Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Bars made with a sweet and tart strawberry jam, sandwiched in between the perfect oat crust and crumble topping. Made with fresh strawberries, lemon juice, and sweetened with a touch of maple syrup, you’ll love these bars!

Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Fresh strawberry desserts are one of the highlights of the summer for me. What about you? There are so many delicious ways to use all of the fresh strawberry abundance that happens every single year. Strawberry ice cream, strawberry cheesecake, strawberries and whipped cream, key lime pie loaded with tons of fresh strawberries…I mean the list can go on and on and on, and it never gets old.

There are so many great recipes with ways to use strawberries, but this recipe for gluten-free strawberry crumb bars takes the cake for me. I can promise you that I’ll be making this recipe for every summer to come and probably trying to find any excuse I can to make them all year long.

These strawberry crumb bars are the perfect combination of sweet, tart, crumbly, and just a little chewy. A delicious strawberry jam is sandwiched in between an oat and almond flour crust that also doubles as the crumb topping. They are great cooled, yet still warm, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and eaten like a traditional crisp. But, if you’re going for the more traditional bar vibe, let these bars set up in the fridge over night for the best results!

Healthy Strawberry Bar Ingredients

• Almond Flour
• Gluten Free Rolled Oats
• Dark Brown Sugar
• Fresh Strawberries
• Butter
• Lemon Juice and Zest
• Maple Syrup
• Corn Starch or Arrowroot Starch

How to Make Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Step One: Add the almond flour, oats, sugar, and butter to a mixing bowl. Use your hands to work the butter into the flour, sugar, and oats until it is well combined and forms a dough like consistency. Press 2/3 of the crumb-crust mixture into a 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and set aside.

Step Two: In a medium saucepan or skillet combine the strawberries, lemon zest, maple syrup, and vanilla extract over medium-high heat. Bring the strawberries to a boil and let them cook for 10-12 minutes. When the strawberries have turned a deep red color, remove them from the heat. Whisk together the lemon juice and cornstarch to make a slurry and then pour that mixture into the strawberries. Stir until the strawberries have thickened into a jam like consistency.

Step Three: Pour the strawberry jam over the crust and then use a spatula to spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining crumb topping evenly over the jam.

Step Four: Let the bars bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the jam is bubbly around the edges and the top is golden brown.

Step Five: Let the bars come to a complete cool. Slice into squares and enjoy!

Will Other Fruits Work?

You can definitely give it a try! If you are thinking of using blueberries, you can follow this recipe for Blueberry Pie Bars!

If you are interested in a raspberry version, these Raspberry Oatmeal Bars are for you!

Apples will likely work, but because apples do not have as much moisture in them as berries, you may not need to add as much cornstarch or cook them as long to make the jam.

Can I Use Frozen Strawberries For The Filling?

Yes! If you are using frozen strawberries, thaw them completely before using and then drain any extra liquid before adding them to the pan. If your jam filling does not seem to thicken up for some reason, add an extra teaspoon of arrowroot starch.

How to Store These Bars

Store the strawberry bars in an air-tight container in the fridge to keep them fresh. If they even last that long!

Tips and Tricks for the Best Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

• Use parchment paper. Grease the pan a bit before adding the parchment paper to help the parchment paper stick to the bottom of the pan so it won’t slip around while you are pressing in the crust.
• If you need to make a dairy-free and vegan version of this dessert you can easily substitute coconut oil for butter. Just note, that the coconut oil will give the crust and crumb topping a slightly coconut flavor. If you do use coconut oil, make sure that the oil is slightly solid and similar to the texture of butter and not melted.
• I know it’s hard but after the bars are finished baking, you need to let them cool completely before slicing and trying to pick them up. The jam needs to fully set in order for you to eat them like an actual bar. I found that letting them cool in the refrigerator makes the bars easier to slice and eat.
• Speaking of fridge, these bars are actually delicious straight out of the fridge. If you just can’t wait, you can always let the bars cool for 30-40 minutes on the counter until they are warm instead of piping hot. Just know that you’ll probably have to eat them with a fork, which isn’t the worst thing.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the bars. A sharp knife will help you make a clean cut and get through the thick bottom layer of crust.

More Delicious Recipes to Love

Healthy Blueberry Pie Bars

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Healthy Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

Healthy Key Lime Pie Bars

Gluten Free Strawberry Oatmeal Crisp

No Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars