Strawberry Oat Bars

Today I’m sharing strawberry oat bars that smell and taste like spring and are bubbling over with happiness. The reason they feel like pure springtime joy is that this recipe uses a whole 300g of strawberries and mulberries! While they bake, the whole house fills with a sweet aroma. The gentle sweetness comes entirely from natural ingredients like bananas and Canadian maple syrup, and the bananas also make the bars really moist, so there’s no refined sugar or butter in this recipe. The oat base is dense and chewy, and paired with the sweet-tart berries on top, they’re a real joy to eat.

Strawberry oat bars, full of berry aroma and made with natural, wholesome ingredients.

Ingredients for Strawberry Oat Bars

As the name suggests, the two most important ingredients in strawberry oat bars are strawberries (or other berries) and oats. Below I’ll explain how to choose these two, plus notes 📒 on what to watch out for or swap with the other ingredients.

Fresh berries: Besides fresh strawberries, you can use any other berries you like or can easily find! I happened to catch mulberry season, so I mixed some mulberries in with the strawberries, but you can use the same weight of any berries, like raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and so on. Be sure to choose fresh, ripe berries. Not only is the flavor richer, but fresh fruit doesn’t turn mushy, which makes the tastiest oat bars. Q: Can I use frozen berries? A: Absolutely! If you can’t find fresh berries, frozen ones are a convenient option. The only thing to watch out for is to let the frozen berries thaw completely and blot off the extra moisture with a paper towel. Then add a tablespoon of cornstarch just the same and pour them over the oats.

Old-fashioned oats: Old-fashioned oats (also called rolled oats) are different from instant oats. The main difference between the two is “how processed they are.” Old-fashioned oats are less processed and a bit thicker than instant oats, and because they’re less processed, they keep more of their nutrients and fiber. Instant oats are designed for making quick drinks; so they soften fast when you pour liquid over them, they’re processed into smaller, thinner flakes. If you’d like to learn more about the difference between old-fashioned and instant oats, this article by Barrel Leaf explains it in detail: Rolled Oats vs. Instant Oats. I always encourage everyone to learn more about food. To make tasty, nutritious oat bars, be sure to use old-fashioned oats. I buy mine at Costco or online.

Strawberry oat bars: natural, wholesome ingredients, including old-fashioned oats, whole wheat flour, bananas, strawberries, and maple syrup.

Whole wheat flour: Whole wheat flour is also full of nutrients. If you don’t have any, you can swap in regular cake or all-purpose flour. If you’d rather not use flour at all, replace it with the same weight of old-fashioned oats.

Bananas: I love baking with bananas. Besides tasting great, they add natural sweetness and keep baked goods moist. Remember that it’s best to bake with bananas that are ripe enough to have black spots. They’re much sweeter, very easy to mash, and give a finer texture. So if you have super-ripe bananas at home and don’t know what to do with them, hurry up and make banana bread, pancakes, or oat bars!

Maple syrup: Maple syrup is another great natural sweetener. If you don’t have it, you can use 50g of honey instead.

Cornstarch: Why do you need cornstarch? Because berries release juice as they bake. Tossing the berries with a tablespoon of cornstarch keeps them from releasing so much juice that the oats underneath turn too soft and fall apart.

Besides fresh strawberries, you can use any other berries you like or can easily find for these oat bars

How to Make Strawberry Oat Bars the Whole Family Will Love

The steps for making strawberry oat bars are super simple! Prep only takes about 10 minutes. First, preheat the oven!

Make the oat base

Prepare the wet ingredients first: put the bananas in a bowl and mash them with a fork, then add the maple syrup and stir well. Prepare the dry ingredients: in a large bowl, add the old-fashioned oats, whole wheat flour, and salt, and stir quickly with a spoon. Add the mashed banana and maple syrup to the dry ingredients and mix well. The more you mix, the stickier it gets; you can use your hands or two forks. Scoop out 1/3 of the mixed oats and set it aside. This will be the oat layer on top of the berries. Prepare a baking pan. I use a 20x20 cm square pan, lined with two sheets of parchment paper. Put 2/3 of the oats into the pan and use a fork to spread them out flat and even. The oats are fairly sticky, so push them out slowly. No rush. Enjoy the process of making food, and you’ll enjoy and appreciate the delicious results even more.

Make the strawberry filling

Cut fresh strawberries or other berries into pieces of about the same size, then sprinkle with cornstarch and toss gently so every berry gets a coating. Toss gently so the berries don’t get crushed and release their juice. Pour the coated berries over the oat base in the pan and spread them out evenly.

Crumble topping

Add one tablespoon of whole wheat flour to the reserved 1/3 of the oats and mix well with a fork or your hands, then scatter the oats evenly over the berries. When you’re done, you should still be able to see most of the berries.

Bake

Time to put the strawberry oat bars in the oven~ Bake at 190°C/374°F for 30-35 minutes. When they come out of the oven, let the oat bars rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift them out to cool. Once completely cool, slice and serve. Baking time is the perfect time to brew some tea and enjoy the smell of the berries. Once the bars are baked and cooled, you can cut a piece right away for a healthy afternoon snack. What? You’re saying it’s too soon to dig in? We worked so hard on these, of course we get to enjoy the first piece of fresh strawberry oat bar!

Baking the strawberry oat bars: 190°C/374°F for 30-35 minutes

How to Store Strawberry Oat Bars

The strawberry oat bars cut into about 9 pieces, so they’re great for making breakfast ahead of time. And since they’re bars, they’re very easy to take with you, which makes them the perfect energy snack before heading to work out or the gym. After the bars have cooled and been cut, if you need to stack them, cut parchment paper into squares of the same size and put one between each bar. If your container is big enough, there’s no need to stack them; just lay them flat in a fully airtight container or zip-top bag. Refrigerated, they keep for 5-6 days. If you can’t finish them in 5-6 days, pack them the same way in an airtight zip-top bag and freeze them for up to 2 months.

Storing strawberry oat bars: cut parchment paper into squares of the same size, put one between each bar, and pack them in an airtight zip-top bag.