These Vegan Gingerbread Cake Bars are the perfect Christmas treat! They are so delicious that no one will ever be able to tell that they're low-carb, gluten-free, oil-free, sugar-free, and only 59 calories each!
So these Vegan Gingerbread Cake Bars are nothing short of a miracle send from up above.They are SO. DELICIOUS.
They are also SO EASY to make.
Aka:
1. Throw all ingredients in a blender
2. Blend
3. Pour into prepared baking dish
4. Bake
ANNNNND they are only 59 calories each (without frosting - but my favorite frosting is only 6 calories per tablespoon)!!!
Can you believe it?
Gosh I love recipes like this!!! Healthy, easy, sweet, delicious, and only two dishes to clean!
So. Let me tell ya. I teamed up with Whole Foods Market 365 in Cedar Park to bring you this recipe.
We all know Whole Foods - pretty much the most beautiful grocery store that's ever existed.
I could literally spend hours in there.
In fact, when I was in college and I was stressed or sad (I distinctly remember a break up with my boyfriend at the time), I would go to Whole Foods and just walk around until I felt better.
I'd walk around the produce section of gorgeous fruits and vegetables, make my way through the aisles to look at all of the new products I hadn't discovered yet, and just breathe in the wonderful energy that I've always felt there.
It's an amazing place!!! Can you relate?!
Anyway, the Whole Foods Market 365 in Cedar Park is especially awesome. Let me tell you what they're up to and how they're a little different.
Whole Foods Market 365 focuses on bringing budget-friendly, high-quality products to their shoppers and they have a specially-designed layout to make shopping easy and stress-free!
Y'all know me - I'm all about being healthy on a budget, so this is my kind of store! I'm also kinda busy (getting that PhD and all - ETA of 5 months OMG!), so any time saving I can do is always a plus.
You can purchase almost all of the ingredients in this recipe at Whole Foods Market 365 in Cedar Park, and you can be sure it will keep your wallet happy and be super high-quality - they have EVERYTHING you could POSSIBLY need this holiday season.
Here is where to find all of the items you'll need to make these Vegan Gingerbread Cake Bars:
Baking aisle:
Baking powder
Vanilla extract
Gluten-free rolled oats
Pink Himalayan sea salt
Ground ginger, nutmeg & cloves
Produce section:
Yellow squash
Note: if you want to use the that I used in this recipe, you'll have to get that . BUT it's also easy to substitute with granulated stevia or granulated sugar (if you aren't looking for a sugar-free option), which are both available in the baking aisle at this Whole Foods Market 365 location.
Cost per serving: $0.28
Calories per serving: 59
Equipment you'll need: high-speed blender
1.5 cups gluten-free rolled oats (or quick oats)
1 medium yellow squash, sliced (or cut into chunks if your blender can take it!)
3/4 cup water (more if needed to facilitate blending)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup granulated* (use coupon code ANNIE for 20% off!)
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt (or regular salt)
Sprinkles (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350F, spray 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.
2. Add oats to blender, and process until flour-like consistency is reached.
3. Add in remaining ingredients (except sprinkles), and blend until smooth.
4. Stir in sprinkles if using.
5. Pour batter into prepared baking dish, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (I stopped at 30 minutes, and they were kind of gooey inside which I loooove).
6. Let cool, and frost with optional frosting and/or sprinkles!
Vegan Gingerbread Cake Bars
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups gluten-free quick oats or rolled oats
- 1 medium yellow squash sliced (or cut into chunks if your blender can take it!)
- 3/4 cup water more if needed to facilitate blending
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener* (use coupon code ANNIE for 20% off!)
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt or regular salt
- Sprinkles optional
Optional frosting:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, spray 8×8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.
- Add oats to blender, and process until flour-like consistency is reached.
- Add in remaining ingredients (except sprinkles), and blend until smooth.
- Stir in sprinkles if using.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (I stopped at 30 minutes, and they were kind of gooey inside which I loooove).
- Let cool, and frost with optional frosting and/or sprinkles!
Do you cook the squash first?
I didn't and it worked perfectly 🙂
Do these taste just as good the next day after being popped in the microwave as they do fresh? They are DELISH!
YAY!!! So glad you liked them! I didn't try microwaving them, but they are definitely just as good the next day! Maybe even better if that's possible... ????
Can all purpose flour or coconut flour be used instead of rolled oats?
All purpose should work, but I'm not sure about coconut flour! I haven't had much luck substituting coconut flour 1:1 in the past.
These are amazing! The first time I made them, these were too sweet for me, so for second go around, I cut the Monk Fruit Sweetener back by 1/4 cup. I think I may try cutting back 1/2 for the next batch. Gooey (especially the ones in the center of the pan) for sure, but if I cook them any longer, they get hard. Which brings me to my question....what adjustments would I make to transform these to LEMON bars?? Yummo!
YAY! So glad you liked them 🙂 I'm a sweet-o-holic so I go heavy on the sweetener ???? I've never made lemon bars but they sound delish! I'd omit the spices and add in a few tablespoons of lemon juice/subtract the same amount of water and see how it goes!
I just discovered your site and can't wait to try out some of these recipes! I was wondering if you've considered adding a print button? I much prefer to have a recipe on paper while I'm cooking!
Hi Nikki! YES! I am working on a new website that will include a print button - I know it's so annoying! The ETA of the new site is this May 🙂
Great! Looking forward to it!
Can I substitute canned squash? If so how much do you recommend?
Hi! That should work - I would measure it out to be about 200g 🙂