Caramel Oat Slice

This chewy, buttery caramel oat slice has a golden oaty base and crumbly topping (both made from the same mixture) and a gorgeous, soft caramel filling and it’s so easy to make. Using just pantry and fridge staples, this comes together in under half and hour, then you just need to practice patience while it cools.

It’s the perfect sweet treat, afternoon snack or decadent dessert (with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, yum!) and it keeps and freezes beautifully.

Try these salted caramel apple pie bars and these coconut caramel bars too!

Ingredients and substitutions

This oaty caramel slice uses very simple ingredients, that are pantry and fridge staples. That makes this easy to whip up whenever you have a craving. Most are self exlpanatory but some are worth mentioning more in depth here.

Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.

• Oats: You want rolled oats, aka old fashioned oats (not quick oats or quick cook oats or instant oats).
• Sugar: I like brown sugar here to really play into the caramel flavour but regular white granulated sugar will work too.
• Sea salt: You want a fine sea salt for the oat crumble base and topping to enhance flavours only. You have the option of adding sea salt flakes to the caramel as well to give it that classic salted caramel flavour.
• Baking powder, not baking soda.
• Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract, not vanilla essence (the latter is a synthetic product).
• Sweetened condensed milk: Turns to creamy caramel before your eyes in a saucepan.
• Golden syrup is really worth getting here. Glucose or corn syrup would be the next best options but won’t have the added flavour that golden syrup gives. You can use brown rice syrup which will add less sweetness. Maple syrup should only be added after the condensed milk has turn to a caramel colour. Honey will work too but will add it’s unique flavour, possibly ruining the caramel flavour.

How to make caramel oat slice

This oat caramel slice is wonderfully simple to make. The hardest part is just stirring the caramel as it cooks and that’s not difficult at all. The base and topping are the same mixture – one is packed into the pan to form a chewy base while the rest is lightly scattered over the caramel filling to give a crumble/streusel texture.

Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.

Serving and storage

Caramel oat slice is such a versatile dessert. It’s perfect for lunchboxes, afternoon tea and perfectly portable for picnics. It makes for an absolute crowd pleaser at a gathering as it’s easy to hold and it’s totally irresistible.

You could turn it into a decadent dessert by warming it slightly and adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Store leftovers (if you’re lucky enough to have any) in an airtight container, in a cool spot like the pantry, for up to a week.

It also freezes very well. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. It’s best cut into portions prior to freezing so you can just thaw as much as you need.

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