These strawberry oatmeal bars are a delicious combination of fresh and fruity with a decadent yet wholesome, naturally gluten-free oat-based crust and crumb topping. Best of all, this strawberry crumble cake is dairy-free, low-fat, can be made oil and butter-free, and uses unrefined sugars only!
Healthy & Vegan Strawberry Crumble Cake
Strawberry oatmeal bars are decadent enough to be served as a dessert while remaining fresh and healthy enough to enjoy as a grab n’ go breakfast – that’s enough to consider me hooked. Combine that with the fact that this recipe ditches all the fat, dairy, and regular flour found in most strawberry crumb bars (including the ones my mother made for me as a child that I loved!) – I’m obsessed!
They’re now a usual in my breakfast rotation alongside gluten-free carrot cake bars, chocolate granola bars, and vegan coffee cake (with a streusel topping!) – because who says you can’t have cake for breakfast?!
These healthy strawberry oatmeal bars combine oats and almonds to create a naturally gluten-free cookie-style dough as a crust and crumb topping, filled with a fresh strawberry, chia, and maple syrup-based filling. Not only are these bars perfect for enjoying during strawberry season, but you can also use frozen strawberries any other time of the year! The result is a treat that is soft, tender, chewy, fruity, and delicious!
Plus, all you need is just ten ingredients and 20 minutes to prepare this healthy strawberry crumble cake – no food processor/blender needed! Just one bowl, one pan, and a baking tray!
Best of all, this recipe is also ridiculously versatile. You can easily use different fruits based on what’s in season (and in your kitchen), substitute the flours, starch, chia, binding ingredient, etc. – this truly is a pantry-friendly vegan strawberry dessert/ breakfast!
The Ingredients and Substitutions
For the dough:
- Oats: I use a combination of oats and oat flour (ground oats) for this recipe. Make sure to use certified gluten-free oats if necessary.
- Almond flour: You can buy this or make it at home by grinding blanched almonds into a fine floury consistency. Substitute this with any ground nut/seed of your choice (e.g., hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.) You could even use unsweetened shredded coconut instead.
- Banana: Use an overripe banana or applesauce. For a flakier/buttery crust, you could use a combination of 40 g banana/applesauce and 40 g vegan butter (or margarine). 2 flax/chia eggs should also work.
- Maple Syrup: Or another liquid sweetener.
- Coconut Milk: I use canned coconut milk as it’s thick and creamy. Alternatively, you could use oat cream or soy cream. If you use dairy-free milk, you’d need to add 2-3 tablespoons of oil to make up for the fat and moisture.
- Baking Powder: This will help leaven and provide a little lift to the oatmeal bars crust.
For the strawberry filling:
- Strawberries: Find the ripest, juiciest strawberries that you can. I love to buy strawberries in season and store them in the freezer. Fresh or frozen strawberries will work.
- Maple syrup: Or the liquid sweetener of your choice, i.e., agave or a sugar-free option.
- Citrus: You can use lemon or lime juice based on what you have.
- Chia seeds: Chia seeds will thicken and help make a jam-like consistency with the strawberries (as well as add protein!). You could alternatively use flaxseed.
- Starch: Potato starch or cornstarch will work for this recipe and is needed to help thicken the strawberry filling. Arrowroot or rice starch may also work.
For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, please read the recipe card below.
How To Make Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Step 1: Prepare the strawberry filling
- First, clean and dice the strawberries.
- Then, add all the ingredients for the strawberry filling to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow it to cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once ready, set it aside for a few minutes to cool while you prepare the crust.
Step 2: Prepare the almond oatmeal crust
- If you’re using a banana, first mash that well.
- Then, combine all the dough ingredients in a bowl and mix well either with a hand mixer or spoon.
If the dough looks pretty crumbly still, add a little additional vegan butter or banana; if it seems a little too ‘wet,’ then add a little extra oat flour (just 1 tsp at a time).
Step 3: Assemble the strawberry crumble cake
- Use 2/3 of the crust dough to press into a greased baking dish and smooth down with the back of a spoon or something similar. I used one that’s 7×11-inches (18x28cm) – a 9×9-inch square dish would also work.
You can measure the amount by weighing the dough if you want accuracy. However, I usually just do this by-eye, shaping all the dough into a ball and pulling away around 1/3.
- Pour the strawberry filling over the crust and smooth it out with a spoon.
- Finally, crumble the remaining 1/3 of the crust dough over the strawberry filling to create the strawberry crumble topping.
Step 4: Bake the strawberry crumble cake
- Bake the strawberry streusel bars in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 360F/180C until golden brown on top.
- Once baked, allow it to cool (the strawberry filling will thicken up as it cools). Then slice the strawberry oatmeal bars and enjoy immediately or save for later.
Enjoy a bar alone as a breakfast, snack, or dessert. You could also serve them warm or cold with a bit of cashew or coconut whipped cream, some vegan yogurt, or even a scoop of ice cream.
How to Store?
Store: The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Allow the strawberry oat bars to cool completely before transferring the bars to an airtight container and freezing for up to three months. To avoid the bars sticking together as one, you can freeze them laid out on a tray with space in-between, then transfer them to a container/bag once solid.
Reheat: Reheat the strawberry breakfast bars individually in the microwave for 30-40 seconds until warmed through.
Recipe Notes & FAQs
- Omit the chia seeds: If you have no chia seeds, you can omit them and increase the starch by around 1 tsp to thicken the strawberry filling.
- Using other fruits: If you don’t have enough strawberries, you can combine or substitute them with other fruits like raspberries, blueberries, cherries, apples, etc.
- Can you use coconut flour instead of almond flour? Unfortunately not as coconut flour absorbs so much moisture and so it will dry out the strawberry bars.
- Make a glaze: To serve the strawberry crumb cake bars as dessert, you could make a quick glaze with powdered sugar (or Erythritol) with a little dairy-free milk and optionally some vanilla extract.
Other Healthy Strawberry Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe for strawberry crumble cake/bars, you might also enjoy these other vegan strawberry recipes.
- Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake
- Simple Strawberry Mousse
- Strawberry Compote Or Sauce
- Strawberry Sheet Cake With Pudding
- Strawberry Coconut Cheesecake Bars
Other Oatmeal Desserts and Breakfast
- Vegan Baked Banana Oatmeal
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
- Vegan Apple Muffins With Streusel
- Homemade Nut-Free Granola
- Breakfast Granola Cups
- Oat Breakfast Bars With Chocolate
If you try this strawberry oatmeal bars recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan – I love seeing them.
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 cups (205 g) oats gluten-free if needed
- 1 cup (120 g) almond flour (see notes)
- 1 cup (90 g) oat flour (ground oats) gluten-free if needed
- 1 small (80 g) banana mashed (see notes)
- 1/4 cup (80 g) maple syrup or agave syrup
- 1/4 cup (60 g) coconut milk canned (see notes)
- 2 tsp baking powder
Strawberry Filling:
- 3 cups (450 g) diced strawberries
- 1/3 cup (105 g) maple syrup or agave syrup
- 2-3 tsp lime or lemon juice
- 5 tsp chia seeds
- 3 tsp potato starch or cornstarch
Instructions
- I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe and measuring the ingredients in grams. The recipe has a video for visual instructions.Preheat the oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
- Put the ingredients for the strawberry filling in a saucepan, bring to a boil, let it simmer for 5-10 minutes, and stir occasionally.
- Mix all ingredients for the dough in a bowl by either using your hands or a hand mixer.
- Press 2/3 of the dough evenly into a greased or lined baking dish. My pan measures 7 x 11 inches (18 x 28 cm).
- Pour the strawberry filling over the crust.
- Crumble the remaining 1/3 dough on top.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Banana: Use banana or applesauce for a low-fat version. If you prefer a flaky/buttery soft crust, I would recommend using 40 grams banana (or applesauce) and 40 grams vegan butter (margarine).
- Almond flour: You can use any ground nuts/seeds of choice (e.g. hazelnuts, shredded unsweetened coconut) instead of almond flour.
- Coconut milk: You could use oat cream or soy cream instead of canned coconut milk.
- The recipe serves 10. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
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Hello, I made this recipe, but my crust fell apart and the oats didn’t cook thoroughly. Can I do anything to firm it up and cook the pats?
Hi Jessie, was the dough too crumbly? If yes, you would need to add more liquid, either a little more banana or vegan butter. How long did you leave the cake in the oven? Once the topping is golden brown, the cake is done. Please watch the video to see all steps and the texture of the dough. 🙂
hi. first thank you for your blog. amazing. on this one. any other subs if we don’t have chia seeds. i know you said flax. anything else possibly?
Hey Nadine! You can simply leave them out and use about one teaspoon more starch to thicken the mixture. 🙂
they are absolutely delicious and i can’t wait to share them with others! thanks Ela!
You are very welcome, Sarah. 🙂
Made these to deliver to some friends today and they are amazing !!!! Used 1/2 cup almond flour and 1/2 cup shredded coconut- turned out so great. Can’t wait to try with other fruits!! Thank you so much for recipe !
Awesome! Glad they turned out yummy. Thanks for your feedback, Holly. 🙂
I just made them, it’s soooo delicious! The dough is going to be my go-to for other bars. I think I’m going to try it with raspberries next time :). I’m not eating vegan all the time but I’ve tried few of your recipes for healthier meals (this week, I’m making the black beans burgers and the stuffed zucchini’s) and it’s always a success! I especially like that you’re not using soja, tofu or some weird processed products.
Thanks for your kind comment, Aurelie! I am glad you like my recipes!
Greetings! I’ve only 1 cup of almond flour and 1 cup of oats (market has bare shelves at present). Might I use regular all purpose flour to sub the remaining almond and oat flours? Thank you!
Hey, I think it should be fine if you use regular flour instead of oat flour. The recipe calls for 1 cup of almond flour and you wrote you have 1 cup, so that’s fine. If the dough ends up too dry because of the all-purpose flour, simply add a little vegan butter. I hope this helps. 🙂
Thank you for your quick reply! Ended up with just enough oats to where I was short 1/2 cup so used APF for the remaining. This recipe is brilliant and delicious. Thank you!
That’s awesome! I am happy it turned out delicious. Thanks for reporting back, it’s appreciated. 🙂
Hi! Can I just double the almond flour instead of using almond flour and oat flour?
Or is there another type of flour that I can use with the almond flour? I don’t have oat flour on hand.
Hi Norma, you can make your own oat flour in a blender. Just add oats and blend, that’s it. You could use more almond flour if you prefer though. 🙂
Hello dear Ela! I also
Have 2 questions please! Can I use coconut milk but not canned?
Secondly instead of almond flour do you think grounded sunflower seeds will work? And taste well too?
Thanks so much for your answer! Greetings from Cyprus!
Hello Eliana! You can use coconut milk (not canned) or any other plant-based milk but then you’ll need to add 2-3 tablespoons of oil, otherwise, the cake will turn out too dry and not tasty (canned coconut milk is higher in fat).
You can use ground sunflower seeds but the cake will most likely turn green because there will be a chemical reaction between baking powder and sunflower seeds because of chlorophyll (yes, it happened to me before). It’s still tasty but not very pretty. 😀
I will try buckwheat then? I can ground it and use that instead? Or dried coconut? What do you think? Thanks so much again!
Dried shredded coconut would be the best! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I swapped oat milk for the coconut and subbed frozen tart cherries because that’s what I had on hand. Turned out delcious but next time I would either up the quantity of fruit reduce the amount of crumble/crust. The ratio was off for my tastes.
Thanks for your feedback, Vanessa! 🙂
I have a friend who always get something similar from Starbucks, I’ll have to share this with her so she can make them herself!
Great idea! I hope she will like the recipe. 🙂
Dear Ella, I think your recipes are delicious and I am not really a vegan. I actually came across your blog when searching for recipes for my daughter whose school has no egg policy in lunch boxes. I think she will also love these bars for her morning snack. Could you tell me please are chia seeds optional and if not can they be replaced with something else.
Greetings from Australia 🙂
P.S. Planning on making your chocolate vegan cake for upcoming Fathers day on Sunday 🙂
Hi Izabela, the chia seeds will thicken the filling. Flax seeds might work too.
Much love, Ela
How do your strawberries stay so red? Mine turn pink
I made these for my dad and he loved them!
1) If using apples, what quantity?
2) Can I sub the almond flour with coconut flour or does it have to be shredded coconut?
Hi Rachel, you can use one pound of apples. Please DON’T use coconut flour! It will completely dry out the bars as it contains almost no fat and is very absorbent!
Hope this helps.
Thank you so much for the response!
Dear Ela, I’ve made this great crumble yesterday and just wanted to say thank you for such wonderful vegan version!
We really loved it with some green tea… or without:)
I will try to make your lemon cake tomorrow!
So happy I found your IG account! Wondering if you have a for purchase?
Good to hear you liked the crumble bars! Thanks a lot for your amazing feedback, Alya. 🙂 Would you mind also leaving a star rating for the recipe?
PS: Do you mean a cookbook? Not yet, but I am working on one. 🙂
Liebe Ela,
was für ein tolles Rezept! Und diese Bars sehen so gut aus. Wirklich tolle Bilder.
Das muss ich doch auch mal ausprobieren 🙂 Bin ein großer Erdbeerfan und ich habe Streuselkuchen noch nie ausprobiert.
Hab einen schönen Tag!
Danke liebe Melanie, ich hoffe du probierst das Rezept mal aus. 🙂
Hi don’t have oat flour. Can I use coconut flour?
No, don’t use coconut flour! It would completely dry out the bars. You can use almond flour or ground buckwheat groats instead. To make oat flour, simply mix oats in a blender. It’s so easy! 🙂
Hi Ela, thanks a lot for this recipe! I want to make it as a big sheet cake. Do you think I should add baking powder so that it rises a little bit?
Hi Alexandra, there is already 2 tsp of baking powder in the recipe. If you want to make it as a big sheet cake, I would definitely double the recipe. 🙂
Can I use other starch than potato or corn? i cant eat them. Can iuse rice starch?
Hi Diana, you can use arrowroot flour. Rice starch should also work. 🙂
Could I use almond milk instead of coconut milk? I wanted to make these tomorrow but don’t have coconut milk.
Yes, but the bars will end up a little bit less moist because canned coconut milk is higher in fat. Or you could use 1 tbsp less almond milk and add a tbsp of vegetable oil or vegan butter.
This is the most genius recipe ever. I can’t figure how it has great big giant crumbles of deliciousness without any butter or really any fat, except coco milk fat.
I’ve made it so many times and sometimes I lessen the sweetener and its our breakfast. Yum
I’ve been thinking that with the crumble being so decadent this might be one step away from a fabulous granola cereal recipe… hmmm. (Food for thought, Ela ;))
Awesome! Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback, Amanda ❤️