Vegan Flapjacks
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What is a flapjack?
These Vegan Flapjacks are my take on an English treat. Not to be confused with the pancake-like American flapjack, English flapjacks are oaty squares that are bound together with fat and sugar. They often have fruit, nuds, seeds or chocolate added for extra flavour but they are delicious on their own.
Apparently the name flapjack originates from the word ‘flap’ (referring to a griddle cake/pancake because of the flipping motion used in cooking them). Although the word flapjack has the same origin, American and English flapjacks are very, very different.
the best way to describe them is like a chewy granola bar. They have a buttery, caramel like flavour thanks to the golden syrup making them a great breakfast treat or a mid-afternoon snack.
How to make vegan flapjacks
The process is very simple, all you need to do is:
- Melt together the coconut oil or vegan butter, golden syrup and caster sugar in a pan.
- Stir in the oats.
- Fold in any fruit or nuts you are adding.
- Press the mixture into a lined tin.
- Bake for 35 minutes.
- Allow to cool before slicing into squares.
Easy, right?
Vegan substitutes
Flapjacks usually get their buttery flavour from…butter! But as butter isn’t vegan you can swap it for coconut oil or vegan butter.
Most vegan butters are just oil that has been processed to act like butter. As a result the flavour isn’t quite there. That’s why I prefer to use coconut oil which, whilst not buttery, adds a nice flavour to the finished flapjack.
Whatever you do, avoid vegan spreads as they can make the flapjacks have a greasy texture.
For more tips and tricks for vegan baking, check out my Big Vegan Baking Guide.
Variations
You’ll see in the recipe I’ve indicated that you can add fruit, nuts, chocolate, seeds and more. The possibilities really are endless.
Dried fruits work better than fresh as the moisture in fresh fruit can make the flapjacks soggy. Traditional fruits to use would be raisins but dried apricots, dried cherries and even dried mango can work well.
My favourite nut to include is flaked almond as they add crunch without too much bulk. Walnuts and pecans also work really well.
Chocolate is great if you want a more decadent treat. Or, if you want to make them more nutritious, add your favourite seeds.
You can also play around with the sugars used. If you like the coconut flavour why not use coconut sugar? Light brown sugar also works well for a strong caramel flavour. I don’t recommend replacing the golden syrup with other liquid sugars. They don’t result in the traditional chewy texture that we all know and love.
Pro-tips for making flapjacks
You may notice that your vegan flapjacks are really soft when the come out of the oven. Don’t worry, this is because the coconut oil and sugar are still liquid due to the heat. Once the flapjacks have cooled down they will set and firm up.
To get really clean squares, make sure the flapjacks are completely cool before cutting.
Troubleshooting common flapjack issues
Why are my vegan flapjacks crumbly? why haven’t they stuck together?
Sugar is the key ingredient in this recipe. If you haven’t used the right amount of sugar (either caster sugar or golden syrup or both) then they won’t stick together. Sugar is our glue!
Don’t forget the sugar will be liquid when warm so you may need to leave them to cool before deciding if they are really crumbly or not.
Why are my flapjacks dry (but not crumbly)?
A dusty, dry flapjack is usually due to over baking but I’ve also noticed it will poor quality oats. Treat yourself to some hand rolled jumbo oats for a moist, chewy flapjack!
Why are my flapjacks super soft? They haven’t firmed up once they have cooled down.
This suggests to me that you have the opposite problem to that above – under baking. If you under bake your vegan flapjacks, the sugar and golden syrup will not have reached the required temperature to turn into caramel like which is needed to hold the oats together and create a sturdy flapjack.
Why are my flapjacks really hard?
This suggests over baking which may mean you left them in the oven too long or you cooked them at too high a temperature. The result is sugar that has reached a temperature that is hot enough to make it set hard.
The recipe
Vegan Flapjack
Ingredients
- 200 g oats
- 120 g coconut oil
- 80 g sugar
- 6 tbsp golden syrup
- 6 tbsp dried fruit and nuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C/ 350 F.
- Add the coconut oil, sugar and maple syrup to a pan and cook on low until melted.
- Add the oats to the saucepan along with any nuts or fruit you are using and stir until combined.
- Transfer into a square tin and press down.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Leave to cool in the tin before cutting.
Nutrition
How long do flapjacks keep?
Flapjacks will keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature in a tin or similar container.
Can you freeze flapjacks?
You can freeze these flapjacks one you have baked them. Just pop them into a sandwich bag or wrap them tightly in baking paper then cling film and freeze for up to 2 months. You will need to let them defrost at room temperature before eating.
More vegan bakes
Why not try one of these other classic British tea time treats, made vegan.
More vegan recipes
For more vegan recipes check out the vegan recipe archive.
These look great, I'm a huge fan of flapjacks! What kind of oats did you use? I read before that different kinds of oats (jumbo or rolled) affect the texture of the flapjack – whether it's chewy or crispy. I can never remember which way round it is though!Jenny
I love flapjacks too 😀 I was hoping to convince myself thye were healthy by adding fresh fruit but then couldn't resist dipping them in chocolate!These were made with rolled oats and were relatively chewy 🙂