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About This Recipe
These Healthy Strawberry Crumble Bars are seriously the best summer dessert! They’re light and sweet the perfect way to use up fresh fruit.
These strawberry bars have the best buttery crust topped with a sweet strawberry jam center and finished off with more cookie-like crumble topping! These bars are naturally gluten-free due to the oat and almond flour and can easily be made vegan!
Plus, the best part about these easy bars is that they’re made with wholesome ingredients. These bars are made with fresh berries, pure maple syrup, and old-fashioned oats! The perfect go-to dessert or snack for strawberry season (or use your favorite fruit for any variation you’d like!).
Just my like Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars, these strawberry crumb bars are so wholesome you can serve for breakfast, snack or a healthy dessert. Plus, they’re freezer-friendly so feel free to double the batch and enjoy at a later time!
There’s nothing like getting to enjoy these sweet taste of fresh strawberries all year long! If you want more delicious strawberry flavor, check out my Strawberry Pretzel Dessert Salad or my Strawberry Crunch Cake!
Why You’ll Love These Healthy Strawberry Crumble Bars
- Made with wholesome, quality basic ingredients like sweet strawberries and pure maple syrup!
- A healthy, gluten-free dessert that satisfies all your sweet cravings!
- Can easily be made lower calories with a few simple swaps.
- Prepped and ready to bake in just 15 minutes.
- The perfect dessert served warmed or chilled (and always with a scoop of ice cream)!
- Oats – I used rolled oats. Just make sure to use certified gluten-free oats to keep this recipe gluten-free.
- Almond flour – the almond flour gives the crumb mixture a cookie-like taste and texture, but you can substitute with oat flour, whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour for a slightly different taste and texture if needed.
- Fresh strawberries
- Maple syrup
- Lemon zest
- Strawberry jam
- Baking essentials: brown sugar (I used Truvia), butter, vanilla extract, cornstarch (or arrowroot starch).
- Vanilla ice cream – optional for serving but highly recommended!
To make dairy-free/vegan: use vegan butter or sub for coconut oil.
To make these crumble bars lower calorie you can use light butter and sugar-free pancake syrup.
The almond flour gives these crumble bars a cookie-like taste and texture, but you can substitute with oat flour, whole wheat or all-purpose flour for a slightly different taste and texture if needed.
How To Make
The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through the process so you know what to expect when you’re making it!
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Combine the crumble ingredients with a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands until you form a dough.
Step 3: Press 2/3 of the dough into the baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from the oven.
Step 4: Meanwhile, add the strawberries, maple syrup, vanilla and lemon zest (if using) to a saucepan.
Step 5: Meanwhile, add the strawberries, maple syrup, vanilla and lemon zest (if using) to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until jammy.
Step 6: Mix together the jam, cornstarch and water.
Step 7: Stir that in.
Step 8: Spread strawberry mixture over the baked crust.
Step 9: Add the remaining crumble over top.
Step 10: Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.
Step 11: Let cool completely before slicing. I like to let them cool to room temperature then place them in the fridge for 1-2 hours before cutting to make them easier to cut, plus I think they test best chilled!
Step 12: Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Store these strawberry crumble bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
To freeze: once they’re completely cooled, place them in an freezer-safe container and pop them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy one, just let it thaw a bit in the fridge before eating.
Helpful Tips
To make slicing easier (and to get a cleaner cut), I highly letting these bars cool to room temperature then placing them in the fridge for 1-2 hours before cutting. I also think they taste best chilled but you can warm them back up if you prefer!
Can I use homemade jam for these bars?
Yes! Homemade jam would absolutely be delicious for these easy strawberry oatmeal bars. You can also switch out the type of jam/fruit combo you use! Try this easy recipe with your favorite blueberry or raspberry jam and fruit for a fun variation!
Can I use frozen strawberries?
Yes, you can use frozen strawberries for this recipe! Just add them directly to your pot while making the filling and cook until jammy.
Will quick oats work for this oatmeal strawberry bar recipe?
I personally prefer the texture the rolled oats give to the crumble (a more dense, cookie-like texture) but you can use quick oats if needed! I just wouldn’t use steel-cut oats for this recipe.
Can I double this recipe?
Absolutely! Simply double the ingredients list and bake these gluten-free strawberry crumble bars in a 9×13-inch pan. The bake time should be roughly the same.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!
Healthy Strawberry Crumble Bars (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
Base/Crumble:
- 1.5 cup rolled oats (150g)
- 1 cup almond flour (112g)
- 1/2 cup Truvia brown sugar or regular brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (56g) diced
Strawberry Jam Layer:
- 3 cups fresh strawberries (360g) chopped
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (60g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Lemon zest of one lemon optional
- 1/4 cup strawberry jam (76g)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
For Serving:
- Vanilla ice cream optional but HIGHLY recommended!
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the crumble ingredients with a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands until you form a dough.
- Press 2/3 of the dough into the baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from the oven.
- Meanwhile, add the strawberries, maple syrup, vanilla and lemon zest (if using) to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until jammy. Mix together the jam, cornstarch and water and stir that in. Spread strawberry mixture over the baked crust.
- Add the remaining crumble over top and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.
- Let cool completely before slicing. I like to let them cool to room temperature then place them in the fridge for 1-2 hours before cutting to make them easier to cut, plus I think they test best chilled!
- Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
