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Zucchini Oat Bars

March 18, 2022 by Lindsay 29 Comments

These high fiber Zucchini Oat Bars are naturally sweetened with dates. Top them with peanut butter for a quick, kid-friendly breakfast or snack!

High fiber Zucchini Oat Bars

Hi friends!

Allow me to introduce you to this Zucchini Oat Bars. They’re my new favorite snack. Last weekend I found myself with a plethora of zucchini that needed to be used up so I decided to do some experimenting. I’ve been wanting to make a baked good using dates for a while now. I use dates often in things like energy balls, but I haven’t ever used them in baking. Since I had my sights set on a higher fiber bar, it seemed like the perfect time to use them. 

The combination of oats, dates and ground flaxseed give these Zucchini Oat Bars a good amount of fiber per serving. Plus I packed a whole cup of zucchini in there so they’ll be perfect for summer when gardens and farmers markets are overflowing with zucchini. 

Zucchini Oat Bars

overhead shot of zucchini oat bars with bowl of oats and shredded zucchini

Let me just say right off the bat that these bars are not overly sweet. In fact they’re not all that sweet at all so if you’re looking for something more dessert-like, you’re gonna want to add some sugar or maple syrup to this recipe. However, since they’re naturally sweetened, with just a few chocolate chips, I’m happy to serve 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. 

Here’s how you make them:

Print

Zucchini Oat Bars

zucchini oat bars 1 copy
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★★★★★

4.9 from 11 reviews

These high fiber Zucchini Oat Bars are naturally sweetened with dates. Top them with peanut butter for a quick, kid-friendly breakfast or snack!

  • Author: Lindsay

Ingredients

Scale

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

  1. Place the oats and dates in a food processor and process until well chopped.
  2. Add remaining ingredients (except chocolate chips or other mix-ins) and process until smooth.
  3. Add chocolate chips (or other mix-ins) and pulse a few times to mix.
  4. Pour into 9×9 pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.
  5. 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.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @theleangreenbean on Instagram

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.

These high fiber Zucchini Oat Bars are naturally sweetened with dates. Top them with peanut butter for a quick, kid-friendly breakfast or snack!

Be sure to pin this recipe to save it for summer! And let me know if you try it!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Baking, Healthy Muffins & Bars, Snack Tagged With: Applesauce, Chocolate Chips, Dates, Egg, Ground Flaxseed, Oats, Oil, Zucchini

About Lindsay

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jennifer says

    May 10, 2019 at 3:34 PM

    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!

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      May 13, 2019 at 5:50 AM

      so happy to hear it!!

      Reply
  2. Jen says

    May 11, 2019 at 12:17 PM

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      May 13, 2019 at 5:50 AM

      yay! hope they were a hit!

      Reply
  3. Rebecca says

    May 15, 2019 at 7:14 AM

    Can I make these without using egg?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      May 16, 2019 at 7:14 AM

      you could try replacing the ground flax with oats and then making two flax eggs for the eggs

      Reply
  4. Eva Kohn-Bucaretzky says

    May 15, 2019 at 8:03 AM

    I made these with my two year old last night. They were fun to make and tasted delicious!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      May 16, 2019 at 7:13 AM

      yay! glad to hear it!

      Reply
  5. Monica says

    May 22, 2019 at 4:04 PM

    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!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      May 28, 2019 at 8:21 PM

      yay! so happy you liked them. I just made a batch today!

      Reply
  6. Sarah says

    May 30, 2019 at 11:07 AM

    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.)

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Kathy says

    July 18, 2019 at 5:57 PM

    Planned on making these only to discover I have no dates. What would suggest as a substitute?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      July 19, 2019 at 10:47 AM

      You could try subbing some sugar or maple syrup…or a mashed banana. something for sweetness

      Reply
  8. Lauren says

    August 10, 2019 at 9:16 AM

    Could I freeze these?? Love that theyre a healthy option for using up my zucchini!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 13, 2019 at 11:13 AM

      yep!

      Reply
  9. Kim Lacher says

    September 7, 2019 at 12:38 AM

    So yummy! Cake-y but with the flavour of an oatmeal chip cookie. Both my 3 & 2 year olds approved. 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Colleen says

    September 13, 2019 at 12:32 PM

    Yum! These are super tasty! Going to bring them to my next nutrition class at the cancer center–we are talking about digestion 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. Cortnee says

    September 20, 2019 at 3:44 PM

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Tina says

    October 5, 2019 at 9:10 AM

    Sounds delicious! How many servings are there?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 8, 2019 at 1:30 PM

      i usually make 9 servings

      Reply
  13. cindy says

    December 13, 2019 at 11:48 AM

    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 .

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  14. Elizabeth says

    December 31, 2019 at 6:25 PM

    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!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 3, 2020 at 9:44 PM

      I store mine in a tupperware or stasher bag in the fridge for up to a week. And yes, you can freeze them!

      Reply
  15. Cara says

    March 10, 2020 at 7:02 AM

    These are so tasty and easy to make.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  16. Cecilia says

    April 19, 2020 at 11:23 AM

    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?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  17. Vibha Mahadeo says

    September 15, 2020 at 3:18 PM

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 25 RD-Approved Zucchini Recipes from Breakfast to Dessert - KH Nutrition says:
    July 23, 2019 at 6:02 AM

    […] Zucchini Oat Bars from The Lean Green Bean […]

    Reply
  2. Zucchini Carrot Brownies says:
    July 23, 2019 at 7:42 AM

    […] But a lot of people are. And these are a nice change of flavor from the Lentil Banana Muffins and Zucchini Oat Bars I’ve been eating lately. They’re so good, in fact, that I made three batches in two […]

    Reply
  3. 20 Ways to Use Zucchini from the HLB Community says:
    July 24, 2019 at 7:59 AM

    […] Zucchini Oat Bars from The Lean Green Bean // These high fiber Zucchini Oat Bars are naturally sweetened with dates. Top them with peanut butter for a quick, kid-friendly breakfast or snack! […]

    Reply

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I'm a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

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