These quinoa flapjacks are made without oats. They are soft and chewy breakfast bars made with quinoa and sunflower seeds for added crunch. Healthy oat free quinoa flapjacks are a sugar free balanced snack with plenty of protein and fibre.
Jump to:
What you'll love about the recipe
- Quinoa flapjacks are a healthy snack which will help to keep you refuelled and feeling satisfied
- An oat free breakfast bar which is ideal for a healthy breakfast on the go
- Refined sugar free and dairy free
- Gluten-free, grain-free and oat-free flapjacks. Although oats are gluten-free, some coeliacs can have issues with the protein in oats, so this alternative flapjack-style snack is made with no oats. You might also like this oat free oatmeal.
- Quinoa flapjacks are easy to make in just 30 minutes
If you do enjoy oats, why not try these healthy muesli bars?
Ingredients
Quinoa. Quinoa is an easy way to add extra protein to these oat-free flapjacks. As well as being a very good source of high-quality plant protein, quinoa is also naturally high in fibre, vitamins and minerals including iron.
Quinoa is generally available in supermarkets and health food shops next to the dried pulses. For this recipe, you'll need the whole seed which looks like little spherical seeds. (Quinoa is also available as flakes and flour).
You might also like this quinoa muffin recipe.
Ground flaxseed. As well as being highly nutritious, flaxseed helps to bind these quinoa flapjacks.
Sunflower seeds add a delicious crunchiness. Use pumpkin seeds if you prefer - or a mix of both.
Peanut butter adds a rich, fudgy, satisfying texture. Use another nut butter if you prefer. If you want nut-free quinoa flapjacks, use tahini or sunflower seed butter.
Coconut oil. You could also use butter or vegan butter if you prefer.
Honey, or use maple syrup for vegan quinoa flapjacks.
Ground cinnamon adds extra sweetness and flavour. Use another spice if you prefer, or omit it altogether.
Optional ingredients
Add in 50g of your favourite chopped nuts or dried fruit
How to make quinoa flapjacks without oats
Line the base of your baking tin with baking paper, and lightly oil the sides. You'll need a tin approximately 21 x 11cm. I find a 2lb/900g loaf tin is the ideal size.
If you want to make double the quantity of mixture, use a square brownie tin about 20 x 20cm.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan).
Add the peanut butter, honey and coconut oil to a large pan. Place over a low heat until the mixture has melted. Remove from the heat immediately.
Add the cinnamon, cooked quinoa, ground flaxseed and sunflower seeds to the peanut butter mixture. Stir well to mix.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tin and smooth with the back on the spoon.
Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin. Once cool, cut into 6 slices or squares.
How to cook quinoa
If you need to cook the quinoa specifically for this recipe, you'll need 60g dried quinoa.
Rinse the seeds in a sieve, then add to a pan. Cover with boiling water.
Bring the quinoa up to the boil and simmer very gently for 15 minutes. Once it's cooked you'll see that the germ comes away from the seed - it looks like a little thin tail.
Drain the quinoa well to ensure all excess water is removed.
Serving and storage
These healthy quinoa flapjacks are perfect at any time of the day. They are ideal as gluten free, oat free breakfast bars. They are a nutritious snack option with protein, healthy fats and fibre which will keep you energised.
Quinoa flapjacks should be stored in the fridge due to their relatively high moisture content. You can also freeze them - wrap them well or place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Frequently asked questions
Both quinoa and oats are nutritious wholegrains which are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. However, quinoa is a complete plant protein, which means that it contains all of the essential amino acids. Whilst both oats and quinoa are gluten free, a small number of coeliacs do react to the proteins in oats in which case quinoa may be a better choice.
British flapjacks are snack bars which are usually made from a combination of oats, butter and syrup. Whilst oats are healthy, a traditional flapjack is high in saturated fat and sugar. Although it's easy to make a healthier flapjack containing oats, this recipe has been developed as an oat-free flapjack. It has a slightly different texture, but is equally delicious.
Other grain free snacks
These healthy snacks are also gluten-free and low in added sugar. They are made without flour or grains.
If you loved this easy, healthy recipe please leave a rating and comment at the bottom of the page. Your email will not be published.
Your feedback and questions are much appreciated.
You can also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook.
Why not subscribe to the newsletter to receive free delicious healthy recipes straight to your inbox?
Recipe
Quinoa Flapjacks (Oat Free)
Equipment
- 21 x 11cm baking tin
- baking paper
- Large sauce pan
Ingredients
- 180 g cooked quinoa (60 uncooked weight)
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or use butter or vegan butter
- 3 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 50 g sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Line the base of the baking tray with baking paper and lightly grease the sides of the tin. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Melt the peanut butter, coconut oil and honey in a large sauce pan over a low heat. Remove from the heat as soon as it is melted.
- Add the ground cinnamon, cooked quinoa, ground flaxseed and sunflower seeds to the peanut butter mixture. Stir well until thoroughly mixed.
- Spoon into the prepared baking tray and flatten out with the back of the spoon.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Leave the quinoa flapjacks to cool in the tin. Once cool remove and cut into 6 slices or squares.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Fiona says
Thank you for these. They look delicious. Do you think that it's okay to replace the ground flax seed with ground chia seeds?
Thanks again
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, thank you. Yes, chia should be a good substitution as it helps to bind the mixture together. Enjoy:)
Steph says
Hi, two questions:
What size baking tin for 3 times the quantities, you only give tin sizes for 1 and 2 times quantities.
Also, how many grams of uncooked quinoa required for 2 and 3 times the quantities please. The 60g quantity doesn't change for the 2 or 3 times quantities.
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi Steph, for 3 times the quantity, I'd use a baking tin of 20x30cm. I wouldn't go any bigger than this, but if your tin is a little smaller that would be ok, the quinoa bars will just be slightly thicker. I'm sorry the dry weight doesn't change, that is the way the recipe card is set up, but you'll need to triple the quantity, so it'll be 180g of uncooked quinoa.