Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Sharing is caring!

These Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Bars have a crispy, buttery crust topped with fresh strawberries and crumble topping. These bars are super easy to make – one bowl, simple ingredients, whole grain and a deliciously healthy option for breakfast, dessert or a snack.

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

As summer time approaches, I am always looking for healthy breakfast and snack ideas for my growing boys. I like having healthy recipes that I can make from scratch for them. I’m able to control the ingredients used and switch things in and out based on what ingredients I have on hand.

These easy strawberry oatmeal bars are versatile, they can be made ahead of time and used as a quick option for breakfast on the go, or even as a snack.

If we’re going to be taking them out of the house, I’ll put the individual bars in snack size Ziploc bags, so they are pre-portioned into just the right size. They are the ideal healthy snack to take hiking, camping, or to sporting events!

I make this oatmeal bars recipe using whatever fruit I have on hand, and what’s in season. I’ve made some suggestions on their fruits and flavors you can add to these bars later in the post.

Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Bars Ingredients

• OATS: old fashioned rolled oats work best here as they have the right amount of crunch and texture.
• FLOUR: I used regular all purpose flour.
• SUGAR: I used light brown sugar in the oat biscuit base and granulated sugar to sweeten the strawberries.
• SEASONING: ground ginger was added to the base for flavor, along with a little salt to balance the sweetness.
• BUTTER: I prefer to use melted unsalted butter, and add the salt separately to the base. If using salted butter cut back on the added salt.
• CORNSTARCH: a teaspoon of cornstarch is added to thicken the strawberries.
• LEMON: fresh squeezed lemon juice adds acidity. I used a tablespoon which is roughly 1/2 small lemon.
• STRAWBERRIES: I used fresh strawberries and diced them small.

How to make Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

• Place a rack in the center of your oven and pre-heat to 375 degrees F.
• Line an 8×8” baking pan with parchment paper so the paper overhangs the two sides.
• In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, ginger and salt.
• Pour in the melted butter and stir until it forms clumps and the dry ingredients are evenly moistened.

• Set aside ½ cup of the crumble mixture, then press the rest into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.

• Scatter half of the strawberries over the crust, and then sprinkle on the cornstarch, lemon juice, and ½ tablespoon sugar evenly over the top.
• Scatter the remaining berries, then the remaining ½ tablespoon sugar.

• Sprinkle the reserved ½ cup crumb mixture evenly on top. Berries will be peaking through the topping.
• Bake the bars for 35-40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and topping is golden.
• Set the pan onto a wire rack and set aside to cool completely.
• Once cooled, pull bars out of the pan using the parchment paper – slice and serve.

Flavor variations

This easy strawberry oatmeal bars recipe is very versatile, here are some ideas how you can make the recipe your own:

• Replace the strawberries with 2 cups of blueberries, mixed berries, cherries, apples, peaches, apricots or any other fruit you desire.
• I added ground ginger to the base, but you could use ground cinnamon or nutmeg, or try an apple pie spice blend (which would work a treat with diced apples or plums).
• Replace the granulated sugar in the recipe with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
• Add some chopped nuts to the base, try walnut, pecan or almond.
• Stir some dark chocolate chips through the base mixture.
• The recipe can be easily made gluten-free by simply using gluten free flour and gluten free rolled oats.

Recipe hints & tips

• As always, it’s a really good idea to gather all of your ingredients before you begin. Measuring them out can also be a huge help.
• While it does create a few extra dishes to wash, I have small containers I use, and then it only takes a couple of minutes to wash them, dry them, and put them away while my dish is baking.
• This recipe is easily doubled, use either 2 small pans or a larger pan.
• DO NOT eat these bars straight from the oven. Aside from likely burning your mouth, you need the mixture to cool so that strawberries will set.

FAQs

Don’t miss these additional delicious Strawberry Recipes here at When Is Dinner:

• Strawberry Bread
• Christmas Tree Strawberry Bites
• Strawberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
• Strawberry Muffins
• Strawberry Cheesecake Brownie Cups
• Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies

These are a few items I find helpful in my own kitchen when preparing this Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Bars Recipe:

OXO Good Grips 3-piece Mixing Bowl Set, White Bowls with Blue/Green/Brown HandlesWilton Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick 8-Inch Square Cake Pans, Set of 2Reynolds Kitchens Non-Stick Parchment Paper – 60 Square FeetZiploc Snack Bags, 280 ctDIY Protein Bars Cookbook [3rd Edition]: Easy, Healthy, Homemade No-Bake Treats That Are Packed With Protein!DIY Protein bars: The Best Homemade Protein Bars RecipesThe Gastric Sleeve Bariatric Cookbook: Easy Meal Plans and Recipes to Eat Well & Keep the Weight Off