Vegan fruit and nut flapjacks - easy vegan oaty flapjacks (oat cookie bars) filled with dried fruits, nuts and seeds. Perfect for snacking, lunchboxes and hiking!
Flapjacks have to be the ultimate in simple yet satisfying treats. If you are feeling low on energy then a sweet, chewy, buttery flapjack with a cup of tea is just the thing to perk you back up again.
Here I have veganised them and added a tasty mix of dried fruits, nuts and seeds (mostly because I wanted to clear some odds and ends out of the cupboard, but the result is delicious!)
What Even Is A Flapjack Anyway?
I realise that while flapjacks may be ubiquitous in the UK, they aren't particularly common elsewhere; and in several other countries 'flapjack' actually refers to a type of pancake (like a British Scotch pancake); obviously not what flapjack means here!
The best way I can think to describe them is that they are like a dense, chewy oatmeal cookie bar. They are sweet, sticky and utterly addictive.
They are great for lunchboxes, taking hiking (they contain both fast and slow release energy so are great for an immediate and lasting boost!) or just for an afternoon snack.
Flapjacks are super simple to customise and flavour as you like. I added a mixture of dried sultanas, cranberries, chopped apricots and figs, almonds, pecans, cashews, and pumpkin, sunflower and hemp seeds to these vegan fruit and nut flapjacks.
You can vary what fruits, nuts and seeds you use - I just used what I happened to have in the cupboard that needed to be used up, just keep the quantities vaguely the same. You can also omit them instead if you want to make plain vegan flapjacks, which are just as delicious.
If you choose to make them without any add-ins however then you should bake them in a 20cm/8in square tin rather than the 23cm/9in one that I used for this recipe as they will be too thin otherwise without the extra volume provided by the mix-ins.
Making It Vegan:
Flapjacks are super easy to veganise as the only non-vegan ingredient that they contain is butter so you can just make a straight swap for vegan butter/dairy free margarine - I used Stork block but Naturli Vegan Block is also great.
If you prefer, I think that they would also work well with the same quantity of coconut oil instead.
Not So Secret Ingredient:
Many flapjack recipes can be quite crumbly and fall apart easily. I find that by adding a bit of flour to the recipe it really helps to hold them together in a perfectly chewy bar.
You should also use fine rolled porridge oats rather than jumbo ones which will help to stop them from crumbling.
How To Make Vegan Fruit and Nut Flapjacks:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*
Flapjacks are very quick and easy to make, though you do have to wait for them to cool completely before you remove them from the tin or they will fall apart.
Start by mixing together fine rolled porridge oats, flour and your choice of mix-ins.
Then you need to melt together vegan butter, light brown soft sugar and golden syrup over a low heat.
Stir the syrupy mixture into the oats until they are fully coated then tip it into a square cake tin, press it down firmly and evenly then bake for about half an hour.
Once baked, leave to cool for 10 minutes then slice into squares whilst still in the tin. Leave to cool completely then turn out and re-slice. They keep really well in an airtight container.
More Vegan Snack Bar Recipes:
- Vegan peanut butter chocolate chip pecan bars
- Berry crumble bars
- Pumpkin chocolate chip cake bars
- No-bake superfood granola bars
- Ginger and coconut flapjacks
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Vegan Fruit and Nut Flapjacks Recipe:
Vegan Fruit And Nut Flapjacks
Ingredients
- 350 g (4 cups) fine rolled porridge oats
- 80 g (⅔ cup) plain flour
- 100 g (3.5 oz) mixed nuts (I used almonds, pecans and cashews) roughly chopped
- 200 g (7 oz) mixed dried fruit (I used sultanas, cranberries, apricots and figs) larger pieces roughly chopped
- 50 g (1.7 oz) mixed seeds (I used pumpkin, sunflower and hemp)
- 200 g (¾ cup + 2 Tbsp) dairy free butter (I used Stork block)
- 175 g (¾ cup) golden syrup
- 200 g (1 cup + 2 Tbsp) light brown soft sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Grease a 23cm/9in square cake tin and line with baking parchment. (If you are making plain flapjacks without any mix-ins then use a 20cm/8in tin instead.).
- Mix together the oats, flour, nuts, fruit and seeds in a large bowl.
- Place the vegan butter, golden syrup and brown sugar in a pan over a low heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth.
- Pour the syrup into the oats and stir until thoroughly combined, there should be no dry patches at all.
- Tip the mixture into the prepared tin, spread it out level and press down firmly until well compacted.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes until set and golden (they will still be a little soft to the touch and will firm up a lot as they cool).
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes then cut into slices with a sharp knife while still in the tin. Leave to cool completely then turn out and re-slice. Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
Video
Notes
Nita
Made these yesterday for the staff room . They went down really well! Was worried when someone said Stork isn't vegan! Double checked and the block is fine but I think the tub isn't! Such an old product ...which in the past was the inferior to butter but not now!! Go Stork! Thanks for great recipe!
Sarah Fee
These are great! I used date syrup instead of golden syrup, and I added 3/4 tsp salt. My add ins were peanuts, hemp seeds, and instead of fruit I used dark chocolate haha! Delicious.
Caroline
The best flapjack recipe ever - my whole family love these!!
Scarlett
Hello! I've made these and they were amazing, but I was wondering if there was a way to make them to the same consistency etc, but to be a little less sweet? Thanks so much!
hannahhossack
Hi Scarlett, I don't think that you would be able to keep exactly the same consistency while reducing the sugar, but you could try swapping some of the sugar and golden syrup for mashed banana instead.
Tracey
Hey, was thinking of making these today, would you say swapping the stork to almond butter would work or should I play it safe and stick to the recipe? Trying to use some stuff in my cupboards up!!
hannahhossack
Hi Tracey, I haven't tested swapping the butter for nut butter so I can't say for sure but I think it should work fine. I would probably go half almond butter, half Stork just to be safe though. I hope you enjoy them!
Tracey
I used half and half vegan spread and almond butter as suggested and they are great! Mine was what we call a “if it’s” recipe- as in “if it’s” in the cupboard it’s going in! So I added pecans, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, desiccated coconut, candied peel, cranberries and a good scoop of cinnamon! They are really tasty and will go down well with my vegan and non vegan customers at work so thanks very much!!
India
Do you know what the calorie per serving is ?
hannahhossack
Hi India, I don't tend to do nutrition information as nutrition calculators are generally inaccurate. You could try using My Fitness Pal to get a general idea though: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Jeanette
Hiya Hannah, do you think i could use ground flaxseed instead of the flour?
Thanks
hannahhossack
Hi Jeanette, I have no idea I’m afraid, I haven’t tried subbing the flour for anything else. Do let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
Charlie
This is my go to recipe now, made them twice so far, don't have access to golden syrup so i use a combination of pancake syrup, dates syrup and honey, tastes delicious.
I also multiply the ingredients by 1.5 then spread over 2 tins, turns out great as i though this recipe made the flapjacks too deep but that's just personal taste, great recipe.
Thank you.
Vanya
Hello Hannah, just found this recipe and am so excited, it sounds great and I just love Flapjack so really looking forward to try. HOWEVER, golden siryp is not really a thing I believe outside of the UK. I know that I can't find it here in Germany. Do you have a suggestion for a substitution? Thank you, stay healthy!
hannahhossack
Hi Vanya, There is no substitute for golden syrup that will give exactly the same results as it is a very unique product. However, I think that the flapjacks should work ok using either maple syrup or agave nectar; the end texture might be a bit different though as they aren't as thick and sticky as golden syrup is. If you eat honey then that would be the closest sub, though not vegan. You can also try making your own golden syrup!: https://www.internationaldessertsblog.com/make-golden-syrup/ I hope you manage to make the recipe work for you; let me know how it turns out!
Susan
Just made this recipe - never baked anything but love Vegan savouring cooking, now I didn't read the comments but I swopped out the flour and butter and changed it to flaxseed and coconut oil - they are in the over so I guess we will see how they go - if they are crumbly, I'm sure still a delicious first attempt and I will adjust the next time - thanks for the inspiration - all of my ingredients came out of the cupboard, I did ginger, cinnamon too with dates and sultanas and mixed seeds - would have loved to throw some coconut in there but sadly didn't have any - thanks for isolation inspiration and just signed in to subscribe - thank you and keep safe everyone.
Jeanette Hickey
I'd love to know how they turned out as I would like to use ground flaxseed in place of the flour. Please let us know
Linda Lancaster
Printing Recipes is not an oiption just now. Where i am in lockdown these is no printer and so I just would like the recipe for vegan fruit and nut flapjack. Can you oblige?
hannahhossack
Hi Linda, I'm not really sure what you are asking me? The recipe is right there in the recipe card.
Shamini
Thank you so much for an amazing recipe, my flapjacks turned out perfectly and were a huge hit with friends and family. Can’t wait to bake them again . I didn’t need to go vegan, so used ordinary butter, outcome was still perfect. Great to know though for my vegan friends xxx
Olivia
I improvised (during Covid lockdown) using the ingredients i had, so i substituted with sultanas, coconut sugar, treacle, wholemeal flour, dairy free spread.... and they worked just fine! (I also added a pinch of sea salt which i think was a good addition). Thanks for a simple, adaptable recipe
Poppy
Could I replace the soft brown sugar for caster sugar!??
hannahhossack
Hi Poppy, yes that's fine.
Amber
Hi there,
Thank you so much for this recipe, I substituted plain flour with almond flour, syrup with maple syrup and coconut sugar.
Absolutely loved them and just made a second batch. Much better than store bought cereal bars,
Thank you Hannah
Tessa
Made these flapjacks this afternoon. They are delicious so may not last long in our house. But that's OK cos, aside from the golden syrup, vegan butter and sugar, they're only oats, fruit, nuts and seeds so extremely good for you 🙂
PS For some reason, the website won't let me leave a rating, but the recipe is deffo 5 stars.
Chloe Rachel
SO SO delicious!! In my antivegan fathers words “you can’t tell theyre vegan! Definitely make these again.” Needless to say we were all very impressed by this recipe THANK YOU HANNAH!
I decided to just ‘go with the flow’ and didnt weigh out any of the nuts, seeds or dried fruits and just based it on how it looked in the bowl and they still came out perfect!
goatherdgirl
Thank you for the recipe, These fuelled us over a five day hike along the West Highland Way and were extremely welcome energy boosters. I made two batches; one with ground coffee, dates and walnuts; one with ginger in syrup and mixed pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds. Awesome! Best flapjack ever, super consistency, especially when carrying about as they didn't fall apart.
Chloe
Hi Hannah, this recipe looks amazing and has great reviews. Just wanted to know,.. if making a plain version (no nuts and fruit) would you recommend increasing the amount of oats so they're not too wet or Do they come out just fine?
hannahhossack
Hi Chloe, you don't need to increase the amount of oats but you do need to use a smaller tin - 20cm/8in rather than 23cm/9in.
Kate
These were utterly delicious- the most amazing texture! I only had an 8x8 square baking pan but made no changes to the recipe and baked for 30 mins at 150degrees fan. Perfect. I have just discovered your blog and everything just looks amazing, I can't wait to try more dishes, sweet and savoury- thank you!