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Made with a simple oat-packed crust and a fresh strawberry filling, strawberry oatmeal bars are a delicious way to welcome berry season.
As you can probably guess, my team and I spend a lot of time at the grocery store. And we’ve all been noticing that fresh berries are starting to come back in stock.
In my mind, fresh berries are a sure sign that the seasons are changing, even if it’s still sweatshirt weather here in Ohio. And while peak strawberry season won’t hit my region for a little while yet, I love making recipes that allow even pre-season berries to sing.
From strawberry banana muffins to strawberry popsicles to these strawberry oatmeal bars, these recipes keep me going even when the weather isn’t so great.
Simple strawberry oatmeal bars
These strawberry oatmeal bars are a breeze to make. You’ll toss together one simple mixture packed full of oats for both the tender base crust and the crumble topping.
The fresh strawberry filling adds just the right amount of sweetness and lets all of the flavors of the fresh strawberries shine through.
They’re perfect for a spring or summer dessert. But with the combination of the oats and the strawberries, sometimes I let myself enjoy one of these bars for breakfast, too.
Plus, just like my apple pie bars and homemade lemon bars, they are great for feeding a crowd! Take these to just about any cookout and I can bet you’ll bring home an empty container.
How to make strawberry oatmeal bars
These strawberry oatmeal bars are pretty easy to make, so I can bet you’ll find yourself looking for reasons to make them on a regular basis!
Ingredients you’ll need
For the fresh strawberry filling, you will need:
- 4 cups of fresh strawberries
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- Juice from half of a lemon
- 1/3 cup corn starch
You will need 4 cups of whole strawberries that you will need hull and dice. I don’t recommend using frozen strawberries for this recipe unless you happen to have already diced frozen strawberries.
Don’t fret too much about an exact measurement on your lemon juice. If you don’t have fresh lemon juice, use about 1 ½ tablespoons of the bottled stuff (although I always recommend using fresh lemons!).
For the oat crust and topping, you will need:
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 14 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
I prefer to use rolled oats (aka old-fashioned oats) in this recipe. I love the chewy texture they give to recipes like these strawberry oatmeal bars and oatmeal raisin cookies.
If you only have quick-cooking oats, those will work just fine. Just make sure you do NOT use instant oatmeal.
Make sure you know how to measure flour correctly so your oatmeal bars turn out beautifully every time!
You will need to use softened butter for this crust mixture. If you forget to set your butter out ahead of time, I have some tips for softening butter quickly.
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When making these strawberry oatmeal bars, start by preparing the filling. Stir together the diced strawberries and sugar and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, then add the lemon juice and corn starch.
Set the filling aside while you prepare the crust mixture.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, softened butter, salt, and vanilla on low speed. Mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Firmly press about ⅔ of the crust mixture into the bottom of a greased 13×9-inch pan. I like to use the bottom of a measuring cup to really press the mixture in, just like I do when making pecan bars.
Spread the strawberry filling over the crust, making sure you don’t leave behind any of those delicious juices in the bowl!
Use your hands to squeeze the remaining crust mixture into clumps and sprinkle it over the top of the strawberry filling. Bake the bars for about 35-40 minutes; they’re ready when the crust is golden brown and the edges are bubbly.
Recipe Tip
Make sure you let these bars cool completely before cutting or else they will fall apart!
Oatmeal bar variations
I love making these bars with the first fresh strawberries of the season, but you could try any of your favorite berries in this recipe!
If using blueberries, you can leave the blueberries whole. If you are using raspberries, blackberries, or cherries, I suggest halving or quartering them, depending on size.
A blend of berries would also be delicious and sort of a hand-held version of my berry crisp.
I originally made these strawberry oatmeal bars years ago using Truvia baking blend but wanted to update the recipe to use granulated sugar instead. If you still want to use Truvia baking blend instead of sugar, simply halve the sugar measurements to use ⅓ cup of the blend in the filling and the crust.
Recipe FAQs
I don’t recommend using frozen strawberries in this recipe since the strawberries need to be diced. Frozen strawberries are usually sold whole or sliced and turn into a mushy mess if you try to dice them.
If you don’t have fresh berries and still want to make oatmeal bars, try using your favorite berry preserves in my raspberry bars instead.
Yes, quick oats will work just fine in these strawberry oatmeal bars. The texture is a little different so the bars might not have the same chewiness, but they’ll still be delicious.
Make sure you do NOT use instant oatmeal in this recipe, though.
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 4 cups whole strawberries washed, hulled and diced
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- Juice from half of a lemon about 1 ½ tablespoons
- ⅓ cup corn starch
For the Crust/topping:
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
Prepare the filling:
- In a large bowl, stir together the diced strawberries and sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add lemon juice and cornstarch and stir to combine.
Prepare the crust/topping:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, butter, salt, and vanilla on low speed until the butter is evenly dispersed and the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Using your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup or glass, firmly press 2/3 of the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the strawberry filling evenly over the top of the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over the top of the strawberry filling, squeezing together some of the mixture into clumps to create a crumb-like topping.
- Bake bars for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These look amazing! Definitely a great breakfast on the go!
Hi Jamie,
I’ve just discovered your blog and since I love berries this recipe will surely be one of my future trials…happy Sunday from sunny Italy!
Val
I’m loving strawberries lately! Ant those bars look absolutely delicious!!
Mmm these look perfect! Yum!
Yum!!! Sounds great :) Love the strawberry combo.
I really did go home and make these last night! I was so excited that Kroger had $.99 blackberries! It tastes great with blackberries and I substituted brown sugar in the crumble top since I didn’t have truvia. My only question is: should I store these in the fridge? [or what is left of the 9 x 13 pan!]
I can smell the strawberry from here. Looks great!
I’m so excited for the start of berry season! These look like the perfect way to celebrate it. Pinned!
Hello, I loved this recipe so much that the minute after I read it I ran to the kitchen and baked it using what I had! I substituted the fresh strawberries for assorted fruit and I used plain old sugar in place of truvia baking blend. I do have one question. . the crumb oatmeal crust and topping did not turn out nice and hard like a bar, it is more of a light sandy crust! I think these will be just as delicious but they are a little different, any suggestions on what could have changed the oatmeal texture? Thanks
Maybe you had a brainfart like I did and used 3/4 stick of butter instead of 3/4 cup. I kept thinking it was too dry, but couldn’t figure out why! All those beautiful strawberries wasted- ughhhh!
Ohhh I love Truvia! I haven’t tried their baking blend yet!
These looks scrumptious!