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strawberry almond oat bars (GF, vegan)

August 6, 2017 by Amanda @ .running with spoons. 23 Comments

These strawberry almond oat bars are so tender and buttery that you’d never guess they’re made without any flour or butter! A gluten-free combination of oats and almond flour gives them an irresistibly flaky crust, which pairs beautifully with an easy homemade strawberry chia seed jam.

Strawberry Almond Oat Bars - so tender and buttery that you'd never guess they're made without any flour or butterl! A gluten-free combination of oats and almond flour gives them an irresistibly flaky crust, which pairs beautifully with an easy homemade strawberry chia seed jam | runningwithspoons.com

I was half tempted to title this post “What To Do With Those Pesky Frozen Strawberries”… but then I realized: a) that’s not great for SEO, and b) you don’t technically have to use frozen strawberries. Or strawberries at all, really. That’s just what I used because that’s what I suddenly found myself drowning in.

And if you’re wondering how one drowns in frozen strawberries, it’s quite simple… You just buy bags of frozen mixed berries, pick out the strawberries because you don’t like them, put them in a separate container, and over time find yourself with 5 lbs of frozen strawberries cluttering up your freezer and no idea what to do with them.

So what’s a girl to do when life hands her lemons frozen strawberries? Make jam…

Strawberry Chia Seed Jam

And like I mentioned before, you could totally do this with fresh strawberries as well. Or just skip the whole jam-making process in general and use store-bought. No judgement. I mean, you’re looking at a girl who’s always bought packaged hummus and never bothered making her own because… why? And I know, I know – it’s super easy and I should totally do it – and I will one day, but today is not that day. Today, we’re making waffles chia seed jam.

And with that jam, we’re making the most amazingly delicious strawberry almond oat bars…

Strawberry Almond Oat Bars - so tender and buttery that you'd never guess they're made without any flour or butterl! A gluten-free combination of oats and almond flour gives them an irresistibly flaky crust, which pairs beautifully with an easy homemade strawberry chia seed jam | runningwithspoons.com

So let’s talk about these bars.

The strawberry part obviously comes from the chia seed jam. It’s super easy to make, with the most annoying part being waiting for it to finish ‘jamming up’ before you can actually make the bars. BUT! I’ve found the perfect way around this is to just make the jam in advance… or don’t and just make everything at the same time since it’s not really that big of a deal. I’m just a tad impatient.

And then there’s the almond oat part. You.guys. The almond oat crust is where it’s at. It’s so.freaking.good that I I’m pretty sure I came close to reaching the point of no return with how many spoonfuls I scooped straight out of the blender. You know… the point where you eat so much of the dough that you’re not sure you have enough left over to make the entire recipe anymore? I was definitely flirting with that line.

Strawberry Almond Oat Bars - so tender and buttery that you'd never guess they're made without any flour or butterl! A gluten-free combination of oats and almond flour gives them an irresistibly flaky crust, which pairs beautifully with an easy homemade strawberry chia seed jam | runningwithspoons.com
Strawberry Almond Oat Bars - so tender and buttery that you'd never guess they're made without any flour or butterl! A gluten-free combination of oats and almond flour gives them an irresistibly flaky crust, which pairs beautifully with an easy homemade strawberry chia seed jam | runningwithspoons.com

What makes it so good? Well, it’s so tender and buttery without being made with any butter at all. It’s actually made from a mix of oats (gluten-free,* if needed) and almond flour, which combine to make some pretty beautiful magic together and produce a crust that’s buttery and flaky, but made without any flour or butter. It’s craziness. The only downside is that it can be a little tricky to spread out in the pan, but it’s nothing a trusty spatula and a couple extra minutes of patience won’t counter.

Top that subtly sweet flaky doughiness with some naturally sweetened homemade jam, and you’ve got yourself a deliciously healthy snack bar that you can enjoy any time of the day.

Happy eating!

Strawberry Almond Oat Bars - so tender and buttery that you'd never guess they're made without any flour or butterl! A gluten-free combination of oats and almond flour gives them an irresistibly flaky crust, which pairs beautifully with an easy homemade strawberry chia seed jam | runningwithspoons.com

I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!

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Strawberry Almond Oat Bars


★★★★★

4.8 from 9 reviews

  • Author: Amanda @ Running with Spoons
  • Total Time: 55 mins
  • Yield: 12 bars 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

For the strawberry chia jam:

  • 2 cups (350 g) frozen strawberries*
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp (14 g) chia seeds
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the bars:

  • 1 cup (80 g) rolled oats (gluten-free, if needed)
  • 1 cup (128 g) almond flour
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) coconut palm sugar**
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil, melted***
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Make the jam:

  1. Add the strawberries and maple syrup to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Heat until the berries begin to release their liquid, about 5 – 15 minutes depending on whether or not they were thawed first. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to break down and thicken, about 5 -10 minutes. Use your spoon to break them apart further if desired.
  2. Stir in the chia seeds and vanilla, continuing to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the jam to cool. It will continue to thicken the longer it sits, which is why I usually like to make it the night before I’m planning on making these bars.

Make the bars:

  1. Preheat your oven to 325F (162C) and prepare an 8×8 (20x20cm) baking dish by lining it with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal.
  2. Add the oats and almond flour to a high-speed blender or food processor and process on high for about 10 seconds, or until the oats have broken down into the consistency of a fine flour. Add the remaining crust ingredients and continue processing for about 20 – 30 seconds until la sticky dough begins to form. Make sure to stop and scrape down the sides of your blender/processor as necessary.
  3. Transfer 2/3 of the dough into your prepared baking pan, using your fingers or a spatula to ensure that it is pressed down tightly and evenly. It might be a little stubborn, so just take your time and spread it as best you can – it doesn’t have to be perfect. Spoon the chia jam over the surface, and use a spatula or knife to spread it evenly, making sure to only go within 1/4 of the edge to prevent the jam from burning. Top with remaining dough by dropping it on top in in a few separate globs, and then using your spatula to spread them out.
  4. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until the centre has set and the bars begin to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Use a star[ knife to cut them into individual bars and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Notes

* You can easily sub out strawberries for your favourite frozen fruit. Or use 3/4 cup store-bought jam if you don’t have time to make your own. ** You can also use any other lightly flavoured oil. *** You can also use brown sugar.

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins

Keywords: almond, baking, bars, breakfast, gluten-free, healthy, oatmeal, recipe, snack, strawberry, vegan

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @runwithspoons on Instagram and hashtag it #runningwithspoons

Strawberry Almond Oat Bars - so tender and buttery that you'd never guess they're made without any flour or butterl! A gluten-free combination of oats and almond flour gives them an irresistibly flaky crust, which pairs beautifully with an easy homemade strawberry chia seed jam | runningwithspoons.com

Looking for more healthy snack bar recipes? Try one of these!

Double Blueberry Muffin Bars
Greek Yogurt Oatmeal Bars
Soft Baked Brownie Breakfast Bars
Strawberry Banana Oat Bars
No Bake Vegan Oatmeal Fudge Bars

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*Disclosure: Some of the links included in this post may be affiliate links, meaning I’ll earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and believe will add value to my readers. Thank you so much for helping support Spoons!

Filed Under: Bars & Brownies, Breakfast, Gluten Free, Recipe, Vegan Tagged With: almond, baking, bars, breakfast, gluten-free, healthy, oatmeal, recipe, snack, strawberry, vegan

Previous Post: « thinking out loud #246
Next Post: blueberry banana oat bars »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sandra

    December 27, 2022 at 11:26 pm

    I too am wondering if I could use something else in place of the almond flour – due to allergy to almonds. Thanks so much!

    Reply
  2. Brigitte

    February 2, 2022 at 12:22 pm

    This recipe has great ingredients but if you are looking for a crispy bar it’s not going to be crispy . It’s hard to describe the dough it’s not mushy at all but it’s like a soft cookie . The crispy base is missing while it’s super healthy I would still like to have more crispiness in the bars . It’s kind of bland even with my own strawberry compote , after I tasted it I added some Lemon zest glaze with lemon juice that definitely helped to give it some more flavor . Thank you 😊

    ★★★

    Reply
  3. Lyree

    May 17, 2018 at 3:21 am

    Love the reference to Donkey in Shrek. Haven’t tried yet but the pictures inspire me.

    Reply
    • Amanda @ .running with spoons.

      May 17, 2018 at 9:33 am

      I’m glad you caught the reference 😀

      Reply
  4. Annabelle Louis

    April 13, 2018 at 9:27 am

    Just made these, they are amazing!!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Ilja

    March 12, 2018 at 10:26 am

    I made these with Pear jam, as pears are in season at the moment here (and locally produced) and strawberries are not. And it’s amazing. You really can do this with every fruit you want 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda @ .running with spoons.

      March 12, 2018 at 5:03 pm

      I’m so glad you liked them! You can definitely use any fruit and pears sound wonderful 😀

      Reply
  6. Erwin Pratama

    December 16, 2017 at 8:23 am

    Yummy, that looks delicious, I want it.

    Reply
  7. Whitney

    August 10, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    Hi Amanda! Those bars look so yummy!! I have a lot of frozen strawberries in my freezer, can’t wait to use them in this recipe. One question though, can i sub applesauce with mashed banana?

    Reply
  8. Elizabeth Riddle

    August 9, 2017 at 7:32 am

    These look so delicious! I definitely need to try these!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. [email protected]

    August 8, 2017 at 8:40 am

    These look magical although I’d totally use store bought jam.

    PS. I don’t make my own hummus either. We have to draw the line somewhere. 🙂

    Reply
  10. Kat

    August 7, 2017 at 7:17 pm

    Made these today with blueberries. They are so easy and good. Looking forward to trying with other fruit.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. Heather Baedke

    August 7, 2017 at 5:52 pm

    Could you use all oat flour or do you have a substitute for the almond flour. I have a allergy to almonds:)

    Reply
    • Misten

      August 7, 2017 at 9:12 pm

      I too have an almond allergy in my house, so would love to hear a good substitute. Thanks!

      Reply
  12. Kat (The Baking Explorer)

    August 7, 2017 at 3:17 am

    They look so delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  13. Kathryn

    August 6, 2017 at 6:41 pm

    I just made these! They’re absolutely amazing and I’ve already eaten three. Oops. Thanks for the recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  14. Cassie Autumn Tran

    August 6, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    Hehehe, I know what it’s like to have a seriously overflowing stash of something frozen in your freezer (i.e. frozen bananas)! I tend to make LOTS of smoothies, though, but pastries sound like such an incredible idea! I can’t believe these bars are flourless, either! They look SO moist and fluffy. I totally want to take a bite!

    Reply
  15. [email protected]

    August 6, 2017 at 1:50 pm

    you had me at tender and buttery! I have actually never bought frozen strawberries before. This is a great use for them though

    Reply
  16. Liberty

    August 6, 2017 at 10:55 am

    These look delicious! I can’t wait to make 🙂
    http://www.libertylife.me

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  17. Aimee

    August 6, 2017 at 9:55 am

    oh man, these look melt in your mouth delicious! I love using almond and oat flour together – I will DEFINITELY be making these!

    Reply
  18. Emma Allen

    August 6, 2017 at 8:49 am

    Oh my goodness, these looks incredible and they almost remind me of those jam crumble puds we used to get in primary school. So much yumminess!
    Cannot wait to give these a go!

    Emma xx

    Reply
  19. Amy

    August 6, 2017 at 6:48 am

    Before I even started reading your post & had only seen the title & pictures, my immediate thought was — “Ooo perfect! I have so many frozen strawberries I need to use!” Haha! I’m obviously right there with ya!

    These look phenomenal & I’m definitely trying them out soon!

    Reply
  20. Nathalie

    August 6, 2017 at 5:25 am

    This looks so yummy! I’m definitely going to make these soon! Check out my Vegan Chocolate Mousse recipe that I just posted on my blog – I think you might like it too! (http://bit.ly/VeganAFMousse)

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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I'm Amanda - health coach, cookbook author, recipe developer, photographer, makeup junkie, and the blogger behind Running with Spoons - a blog dedicated to proving that healthy snacking doesn't have to be tasteless or boring, one delicious recipe at a time. More about Amanda →

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