Vegan Apple Pie Bars (with Salted Caramel)
With a spiced apple filling and crumb topping, these Vegan Apple Pie Bars truly taste like little bites of homemade apple pie. Topped with homemade salted caramel, they are an absolutely decadent (and easy) dessert.
Oh, just look at that drizzle. If you’re wondering just how good these Vegan Apple Pie Bars are, they’re a straight 10/10. Oh, and that’s before you even put the caramel sauce on them.
These bars are my favourite take on apple pie. Whether you’re getting into the fall mode, looking for a Thanksgiving dessert or just making dessert for your friends/Netflix binge night, these bars are a total treat worth every bite.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Pie Bars Recipe
- Easy to make. They make look complicated, but they’re pretty simple. You make one crumble, then press it into the bottom to make the crust for the bars. Top with the apples, then the rest of the crumble. Bake, cool, drizzle with vegan caramel sauce. They’re so easy to serve, and even easier to devour.
- Taste like apple pie. These bars definitely remind me of bites of apple pie. I love how the apples soften up because of baking, and how these bars taste fantastic either cold, warm or at room temperature.
- Topped with caramel sauce. While they’re divine on their own, my salted caramel sauce goes perfectly on these bars. The recipe makes more than you need, but trust me, it is so worth it. It also lasts for like ever in your fridge, so you can put it in and on every single dessert. Or breakfast, no judging you. Enjoy! You deserve it.
Looking for more irresistible apple desserts? Check out my cranberry apple crisp, vegan apple pie, and baked apples too!
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Apples – Core, peel, and slice with a mandolin or thin knife.
- Oat flour – To coat the apples.
- Coconut sugar – Used in both the filling and the bars to add a bit of sweetness.
- Cinnamon & allspice – Adds the warm apple pie flavour to the filling.
- Maple syrup – Adds a rich, sweet flavour to the bars. Be sure to use REAL maple syrup – not pancake syrup.
- Fine sea salt – Balances the sweetness.
- Coconut oil – Adds moisture to the bars.
- Flax egg – Gives the bars shape. You can learn how to make a flax egg here.
- Vanilla extract
- Salted caramel sauce – Drizzled on top. Get the recipe here.
Tips for Success
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly. When combining the ingredients for the apple pie bars, you’ll want to mix everything for about 2 minutes. It’s important that all ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Pre-bake the bottom layer. These apple pie bars are quite thick and if you skip this step, the bottom won’t be fully baked. It may be mushy and/or fall apart easily. Simply increasing the bake time won’t do the trick.
- Cool before slicing. When these apple pie bars come out of the oven, you’ll want to allow them to cool before slicing. Let them sit at room temperature 20 minutes then chill in the fridge. This ensures clean cuts and that the filling doesn’t slide everything.
- You can skip the caramel. If the salted caramel sauce isn’t your thing, you can leave it off. These taste great without it!
Serving Suggestions
Drizzle the caramel sauce over the apple pie bars just before serving. You can enjoy these bars chilled, at room temperature, or warmed. If you want to enjoy them warm, just pop them in the microwave for a few seconds.
These are spectacular on their own but if you want to take it up a notch, serve with a scoop of vegan ice cream.
How to Store Apple Pie Bars
Store your apple pie bars in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep them in an airtight container. If you prefer to serve them at room temperature, just sit them on the counter for 30 minutes or so before enjoying.
More Apple Recipes To Try
Vegan Apple Pie Bars (with Salted Caramel)
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 2 apples, cored, peeled and sliced with a mandolin or thin knife
- 2 tablespoons oat flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon all spice
Bars
- 1 ¼ cups old fashioned oats
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons oat flour, you can make them by grinding up rolled oats
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1 flax egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350° F/ 177° C. Prepare an 8×8 baking dish by lining with parchment paper or with foil. Set aside.
Apple Filling
- 1. Mix all the ingredients together and set aside.
Bars
- 1. In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Add the coconut sugar, the maple syrup, the sea salt, coconut oil and flax egg, and vanilla extract and mix until all combined throughly, about two minutes.
- 2. Split the crumble mixture in half. Press the first half of the crumble mixture evenly into the bottom of the dish to form a crust. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven.
Remove the warm baked crust and top with the apple filling, evenly covering the crust in a neat layer. Add the other half of the crumb topping, pressing it slightly together. - 3. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and puffy. Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then completely in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- 4. Slice into 12 or 16 bars and enjoy! Drizzle caramel sauce on each slice when serving. You can serve them cold, warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!!
Vegan Salted Caramel Glaze
- Follow the directions for the vegan caramel sauce. Drizzle over the bars. The sauce makes a lot more than needed for the recipe so you can keep the rest in the fridge and drizzle it over everything!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
They remind me of my favourite oatmeal bars, only richer and better because of salted caramel…absolutely irresistible!
Yes, exactly!!! Thanks Angie!!