Strawberry Steel Cut Oat Bars

Name: Strawberry Steel Cut Oat Bars
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 165 min
Ingredients: 3 cups chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen); 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 6 tablespoons chia seeds; 1 1/2 cups large flaked rolled oats; 1 cup steel cut oats; 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut; 1/4 cup coconut sugar; 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (smooth and drippy); 1/2 cup maple syrup; 1/4 cup virgin cold pressed coconut oil

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These Strawberry Steel Cut Oat Bars are made with a mix of steel cut oats and old fashioned rolled oats (for the ultimate chewy texture) along with shredded coconut, natural peanut butter and a homemade strawberry chia jam filling. They're gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, easy to assemble and require just 10 ingredients. You can enjoy them as a breakfast bar or as dessert with a scoop of ice cream!

These strawberry bars are what started my obsession with oat bars, and inspired these almond flour peach crumble bars and these chocolate oat bars!

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Quick Look: Strawberry Steel Cut Oat Bars

⏱ Prep Time: 20 minutes
👩🏻‍🍳 Bake Time: 25 minutes
🆒 Chill Time: 2 hours
⏳ Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
🍓 Servings: 16 bars
⚡ Calories: 234 per bar
🍽 Diet: gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan
🔥 Flavor/texture: crispy oat base and topping, lightly sweetened strawberry chia jam filling, PB&J flavor.
👌 Difficulty: just 10 ingredients, easy to assemble and bake.
❤️ Why you'll love: steel cut oats add a unique nutty and chewy texture; hearty ingredients make them the perfect breakfast bar.

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What makes these strawberry oat bars so special?

I first shared this recipe in 2018, and I still make these bars all the time. While the photos and text have been updated, the recipe is exactly the same. That tells you this one is a true keeper!

Here's what makes them special:

Extra chewy texture: Steel cut oats mixed with rolled oats create a hearty, satisfying bite. (This is the same reason I love to add steel cut oats to muffins, like these healthy banana nut muffins)!
No flour needed: The crust and crunchy topping are made almost entirely of oats.
Chia jam filling: Instead of just strawberries, the filling is an easy strawberry chia jam, which makes these bars healthy enough for breakfast. (I use the same chia jam recipe to make my version of a strawberry cobbler recipe).
PB&J flavor: Coconut oil makes the top crisp (so no need for butter), while peanut butter binds it all together and pairs with the jam for a classic flavor combination.

If you love the PB&J combo, you'll also love these peanut butter and jam cookies (they're made with chia jam too)!

Table of Contents

Quick Look: Strawberry Steel Cut Oat Bars
What makes these strawberry oat bars so special?
Ingredient notes and substitutions
How to make strawberry steel cut oat bars
Expert tips for making these oat bars
Measuring your ingredients
Strawberry steel cut oat bars FAQs
Other recommended strawberry recipes
📖 Recipe

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Ingredients to make strawberry oat bars arranged in individual dishes and labeled.

Strawberries: I used fresh strawberries to make the chia jam filling, but you can also use frozen.
Oats: Steel cut oats add a chewy and nutty texture that makes these bars a little extra hearty. While rolled oats are just the whole oat groat pressed or rolled out, steel cut oats are groats that have been chopped into little pieces. That's why the two oat varieties have different textures, and work perfectly in these bars.
Peanut butter: For that irresistible PB&J combo, I added natural peanut butter to the oat mixture. I haven't tested this recipe with shelf stable peanut butter, but one of my readers did with success. (See comments at the end). If you need a substitute, natural almond butter will offer the same texture, but will change the flavor of the bars slightly. (I use almond butter in the crumb base and topping for my healthy date squares recipe).
Maple syrup: Real maple syrup is added to the oat mixture and chia jam to help sweeten the bars. If you don't need these bars to be vegan, you can use honey in place of maple syrup.
Coconut: While I used shredded coconut, you can also use flaked or medium desiccated. Just make sure it is unsweetened.
Chia seeds: You'll need 6 tablespoons of chia seeds to thicken the jam. I used black chia seeds but, if you can find them, you can also use white. (I sometimes use them in light colored recipes, like my oat milk chia pudding or pineapple chia seed pudding).

How to make strawberry steel cut oat bars

Chopped strawberries in a small sauce pan.

Step 1: Add the chopped strawberries and maple syrup to a small sauce pan.

Cooked and mashed strawberries in a sauce pan.

Step 2: Bring to a low boil and let simmer until the strawberries have softened. (This will only take 8-10 minutes and will release a lot of liquid)

Chia seeds mixed into the cooked strawberries.

Step 3: Mash the strawberries with a fork. It's okay if there are still chunks. Stir in the chia seeds.

Thickened strawberry chia jam in a sauce pan.

Step 4: Cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes to let the chia seeds plump and thicken the jam.

Dry oat mixture whisked together in a glass bowl.

Step 5: Whisk together the oats, coconut, coconut sugar and salt.

Peanut butter, maple syrup and coconut oil melted together in a bowl.

Step 6: Add the peanut butter, maple syrup and coconut oil to a glass bowl and microwave on two 30-intervals. Stir until melted together and runny.

Wet mixture stirred into the oat mixture.

Step 7: Pour over the oat mixture and stir together until well combined. The mixture will be wet.

Some of the oat mixture pressed into the bottom of a square pan.

Step 8: Press about two-thirds of the crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch square pan lined with overhanging parchment paper.

Chia jam spread out on top of the bottom oat layer.

Step 9: Spread the chia jam filling over the bottom oat layer.

Rest of oat mixture layered on top of chia jam.

Step 10: Sprinkle on the remaining oat mixture and lightly press it into the strawberry layer.

Step 11: Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack before transferring to the fridge for a few hours to firm up.

Strawberry bars arranged close together on parchment paper.

Step 12: Cut into squares and serve, or store in the fridge for later.

Expert tips for making these oat bars

Chill bars. Before cutting these bars, I always pop them in the fridge for a few hours to firm up. This will also help cut them into bars neatly.
Frozen strawberries. If you use frozen strawberries to make the jam just note that they release more liquid when cooked down. To thicken the jam, you'll need to cook it for longer or add more chia seeds.
Gluten-free oats. While oats are naturally gluten-free, there may be cross-contamination with wheat products, so just make sure your oats are certified gluten-free.
Size of pan. This recipe was made in an 8-inch square pan to create a thick bar. If you prefer a thinner bar, just use a 9-inch square pan and reduce the baking time by about 5 minutes.

Measuring your ingredients

For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you'll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you'll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.

Oat bars on parchment paper with strawberries peaking in the frame.

Strawberry steel cut oat bars FAQs

Can you make these steel cut oat bars with other berries?

Absolutely! You can make the jam filling out of different kinds of berries. This berry chia jam is made with strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, or this blueberry lemon chia jam is also a delicious option. (I use it to make these blueberry breakfast bars). The cherry filling from my almond cherry bars would also be great!

Can you make these oat bars with store-bought jam instead of chia jam?

Yes, store-bought jam should work fine, it may just make the bars a little sweeter since store-bought jams usually contain more sugar.

Can these oat bars be made nut-free?

Yes, just replace the peanut butter with a seed butter such as sunflower seed butter.

What's the best way to store these strawberry oat bars?

These bars should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, where they'll last for 5-6 days. They maintain a firmer texture when cold, and strawberry chia jam, even when baked, keeps best in the refrigerator.

Can these strawberry oat bars be frozen?

Yes! Just let them firm up in the fridge and then cut into bars. Place in an airtight container, either in a single layer or in between sheets of wax paper. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them defrost in the fridge for a few hours before enjoying.