These high-fiber Zucchini Oat Bars are naturally sweetened with dates. Top them with peanut butter for a quick, kid-friendly breakfast or snack!
*Originally published 5/2019. Updated 6/2025*
Hi friends!
Allow me to introduce you to this Zucchini Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. They’re perfect for breakfast or snack time and my kids gobble them up! I developed this recipe when my youngest needed to add some extra fiber to his diet and found that the moist texture made them a great snack for toddlers and young kids as well.
Why You’ll Love These Zucchini Oat Bars
Here are some of the highlights of these bars:
- Simple ingredient list. You’ll probably have most of them on hand.
- The combination of oats, dates and ground flaxseed give these bars a good amount of fiber per serving.
- I packed a whole cup of zucchini in there so they’re perfect for summer when gardens and farmers markets are overflowing with zucchini.
- This is a one bowl recipe, no mixer required and they’re ready in under 30 minutes!
- Great for baby-led weaning and good for packed lunches as well.
Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
Let me just say right off the bat that these bars are not overly sweet. They are soft, moist and lightly sweetened with dates and applesauce – no added sugar except the chocolate chips.
If you’re looking for something more dessert-like, you’re gonna want to add some sugar or maple syrup to this recipe. I like that they’re lower in sugar so I feel good about serving them to my kids for breakfast or at snack time.
They’re fairly low in fat, so you could add a smear of peanut butter to the top, or even mix some peanut butter into the batter for a dose of added fats. And these bars are moist…so definitely store them in the fridge so they don’t get moldy.
Nutritional Benefits of Zucchini Oat Bars
There are tons of nutritional ingredients packed into these bars including:
- Zucchini – Zucchini contains fiber and is a good source of Vitamin C and potassium
- Oats- A good source of soluble fiber as well as some protein, manganese and B vitamins
- Dates – A good source of fiber, potassium, magnesium and antioxidants
- Ground flax – Another good source of fiber and heart-healthy omega-3’s
Zucchini Oat Bars Mix-Ins
Another great thing about these bars are they are easy to customize. You could try adding your favorite mix-ins like:
- Chopped pecans or walnuts
- Chia seeds
- Raisins
- Dried blueberries
- Hemp hearts
- A scoop of peanut butter
- Protein powder
You can also pair it with something like yogurt or a cheese stick to add some protein to your snack or warm up a bar and top with vanilla ice cream for dessert!
Zucchini Bars Recipe
Here’s how you make them:
PrintZucchini Oat Bars
These high fiber Zucchini Oat Bars are naturally sweetened with dates. Top them with peanut butter for a quick, kid-friendly breakfast or snack!
Ingredients
1.5 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup medjool dates (pitted and roughly chopped – approx 5–7 dates)
2 eggs
1 cup shredded zucchini (excess water removed)
1/4 cup oil (i use avocado oil)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or more if desired)
Instructions
- Place the oats and dates in a food processor and process until well chopped.
- Add remaining ingredients (except chocolate chips or other mix-ins) and process until smooth.
- Add chocolate chips (or other mix-ins) and pulse a few times to mix.
- Pour into 9×9 pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.
- Let cool at least 15 min in the pan before cutting. Store in the fridge.
Notes
You could sub raisins, craisins, dried blueberries, shredded coconut etc for the chocolate chips if you want.
You could also mix in some peanut butter or hemp seeds to add some healthy fats.
If your dates are not super soft and squishy, soak them in hot water for 10 min before using.
I’m just so in love with these guys. And the food processor helps chop up the shredded zucchini even further so my kids pretty much just focus on the fact that they’re eating something with a few chocolate chips in it and they’re happy.
Zucchini Oat Bars FAQs
Do I need to peel zucchinis before adding?
Nope! No need to peel, just shred, squeeze and add!
How do I shred zucchini for baking?
You can shred the zucchini by hand using a box or hand grater or use the grater attachment to your food processor.
Can I make zucchini oat bars gluten-free?
These zucchini oat bars are naturally gluten-free. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats and ground flax if needed.
How do I keep zucchini oat bars from being soggy?
Be sure to squeeze the zucchini in a clean towel or paper towels after shredding to remove the excess water before adding to your recipe!
How do I store zucchini oat bars and how long do they last?
Because these bars are so moist, I do recommend storing them in a container in the fridge to prevent rapid spoiling! They should last about 4 days in the fridge.
Can I serve these bars as a healthy dessert?
Definitely! They’re great on their own but would also pair well with vanilla yogurt or ice cream.
What kind of oats are best for baking these bars?
I use rolled oats. You could sub instant oats but I would decrease the amount to one cup.
Can I add protein powder to make these bars more filling?
Yes, feel free to add 1-2 scoops of protein powder to this recipe.
Healthy Bars and Muffins
Want more bars and muffins to try? Find all my healthy bars and muffins recipes here or try one of my favorites:
And if you’re looking for other zucchini bar recipes, here are a few you could try:
- Zucchini Bars with Cream Cheese Icing
- Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars
- The Best Zucchini Bars
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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I was out of ground flaxseed so I used ground chia seeds.Since is I’m trying to take our sugar consumption down even more, I was looking forward to trying these. Plus, I had a lot of zucchini left over from burning myself out on spirals. Made them with my 9yo. Very easy, moist, and flexible. Thanks for sharing!
so happy to hear it!!
I made these as written, except I used grapeseed oil. They are delicious! I can’t wait to serve them at my Mother’s Day brunch tomorrow for my mom who is gluten-free and dairy-free 🙂 I am sure my three year old will love them too.
yay! hope they were a hit!
Can I make these without using egg?
you could try replacing the ground flax with oats and then making two flax eggs for the eggs
I know this comment/question is 5 years old, but in case anyone else is reading through the comments for answers, Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free vegan egg replacer is great.
I made these with my two year old last night. They were fun to make and tasted delicious!
yay! glad to hear it!
I made these last night. I love them! It’s great that they aren’t too sweet – easier to top with almost anything! I’m trying almond butter today! Will definitely remake! Thanks for sharing Lindsay!!
yay! so happy you liked them. I just made a batch today!
I love how adaptable all of your recipes are. I used coconut oil, subbed a banana for the applesauce, added 2 Tbsp of honey and skipped the chocolate chips. These are unreal. So good. They are a solid second place (first being your pumpkin gingerbread muffins, third being the lentil banana muffins.)
Planned on making these only to discover I have no dates. What would suggest as a substitute?
You could try subbing some sugar or maple syrup…or a mashed banana. something for sweetness
Could I freeze these?? Love that they�re a healthy option for using up my zucchini!
yep!
So yummy! Cake-y but with the flavour of an oatmeal chip cookie. Both my 3 & 2 year olds approved. 🙂
Yum! These are super tasty! Going to bring them to my next nutrition class at the cancer center–we are talking about digestion 🙂
So good! First date sweetened baking recipe I’ve tried that actually tasted amazing and had great texture! A hit with everyone in the house.
Sounds delicious! How many servings are there?
i usually make 9 servings
Loved the sweetness from dates. I didn’t squeeze the water out of zucchini but turned out still great as I like moist texture rather than crumbly. Thanks for the recipe! Now I need to try your other sweet recipes .
We absolutely LOVE these bars! I bake them in an 8×8″ pan (and for an extra 5-7 minutes) and we call them “Date Brownies” in our house. How long would you suggest storing them in the fridge, and are they freezer-friendly? Thanks!
I store mine in a tupperware or stasher bag in the fridge for up to a week. And yes, you can freeze them!
These are so tasty and easy to make.
Looks delish!
Right now my options in terms of oil are olive or butter. I am leaning towards butter – thoughts? Or would peanut butter work?
Can I give it more than 5 stars? This is the one that nobody can resist and it only lasts about 2 days in our house! It’s moist and delicious. I go with the max – 7 dates and I often have to sub the applesauce for bananas but it’s still delicious.
This was a hit with all 3 of my kids! They devoured them!
This is exactly what I was looking for with the zucchini I have! I love how easy your recipes are to make and the boost of nutrition that you add! Cannot wait to make these this weekend 🙂
This is one of my kiddo’s favorite things for breakfast. I make double or triple batches and freeze them. We use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free vegan egg replacer since we’re egg-free and tonight’s batch I added collagen to add back some protein (3 TBSP per batch). The collagen did make the structure a bit more crumbly, but not terribly so, so I’ll add it to future batches as well. I might experiment with gelatin to see if that helps build more structure instead of breaking it down like the collagen does.
Instead of chocolate chips, we do half chopped 90% dark chocolate and half reduced fat unsweetened shredded coconut. We’re a rather low-sugar household and thankfully my kiddo is weird and loves dark chocolate just like my husband and I do. I think the bars would be entirely too sweet if we used chocolate chips, and too chocolatey if we used the full amount recommended.