These delicious vegan flapjacks will instantly bring back nostalgic memories from your childhood. Sticky sweet oats, brown sugar, and golden syrup make the foundations of this wonderful recipe, with countless ways to adapt it to your tastes.

Flapjacks always remind me of school trips and after-school clubs.

That golden, sugary flavour held together by enough oats to keep you full all the way until morning just can’t be beaten. This recipe is my go-to for a sweet treat paired with a strong black coffee when I really need a pick-me-up.

Other flapjacks you’ll love include these indulgent biscoff flapjacks, these delicious apple flapjacks, or these high-protein flapjack bars!

How To Make Vegan Flapjacks

Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for full instructions on baking these beautiful vegan flapjacks. Here are all the things you need to know about this recipe:

Ingredients

To make these vegan flapjacks, you’ll need:

• Oats: Jumbo oats are a great option for flapjacks, but standard porridge oats work just as well.
• Golden syrup/golden treacle: This gives these vegan flapjacks that classic sweet, almost caramel-like flavour.
• Brown sugar – I use light brown sugar for this recipe, you could try dark brown sugar but it may change the taste/texture.
• Vegan butter – The Flora plant-based block is my go-to for all vegan baking, but honestly, any vegan alternative will work!
• Plain flour – Adding in a little plain flour is optional, but I find it really helps to bind the flapjacks together, reducing the chance of crumbly bars once baked.

Optional add-ins:

These vegan flapjacks are so versatile that you can enjoy them plain, or mix in a huge range of ingredients to bulk up your flapjack recipe. Some great add-ins include:

• Glacier cherries
• Chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts)
• Dark chocolate chips 
• Sultanas
• Dried cranberries
• Dried apricots
• Stem Ginger 
• Seeds (pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, and/or hemp seeds are great for adding to the nutritional content of these flapjacks)

Tools

All you’ll need to make this recipe is a saucepan, a mixing bowl, a wooden spoon, baking paper, and a baking tin (I used a 9 x 9″ tin for this recipe).

Assembling your vegan flapjacks

Vegan flapjacks are really very easy to veganise because the only traditional dairy item used is butter – these days, there are so many good quality vegan butters and margarines that it’s a really straight swap.

To make your vegan flapjacks, you’ll start by combing your dry ingredients – the oats, flour, and whatever add-ins you’re using.

Next, place your butter, sugar, and golden syrup in a saucepan and heat on low until the sugar and butter have melted. Avoid letting your mixture come to a boil!

Pour your syrup over the oats and stir to combine, ensuring you’ve left no dry patches. Pour the vegan flapjack mixture into your lined baking tin and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until golden.

Don’t worry if your flapjacks are still soft when you first remove them – like brownies, they’ll continue cooking and firm up once removed from the oven.

Allow the flapjack to cool before cutting into slices while still in the tin for clean lines.

Storage

These vegan flapjacks will store in an airtight container for up to 10 days – making them perfect gifts for others!

This recipe is also suitable for freezing. Allow to defrost fully to room temperature before eating.

Substitutions

The basic ingredients needed for vegan flapjacks are so incredibly simple – oats, light brown sugar, golden syrup, a little flour (even this is optional, it just helps hold the flapjacks together!), and vegan butter.

All the other ingredients are completely optional. Ways you could enjoy these vegan flapjacks:

• Plain, with no add ins
• With added chopped nuts and dried fruit
• With dark chocolate chunks for an indulgent variation
• Adding in chopped glacier cherries
• Pouring a layer of melted dark chocolate over the top of your cooked flapjacks
• Adding in seeds such as pumpkin, hemp, flax, and chia seeds 
• Add in some chopped stem ginger for a slightly spicy kick

Vegan Flapjack Frequently Asked Questions

Help! My flapjacks are too crumbly, what went wrong?

The most likely cause is that you didn’t press the flapjack mix down into the baking tin enough, resulting in something closer to granola than a flapjack! Alternatively, you may have used a little too much butter.

Are these vegan flapjacks gluten-free?

If you omit the flour and are using uncontaminated oats (Check the pack to guarantee they are GF), then yes – these vegan flapjacks are suitable for a gluten-free diet.

Can I freeze these vegan flapjacks?

Yes, these flapjacks are suitable for freezing. Just allow to defrost fully before you tuck in.

I can’t find golden treacle, what can I use instead for my flapjacks?

You could try subbing the golden treacle for maple syrup or agave syrup, although you may get a different texture and taste.