Blueberry Oatmeal Crumb Bars

These Blueberry Oatmeal Crumb Bars are loaded with blueberries and simply delicious. Made with whole grains and no refined sugar for a healthy snack anytime!

Sweet blueberries accented with a touch of lemon and a delicious crumb topping, these Blueberry Oatmeal Crumb Bars are perfect for summer. The bars are not overly sweet and are perfectly acceptable for a quick breakfast on the go or a healthy snack for the kids. And if you wanted to make it a bit more indulgent I think a scoop of vegan ice cream on top would do just the trick and be crazy delicious.

These bars were inspired by my Apple Butter Oatmeal Bars and Spiced Pumpkin Oat Bars.

Jump to:

• ingredients
• instructions
• substitutions
• equipment
• storage
• top tip

ingredients

Theses bars are super simple to make with basic ingredients and no extra equipment, the kind of recipe I love.

• white whole wheat flour
• old fashioned rolled oats
• coconut sugar
• baking powder
• salt
• coconut oil
• flax eggs - See my guide for more information on how to make if you're unfamiliar.
• blueberries
• lemon
• tapioca or corn starch

See recipe card for quantities.

instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare an 8x8 baking dish by lightly greasing with coconut oil or vegan butter. Combine the blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, ¼ cup coconut sugar, and tapioca or corn starch. Stir to thoroughly coat berries. Set aside and in another bowl combine flour, oats, salt, remaining coconut sugar, and baking powder. Use your fingers or a pastry blender to cut in coconut oil into flour mixture until only pea size pieces remain.

Add flax eggs or applesauce to flour mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. Mixture should be crumbly. Press just over half of the mixture into the bottom of baking dish and spread to cover forming the bottom crust. Be sure to apply enough pressure that the mixture holds together. I placed a piece of parchment paper over top and rolled a small can back and forth.

Next, spread blueberry mixture in an even layer over bottom crust. Crumble remaining crust mixture over the top of blueberries. Bake for 55-60 minutes until crumb topping is lightly browned. 

Hint: I used frozen blueberries because that's what I had on hand, but you could use fresh if you like. You'll likely need to shorten the baking time by about 10 minutes with fresh. If you use frozen berries don't thaw them, just use them straight from the freezer or things will get a bit messy.

Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting into squares. The number of servings you get will depend on how the bars are cut. I cut the pan into 8 bars, but you can also cut them into smaller squares if you prefer.

substitutions

• blueberries - you can use another type of berry such as strawberries, blackberries or raspberries.
• flour - all purpose flour can be used instead of white whole wheat flour.
• flax seeds - applesauce can be used instead of flax egg.

equipment

No special equipment is needed for this recipe. A square baking dish and mixing bowls are all you need.

storage

Store cut bars in a container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

top tip

The coconut oil is used to create the "buttery" crumb in these bars. The texture of the oil should be firm without being so hard you can't cut it into small pieces. If the oil is liquid put the needed amount into the fridge stirring every so often until firm. And if you forget about it in the fridge like I did (oops) and the oil is as solid as a rock just let it sit out at room temperature for a few minutes to warm up. Don't worry too much about the oil as long as it's not liquid and you can work it into the flour until only small pieces remain you should have no problem.

If you try this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below or snap a pic and tag it @weelittlevegans on Instagram so I’ll be sure to see it!