Before I went gluten-free THESE bars at Starbucks were my FAVE. It’s funny now looking back too because I actually thought they were realllllly ‘healthy’ for me at the time. They had oats right? They must be healthy for me! Not necessarily the case. My version is meant to not only save you money (regular Starbucks purchases add up pretty quickly) but also be a bit better for you too. But don’t fret. I didn’t salvage any taste, texture or deliciousness in the process. They are just as good. Never had the Starbucks oat fudge bars before? You are in for a treat with this recipe. They are sure to please!
The Stars of these gluten-free Starbucks oat fudge bars
Canned coconut milk: this is what we are using to make the fudge layer & also keep it dairy-free- it works really well. I get the full-fat brand & you need to make sure it is canned. This is key to get the fudge layer to thicken properly.
Dark or semi sweet chocolate: I used semi-sweet chocolate for this recipe. For dairy-free make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips! I like the Enjoy Life brand. If you want a lower sugar option (but not dairy-free) I like Lily’s!
Coconut sugar: this is what I used to sweeten these bars instead of regular sugar. For a lower sugar option you can try using golden or classic Lakanto, my favourite low sugar alternative to regular sugar in recipes! I haven’t tested it with Lakanto yet, but I do plan to! If you get a chance before me, please let me know how it turned out in the comments!
Egg Whites (or egg): to be honest I was out of eggs when I tested this so opted for egg whites instead. They worked great but I also imagine 1 egg would work in place of the 1/4 cup of egg whites, but again, I haven’t tested this yet so if you do let me know! I will update any changes to the notes section when I know if an alternative works well!
Gluten-free rolled oats: make sure to get certified gluten-free rolled oats if you want these to be #glutenfree.
Baking powder, pink salt, vanilla, cinnamon: the goods that just make it all come together.
& voila!
Two Steps
There are two steps to complete this recipe: the oatmeal part + the chocolate fudge. They are both super easy but the fudge part takes a little bit of time. This is because we are making our own dairy-free sweetened condensed milk! But don’t worry, it is a lot easier than you think! If you have made my sugar-free caramel sauce before it is pretty similar to that!
Dairy-free sweetened condensed Milk
For this recipe we are making our own dairy-free sweetened condensed milk for the fudge layer. It doesn’t require many ingredients but it does take a little focus & concentration to get perfect! This is where the full-fat canned coconut milk comes in. You need to get the full-fat & canned coconut milk for this recipe to work properly. Make sure to read the recipe in advance so you know how to prep so this will turn out perfectly.
Let’s Get into it
I cannot wait any longer to share this with you & I hope you love it as much as I do! Even if you never tried the Starbucks version this recipe will definitely please! Come share your re-creations with me on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest!
Need More Holiday Recipes?
HEALTHIER GINGER SPARKLE COOKIES
HEALTHY BAKED GINGERBREAD OATMEAL
COPYCAT STARBUCKS CRANBERRY BLISS BARS
HEALTHIER DOUBLE CHOCOLATE FUDGE PEPPERMINT COOKIES
Gluten-Free Starbucks Oat Fudge Bars
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 Bars 1x
- Category: Treats
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Healthy
Description
These gluten-free Starbucks oat fudge bars are also dairy, nut & refined sugar-free! They are sweet, rich, decadent, fudgy & the perfect treat any time of year!
Ingredients
Chocolate Fudge:
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp pink salt
- 1 + 1/2 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate
Oatmeal layer:
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, softened (get refined for no coconut flavour)
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup egg whites (you can try 1 egg, I just ran out of eggs)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp pink salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 + 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup gluten free flour
Instructions
Oatmeal Bars
- For the oatmeal bars, add the coconut oil & coconut sugar together. Add the rest of the ingredients adding the egg last, until well incorporated.
- Take 2/3 of the oatmeal mixture & press firmly into a parchment paper lined square baking dish. Save the remaining 1/3 for the top of the fudge layer.
Chocolate Fudge Layer
- For the chocolate fudge layer, simmer the coconut milk & coconut sugar over low heat in a medium sized pot until it begins to thicken (about 20-30 minutes).
- Stir the mixture using a spatula regularly to prevent burning.
- Once the mixture has thickened (test this by lifting the spatula out of the pot with some of the mixture on it, when it is ready it should be dropping slowly off the spatula in a long line). My mixture took about 21 minutes to thicken. Check it regularly & stir often to prevent it from burning to the pot.
- Once thickened, remove from the stovetop & let cool for a few minutes.
- Then add the rest of the ingredients & stir to combine.
- Evenly pour the fudge layer over the bottom oatmeal layer.
- Add the leftover oatmeal pieces to the top of the fudge layer, in little pieces throughout.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-28 minutes.
- Remove & let cool. Place the bars in the fridge for 8+ hours or overnight to harden.
- Slice into bars & enjoy!
Notes
*To keep this recipe gluten-free, make sure you’re using a certified gluten-free flour, as well as gluten-free oats.
Keywords: Copycat, Starbucks, oatmeal, fudge, granola, gluten free, dairy free, nut free
Made these and had to share them with all my friends and family! Everyone said they were better than the Starbucks ones! I’ve been gluten free for over a decade and thought I would never be able to enjoy these bars again! Will absolutely make them again
★★★★★
Wow that is such a huge compliment! That is the best news Katie! I used to be in love with those oat fudge bars too, so it is nice to have a gluten-free option for something you love! I am so glad your family approved! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
I have purchase sweetened condensed coconut milk. Would this work for this recipe?
I haven’t tried it with store-bought sweetened condensed milk but theoretically it should work because I made a dairy-free sweetened condensed milk with the canned coconut milk. Please let me know if you try this & how it works out! 🙂
My absolute favourite treat EVER!! About to make these for the fifth time, they are sooo good 🙂
★★★★★
Heidi you are SO sweet! I am so so happy to hear how much you love them! Thank you for your feedback 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful weekend !!!
Literally one of my favourite recipes ever. These are delicious and Lauren NAILS this recipe.
I can never get my chocolate fudge sauce to the right consistency, but once I tried using coconut sweetened condensed milk instead of the sugar and milk and it worked perfectly! Sure there was more sugar in it, but it didn’t bother me.
Would highly recommend this recipe!
★★★★★
I love you Jenn! Thank you so much for your feedback! Love that they worked so well with coconut sweetened condensed milk! That is a great sub to make the recipe even quicker if people want to have that on hand!
In the process of making these and I can already tell they are going to be phenomenal. Thank you for this recipe, I was looking for a healthier and GF version of these bars and this is it!
★★★★★
I am so happy to hear this! Let us know how they turned out 🙂
This one is on repeat! Who needs Starbucks anymore?? Thanks Laus!
★★★★★
You just made my day!! The best news! So happy you love them, Dana! 🙂
literally soooo good! can’t wait to make them again this weekend!! 🙂
Made these again last night. So delicious! Tricky part for me is still getting the coco but milk and sugar to thicken without an extended time. Usually takes me 40 min maybe I have to turn the heat up a bit earlier. So worth it!!
★★★★★