These berry oat bars have become my family's favorite new grab-and-go breakfast or after-dinner treat. They come together really fast and have no refined sugar. Sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar so we can skip the refined sugar! The entire family will love this recipe!
Ingredients for berry oat bars
- Coconut Oil — Melted and cooled. Butter can be replaced if you prefer butter to coconut oil.
- All-Purpose Flour — Or to make gluten free, simply swap for our favorite gluten free 1:1 flour substitute; King Arthur Measure for Measure. (See notes below for more on this.)
- Quick Oats — Rolled oats can be used as well, however, the texture of quick oats is more subtle and preferred for this recipe.
- Maple Syrup — This lends the best flavor to these berry bars, however, honey or agave nectar can be used as well.
- Granulated Coconut Sugar — This adds another layer of sweetness, but can be omitted or simply replaced with granulated white sugar if preferred.
- Raspberry Preserves — Use your favorite flavor jam of any berry you like. Jelly does not work, so stick with preserves or nice jam.
How to make berry oat bars
- Ok, now get ready, this recipe might take a whole 10 minutes to throw together. I love that all ingredients get mixed up in one bowl and you're done! No special equipment or extra dishes to wash. I'm in love with this baking pan from Nordic Ware because it comes with a lid!
- Melt your coconut oil in the same bowl you're using to mix everything together (less dishes!). Once melted, throw all other ingredients in, except for the raspberry preserves, and mix until combined. You'll have a slightly crumb-y mixture that holds together when you squeeze. Perfect!
- Now, just press about ⅔ of the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
- Spread the raspberry preserves, but careful not to go all the way to the edge. Leave a ½" border around the outside, so the preserves don't burn on the side of the pan.
- Lastly, crumble the remaining ⅓ of the mixture over the preserves and lightly press so the crumbs hold on and don't fall off when sliced and served.
- Bake 25-30 minutes until the top is lightly browned and the edges are set. Allow to cool completely, then slice into 9 equal squares and enjoy!
Maple Syrup
According to an article on the Under Armor Blog, Kate Chynoweth says this about maple syrup:
With a rich taste, lower glycemic index than white sugar and a low-fructose content, maple syrup has a well-deserved good rep as a sweetener. It contains small amounts of antioxidants, calcium, potassium and iron, and the mineral manganese, which contributes to healthy bone structure. Does this mean it’s healthy to eat syrup? Sadly, no. But there’s a good argument for choosing it over refined white sugar or agave.
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/examination-healthier-sugar-alternatives/
My favorite way to sweeten breakfast treats is with maple syrup. It's basically asking to be in all our morning food, right? The truth is that sugar is sugar. It's empty carbs and should always be eaten in moderation. Maple syrup, though, is my favorite because of it's lower amount of fructose.
I love this article about the benefits of maple syrup! Not only does it taste amazing, but there's actual benefits to adding it to your favorite breakfast!
- Maple Syrup is good for Men's health! It's loaded with zinc, which plays a significant role in men's reproductive health. Who knew??
- Maple Syrup helps boost energy! ¼ Cup of maple syrup can provide you with up to 100% of your daily manganese needs.
- Maple Syrup helps regulate blood sugar levels. Moderation is always key when consuming sugars, but maple syrup is preferable to refined sugar and can actually help regulate insulin.
- Maple Syrup is loaded with antioxidants that can have strong anticancer properties.
How to store berry oat bars
To keep oat bars fresh, add sliced bars to a ziploc bag lined with paper towels. The paper towels will keep the bars from getting soggy and will soak up any excess moisture.
The bars can be stored this way at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 8 days.
Recipe modifications
Add Peanut Butter — You asked and we listened! Many asked if you could add a nut butter to this recipe and we developed it for you! Check out our new Peanut Butter and Jelly Oat Bars Recipe and try this variation next time you need that delicious and quick breakfast for the whole family! Tastes great with classic peanut butter, but feel free to use your favorite nut butter (almond, cashew, sunflower, etc) and enjoy!
Add Flaxseed — Another easy way to add sneaky protein to this recipe is to add one tablespoon of ground flaxseed to the oat dough. No one will ever know its there!
Add Fresh Berries or Other Preserves — We make these berry oat bars with raspberry preserves, but feel free to use whichever preserves you have on hand. OR even fresh berries. It will add a good amount of moisture, but if the berries are chopped or smashed, it's another way to avoid extra sugar and get that fresh berry taste.
Make these bars gluten free
The Best Gluten Free Flour
To make this recipe gluten free, simply swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour blend. Also be sure to purchase gluten free oats.
Oats are naturally gluten free, however there is cross contamination in the processing, so gluten free oats need to be used. I like Trader Joe's bag of clearly marked gluten free rolled oats.
I've tried and tested many different gluten free flour blends and the clear winner is King Arthur Measure for Measure (always cheapest on Amazon). It can be used as a direct replacement in almost any recipe and it will taste just as good as the original. You can read about my gluten free flour blends experiment here.
Berry Oat Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut oil melted
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour or gluten free substitute
- 1 ½ cups quick oats
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar or granulated
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup raspberry preserves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, except for preserves.
- Using your hands press ⅔ of the mixture into the bottom of your pan until it's even and relatively flat.
- Gently spread preserves, leaving ½" around the outside. (The preserves will scald if up against the edge of the pan.)
- Using your hands, evenly crumble the remaining ⅓ of the mixture over the top of the preserves and lightly press so the crumbles stay in place after baking.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes on a center rack until lightly browned on top.
- Let cool in pan on top of a cooling rack. Cut and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Kelsey
Used butter and a bit of brown sugar, 1/2 cup extra oats cause I like the crunch and pureed berries that were starting to get past the toddler’s approved ripeness instead of preserves. Chef’s kiss! What a great recipe to be able to play with it and still have it turn out amazing. Now to avoid eating the whole tray before breakfast tomorrow…;)
Jackie
I have made this recipe countless times. Raspberry preserves are my favorite out of all I’ve tried. I gift these for postpartum moms and they always get praised! Had to finally leave a review. I sub oil with butter and just leave out the coconut sugar and it is sweet enough for me!
Michelle
This recipe (with a couple of tweaks) is in the oven now. I did make a triple batch and assembled it in my half sheet pan. I used a 30 oz jar of walmart brand strawberry preserves (about a 1/2 cup more than what a triple batch called for). I lined the pan with parchment paper so I went right to the edge with the preserves. I added cinnamon to the crust ingredients. I used honey instead of maple syrup (I'm not a fan of syrup). Next time I'll add almond flour instead of all all-purpose and maybe add some of my homemade vanilla, homemade brown sugar and maybe more cinnamon. BUT I have to taste this batch first. Thank you!
Nic
What about subbing runny pb for coconut oil? To make pb and hame bars? Amazing recipe regardless, just wondering if that would work?
Amy
I haven't tried it that way but it sounds great! Let me know how it turns out!
PM
Thanks for this recipe. These were great. So easy too. I doubled everything but the sugar, I left it at 1/3 cup. Used 2 cups whole wheat with 1 cup white for the flour. Used a low sugar homemade black raspberry jam as well, and we found it still plenty sweet. Baked it in a 9x12 or 9x13 and it fit perfectly. Thanks again.
LYNN B CASEY
They are too sweet!!! Sugar, maple syrup and the jam make them too sweet for me. I'm so disappointed.
Amy
Thank you for your feedback! The coconut sugar is optional to the recipe to make it less sweet. I hope you'll try them again!
Christina
These were awesome. Made them with apricot preserves. Perfect!
Novello
Made a few alterations but were delicious, used butter in place of coconut oil, used kamut flour in place of all purpose, and homemade preserves with left over raspberries and blackberries and pomegranate seeds, used some vanilla bean paste, and omitted the coconut sugar , because in place of the oats I used organic almond granola,
Anonymous
These were awesome! I made them with apricot preserves. Perfect!!
Sandie
I just tried these—so delicious!
Cc
Amazing
So easy and so yummylicious.
Such a hit with the family and work peeps.
Thanks
Kortney
I just made these!! My boys ate them up!! I ran out of coconut sugar so I only used about half of what the recipe called for, added 1/4 c PB2 powder (added protein) and used homemade peach butter (like apple butter but peach)- absolutely delicious!! Mom win!
Anonymous
Thanks for the recipe. Absolutely yummylicious… such a hit with the family and work 🙂
C.C
Great recipe and I have used it as a guideline in trying to recreate my local coffee shops raspberry oat bars. I actually prefer these because I can control the sugar, type of fat used, the amount of oats and the filling. Thanks for posting!
Amy
So glad you like this recipe! It's the best when you can make a healthier version of your favorite store-bought snack!
Melissa Millsaps
I know this is an older thread but I just came across this delicious recipe and was wondering if I use almond flour instead of white flour? Thanks so much!
Amy
I haven't tried it with almond flour, but I imagine it would be yummy! You may need to add more moisture since almond flour can be extra dry. A few teaspoons of water or extra maple syrup should give you the right consistency. Let me know how it comes out!
Pam
Please would you convert this recipe to metric so that we can weigh the ingredients for accuracy and ease?
Amy
Thank you for that comment! I used to have that as a function and it disappeared on me. I'll work on getting that back up!
Debbie
Oh.My.Goodness.
These were absolutely fantastic! So addictive!
I made just a few changes. I used whole wheat flour, old fashioned oats (since I didn't have quick oats on hand), pure maple syrup, swerve, and no sugar added strawberry preserves. I also doubled this and made it in a 9x13 pan.
Mallory
Hi I am excited to try this but I am not a big fan of coconut sugar and I want to stay away from granulated. Could I just omit the sugar? I feel like the maple syrup and jam would be enough sweetness for me but I'm just wondering if it would change the recipe too much and not turn out..
Amy
Give it a try without the coconut sugar, as long as you don't mind a little less sweetness, then it should work fine!
Amy
Is the coconut oil measured at 1/2 C in a solid state or liquid state? Specifically, do I measure it out first (solidified) and then melt it? Or do I melt it first and measure out the melted coconut oil?
Amy
It can be measured in a solid state and then melted. It should be close in measurement either way you do it. Enjoy!
Jamee
These have become my teenage sons favorite grab and go breakfast. I love the original recipe, but this time I added coconut flakes to the oatmeal mix and a lemon glaze omit the jam. You can add anything you want and it is still delicious
Ilona
Thank you for this recipe. These are delicious and so simple to make. I'll be using this to make different variations depending on season.
Question Re: nutrition facts above. I assume the numbers reflect one serving.
Stephanie
I need to make these.
Amy
You'll love 'em!
Judy
I thought these very good. I did change them up a bit I used fig jam and a handful of chopped walnuts. Not sure if it was the jam but I thought them a bit sweet for my taste. I will work on that because I do like this recipe.
Allison C Watkins
Do you know how many calories are in these?
Amy
Hi Allison, thank you for your question! I've just updated the recipe to include the nutrition facts. Enjoy!
Alexandra
Is this info for 100gr or each bar? Thanks!
Amy
The nutrition is approximately one bar (or 1/9th). Enjoy!
Sylvia
This was so good! Made this a few times already! I think I’m going to use this as a breakfast dish to bring to new moms when I bring them a meal—super easy thanks for the recipe!
Amy
So glad you love this recipe! I know I would have loved that when I had my kiddos!
Laurie
They are delicious but my family would like them a bit more chewy? Any suggestions? Should I shave some of the baking time off?
Amy
Hi Laurie! Thank you for your comment. To make these less crumbly, try adding a little more maple syrup to add more moisture and a bit more "chew". Let me know how it goes!
Amy Jean
Thank you Amy!! My husband started wanting more oatmeal in his diet, so I went searching! I am so glad I found you & Rachel! These delicious bars were fantastic! It's really important, as you have said to press down the 2/3 rd's into the 8x8 pan. I used Polaner All Fruit strawberry! I also used grapeseed oil & 1/2 tea of baking powder. The bars were just perfect! I am looking forward to making more of your recipes! 🤗
Amy
Hi Amy! Thank you for your kind comment, and I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed these so much! They're such a hit in our house too. I hope you enjoy our other oatmeal recipes just as much. I'd recommend trying our many different granola recipes, they're delicious!
sophie graham
ive made these twice and they turn out so crumbly! any suggestions?
Amy
Hi Sophie! I'm sorry they're so crumbly for you. You'll want to ensure you're pushing it down hard in the pan before layering the jam and the crumb topping. You can also add more maple syrup, 1 Tbsp at a time until it comes together when you squeeze it in your hand. I hope that helps!
LaDonna Robbins
Hi Amy,
Hey I saw where someone asked if this recipe would work with peanut butter? You said it might make it
gluey. So I was thinking how about if you added the peanut butter and the jam? Kinda put a pb and Jelly
spin on it?
Amy
I love this idea! In fact, I love it so much, I just might have to try it and post it here. Stay tuned!
Lisa
Could this be made in a cupcake tray? Would the cooking time change?
Amy
Hi Lisa,
I haven't tried it in a cupcake tray, but I think that's a great idea! The trick would be to make sure the jam doesn't touch the side of the muffin tin since it will scorch, but I think it can be done, especially if you have an XL muffin tin. I would reduce the bake time by about 5 minutes, but you'd want to keep an eye on them. Let me know how it goes!
Amy
Barbara White
I made this recipe and greatly anticipated eating it for breakfasts and dessert. It had such a chemical taste that we could not eat it at all. We didn't finish even one bar. We had to throw it out. I suspect it is the coconut sugar. The recipe calls for 1/3 c. Is that correct? I checked the coconut sugar package for expiration date and it doesn't expire until 2022. What can you suggest I do if I want to try this recipe again?
Amy
Hi Barbara, I'm so sorry it didn't turn out great. The coconut sugar shouldn't give you a chemical taste. I would assume it's the baking powder. Be sure it's just 1 tsp, or reduce to 1/2 tsp. I know the taste you're talking about and it's terrible! I hope this helps.
Cynthia Cox
I use organic oats. If I buy regular oats I can really taste the difference.
Brittany
Storage? Fridge? Counter?
Amy
These keep for up to a week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Lindsay
Can you make this with rolled oats instead of quick oats,
Amy
Yes! I often used rolled oats and they work just as well.
Krystal K
Would it work with peanut butter instead of raspberry jam?
Amy
Great question! It should work just fine, however, it would probably stick in your mouth and feel glue-y without the help of some jam. Let me know how it goes!
Kathryn
I don’t have coconut oil, would avocado oil work in its place?
Amy
Good question. Typically, you'd want to use an oil that is solid at room temp, otherwise it will likely still fall apart when cooled. You can use butter or shortening too.
Jean K
These are easy and so yummy! Use whatever preserves you have. I had some low sugar organic plum jam (made from the plums off our tree!) and it was amazing!
Amy
Sounds so good!
Elizabeth Martinez
These are absolutely amazing! I’ve made them five times in the past two weeks! I add a smidge of peanut butter on the top while I’m enjoying them! Thank you for posting! My new favorite recipe!
Gayle
Just wondering about the preserves - don't they have refined sugar in them? Also wanted to see nutritional info, like fat gms, etc. Thanks!
Amy
Hi Gayle! Yes, most jam or preserves has added sugar. To make this recipe sugar free, use preserves with no added sugar. I haven't found a reliable system for giving the correct fat, carbs, sugars, etc., but I'm working on it! As soon as I find the right solution I'll post it!
Anonymous
I'm making them now -- I just crushed up frozen fruit.