Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

This strawberry oatmeal bars recipe comes together in minutes and is a delicious treat for the whole family. We have a dairy-free option, notes on gluten-free flours (although you can absolutely use all-purpose flour!), and suggestions for gluten-free oats below.

My kids might get tired of having oatmeal for breakfast, but if I tell them I’m making baked oatmeal, they get excited. Even more excited, I tell them I’m making fruit and oatmeal bars.

Admittedly, these strawberry oatmeal bars do function as a dessert more than strawberry baked oatmeal – which is just slightly sweet – does. 

But the whole grain and fruit do make it a wholesome indulgence. 

What I really love about this recipe is that it eliminates the step of making a jam or sauce, opting to put the fresh strawberries with the jam elements of sugar and cornstarch directly into the baking pan, letting them work their magic while the bars bake. 

This is something you’ll really appreciate if you’re not a fan of spending an hour making breakfast – I know I do!

This is such a great treat for spring when strawberries are coming into season, and it can be repurposed for other seasons by switching out the fruit too. Blueberries in summer are especially tasty, but I like to mash them up a little bit to facilitate the juice, cornstarch, and sugar mixing during the baking process, so it is slightly different. 

This is a spring essential breakfast in the same way that gluten-free strawberry shortcake is a spring essential dessert. Strawberries are only at their peak flavor for a little while – sure, you can get them all year long, but they’re not the same – so you have to enjoy them while they are. Go nuts! Make strawberry chunk cookies, and dress your salads in strawberry vinaigrette. 

And whatever else you do, make strawberry oatmeal bars for breakfast at least once before the season moves on. 

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

A few things to know: 

• I usually use Avelina gluten-free oatmeal, so my husband can enjoy these bars along with us. You can get them at Walmart, and they’re very cost-effective. (this isn’t sponsored, it’s just what I use)
• You can also substitute a sugar substitute such as Swerve if you like. It changes the moisture slightly but is quite good. 
• Coconut oil is a good sub for butter if you’re looking to go dairy-free. 
• I prefer to use straight gluten-free flour such as sorghum flour or brown rice rather than a flour mix to avoid the extra starch, which can bake up funky in a crumble recipe (in my experience)

First, gather your ingredients.

Then combine your strawberries with the cornstarch and sugar, and set aside.

After that, we get to work on the crust. Combine the dry ingredients, drizzle in butter and vanilla, and mix.

Next, press 2/3 of the crust into a prepared baking pan, add the strawberry layer, then top with the remaining crust, and bake.

Once you’ve baked it, let it cool for 15 minutes or so, then remove it from the pan and slice it into bars to serve warm or cold.

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