If you are looking for an easy way to use those fresh strawberries, these gluten-free strawberry oatmeal bars make a delicious breakfast or snack. They are full of fresh fruit and your whole family will love this recipe!
Our farmer’s market is full of fresh local strawberries right now. They are big, juicy organic strawberries that burst with flavor when you bite into them. The strawberries in these oatmeal bars are definitely the hero of this snack. One bite of these fruity oatmeal cookie bars, and you will be hooked!
Things I love about these strawberry bars are: You only need a few simple ingredients to make them and they are customizable…use any fruit you have on hand! I have a ton of deliciously easy gluten-free cookie bar recipes on the blog!
Allergen Information:
This strawberry oat bar recipe is gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free (if you skip the optional almonds.) To make this recipe dairy-free, use a plant based butter.
Reader Rave
This is the perfect base recipe! I’ve made them twice now. Both times I mixed fresh strawberries with strawberry preserves. The second time making it, I doubled the recipe and used coconut oil instead of butter and gluten free protein oats!” Teddi F., Pinterest comment
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with both King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour blends. Any blend should be okay, but avoid any flour with bean flour.
- Gluten-Free Rolled Oats – One important note for using oats when you are on a gluten -free diet. Make sure the oats you use gluten free oat brands. Cross-contamination is a huge issue for oats, and I don’t want anyone to get sick!! Oats themselves are gluten-free, but they are often grown next to wheat.
- Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar – You can use either brown sugar or coconut sugar for a lower glycemic sweetener.
- Baking Powder and Salt – I recommend aluminum-free baking powder.
- Strawberries – Fresh is best, but frozen strawberries are okay to use if you thaw them and drain off the excess liquid.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter.
Step-By-Step Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350º F. Add the crust dry ingredients to a large
Step 2: Mix the melted butter with the dry ingredients and mix it with a large spoon into a crust dough.
Step 3: Press half of the crust mixture into a greased 8×8 pan and press it down to compact it. I like to use this gluten-free baking spray, but you can use an oil spray if you prefer.
Step 4: Wash your strawberries and cut off the green stems. Use a sharp knife to slice the berries in thick slices (3-4 slices per berry.) Layer the fresh strawberries on top of the crust. Again, feel free to use the fruits on hand if you don’t have fresh strawberries.
Add a few layers of juicy strawberries so the flavor really bursts through.
Step 5: Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over the top of the strawberries. Bake at 350º F for 25-30 minutes until the strawberries are softened and the bars solidify. (Note: as they cool, they will become more solid.)
Step 6: Put on pot holders remove the gluten-free strawberry oatmeal bars from the oven and allow them to cool on a cooling rack before slicing them.
Variations:
This oatmeal bar recipe works with lots of different fruits! Here are some ideas:
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Strawberry/ Rhubarb
- Peaches/Nectarines
Recipe FAQ:
You can use frozen strawberries in this strawberry bars recipe, but you must prep them so your gluten-free strawberry bars don’t turn out super mushy. Thaw the strawberries and pour out a little of the juice before adding the oatmeal layer.
These bars should keep fresh for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Store leftover bars in an airtight container in your refrigerator. They will keep fresh for four days. You can also freeze these bars. I recommend chilling them in the refrigerator overnight. You can then put slices into a freezer safe zip baggie.
And, if you bought too many strawberries, give these Gluten Free Strawberry Muffins recipes a try too!
More recipes with gluten free oats:
- Gluten Free Chocolate Steel Cut Oats (yes, you can have chocolate for breakfast!)
- Simple and delicious, these Grab and Go Gluten Free Oatmeal Breakfast Bars are perfect for a busy morning.
- If you are into big cookies, this Giant Gluten Free Oatmeal Pizookie Cookie is hard to resist.
- Another delicious breakfast recipe, this How to Make Overnight Oats tutorial, is great for meal prep.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Include which flour blend you used, or if you changed anything about the recipe. This helps other readers. Thank you!
Quick and Easy Gluten Free Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 ½ cup gluten free rolled oats * see note
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminu,-free
- ¾ cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 cups fresh strawberries *see notes for frozen instructions
- ½ cup sliced almonds optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Spray a 8×8 pan with a gluten free baking spray or oil.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients.
- Add the melted butter to the bowl and mix into a crumbly crust mixture. Press ½ of the mixture to the bottom of the pan to form a crust.
- Add a layer of fresh strawberries on top of the crust.
- Top with remaining crust mixture and bake it for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and let the bars cool.
Video
Notes
- It is critical to use gluten-free oats if you are Celiac. Cross-contamination runs high in regular oats. (Note: Gluten-Free oats are not available in Australia.)
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- Several have asked about using frozen strawberries. These have a lot of liquid. I recommend thawing them and draining off the extra liquid before using frozen strawberries.
- These bars will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I just made these using coconut oil instead of butter and coconut sugar instead of regular brown sugar. They turned out great! I will definitely be using this recipe again. Thank you so much!
I am so happy to hear this Kristin. Thank you for letting us all know it works with these healthy options!!
Delicious flavor but I had to bake for an hour for strawberries to get to a nice softness and it never formed bars, but a crumble to eat with a spoon.
Hi Jill, what gluten free flour blend did you use?
Hey can I use steel cut oats or will it not come out the same?
Hi Jaci, I don’t think steel cut oats would work because of how thick and dense they are. That being said, go for it and let us know how they turn out.
How long do they last (if I bake Friday or saturday.will they be good for Monday delivery to teachers?
Hi Lilly, honestly, I am not sure how long. I would try to bake them the night before so they don’t get too soggy.
So I made this with blueberries and it was FANTASTIC. I am gluten and dairy free so I simply subbed the butter for earth balance and it turned out incredible. It’s probably considered more of a dessert but I’m planning on using it for my breakfast to couple with eggs; I struggle with finding yummy go-to’s to get my morning going. This is so yummy and I was pleased with how it turned out using blueberries.
I am so glad you liked this recipe Monica. I love that you used blueberries. Thank you for writing, you made my day :-).
Could I use rice flour with this? I’m pretty new to gluten free baking…
Hi Shante, thank you for your note. You will want to use a gluten free flour blend for gluten free baking. (And if the one you have doesn’t include xanthan gum, you want to add 1 teaspoon. This is like the glue that helps hold things together.) Rice flour by itself doesn’t hold together, it is always best to combine a couple of gluten free flours with a starch like tapioca. If you want to send me an email at sandi@fearlessdining.com, I am happy to answer any questions you have :-).
They were delicious….especially a la mode! I added vanilla ice cream to it while still a little warm…..will definitely do it again. I didn’t have the size pan, so made them into little round tart pans I had. Came out good actually, could only eat one. I’m gluten sensitive, so that’s all I could have. And my family even liked them, which that’s a miracle finding something gluten free they like.
You made my day Elva. I am so glad your family loved these bars. You can make them with any fruit. The tart pan is a great idea for portion control…I tend to eat a lot more of this than I need 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to write and tell me about your experience.
These are amazing!
I am so glad you enjoyed these Sue. You made my day 🙂
Oh, these bars look perfect! Since they have oatmeal in them, that means I can totally have one or two for breakfast, right? 😉
Of course Carrie 🙂
These look fabulous! Do you think strawberries that have been frozen can be used in the winter months?
Hi Lyn, I think previously frozen strawberries will be fine. They will have more water…so you may need to adjust the crust a bit.
Those are going to be perfect for back to school! I’ll be tempted to stash some in a hiding spot for myself though!
That is a fabulous idea 🙂
This looks like a great way to use all the strawberries we have growing in our garden. They look delicious!
I am jealous you have a garden filled with strawberries! Our squirrels are greedy here.
I love the simplicity of this recipe and can imagine how tasty it is with those gorgeous strawberries. I don’t think I could stop at just one slice.
LOL, I feel the same way 🙂
I am always looking for ways to use up strawberries, despite having a new plot this year and turning over the old plot we still have a glut which will only get greater in the next few years… These look fantastic, I love oaty sweet treats!
Your plot sounds incredible Brian 🙂
MmmMmm! These oatmeal bars sure look delicious! Love that you used fresh strawberries instead of a prepared jam! The fires are terrible! SoCal and the Coast are getting pretty beat up 🙂 Enjoy your family time!
Thank you so much Sandra 🙂
Yes! The strawberries have been fantastic at our farmers market, too. These oatmeal bars look incredible.
Thank you Lauren 🙂
This looks delicious Sandi. LOVE strawberry anything.. wishing we were still getting them here. Kids must have loved it! Pinning
Thank you Swayam 🙂