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These Starbucks copycat oat bars, also known as British flapjacks, are perfect for a quick and easy breakfast, a midday pick-me-up, or a satisfying after-dinner treat. They’re easy to make at home, so you don’t have to spend a fortune buying them at Starbucks. Although you might think they’re similar to Nature Valley granola bars, the texture is somewhere between a chewy granola bar and an oatmeal cookie – chewy and dense with slightly crispy edges.
Starbucks oat bars, aka British flapjacks, are a perfect treat for a rainy afternoon, a school snack or a sweet breakfast option. They are easy to make and to eat.
Also try these lemon almond scones, some chocolate coconut magic bars or these heavenly tropical pineapple scones.
Why You’ll Love It
Control over ingredients: When making Starbucks oat bars at home, you have complete control over the ingredients that go into them.
Cost-effective: Homemade oat bars are so much cheaper to than purchasing at Starbucks. You can buy ingredients in bulk and make a large batch of oat bars that will last for a while.
Customizable: Copycat Starbucks bars can be customized to suit your own taste. You can experiment with different ingredients and flavors to create your own unique recipe.
Fantastic freshness: Making these flapjack bars at home will ensure they are fresher than store bought ones.
A delicious snack: Maybe the most important thing: these taste so good! The sugar and butter caramelize together and have such a buttery taste which is the perfect accent to the oats’ nuttiness. Yum!
Starbucks Copycat Oat Bars Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Quick-cooking rolled oats: There are so many different kind of porridge oats, but it is important for this recipe to use the correct one. These quick oats are thinner and smaller than regular oats, which allows them to cook more quickly and evenly. These are the oats I used in this recipe and there’s also a gluten-free oats (here) version to consider.
Salt: Makes the sweet flavors pop.
Salted butter: For luxurious richness and moisture.
Cinnamon: Adds a warm, earthy hint of flavor.
Sugar and syrup: Turbinado sugar, brown sugar and golden syrup add the perfect amount of sweetness.
How to Make Starbucks Copycat Oat Bars
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Combine the ingredients: Melt the butter with the sugar, syrup, salt, and cinnamon in a saucepan over a medium heat. Take it off the heat and stir in the oats.
Bake the oat bars: Press the mixture into a prepared pan and bake in the oven.
Cool and slice them: Slice them into bars while still in the pan, let them cool completely and slice again.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: Swap regular quick cooking rolled oats with gluten-free quick cooking rolled oats. I like to use these gluten free oats found here. Gluten-free oats might not have the same texture as regular oats, so the result may be slightly different in texture and taste.
Vegan version: These oat bars contain butter, so they are not vegan. However, I have made them with plant-based butter and they work fine.
Golden syrup: If you can’t find golden syrup, you can use dark corn syrup or honey in its place.
Turbinado sugar: Use extra brown sugar if you can’t get turbinado sugar.
Quick-cooking oats: If you can’t get them, at a pinch you could put regular oats in a blender or food processor and pulse 2 or 3 times to break them down.
Salted butter: Substitute unsalted butter or coconut oil and add a little salt.
Optional add-ins: Add vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, raisins, nuts, dried fruit, dried berries, chocolate chips, M&Ms, or pumpkin spice. You can make endless healthy oat bars varieties with this base recipe.
Add a drizzle on top: Drizzle some melted chocolate on top of the oat bars after baking.
Less or more sweetness: Adjust the amount of sugar used.
Serving Suggestions
As a snack: Cut the traditional flapjack oat bars into squares and serve them as a snack. They are a great alternative to store-bought snacks and can be enjoyed on-the-go.
As a dessert: Serve the Starbucks oat bars warm with a scoop of vanilla or pumpkin spice latte ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream.
With tea or coffee: As we all know, these copycat Starbucks oat bars are a great accompaniment to a cup of tea, Starbucks copycat pink drink or a Starbucks copycat cinnamon dolce latte.
As a breakfast: Serve with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup and a cup of yogurt for a sweet breakfast option.
As a topping for yogurt or oatmeal: Crumble the copycat oat bar over yogurt or oatmeal for a crunchy and sweet topping.
As a trail mix: Mix chunks of the oat bar with different nuts, dried fruits and seeds to make a great trail mix, perfect for hiking and picnics.
How to Store Starbucks Oat Bars
Store: The bars will last for about a week when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also refrigerate them to extend their shelf life.
Freeze: After baking and cutting into squares, place them on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Then transfer the oat bars into an airtight container or a freezer bag. They will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Thaw: Defrost them in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for a couple of hours.
Reheat: Pop them in the oven or microwave before serving, to regain their crispiness and warm up.
Top Tips
Use parchment paper: Line the baking dish with parchment paper and allow it to hang over the sides for best results. The bars will slide right off, which makes it so easy to remove to cool and slice.
Don’t bake them for too long: The key to making traditional flapjacks bars that are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside is not to overcook them. Keep an eye on them while they are in the oven and remove them as soon as they are golden brown.
Mix thoroughly: Make sure to mix the ingredients well, to make sure the oats will be evenly coated.
Spread it evenly: Once the mixture is ready, press it into the baking tray, making sure it is evenly spread out and pressed firmly. I used a spatula to press mine down.
Chewy or crispy: Use a shorter cooking time for more chewy flapjacks and a bit longer time if you prefer them crisper.
Add-ins: You can add a variety of ingredients such as nuts, seeds, dried fruits, chocolate chips or even spices to the recipe to customize it to your own taste. Make sure to add them after the butter, sugar and syrup have been melted and mixed together before adding the oats.
Just Like Starbuck’s Oat Bars FAQs
Turbinado sugar is made from sugar cane juice and is also known as raw sugar. You’ll find turbinado sugar has a slightly coarser texture than white granulated sugar and it has a subtle, natural molasses flavor. It’s often used as a sweetener in baking and cooking, as a topping for oatmeal, cereals, and fruits, and as a sweetener in coffee and tea.
Golden syrup is a type of inverted sugar syrup, commonly used in British baking. It has a unique, rich flavor that is distinct from regular syrup. Golden syrup is a key ingredient in oat bars as it helps bind the oats together and gives the finished product a characteristic golden color and a sweet taste. It’s thick like honey or maple syrup but with hints of caramel. You can purchase it online or at specialty markets. You can actually even make golden syrup at home. If you can’t find it, use dark corn syrup or honey in its place.
Best Starbucks Oat Bar Recipe
Starbucks Copycat Oat Bars
Equipment
- Baking Dish 9-Inch Square
- Saucepan Medium
Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons salted butter, ¾ Cup or 1 ¼ Sticks
- ⅓ Cup turbinado sugar
- ⅓ Cup brown sugar
- ⅓ Cup golden syrup
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- ¼ Teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 ¾ Cups quick-cooking rolled oats
Instructions
- Prepare a 9-inch square baking dish by lining the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium saucepan combine the butter, turbinado sugar, brown sugar, golden syrup, salt, and cinnamon.
- Melt the mixture together over medium heat until the butter has melted and the brown sugar has mostly dissolved, the turbinado sugar will remain crystallized. Remove from the heat.
- Add the oats to the saucepan and mix into the butter sugar mixture until the oats are fully coated.
- Press the oat mixture into the prepared baking dish. Pat the mixture down with a spatula so that the top is a flat and even surface.
- Place the bars into the oven and close the door, immediately reduce heat to 325°F. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
- Remove the bars from the oven. While they are still hot and in the pan, cut the flapjacks into 16 pieces. Leave the flapjacks in the pan to cool.
- Once the oat bars are completely cooled, carefully lift them out of the baking dish and put them on a cutting board.
- Use a sharp knife to re-cut the 16 pieces. Separate the pieces and either serve immediately or store in an airtight container.
Notes
Don’t bake them for too long: The key to making traditional flapjacks bars that are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside is not to overcook them. Keep an eye on them while they are in the oven and remove them as soon as they are golden brown.
Mix thoroughly: Make sure to mix the ingredients well, to make sure the oats will be evenly coated.
Spread it evenly: Once the mixture is ready, press it into the baking tray, making sure it is evenly spread out and pressed firmly. I used a spatula to press mine down.
Chewy or crispy: Use a shorter cooking time for more chewy flapjacks and a bit longer time if you prefer them crisper.
Add-ins: You can add a variety of ingredients such as nuts, seeds, dried fruits, chocolate chips or even spices to the recipe to customize it to your own taste. Make sure to add them after the butter, sugar and syrup have been melted and mixed together before adding the oats.
Nutrition
This version of Starbucks’ oat bars is very similar to traditional British flapjacks with a few variations. The cafe-style oat bars are made with wholesome ingredients and are perfect for a quick breakfast or snack on the go. Plus, oat or granola bars are easy to make and can be customized to suit your taste preferences. Enjoy the taste of Starbucks in the comfort of your own home with these homemade oat bars.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
i love anything oatmeal, and i could live on starbucks oatbars, but would like to cut back on the sugar as much as possible. how far can i go with sugar and/or syrup reduction on these and still have them taste good ? i know experimentation is the answer but need a reasonable guess for my first batch (would rather not use artificial sweeteners if i can avoid it, but maybe willing to use a small amount).
anyone tried this using less sugar and if so, how much ?
thank you.
Glad you love oatmeal bars – I do too! You can cut the sugar and syrup slightly while keeping good texture and flavor. Try using ¼ cup each of brown sugar, turbinado sugar and golden syrup instead of ⅓ cup. That way you’re reducing sweetness without losing chew or binding. Keep a little syrup in there though, so the oats stay together. If that’s still too much, you could experiment with artificial sweeteners or something more natural such as stevia, although I have NOT experimented myself so I can’t tell you for definite how they’ll come out.
These were so simple to make and tasted absolutely delicious!
I can’t get enough of these bars. They make the best snack!
Did you change this recipe? I really loved the one that had white corn syrup in it if you have the old recipe before updating it, it didn’t have turbinado sugar in it either. Let me know if you can help!! Thx❤️
Yes, but here is the old recipe. 🙂
NGREDIENTS
3.5 cups oats quick cooking
1/2 cup butter unsalted
1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
1/4 cup corn syrup light
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 F and line a 9 x 9 inch pan with parchment paper.
Grind 2 cups (using a food processor) of the oats until it looks like a fine flour. Pour in a bowl and stir in the other 1.5 cups of un-ground oats.
Melt the butter, sugar and syrup over medium heat until the butter is completely melted and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in the milk and vanilla extract.
Pour the butter mixture over the oats and stir until combined. Spoon the mixture into the pan and press the oats into the pan firmly and evenly. I used a metal spatula and pressed as hard as I could. Use cooking spray on the spatula if it is sticking.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are slightly golden. Cool before slicing.
Thank you so much!!! I made the new version last night and it’s delicious too, I am happy to have the old version again though! Love it❤️
Dare I say- I think these are BETTER than Starbucks!! So yummy!! Thanks for the recipe.
I thought these tasted just amazing, flavorful and sweet and so enjoyable!
I can’t believe how easy these were to make! Delicious! I did sub in honey, but they still came out amazing!
What did you take out (sub) for the honey?
There is no honey in this recipe. There is golden syrup. You could use honey instead of the golden syrup though.
These oat bars were thick, gooey and chewy! I love the Starbucks version but yours were better!
These are so great to make ahead for the week so I can have breakfast on the go… and they taste JUST like the Starbucks version
Made these yesterday exactly as written. Taste is excellent..just like Starbucks but texture was crumbly. I covered and put away until today and Lo and behold, they are perfect. Hold together beautifully. Love this!!
I have made these 3 times now and we really love them.
So glad you like the recipe!
Pro-Tip: Use a Tablespoon of Vanilla instead of a Teaspoon. I Frick’n love these…
Thanks for the pro tip! I will try that myself the next time I make them again. 🙂
I am sooooo glad I found this recipe again. I have made so many times and my family loves it. I have no idea how I lost it but I was so disappointed. Making it TODAY!
You are not the only one that loves this recipe. It is always a hit at my house, too. Enjoy!
My hubby and I love Starbucks oat bars but not so much the kings ransom to purchase them. This recipe is the antedote and couldn’t be easier to make! I followed everything to a ‘T’, cooked them for 20 minutes, cooled them liberally in the pan, and got picture perfect results. My husband said the word ‘love’ more than a half dozen times while eating them, all directed to the oat bars! For optimal results, I recommend following the suggestion to flatten the bars with a metal spatula just before baking (I sprayed mine with non-stick cooking spray).
So glad you like them!
I am so glad I found this recipe again. I have made them so many times and then lost my paper I had printed. They are our family favorite!
Glad you love them!
Made ’em! Loved ’em! I used what I had – steel cut oats, 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup brown sugar. I found them a tad dry and wonder if adding some oil would make them chewier. I believe that with some practice, this is a highly adaptable recipe. Thanks for putting a delicious end to my Starbucks craving!!
Made these yesterday as directed, turn out perfectly. I added some dates to the food processor and tamped them well. Will make again, Thank You.
Dates would be a great addition. I will have to try this! Thanks, Rick
These were really yummy – but I got there the hard way. I was probably a little generous with the butter. So I added more brown sugar and corn syrup. Once mixed with the oats, I decided to add mini chocolate chips. But my chips kept disappearing. Then I realized that the mixture was too hot and my mini chips had melted! My mixture was now chocolate oats!! All good – I put it in a pan prepped with cooking spray and a parchment lifting sleeve. I tried pressing it down, but my mixture was too wet. At this point, I should have taken it out and added more oats for the extra liquid. But, I just threw it in the oven at CONVECT BAKE 325 for 20 minutes. I wasn’t sure if these would turn out (given my modifications) – so I mixed up some muffins too and put those in for Convection 385. I pressed down on the bars some more (after 20 minutes of baking it had dried out and I was able to finally press it). I put them back in the oven with the muffins at the higher temp for 10 minutes. I took them out, gave them a good press, and let them cool. Anyone who is not getting good results, has either made too much butter mixture (by not measuring properly), has not added enough oats, or has not allowed these to cool. I will make again next time making sure the mixture cools before adding the chocolate chips and making sure if the mixture is too wet, that I add more oats. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you figured it out! I think the type/brand of oats can make a difference in the consistency and cooking time.
I have used this recipe twice with great results. I made the following changes: substituted maple syrup instead of corn syrup; used honey instead of sugar; added whipping cream instead of milk; added half a cup (maybe more) of dried cranberries; added a handful of raw pumpkin seeds and a good handful of flax seeds; I also added a large pinch of flake salt to the dry ingredients (they were made as nutrition bars for cycling so the salt was added as an electrolyte). I found that they needed 10 mins more baking time in my oven. They are delicious.
I will have to try your version! Thanks for coming back to share. 🙂
Husband loves it. I used 1/2 c. Of apple sauce, 1T.of butter, used maple syrup instead of golden syrup, used reg. Oatmeal, pulsed it for few min. Baked it for 25 min. Perfect! I will Make it again. Omit the brown sugar, plenty sweet.
can you clarify this for me … are you saying that you substituted apple sauce for all but 1tablespoon of butter ? if so, was the apple sauce sweetened at all ?
thank you.
I’m curious to know too!
Hi, just wondering if I could substitute honey for the corn syrup?
I haven’t tried. Let me know if you ended up testing that variation out. 🙂
Great recipe, however I think credit should be given to the company who supplied Starbucks with the oatbars until they decided to make their own copy of the original. Cakes etc. In Victoria, BC was the supplier for Starbucks until the coffee company decided to make their own (inferior) version. Its frustrating to see a corporate giant take credit for someone else’s work.
Awesome recipe! Thanks for posting it! I had absolutely no, zero, nadda issues as people post below, and basically found the recipe simple, straight forward, completely as you describe, and delicious! Thanks again – this recipe is now a staple in my household!
I made these and followed your directions to the letter. Mine were very dry and I had to cook them longer because they were not drowning up like Starbucks . When I tasted one it was very gross tasted like I was eating raw oats the inside looked nothing like Starbucks either. Most comments below were submitted by people saying they looked yummy or they looked easy to make but very few made them and then commented. Any suggestions ?
Oh no! I am not sure what to suggest. I have made them several times and not had what you described. Maybe you made them too thick? Did you press them down super hard? I literally use every bit of strength I have to compress them.
Taste different, perhaps my version was wrong. Tasted like there was less sugar, IDK? A bit on the dry side as well. I think Starbucks uses a sugar glaze on theirs as well; “Whole Oats”.
These do seem to taste very similar to the starbucks ones, which i love, but my first attempt seems that they just fall apart. i didn’t get it to come out in one piece so i could cut it, very crumbly. have you maybe had this happen on your early attempts and might know what to adjust? Thanks.
This hasn’t happened. I do press them down firmly…maybe you need to press them down to compact them more?
hmm, okay, i thought i did with the spatula as i was spreading it out. will try differently next time. the taste is good though so i’ll try again sometime.
I’ve tried a bunch of recipes and these were by far the closest to the starbucks version, and I actually like these more in comparison. I let them cool overnight before cutting and did not have any issues with the bars falling apart. Great recipe.