Sweet breakfast foods are hands-down my favorite category of Things I Like to Eat. Pancakes, waffles, “noatmeal” – you name it, and I would like to order it off of a diner menu or from a bakery. Of course, being both low carb and plant based (as well as gluten free) makes this pretty much impossible, and so like with most things, it’s got to be homemade. You guys have probably figured out that apple cinnamon is one of my favorite flavor combinations, and these low carb vegan apple cinnamon breakfast bars are basically my perfect pairing for a nice hot cup of coffee or tea.

I grew up in a rural New England town that had around 3500 people, and 5 working apple orchards. So, apples were a pretty big part of my childhood. Not only did we visit some of the orchards on field trips to learn about plant biology and agriculture, but it was a big part of 4-H club, too. We always had a bushel of apples at my house when I was a kid, and my favorite dessert was apple pie.

So, adopting a low carb lifestyle posed a bit of a problem when it came to apple treats. While chocolate and lemon flavors can easily be made without sugar, apples themselves are really sugary, making it difficult to incorporate them into low carb baking. Fortunately, freeze-dried apples seem to be very useful in this endeavor, adding a lot of flavor without too many carbs.

Recipe notes for low carb apple cinnamon breakfast bars:

• You are not somehow limited to eat these only for breakfast – they are super good, and thus I would recommend eating them for snacks, as well as dessert. 🙂
• Yes, there is real fruit in these, in the form of freeze dried apples – don’t panic! The carbs that come from this are negligible, and the taste and texture are so much better with real fruit, than with extracts.
• For sweeteners, I prefer to use Lakanto. It’s the brand I’ve found that works best for baking, and doesn’t upset my stomach. You can save 15% if you shop on their site using the code MeatFreeKeto.
• When you’re entering the macros for these, remember that the carbs from Lakanto and other erythritol sweeteners should be subtracted, as only a negligible amount actually digests. However, if you are using another brand, be sure to check the label, as many sugar free granulated sweeteners contain a lot of fillers, which may have carbs.
• Seriously, let these cool before cutting into them, as they really will fall apart if you don’t.
• I like to stop blending them while there are still little chunks of pecan and apple, but this produces a less fluffy and a little bit gritty looking bar. If you want them to look smooth, blend until it looks like baby food! To have it be smooth with some chunks of apple, I add it in two stages – half with the first bit, and then I crumble some in after while spooning everything into the pan. 🙂
• While I strive to provide accurate nutrition information, there are variations across brands and types of ingredients. So, if you’re using other brands than those mentioned, your macros may be different. All nutrition info is calculated from the USDA values for each ingredient, unless a brand is specifically mentioned (or no generic listing is available), and are for information purposes only!

Low Carb Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Bars

Print Recipe

These gluten free, low carb vegan breakfast bars are super easy to make and are soy free, sugar free, dairy free and egg free.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine low carb vegan

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings 8 breakfast bars

Calories 146

Ingredients

• 1 cup water or nondairy milk of choice
• 1 cup raw pecans (110g)
• 1/4 cup coconut manna (50g), softened
• 1/4 cup freeze-dried apples
• 2 tbsp granulated sweetener or other granulated sweetener
• 1 tbsp whole psyllium husks
• 2 tsp Chinese five-spice blend or 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8"×8" (20cm x 20cm) brownie pan or use a silicon pan. Either way is fine! I also have made these in a 9" (23cm) pie dish when my brownie pan was in use.
• So, this recipe is absurdly simple - dump everything into a blender and process until mostly smooth. I actually like it to have a little bit of texture, so I usually stop and check on this every few seconds, so it doesn't end up looking like baby food.
• Pour into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle
• This next step is pretty important - this needs to cool completely before being cut into! I mean totally and completely cooled. Otherwise, it will fall apart, and no one wants that. So, wait a little bit before trying to dig in, and you should be fine.

Notes

To calculate net carbs - subtract the grams of fiber and sugar alcohols (if applicable) from the total grams of carbohydrates in the recipe.

For sweeteners, I prefer to use Lakanto. It’s the brand I’ve found that works best for baking, and doesn’t upset my stomach. You can save 15% if you shop on their site using the code MeatFreeKeto.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.1g | Protein: 1.7g | Fat: 13.9g | Fiber: 3.1g