Similar to Trader Joe's strawberry cereal bars, these oatmeal breakfast bars are made with all natural wholesome ingredients! The dough is gluten free and dairy free with mixing and rolling done in as little as 10 minutes! They are sure to win over the whole family!
Ya know those awesome strawberry Trader Joe's cereal bars and NutriGrain bars that kids love? They are so soft, sweet and tasty and full of added vitamins and minerals. Well these oat breakfast bars taste just like them! And they have no added fillers or preservatives like store bought granola bars. For more bar-shaped snacks see my homemade granola bars and no-bake peanut butter bars.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes at 350 degrees F
- ⏳ Total Time: 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 bars, plus 1-2 more from the trimmed edges
- ⚡ Calories: 192kcal per bar
- 🥣 Ingredients: 14 pantry staples including oat flour, coconut sugar, Greek yogurt and strawberry jam
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft spiced oat dough around a sweet strawberry jam center, like a NutriGrain bar without the fillers
- ✋ Difficulty: Whisk, roll between wax paper, fill, fold and bake
Quick Answer
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt with 1 egg, then add ⅓ cup coconut sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix in 1 cup oat flour, ½ cup gluten-free flour mix and 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil until a dough forms, and let it set 5 to 10 minutes. Roll the dough ¼ inch thick between wax paper, slice into 8 squares, spread strawberry jam down the center of each with a 1-inch border, fold the sides over the filling, and bake seam side down for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with ground flaxseed meal and cool. Each bar has 192 calories.
Jump to:
When strolling down the grocery store aisles with children it is either one of two things: a comedy show or a freakin' nightmare. A while ago the grocery store was graced with both. A comedy show followed by a screaming nightmare and back to the comedy show.
What started as elevator music playing in my head and graceful children with me shortly went sour. My 2 year old decided he did not want to be in the shopping cart any longer. So I let the wild animal out of his cage and that is when the comedy show hit.
Suddenly I see an open box of gummies flying into one of the freezers that is in the middle of an aisle. As I am fishing out gummy fruit snacks, I turn around to the 2 year old with a 24 pack of eggs over his head walking towards the shopping cart ready to throw them in. I quickly grabbed them just in the nick of time, put them away, only to turn around to my 5 year old adding cookies and chocolates to the cart. As I am fishing them out I hear "Ma'am, ma'am! Your son!" as she points to the 2 year old climbing a ladder! As I race to grab him and set him down both boys finished their grand finale with doing downward dog in the middle of the grocery store.
The clerk clearly saw I was completely drained and it was time to leave. When I tried to leave and get my little monsters in the cart they outnumbered me screaming with a pitch that makes you quiver when clawing a chalkboard. A wonderful employee asked if she could grab them a granola bar. That granola bar saved the day! It was like the snickers commercial where the boys were immediately back to sweet pleasant happy selves.
These oatmeal breakfast bars have that same effect! They are an energizing snack for when hangry meltdowns hit and you need a pick me up. And they are made of nutrient dense and fiber rich oats leaving you fuller for longer!
Why These Bars Work
Click to see why they work
- Oat flour does the heavy lifting. Blend about 2 cups of gluten free oats into a flour, or just buy gluten free oat flour. If you don't have it on hand, my how to make oat flour guide takes minutes.
- The dough needs a rest. Mix until all the moisture is absorbed into the oat flour and let it set for about 5 to 10 minutes before rolling out.
- Wax paper tames the rolling. The dough will be tricky to work with, so roll it between two pieces of wax paper to ¼ inch thick and be gentle when folding it over the jelly filling.
- The 1-inch border keeps the jam in. Leave about 1 inch on the edges for folding over, which also helps the jam not to squish out.
- Seam side down seals the deal. Flip each pastry onto the baking sheet so the seam side is down, and push any openings closed with your hands before baking.
- Flax finishes them. Flax seed adds vital vitamins and minerals, and the best way to use flax seeds is to grind them right before use for maximum absorbency. Already ground flax is fine too.
Why You'll Love These Bars
- Tastes like the store bought favorites with no added fillers or preservatives like store bought granola bars.
- Meltdown insurance. An energizing snack for when hangry meltdowns hit, made of nutrient dense and fiber rich oats leaving you fuller for longer.
- Lunchbox and dessert ready. I make a big batch and individually package each oat bar into baggies, so they stay moist for lunches or a guilt-free dessert treat.
- Light, moist, soft, fluffy and delicious, and best slightly warm.
- Any jam works. Fill them with your favorite jams like blueberry, apple, orange marmalade, raspberry or fig, or my homemade strawberry jam.
Key Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour and ½ cup gluten-free flour mix - the soft gluten free base. Blend gluten free oats into flour or buy it ready made.
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted - 30 seconds in the microwave, set aside to add last.
- 2 tablespoons non-fat Greek yogurt (or vegan yogurt for dairy free) and 1 egg - the wet base.
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ginger - the warm sweetness.
- ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt - whisked smooth so there are no chunks.
- ¼ cup strawberry jam - or your favorite flavor.
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal - sprinkled on top after baking.
See recipe card for quantities.
Filling Variations
Feel free to play with the filling. Fill them with your favorite jams like blueberry, apple, orange marmalade, raspberry or fig! My homemade strawberry jam shows how easy the strawberry version is to make from scratch.
- Strawberry - the classic Trader Joe's style filling this recipe was built around.
- Blueberry, raspberry or fig - swap in any jam you love, same ¼ cup amount.
- Apple or orange marmalade - a brighter take for fall lunchboxes.
How to Make Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
1Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2Make the dough. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave for 30 seconds and set it aside. In a small bowl whisk together the Greek yogurt and egg, then add the coconut sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk until smooth, then add the oat flour, gluten free flour mix and coconut oil and mix until a dough forms. Let set for about 5-10 minutes.
3Roll and slice. On a lightly floured surface or in between two pieces of wax paper, roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick or a 10 x 12 square. Using a knife or pastry scraper slice the dough into 8 equal squares, removing the extra edges to save for 1-2 more bars.
4Fill and fold. Spread an even layer of jam down the center of each square, leaving a 1-inch border so it does not squish out. Lift one side over, then the next, overlapping the edges over the filling. Flip each pastry seam side down onto the baking sheet and push any openings closed to seal.
5Bake and finish. Bake the bars for about 15 minutes until they puff slightly and are set. Sprinkle the tops with the flax seed meal and transfer to a cooling rack to cool.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Grind flax fresh. The best way to use flax seeds is to grind them right before use to get the maximum absorbency of the nutrients. Already ground flax works if you are short on time.
- Bag them individually. Store in an airtight container or in mini baggies for convenient single servings on the go, and they stay moist for lunches.
- Eat them warm. Once you bake them let them cool for a bit. These strawberry breakfast bars are so delicious warm!
- Save the scraps. The trimmed edges come together into 1-2 extra bars, so nothing is wasted.
- Gentle hands on the dough. It is tricky to work with, so roll between wax paper and fold slowly over the filling.
What These Bars Are Like
These oatmeal breakfast bars are light, moist, savory, comforting, soft, fluffy and delicious!
They are perfect for everyone, not just kids or families. I like to make a big batch and individually package each oat bar into individual baggies. That way they stay moist and I can throw them in lunches or eat as a guilt-free dessert treat when I am craving something sweet! They slot right into the rotation with my no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cups and a morning Greek yogurt breakfast bowl.
Oatmeal Breakfast Bars FAQs
Like the strawberry Trader Joe's cereal bars and NutriGrain bars kids love: soft, sweet and tasty, with a spiced oat dough around a jam center, but with no added fillers or preservatives like store bought granola bars.
Leave about a 1-inch border on either side of the jam before folding, overlap the edges over the filling, flip each bar seam side down on the baking sheet, and push any openings closed with your hands to seal before baking.
Yes, feel free to play with the filling. Blueberry, apple, orange marmalade, raspberry and fig all work in the same ¼ cup amount as the strawberry.
Yes, when made with gluten free oats. Blend about 2 cups of gluten free oats into a flour, or buy gluten free oat flour, and use a gluten-free flour mix for the rest.
Store in an airtight container or in mini plastic baggies for convenient single servings on the go. Individually bagging them keeps them moist for lunches.
Flax seed adds vital vitamins, minerals, extra texture, fiber and omega nutrients. Grind the seeds right before use for maximum absorbency, or use pre-ground flax if you are short on time.
More Healthy Bar Recipes
Keep the snack drawer stocked with my Strawberry Crumble Bars, Chocolate Caramel Oat Bars, No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars, Vegan Rice Crispy Treats, Almond Butter Bars, Chia Date Bars and Cranberry Bars. If you make these oatmeal breakfast bars from Delightful Mom Food I would love to see your creations! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
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Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 2 tablespoons non-fat Greek yogurt or use vegan for dairy free
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 1 cup oat flour
- ½ cup gluten-free flour mix
- ¼ cup strawberry jam or your favorite flavor
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 Degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To melt the coconut oil, heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds then set it aside until ready to add. In a small bowl whisk together the Greek yogurt (or vegan yogurt) and egg. Then add the coconut sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk until smooth and there are no chunks of baking powder or soda. Add the oat flour, gluten free flour mix and coconut oil and mix until a dough forms. Let set for about 5-10 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface or in between two pieces of wax paper, roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick or 10 x 12 square. Using a knife or pastry scraper slice the dough into 8 equal squares. Remove the extra edges to save for 1-2 more bars.
- Spread an even layer of jam in the center of each square filling it lengthwise down the center. Leave a 1-inch border on either side so it does not squish out the sides. Carefully using your hands or a pastry scraper lift one of the sides over, then the next overlapping the edges and over the filling. Flip each pastry onto the baking sheet so that the seam side is down. Push and close any openings with hands to seal before baking. Repeat with any extra dough from the edges until the majority of the dough is used.
- Bake the bars for about 15 minutes until they puff slightly and are set. Sprinkle the tops with the flax seed meal. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Store in an airtight container or in mini plastic baggies for convenient single servings on the go.
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