Author: These strawberry oat bars have a sweet, gooey strawberry filling surrounded by a crumbly oatmeal cookie crust and topping. They're made with simple ingredients, easy to prepare, and perfect for a cozy dessert or afternoon treat!
These strawberry oat bars have been on the blog for years (since 2013!), and while the photos have had a serious glow-up, the recipe itself has always been a winner. If you love a good fruit crumble or oat bar situation, these are going to be right up your alley. They're buttery, jammy, and just the right amount of sweet. I love them with a cup of coffee in the morning or as a little dessert with something cold to sip in the evening. Basically, they're an anytime treat.
Why These Vegan Strawberry Oat Bars Are So Irresistibly Good
- Perfect texture: A gooey, jammy center with a buttery, crumbly oat topping.
- Simple ingredients: Everything here is pantry-friendly and easy to find.
- Great for any time of day: Breakfast, snack, or dessert, you can eat them all day long. (And you'll want to!)
- Make-ahead friendly: These store well and taste just as good the next day.
- Easy to customize: Swap the fruit depending on what you have on hand or what's in season. I love using peaches in the summer!
Ingredients for Strawberry Oat Bars
For the Strawberry Filling
- Fresh strawberries: Sweet and juicy, they cook down into a jammy filling. Frozen can work too (see tips below).
- Maple syrup or agave: Adds natural sweetness.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the filling into that perfect gooey consistency.
- Lemon juice: Brightens the flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a warm, sweet depth of flavor.
For the Oat Crumble
- Salt: Balances the flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Forms the base of the crumble.
- Rolled oats: Adds hearty texture.
- Vegan butter: Use cold butter for the best crumbly texture.
- Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and a slight caramel flavor.
- Baking powder: Gives a little lift.
How to Make Vegan Strawberry Oat Bars
- Combine: Mix the strawberries, maple syrup, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan until the cornstarch is dissolved.
- Cook: Put over medium heat and cook for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid turns into a thin gel and the strawberries begin to break down. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and set aside.
- Make the oat mixture: Add the flour, oats, butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to mash the butter into the mixture until you reach a crumbly texture and everything is mixed in.
- Assemble and bake: Press half of the oat mixture into the prepared pan. Spread the strawberry sauce on top. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top and lightly pat down. Bake for at 350ºF for 35 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Let cool before serving and slicing into bars.
Tips and Variations
- Use frozen strawberries: They work well, but may release more liquid. Cook the filling a bit longer to reach the right consistency.
- Try different fruit: Swap strawberries for other berries or even sliced peaches for a fun variation on these strawberry oat bars.
- Don't skip cooling: Letting the bars cool fully helps them set and makes slicing much easier.
- Use cold butter: This is key for getting that crumbly texture in the oat topping.
Storage
Store strawberry oat bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
They also freeze well for up to 3 to 4 months. Let them cool completely before freezing, then thaw as needed.
More Vegan Strawberry Recipes
If you try this strawberry oat bar recipe, let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Strawberry Oat Bars
Sweet gooey strawberry filling surrounded by crumbly oatmeal cookie pastry, these old fashioned bars are summer dessert perfection!
Servings: bars (2" x 2" each)
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Ingredients
For the strawberry filling:
- 12 oz fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced (2 cups when sliced)
- ¼ cup maple syrup or agave
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the oat mixture:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups large flake rolled oats
- 1 cup cold vegan butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line the bottom of an 8" x 8" baking pan with parchment paper.
- For the strawberry filling: Mix the strawberries, maple syrup, corn starch, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan until the cornstarch is dissolved. Put over medium heat and cook for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid turns into a thin gel and the strawberries begin to break down. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and set aside.
- For the oat mixture: Add the flour, oats, butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to mash the butter into the mixture until you reach a crumbly texture and everything is mixed in.
- To assemble: Pour half of the oat mixture into the prepared baking pan and pat down. Pour all of your strawberry sauce on top and spread around to evenly distribute. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top of the strawberry layer, and lightly pat down. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Let cool before serving and slicing into bars. Store the cooled strawberry bars in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or they can be frozen.
Notes
Strawberries: Frozen strawberries tend to be more watery so if using frozen you might need to cook the strawberry mixture a little longer to reach the correct consistency. You can also substitute strawberries for any other kind of berry or sliced peaches.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar (recipe makes 12 bars) | Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 719IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg
Kim Burke says
Just scored the exact amount needed of FREE strawberries and wondered what to make then BAM you are in my inbox with this amazing summer delight! I used the maple option and the only change I made was 1/2 cup of Almond flour because I only had 1 cup of flour. It was wonderful and easy. I usually don't cook things with that much sugar but it seemed to be a good amount for this recipe. Your yummies always look so much better than mine.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha wonderful!! SO happy you enjoyed them, Kim 🙂
Donna Now says
Hi Sam,
Have a bunch of small plums from my tree`-do you think i could substitute plums for the strawberries?
Sam Turnbull says
I believe they should work fine 🙂
Gabbi says
Hi Sam, I made these for breakfast some friends after they stayed over and they were a hit! Such simple ingredients and so easy to make but they had a great flavour, we all loved them. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Aw that's awesome, Gabbi! Thrilled they were a hit 🙂
Cheryl Titcher says
A-mazing! I made these today to bring to a friends tomorrow. (Un)fortunately their daughter has a nut allergy and the flour I used was manufactured in a facility that also proceeses nuts. I just got back from buying new, nut allergy safe flour. Looks like this was a fortunate mistake because this batch is staying with is! They are soooooo good!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! That's so awesome! Thrilled you enjoyed them so much, Cheryl 🙂
Galina Noskova says
Delicious! i made them with strawberries first. Then the second time I craved peaches so I made them with peaches. Just delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Galina 🙂
Maria says
Y’all. Drop all of the other GF oat bars on Pinterest because this is IT.
I made half of the recipe because I only had like a cup of raspberries so I just cut all ingredients in half.
Also, rather than oat flour I used half cassava flour half oat flour and then of course half a cup of oats for that “crumble.
This is soooo delicious! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Haha love it! Thrilled you enjoyed them so much, Maria 🙂
Srivani says
How have these eluded me for so long? These are soooo tasty and super simple. Sam, it's so neat to go into your "archives". Your photography skills have improved immensely.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, I know right!? Back in the days when I hand an iphone and had no idea what I was doing... 🙂
Jennifer says
These are delicious! I will be making them again and again.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them 🙂
carol foxz says
I would like to try this with other fruit. Do you think apples would work?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, peeled and chopped apples should work ok. You may need to add a splash more water when cooking them down. Enjoy!
jackue says
I have to say I had a hard time with such a large amount of strawberry 'jam' and "spreading" the oat mixture on top of it was nearly impossible. hope all this work pays off!
Sam Turnbull says
I hope you love them! Next time, try sprinkling the oat mixture on top, instead of spreading. It will make it much easier!
Laura says
How many people does this serve? Do you have the calories and macros for this?
Sam says
I added the nutritional information for you just below the recipe 🙂
Lisa says
These look delicious. Unfortunately these are not vegan due to the fact that this recipe requires brown sugar. Bone char from cows is used in many processed white sugar and brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses.
Sam says
Thank you Lisa! For the sugar, it actually totally depends on the brand. Many brands or sugar are vegan, you just have to contact the company or look it up. A very common sugar company here in Canada is Redpath, and you can see on their site that their sugar is indeed vegan. http://dev.redpathsugar.com/faqs/
Very good to be aware of what sugar you are purchasing!
Jamie says
would this work with blueberries? didn't know if they would cook the same way as strawberries
Sam says
Hi Jamie, welcome!
I think blueberries would work just fine. Enjoy!
Kacie says
How do you think frozen fruit would work in this?
Sam says
Hi Kacie,
Absolutely! It might take a bit longer for the fruit to cook as it will have to thaw as well, but you should have no problems.
Liz says
I just HAD to make these and I'm so glad I did! I used frozen strawberries (slowly defrosted in the microwave in 30-second intervals--30 seconds, shake and flip bag...another 30 seconds, etc.) It worked PERFECTLY! The only thing I did that I wish I hadn't was to freeze the completed bars. When I first baked them and they cooled the texture was AMAZING! The strawberry filling had this incredible chew--sheer perfection! Unfortunately, when I froze the bars, that chew disappeared. The flavor is still absolutely wonderful, but I am missing that special chewiness of the filling. Next time I'll know better! 🙂 Thanks SO much for such a delicious recipe!!!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Liz! So very happy you enjoyed them so much 🙂
Lynn says
Have you ever made these and froze them for later use? What are your recommendations for storing? I just made them, they are delicious...but I was wondering how to enjoy them without eating the entire pan in one day ;)?!?
Sam says
Hmm... I am more of a eat the entire pan in one day type! haha! If you are just storing them for a day or two, I would let them cool completely and store in an air tight container in the fridge. I haven't tried freezing them, but I don't see why that wouldn't work... Let us know how the freezing turns out if you try that. So happy you enjoy the recipe 🙂
kelsey12345 says
These bars look so yummy! My daughter suffers from egg, dairy,peanut, tree nut allergies so often time we eat vegan. I am so thankful to have found this site because at 26 years old I still can't cook a darned thing without following recipes EXACTLY. Your healthy choices are having a positive impact on soooo many people with allergies so THANK YOU!
Sam says
Thank you so very much Kelsey! It's so nice to hear that you are finding a lot of my recipes are allergy friendly. I try to be as clear as possible when I write recipes, which is why I share step by step photos, so if you follow my recipes, they should turn out just right. 🙂
nikki says
I think I've just fallen in love with you...
Sam says
Hahaha! I had you at oat bars?
Kimberly Roy says
I made these today for Canada Day and they were a hit! (I realized once they were in the oven that I’d forgotten the vanilla but no big deal.) Thanks for sharing such a fun recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! SO happy you loved them, Kimberly 🙂
Marcella Neubauer says
I made this today using coconut oil and it came out amazing. My husband who is not a fan of strawberries loved them. Ty for the recipe.
itdoesnttastelikechicken says
Hi Marcella,
That's great!! So glad you and your husband enjoyed them. And thanks for coming back and letting me know 🙂 I guess I will have to try the coconut oil option myself! 🙂
kelsey12345 says
I make mine with coconut oil as well so it basically tastes like coconut strawberry oat heaven! We picked some strawberries at a local farm yesterday and now I am making another batch of these delicious treats! We freeze them and they taste even better as a cold treat! Thanks again itdoesnttastelikechicken!
Sam says
Coconut strawberry bars!! Yes please!! I love that they are even better frozen, I had no idea as mine are always gone too quickly!
Erin says
Love these bars!!!!! I didn't have any butter so I used 1 cup coconut oil (at room temp or slightly melted) and 1 cup brown sugar and it worked out perfectly. So delicious! Thank you for sharing this tasty treat:)
Samantha Turnbull says
Hi Erin! Welcome 🙂
I love the coconut oil substitute! Very clever. So glad you enjoyed them so much! Thanks for commenting, looking forward to your future comments too 🙂
Carolyn Newman says
It looks good and it was good. Glad to share!
Sam says
Thanks! I made adding more sugar an option so it could be a bit sweeter like you would have preferred!