Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Name: Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups rolled oats, regular or thick cut preferred (165 g); 1 cup all-purpose flour (140 g); 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (110 g); 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (140 g); 2 1/2 cups diced strawberries (1 pound); 2 tablespoons white sugar; 2 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger (optional); 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 2 teaspoon tapioca starch (or cornstarch); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

These easy-to-make strawberry oatmeal bars have minimal sugar to let the crisp oats topping and bright berry flavor shine through.

Jump to Recipe

Due to a project I was working on for a client, I found myself with an over-abundance of strawberries. Which is saying something, since I LOVE strawberries. But strawberries are fragile fruit, going bad quickly. And though I made some strawberry rhubarb syrup, a strawberry rhubarb galette, strawberry lemon shortcake and ended up freezing three packed gallon bags, I still found a pound of strawberries that need to be used up quickly. Thankfully whipping up these easy strawberry oatmeal bars ended up being one of my new favorite snacks! Easy to make, they’re the sort of treat I can grab when I’m feeling snacky and not feel too guilty about eating.

How do you make strawberry oat bars?

The beauty of these bars is they are super easy to make. Like my rhubarb blueberry oatmeal bars, you first make a crumbly oat dough that functions both as the bottom crust and the oat crumb topping!

a pan with with strawberry oatmeal bars in it, surrounded by oats and strawberries.

Toss oats, flour, brown sugar, some spices all together with some melted butter until the dry ingredients start to clump up. Reserve some of the crumbles for the topping and press the remaining dough into the bottom of a pan, forming the bottom crust.

Then make the strawberry filling by combining diced strawberries with sugar, some optional crystallized ginger, a touch of balsamic vinegar, some tapioca starch (or cornstarch), and a dash of vanilla. Toss to combine then spoon over the crust.

Sprinkle the reserve crumbs over the fruit and bake!

Sprinkle topping on fruit filling in a pan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen strawberries?

I prefer to use fresh strawberries for this recipe but you can totally use frozen fruit in this strawberry oatmeal bar! I do recommend doubling the tapioca starch or cornstarch to 4 teaspoons in the filling, as frozen fruit tends to release more water.

All that said, do be carefully when you chop the frozen fruit. Frozen strawberries can be hard and a bit slippery and you don’t want to hurt yourself. If you have time, you can let the strawberries sit out on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature, they’ll be easier to cut up. There’s no need to completely thaw them though. Just make the filling with the frozen fruit, then bake. Increase the bake time by 5 minutes to allow for the fruit to thaw.
Chopped fresh strawberries on a cutting board and in a bowl

How long do these strawberry oatmeal bars keep?

These bars can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store them in an airtight container or in a resealable Ziploc bag.

Can you freeze these bars?

Yes. These bars can be frozen! Freeze them on a baking sheet flat, until they are frozen through, about two hours. Then stack them between pieces of parchment or wax paper in an airtight container or heavy-duty resealable freeze bag. They will last up to 3 months in the freezer.

a single strawberry oatmeal bar on a plate, with more bars behind it.

If you like these strawberry oatmeal bars, check out these other strawberry recipes:

Print Pin

3.50 from 2 votes

These strawberry oatmeal bars use fresh fruit and have minimal sugar in them, letting the crispy oats and bright fruit flavor shine through. They’re a great snack or easy breakfast treat!

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword bars, oats, strawberry

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Servings

Calories 210kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Crust and topping

1 1/2 cups rolled oats, regular or thick cut preferred 165 g
1 cup all-purpose flour 140 g
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 110 g
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 140 g

Filling

2 1/2 cups diced strawberries 1 pound
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger optional
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoon tapioca starch or cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking oil. Line the inside with parchment paper, making sure there is a 1-inch overhang on the sides.
Place the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a large bowl and toss together until mixed.
Drizzle the melted butter over the dry ingredients, tossing with a fork, until all the butter is added. Continue tossing together until the dry ingredients start to clump together.
Scoop out about 1 cup of the crumb topping and set aside. Dump the remaining crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Press firmly on the crumbs, making an even layer at the bottom the pan.
Make the filling by placing the strawberries, sugar, ginger (if using), balsamic vinegar, tapioca starch and vanilla extract in a bowl (you can use the same one you used for the crumb topping). Toss together.
Spoon the strawberry filling over the bottom crust in the pan, spreading it out evenly.
Sprinkle the reserve cup of crumb topping over the strawberry filling.
Bake in the oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until the strawberry fruit is bubbly and thick, and the top of the crust is golden brown. Let cool in the pan. Then lift the entire content of the pan out using the sides of the parchment paper and move to a cutting board. Cut and serve.