These healthy oatmeal bars are soft and chewy and full of strawberry flavor. They are easy to make and need only three ingredients. They don’t need any flour, eggs, butter or oil. They store well and can be made ahead of time.
I’m happy that strawberry season is here. My family has been eating a lot of strawberries lately and we have also gone strawberry picking too. These oatmeal bars are studded with fresh sweet strawberry pieces and the juices from the strawberries are also mixed into the oatmeal batter. I love eating these for breakfast, snack or dessert.
Ingredients
- Strawberries
- Rolled Oats
- Applesauce
Strawberries: This recipe works best with sweet fresh ripe strawberries. The berries are cut into smaller pieces so that they cook faster and release their juices into the bars.
Rolled Oats: Rolled oats are also known as old-fashioned oats. I think they are the best type of oats for these bars because they are better at absorbing all the moisture from the strawberries and applesauce.
Applesauce: I used sweetened applesauce but you can also use unsweetened if you want to reduce sugar. You can also substitute applesauce with mashed bananas. The applesauce binds everything together and also adds sweetness.
How to Make Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
The strawberries are mixed with the applesauce. Mash the strawberries a little, just until they release some of their juices into the applesauce. Then, stir in the oats. Stir until the oats are evenly coated. It’s okay if the mixture isn’t that wet. The strawberries will release more liquid when the oatmeal bars are baking.
The mixture is then ready to go into the oven and bake. They only need about 20 minutes in the oven. Once the oatmeal bars are cooled, you can cut and serve.
Tips
These oatmeal bars are lightly sweetened with just applesauce and strawberries. If you prefer sweeter, you can add mix-ins like chocolate chips or dried fruit. You can also add 1-2 tbsp of honey to the batter (or more as needed to taste).
More Oatmeal Bar Recipes
- 3 Ingredient Apple Oatmeal Bars
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Chewy Oatmeal Bars
- 3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars
3 Ingredient Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (107 g) chopped strawberries chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3/4 cup (188 g) applesauce sweetened or unsweetened
- 2 cups (172 g) rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Add chopped strawberries and applesauce to a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to mash the strawberries into the applesauce. The strawberries do not need to be fully mashed, but just mashed enough so that some of their juices are released and mixed in with the applesauce. Mash until the mixture is uniform in color and is a light shade of pink.
- Add in oats. Stir until the oats are evenly mixed and fully coated.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Use a spatula to evenly spread it across the pan and smooth the surface.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until the oats on the surface are golden brown. The surface of the bars should look dry and cooked. Let bars cool fully before removing them from the pan and cutting and serving. Store uneaten bars in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- I used sweetened applesauce. You can also use unsweetened but the bars will have very little sweetness with unsweetened applesauce. Even with sweetened applesauce, these bars are only lightly sweetened. If you prefer sweeter, you can add 1-2 tbsp of honey into the batter. You can taste the batter before baking to determine if you need to add additional sweetener.
- You can also add mix-ins like dried fruit or chocolate chips for texture, flavor and sweetness.
- Chop the strawberries to approximate 1/2 inch cubes (a little smaller is also fine) before measuring 3/4 cup.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Absolutely amazing and tasty
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
They tasted better the next day, but they were still mushy and not super tasty.We ate them with a fork but they’re not great. Good idea though!
If they were mushy then you likely didn’t bake them long enough. They should be baked until the center no longer feels too soft. Or you may have added too much puree or not enough oats.
I made the healthy snack delicious and so easy.
From fresh apples and fresh honey from my neigbhour.
Awsome ???
I’m glad you enjoyed them!