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Cookies and Bars

Strawberry Crumble Bars (Gluten-free)

July 29, 2016 by Alexandra Daum
Vegan and gluten free strawberry crumble bars with an oat base and streusel, lots of seasonal berries, and a little coconut sugar for sweetness. 
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A stack of three crumble bars with flowers around.

These vegan strawberry crumble bars are loosely adapted from my date squares, with almond butter acting as the binder instead of flax to make a PB&J twist. The bars are very lightly sweetened and full of healthy oats so if you feel like having one for breakfast, you go for it.

I recommend using ripe seasonal berries for the filling, or excellent frozen berries, as you’ll really need their natural sweetness and stronger flavour compared to out of season fruit. The base and topping are crunchy, a little bit rich, and gluten-free thanks to rolled oats and oat flour.

Table of Contents hide
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Recipe Notes
How to Store
Expert Tips
More Seasonal Strawberry Recipes
Strawberry Jam Crumble Bars

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Nut butter: use almond butter for a slightly more neutral taste, or peanut butter for a kind of PB&J bar. Sunflower seed butter is a good nut-free substitution.
  • Rolled oats: quick-cook oats can be used in a pinch, but steel-cut won’t work.
  • Coconut sugar: you can sub plain sugar, but you’ll lose that slight caramel taste.
  • Coconut oil: I’m sure butter or a butter alternative can be used, but I haven’t tested this. It must be a fat that’s solid at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

The jam filling will seem too runny, but don’t worry! It does thicken as it bakes, but you need to be sure that it’s reached the bubbling stage – look for the mixture bubbling slightly around the edges once it’s baked.

For the best looking bars, wait until it’s fully cooled before slicing. It does taste good warm but you’ll get slightly messier bars.

How to Store

Storage: place the bars in a sealed container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. They don’t keep very well at room temperature.

Freezing: freeze in a single layer. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container and store for up to three months.

Nine crumble bars with a jam filling on baking paper.

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Expert Tips

  • Make the oat flour: if you can’t make your own oat flour, use slightly less store-bought, as it’s more finely ground. I do find that the recipe is much better with homemade oat flour.
  • Sweeten to taste: any added sugar in the filling is optional, and you probably won’t need it if using seasonal berries.
  • Don’t skip the lemon: this little bit of acid helps to preserve the colour of the strawberry jam as well as giving it a better flavour.

More Seasonal Strawberry Recipes

Strawberry Slush
Strawberry Brownies
Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Summer Strawberry Salad

If you make these Strawberry Crumble Bars or any other dairy-free dessert recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.

Yield: 9 bars

Strawberry Jam Crumble Bars

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

Metric – American

Oat base and crumble

  • 2 cups rolled oats ground into a coarse flour*
  • 100 grams rolled oats
  • 70 grams coconut sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 80 grams coconut oil melted
  • 35 grams nut butter runny
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Strawberry filling

  • 600 grams ripe strawberries
  • 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup optional

Instructions

Oat base and crumble

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a square 20 cm square (8 inch) baking tin with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, combine the oat flour and oats, coconut sugar, and salt. Add the coconut oil, almond butter, and vanilla and stir until everything has been incorporated and it holds together when pressed. Reserve one third of this mixture for the topping.
    2 cups rolled oats, 100 grams rolled oats, 70 grams coconut sugar, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 80 grams coconut oil, 35 grams nut butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Evenly crumble the remaining oat mixture into the prepared baking pan, and press firmly with your hands to make the base. You can use a small rolling pin or wet hands to make an even layer.
  • Add the strawberry mixture and spread it over the base layer. Crumble the reserved oat mixture over the strawberry filling. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 35-40 minutes, or until golden.
  • Cool fully in the tin before removing and slicing into bars. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Strawberry Filling

  • Place the strawberries in a shallow bowl (you might have to do this in two batches) and mash them with a fork. It doesn't need to be perfectly smooth. Stir in the arrowroot, lemon juice, and maple syrup (if using). Alternatively, use an immersion blender to mix. It will thicken as it bakes and turn into jam.
    600 grams ripe strawberries, 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder, Juice of half a lemon, 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Notes

* You can substitute a scant 2 cups of store-bought oat flour for homemade. To make your own, blend the oats in a food processor for a minute or two until a flour forms.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g Calories: 277kcal Carbohydrates: 34g Protein: 6g Fat: 15g Saturated Fat: 8g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 4g Sodium: 147mg Potassium: 270mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 9g Vitamin A: 8IU Vitamin C: 41mg Calcium: 54mg Iron: 2mg
© Alexandra Daum
Course: Breakfast, Cookies and Bars, Dessert, Desserts, Spring, Summer
Cuisine: British
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Print

This post was first published in July 2016. It has been updated with no changes to the recipe as of January 2023.

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Previous Post: « Rhubarb Almond Tart
Next Post: Oatmeal Thumbprint Cookies (Gluten-free) »

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Comments

  1. Alexandra Daum says

    August 3, 2016 at 4:27 pm

    Thank you! Arrowroot is one of my favourites in plant based baking.

    Reply
  2. leslie-anne says

    August 1, 2016 at 1:59 pm

    Gorgeous photos! The strawberry jam bars look great – love the use of arrowroot – it's just so versatile.

    Reply
  3. Alexandra Daum says

    August 1, 2016 at 4:34 am

    I hope you can visit at some point, it's a beautiful area! It's perhaps my favourite place in Manitoba. Thanks, Koko!

    Reply
  4. Koko says

    July 30, 2016 at 1:37 am

    Riding Mountain looks GORGEOUS – if I am ever in Manitoba again, I know where to go!

    These Strawberry Jam Bars sound so delicious…love that they are sweetened with just coconut sugar and maple syrup!

    Reply

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