfast!). This easy date traybake is also simple to make.

Jump to:

• What you'll love about the recipe
• Ingredients
• How to make healthy date flapjacks
• Expert tips
• Serving and storage
• Other healthy flapjack recipes
• Recipe
• Healthy Date Flapjacks
• Comments

What you'll love about the recipe

• Easy date flapjacks have just 3 store cupboard ingredients and are very simple to make
• A healthy, satisfying snack. Both wholegrain oats and dates are full of fibre and provide slow-release energy that will keep you feeling full. These sugar-free oat bars are naturally sweetened with dates, and there's no refined sugar or syrup in the recipe. Healthy date flapjacks are also much lower in fat and calories than a traditional recipe
• Date flapjacks hold together well, are mess-free and are ideal for lunchboxes and on-the-go snacks and energy bars. They also store well and can be frozen
• Gluten-free (use certified oats), dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free and vegan

Ingredients

Dates. I used a block of dried chopped stoned dates for this recipe as they are much cheaper than Medjool dates, and are perfect for this easy date traybake.

You might also like this sugar free date cake which uses dried chopped stoned dates, or these healthy date truffles.

Coconut oil. Regular coconut oil has no coconut flavour, so this won't affect the flavour of your dairy free date flapjacks. If you use extra virgin coconut oil, it does have a slightly coconut-y flavour. If you prefer, you can use softened butter or vegan butter to make healthy flapjacks with dates.

Ground cinnamon. This is entirely optional but adds a nice warm sweetness to the recipe. If you don't want to use cinnamon, you could also use half a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Oats. I used porridge or rolled oats to make this date flapjack recipe. You'll get a much finer texture if you use instant oats. Normally I don't recommend jumbo oats in flapjack recipes as they can make the flapjacks fall apart. However, dates have a lot of sticking power, so you could use jumbo oats in this recipe.

For gluten-free date flapjacks, ensure that you use certified gluten-free oats.

You'll also need some boiling water to soak the dates.

Variations

• These healthy date flapjacks are much lower in fat than regular flapjacks. However, if you'd prefer them to be completely fat-free, omit the coconut oil and add half a mashed banana to help keep them moist.
• You can also add nuts to the recipe if you like. Date and walnut or date and pecan flapjacks would both be a good combination. Roughly chop 50g of nuts and add to the mixture with the oats.
• If you want some chewy pieces of date in the flapjacks, add some extra roughly chopped dates to the mixture.

How to make healthy date flapjacks

Chop the dates into small pieces about the size of a sultana. If you are using whole dates, make sure to remove the stones! Pop them in a heatproof bowl and cover with 100ml of boiling water.

Meanwhile, line the base of a 20 x 10cm baking tin with baking paper. I find the base of a 2lb loaf tin is exactly the right size for this quantity of mixture. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (140 fan).

Tip the dates and the soaking liquid into a small processor or blender. You could also use a jug and an immersion blender if you prefer. Blitz the mixture until smooth.

Add the coconut oil (or butter) and cinnamon, and blitz again.

Scrape the date mixture into a bowl and add the oats. Stir well to mix. (Don't blitz the oats in the food processor or you'll lose all the texture of the oats!)

Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray, and smooth it out with the back of a spoon.

Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Leave the flapjacks to cook in the tray, then remove and cut into 6 squares or bars. If you prefer, cut them smaller for mini date flapjacks for children's lunchboxes.

Expert tips

• If you want to double the quantity of these healthy date flapjacks, use a 20 x 20cm baking tray.
• If you'd prefer to have a separate layer of dates in a slighter sweeter flapjack, use this healthy date slice recipe.
• Looking for something even quicker? Try these easy no-bake flapjacks which are just mixed together and popped in the fridge to set. No oven required!

Serving and storage

Serve these sugar-free date flapjacks as a healthy snack at any time of day. They travel well so are ideal for lunchbox snacks or a quick healthy breakfast on the go.

These soft flapjacks can be stored at room temperature in an airtight box for 4-5 days. Or keep them for up to a week in the fridge.

Date flapjacks can also be frozen. Wrap well and store for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.

Other healthy flapjack recipes

Here's a roundup of healthy flapjack recipes. Or you can take inspiration from the recipes below. All of the flapjacks are gluten-free with no refined sugar.

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Recipe

Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.