Healthy Oatmeal Bars Breakfast (Gluten Free + Vegan)

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You will love these healthy oatmeal bars for breakfast or any time of the day! They’re beyond satisfying with a crumbly oatmeal crust and topping, filled with a gooey mixed berry jam! This recipe is so easy to make and the filling can be customized, so swap any frozen berries you like. The same oatmeal crumble mixture is used for the base and sprinkled across the top and it’s made with a mix of gluten-free oats and almond flour for a bit more protein.

Feel free to make this recipe and have bars ready to go throughout the week! I love enjoying these bars with a side of eggs or yogurt but they would be amazing with coconut yogurt if you want to keep this breakfast vegan. I hope you enjoy it!

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Healthy Oatmeal Bars

These healthy oatmeal bars are not only delicious and nutritious, but they’re also gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, soy-free, and refined sugar-free!

Common Questions:

Are Oatmeal Bars Healthy?

These oatmeal bars are full of fresh ingredients with lots of fiber, minerals, and no refined sugar. I prefer to enjoy these bars with a side of protein like Greek yogurt or eggs for a more balanced meal.

Are Oat Bars Gluten Free?

If you’re sure to use gluten-free rolled oats in these bars, they’re gluten-free.

Can I Make These Bars with Jam?

Yes! If you have jam you’d like to use instead, you can substitute 1 1/2 cups and skip the homemade berry filling.

Can I Use Fresh Berries Instead of Frozen?

Using fresh berries instead of frozen in this recipe will change the amount of liquid in the filling.

Oatmeal Bars Ingredients:

Frozen berries: chose frozen fruit because it’s usually cheaper at the grocery store and a lot of people like to keep bags on hand. You can use any one berry you like or a mixture of frozen berries. My frozen berry blend has sliced strawberries, so if you’re using large strawberries, I recommend cutting them into a few pieces for the best results.

Lemon juice: Just a little bit of an acid helps balance the sweetness in these bars.

Coconut sugar: An unrefined sweetener with an amazing flavor.

Maple syrup: Another unrefined sweetener we use in the crust and the berry filling.

Sea salt: This brings out the flavors in the other ingredients.

Tapioca starch: A thickener that works similarly to corn starch. You can substitute arrowroot starch but it tends to make the filling more gummy.

Rolled oats: I used organic, old-fashioned rolled oats. Make sure to purchase gluten-free if you need it.

Almond flour: Blanched almond flour works well in this recipe. Don’t substitute for almond meal as it will change the texture.

Baking soda: A rising agent that brings a little more life into the oatmeal layers.

Coconut oil: This is my oil of choice but you could try substituting butter or ghee and I think they should work. Let me know if you make that substitution and how it went!

Vanilla extract: This brings a touch more flavor that makes the oatmeal crumble so delicious.

How to Make Berry Oatmeal Bars

Mixed Berry Filling:

1. You’ll start by making the mixed berry filling. I specified in the recipe that you should chop any large strawberries into smaller pieces before starting. Add all the frozen berries you’re using to a small saucepan on medium or low-medium heat along with the other ingredients, except tapioca starch,
2. Stirring occasionally, allow the berries to warm, and leach out the liquid into the pot. When enough liquid has come out, it will be very soupy with lots of liquid not quite covering the berries completely.
3. Use a tablespoon to remove some of the liquid and mix it in a cup with the tapioca starch. Add it to the pot of berries and stir allowing it to heat for 1 minute. Then, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool a little and thicken while you prepare your oatmeal crumble.

Oatmeal Crumble:

1. Add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir to incorporate everything well. Add the rest of the ingredients right into that same mixing bowl and use a fork the mash that coconut oil and mix it into the other ingredients. You can also use your hands to mix fully.

Preparing the Bars:

1. Reserve 1/2-3/4 cup of the oatmeal mixture and set aside. Press the rest of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of a lined 9×9 baking dish into an even layer.
2. Add all the berry filling on top of that oatmeal layer and spread it into an even layer with a spatula.
3. Use your hands to sprinkle clumps of the reserved oatmeal mixture across the top of the berry filling. Use the rest of the reserved oatmeal mixture and then place the baking dish in a preheated oven to bake.
4. After baking, allow the oatmeal bars to cool completely to help them stay together. When cool, slice into bars and serve or place in containers and store in the fridge lightly covered for prepared breakfasts.

Equipment for This Recipe

1. I received my white baking dish as a gift but I found this white ceramic baking dish that would be beautiful to serve with.
2. Another great option for baking is glass dishes because they last so long if you’re careful. Here’s a simple glass baking dish that is the 9×9 square needed for this recipe.
3. I love using parchment paper for easy cleanup and I choose unbleached parchment paper when I can. Here’s a great option that is already pre-cut into sheets.

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Healthy Berry Oatmeal Bars Breakfast

These berry oatmeal bars are delicious for breakfast, snacks, or a healthy dessert! They're simple to make with a mixed berry filling made from frozen berries! The oatmeal crust is sweet with the best crumbly texture and is used as the base and topping for these bars. Enjoy!

 CourseBreakfast, Dessert, Snack

 CuisineAmerican

 Keyword healthy oatmeal bars, Oatmeal Bars, oatmeal bars breakfast, oatmeal bars gluten-free, oatmeal bars vegan

 Prep Time20 minutes

 Cook Time20 minutes

 Total Time40 minutes

 Servings9

Ingredients

Mixed Berry Filling

• 2 cups frozen berries (you can use any mixture of small berries)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1 ½ Tablespoons tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour)

Oatmeal Crust and Crumble Topping

• 1 ¾ cups rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)
• 1 ¼ cups almond flour (blanched)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ⅓ cup coconut oil (solid at room temperature)
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper.
• Measure out your frozen berries and if there are any large strawberries, leave them out or cut them into 4 pieces.
• Place a small saucepan on low-medium heat. Add your berries, lemon juice, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and sea salt.
• Let the berries warm for 5-10 minutes or until they have let out a lot of liquid and become soupy. Take out a tablespoon or two of the liquid and add it to a small cup along with the tapioca starch. Stir until there are no clumps and add it back to the pot of berries. Stir while letting it heat for 1 minute and then remove the pot from the heat and set aside while you make the oatmeal layers.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together rolled oats, almond flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Then add maple syrup, vanilla extract, and coconut oil.
• Use a fork to stir these ingredients together and cut in the coconut oil to incorporate. It may be helpful to use your hands to finish mixing.
• Reserve ½-¾ cup of the oatmeal mixture and transfer the rest to the baking dish. Press into an even layer that covers the entire bottom of the dish.
• Add your berry mixture on top of that oatmeal base and spread it into an even layer.
• Now, use your fingers to sprinkle the reserved oatmeal mixture across the top of that berry layer. You can do large clumps or small ones to make them look the way you like.
• Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until you see some edges turn lightly golden in color.
• Let the bars cool completely before slicing so they stay together. Store lightly covered in the fridge for breakfast throughout the week.

Thank You For Visiting

This post is a recipe for healthy oatmeal bars with a homemade, mixed berry filling. It’s not only easy to make but it’s also gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, soy-free, and refined sugar-free. If you enjoy this recipe, please consider checking out some other recipes on my site! And if you make these oatmeal bars, comment below letting me know how you liked them! Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you have an amazing day!