Oooo strawberry season! June and July are peak strawberry season in Ontario and I always get excited to turn these sweet berries into tasty desserts! These simple vegan strawberry oat bars are a perfect summer treat!
Delicately sweetened so the strawberry flavour shines!
The oat/walnut crust doubles as the topping
Lemon and lemon zest add a bit of tartness
They're firm enough to pick up and eat with your hands
But also pair beautifully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some whip!
Ingredients
I love that the strawberries are the only fresh ingredient needed for this recipe. All the other ingredients are part of our pantry staples! That means, when I'm generously gifted a pint of strawberries or have some that are starting to get slightly soft; I can make this quick dessert without needing to run to the grocery store for other ingredients.
- Oats and walnuts make up the bulk of the crust and topping.
- Vegan butter, applesauce, maple syrup, and cinnamon add the binding power and extra flavour.
- Cane sugar, lemon juice, and arrowroot starch sweeten and thicken the berries.
And in 45 minutes you'll be taking a warm, baked summer treat out of the oven!
The Simple Trick To Vegan Strawberry Oat Bars
Make one dough and use it for both the crust and topping! If I have to make a crust, a filling, and a separate topping... I tend to groan a little. Two components seems much more manageable for a quick dessert than three.
And... do you know the differences between crisp, a crumble, and a cobbler? It wasn't until I titled this recipe that I realized I should probably figure out which one this recipe is closest to! If you want a quick read on the differences - kitchn gives a nice overview!
I would have called this recipe a crumble bar and it probably looks closest to a crumble topping BUT because it's made from oats and has a crust I settled on oatmeal bars!
- Grind the oats and walnuts in your food processor until the walnuts are broken down.
- Add melted vegan butter, applesauce, maple syrup, and cinnamon.
- Blend until a sticky dough is formed.
- Spoon all but ½ cup into an 8x8" baking tin lined with parchment paper.
- The paper will allow you to lift the finished bars out of the tin without any sticking!
- And slightly dampen your fingers to make patting the dough down much easier!
Bake the dough for 10 minutes while you slice your strawberries and mix the filling.
How To Make Simple Strawberry Oat Bars
With your crust in the oven and the topping already made; all that is left - is to mix the ingredients for the filling.
Other recipes may call for cooking the filling on the stovetop before adding it... BUT I love that this recipe keeps things simple!
- Dice your strawberries,
- Mix them with cane sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest (optional but always tasty), and arrowroot starch or cornstarch.
I LOVE freezing citrus zest for recipes like this one! When I haven't planned to make a dessert and don't have a fresh lemon I use concentrated lemon juice and scoop some zest out of a little container in my freezer! I can't count how many times I juiced a lemon, lime, or orange and tossed the peel without zesting it! Anytime you have fresh citrus and don't need the zest... zest it anyway and store it in your freezer!
When your crust comes out of the oven...
- Spoon the strawberry filling on top,
- Crumble the reserved dough,
- And slide it back in the oven for 20 minutes!
Recipe Cost
These simple vegan strawberry oat bars cost us approximately: CAD $7.85 for 9 bars.
That means each bar costs us about $0.87 vs. at least $2.50 for something like this purchased from a cafe. Pretty good for a quick dessert made mostly from ingredients in your pantry!
If you're looking for another use for those delicious strawberries - take a look at our; Strawberry Jam Overnight Oats, Strawberry Banana Smoothie, and our favourite low waste recipe... Strawberry Watermelon Rind Fruit Sauce!
Print
Simple Vegan Strawberry Oat Bars - Gluten Free
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 9 bars 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan strawberry oat bars are perfect for summer! The GF crust doubles as the topping for a quick and easy dessert that travels well!
Ingredients
Crust/Topping:
- 2 cups quick or rolled oats (ensure certified GF if needed)
- 1 ½ cups raw walnuts
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp vegan butter, melted
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Filling:
- 2 ½ cups strawberries, diced*
- 2 ½ tbsp cane sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
- optional: 1 teaspoon lemon zest (can use frozen)
*Fresh Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare an 8x8” baking tin with parchment paper.
- Pulse the oats and nuts in a food processor until the walnuts are broken down into small bits. Add the remaining crust/topping ingredients to the food processor and blend until the dough is combined.
- Scoop all but ½ cup of the dough into the parchment lined 8 inch square baking tin. The parchment paper will allow you to lift the finished bars from the tin after they are done baking without any sticking! Slightly dampen your fingers to easily spread the dough into the corners and pack it down.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes and in the meantime, slice your strawberries and mix them with the filling ingredients. *If you don't bake the crust it will be less firm because it will soak up lots of the liquid from the strawberries. Baking the crust longer than 10 minutes results in it being too firm to soak up any liquid and it will pool over the edges a bit. I found 10 minutes to be the perfect amount of time for a firm crust but one that still absorbs a bit of the excess liquid.
- When the crust is done remove it from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
- Spoon the strawberries over the baked crust. Then sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of dough as the topping (it will be sticky, that’s ok). Add another light dusting of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon cane sugar if desired.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes until the strawberries are bubbly and the topping is browned.
- Allow to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes. As it cools the strawberry filling will solidify more. Lift it out of the tin using the parchment paper and once the filling has firmed up, slice into 9 bars.
- Serve with ice cream and our 5 minute homemade whipped cream for an even fancier treat!
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Notes
Approximate Cost: CAD $7.85 ($0.87/bar) vs. at least $2.50/bar if purchased out.
This recipe is gluten-free as long as you ensure your oats are certified gluten-free!
To use frozen strawberries you can follow the recipe as written and increase the baking time to 30 minutes. The crust does absorb more of the liquid and I find the strawberry filling to not be as thick but the bars are still delicious. Alternatively, cook the strawberry filling on the stovetop over low heat until thick and then add to the baked crust. Continue with the 20-25 minutes baking time. In this version the filling will be a little more “gummy” in texture but again, delicious.
If you don't have a food processor you can try crushing the walnuts as small as you can and using either whole oats or an oat (or nut!) flour if you have some. The crust/topping may be crumblier but will still be tasty!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Abigail
So delicious! I made this for a gluten-free friend and we all loved it! They took the leftover bars home with them and it was easy to pack up because the filling set well and wasn't messy. I served it with a coconut vanilla ice cream and the duo was perfect.
Kathryn Alexandre
Awesome! I'm so glad the filling set well and you were able to pack the leftovers up for your friend. That's so wonderful to hear that they enjoyed it! The coconut ice cream combo sounds delicious! I love a warm dessert with cold ice cream on the side. Thank you for the star rating too!
Adeline
I had some frozen strawberries that I wanted to get out of my freezer and I followed your instructions and these strawberry squares turned out really well!
Kathryn Alexandre
Oh wonderful! I'm glad they worked out well with using your frozen fruit. Thank you so much for letting me know and for leaving a lovely star rating. Enjoy your squares!