These vegan flapjacks are super simple and gloriously chewy. Nothing quite beats a soft warm flapjack enjoyed for a tea time snack. This is my recipe for fool-proof vegan flapjacks that are sure to satisfy those gooey flapjack cravings.

It would be an understatement to say I’m obsessed with flapjacks. Oats, sugar and butter – what’s not to like. These delightful chunks of chewy goodness are just what I need when I’m looking for a carb pick-me-up.

I’ve worked long and hard to come up with a recipe that’s as simple as it’s delicious. Forget those horribly crisp and crunchy flapjacks you used to get from the school bake sale, these flapjacks are the so soft you almost can’t believe you’re eating them. So much in fact that I ate a whole tray in one sitting… carb overdose.

These squares of oats are perfect snacks to take adventuring or for picnics. I cycle a lot and these guys are excellent to shove into my coat for when I’m looking for a little burst of energy. The best thing – they never get that weird stale taste that you sometimes get after a couple of days with supermarket flapjacks. These actually mature and get better with age!

How to make vegan flapjacks

Making vegan flapjacks is super easy. You just need 3 ingredients (four if you want them to be extra chewy) – butter, sugar and oats. That’s it.

Cream together the butter, sugar and oats in a food processor until evenly mixed and then dump into a baking tray. Wack in the oven and 15 mins later – hey presto you’ve got delicious flapjacks. That easy, but here’s a few tips I’ve learnt along the way to elevate my flapjack game:

Use jumbo oats in your vegan flapjacks

this recipe works with any kind of oats you have in the pantry. However, for the best vegan flapjacks use jumbo variety. Using the larger oats will give some variety in texture and soak up the fat better than smaller oats. When blitzing the oats in the food processor be sure to reduce down the majority of the jumbo oats to a crumb-like texture and leave some large boys for added texture.

Don’t over cook your flapjacks

It’s painfully easy to over cook flapjacks. If you do the sugar will harden too much and you’ll end up with really crunchy flapjacks. They’ll taste fine, but they won’t be lovely and gooey like you really want. I tend to keep a pretty close eye on the flapjacks when they’re in the oven, once they’ve started to golden brown on the top I’ll wack them out.

It doesn’t matter what the timer says, the golden colour never lies. They’ll feel very soft once they’re out the oven but don’t fear they will firm up as the flapjack cools. This makes for the perfect soft flapjack.

Vegan flapjacks love golden syrup

Golden syrup makes the flapjacks soo chewy and delicious. It is essential that you use golden syrup if you want the best flapjacks. Don’t be fooled by other recipes with just plain brown sugar – it’s not the same – believe me!

Vegan flapjack recipe variants

This plain flapjack recipe works well as a base for lots of flapjack variants. Here are some ways to transform these oat flapjacks into something more decadent:

• vegan peanut butter flapjacks – once the flapjack mixture is spooned into the baking tray add 4 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter into the tray. Fold the peanut butter into the flapjack dough so that it creates a peanut butter ripple. Then cook as per instructed in the recipe.
• vegan banana flapjacks – remove 50g of sugar from the recipe and add 1 ripe banana into the food processor along with the butter, golden syrup and sugar. Then cook as per instructed in the recipe.
• fruit and nut flapjacks – add in 150g of mixed dried fruit and nuts into the flapjack dough before baking. I like to use pecans and raisins. Then cook as per instructed in the recipe.
• vegan chocolate chip flapjacks – roughly chop 100g of dark cooking chocolate and fold into the flapjack dough before baking. Then cook as per instructed in the recipe.

Flapjack FAQs

Here’s a list of commonly asked questions about these sugary squares:

should flapjacks be soft when cooked?

Yes. If you want chewy flapjacks it is essential that the flapjacks be soft when coming out of the oven. Immediately when they are removed they will feel quite undercooked. Don’t worry they will firm up as they cool and turn into wonderfully stodgy snacks.

how to make heathy flapjacks?

To make a healthier flapjack replace the butter/margarine in the recipe with equal parts coconut oil. You can substitute refined sugar for coconut sugar and date mixture. For 150g of sugar I replace this with 100g coconut sugar and 50g of soaked and blended dates. Using coconut oil and the refined sugar replacements will create a wonderfully sticky and healthy snack.

how long do flapjacks keep?

Flapjacks keep for around 7-10 days if refrigerated and handled properly. The high fat and sugar content in the flapjacks help preserve them for a long time. This also preserves their taste so you won’t find much degradation in flavour as the days pass.

how to make flapjacks without brown sugar?

You can make flapjacks with plain caster or granulated sugar. It really doesn’t matter what type of sugar you use. Brown sugar will just impart more colouring and tartness to the flapjack. This is due to the molasses content in brown sugar. My recipe for vegan flapjacks has no brown sugar – just caster (fine sugar) and golden syrup. I think it works better!

how to make flapjacks soft?

The key to making flapjacks soft is twofold. Firstly you need the correct ratio of fat, sugar and oats. As a good rule of thumb you need 1 part oats to 1/2 part fat and 3/4 sugar. Meaning if you have 500g oats you would need 250g fat and 375g of sugar. If you add too much sugar you’ll end up with a crunchy flapjack so it’s essential to keep within this formula.

The second rule is to not overcook the flapjack. You want to almost undercook the flapjack and allow the flapjack to cool and form after the cooking. The butter will re-solidify and make a really chewy and soft flapjack. I normally leave at least 30 minutes before eating my flapjacks. Any sooner than this and the flapjacks will just fall apart as the butter hasn’t solidified enough.

Want more vegan snack recipes?

I don’t blame you! Here’s a few of my favourite sweet treat recipes on the site.

• The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Vegan Pistachio And Orange Baklava
• Fluffy Apple Cake

Easy Vegan Flapjacks

These vegan flapjacks are super simple and gloriously stodgy. Delicious.

4.12 from 18 votes

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 8 Flapjacks

Course Dessert, Snack

This meal is around 98% less polluting than the average UK meal.

Eating this recipe will save around 2.88 KG CO2e per person.

That’s equivalent to the emissions produced driving 23.84 KM in a modern car.

How do I calculate this?

Ingredients

• 250 g Oats
• 125 g Vegan Butter
• 90 g Caster Sugar
• 90 g Golden Syrup

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 180˚c (fan oven).
• Place the 125g vegan butter, 90g caster sugar and 90g of golden syrup into a food processor and blitz until the butter is evenly creamed with the sugars.
• Tip in the 250g oats and pulse until the oats have combined with butter. (if using jumbo oats, pulse a little longer until the oats are crumbly and reduced in size.)
• Lightly grease a 20 x 20cm baking tin and tip in the flapjack dough. Press the mixture down gently so it evenly covers the tin. Place into the oven and bake for 13 – 15 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow the flapjacks to cool for at least 30 minutes before eating. They will be very soft at first but will harden into a wonderful stodgy texture as they cool. Cut the tray into 8 – 12 squares once cooled.

Trying this recipe?

Hit me up on one of the following platforms, I’d love to see your creations!