The summer strawberry season is among us and these Strawberry Crumble Bars are the perfect way to celebrate. With a nutty, crumbly base and sweet strawberry filling, these crumble bars are fresh, light, and oh so delicious. I drizzled a vanilla glaze overtop to go the extra mile and it *did not* disappoint. 10/10 recommend!

Strawberry Crumble Bars rest on parchment paper with more strawberries, walnuts, and oats sprinkled around them. The crumble is baked to a golden crisp with deep red strawberry filling and a white vanilla glaze overtop.

The oat + walnut crumble for these bars is soft and chewy while the strawberry filling is subtly sweet and jammy. I grew up loving those packaged fruit crumble bars and this better-for-you remake is ten times better than those I promise!

For more strawberry goodness, check out my Strawberry White Chocolate Truffles. The soft and sweet strawberry truffle is coated with a crisp layer of white chocolate for the ultimate healthy sweet treat!

Ingredients in Gluten-Free Strawberry Crumble Bars

Walnuts – Use raw walnuts that haven’t been roasted or coated in additional salt/oil.

Oats – I love Bob’s Red Mill brand for high-quality old-fashioned rolled oats.

Oat Flour – Helps bind the crumble together to hold shape while baking. This can be bought or easily made at home. See below for instructions on how to make your own!

Coconut Sugar – A refined sugar-free sweetener that gives a slight caramel esc flavor to baked goods.

Butter – The key to a great crumble is cold butter. If needed, swap for vegan butter.

Maple Syrup – Another natural sweetener that also adds moisture to these crumble bars. Make sure to use pure maple syrup!

Strawberries – Fresh strawberries are best for these crumble bars! If needed, you can try frozen strawberries although I haven’t tested this myself.

Arrowroot Starch – A gluten-free starch that helps to thicken the strawberry filling. A little bit goes a long way so measure carefully.

Powdered Sugar – The base for the vanilla glaze. While the glaze is optional, I highly recommend it. One thing to note, most powdered sugar is not vegan so be sure to check that out if needed.

How to Make Strawberry Crumble Bars

Preheat the oven to 375F and line a 8”x8” pan with parchment paper.
Add all ingredients for the crust / crumble topping to a food processor and pulse 5-6 times, or until walnuts are gravel-size pieces.
Set aside 1 cup of crumble for the topping. Press the remaining crumble into the parchment-lined 8”x8” pan in an even layer. Move to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until edges have started to brown.
While the crust is baking, start on your strawberry filling. Add strawberries and coconut sugar to a small saucepan and heat over medium, cooking for 15 minutes. Stir together arrowroot starch and lemon juice, creating a slurry. Stir into the strawberries and simmer for an extra 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
Add strawberry filling on top of the baked crust in the 8”x8” pan and spread in an even layer. Top with 1 cup of the reserved crumble, pressing down lightly with fingers to help stick to the strawberry filling.
Move to the oven and bake at 350F for 40 – 45 minutes or until topping has started to brown and the edges are bubbling. Let cool for 30 minutes before moving to the fridge to cool completely for 1-2 hours. Cut into 9 or 12 slices and enjoy!

Three strawberry crumble bars are stacked upon one another with vanilla glaze being drizzled overtop. There are strawberry halves and more crumble bars in the background.

How to Make Oat Flour

I love baking with oat flour because it’s naturally gluten-free and gives a fluffy, chewy texture to baked goods. Plus it’s cheap and easy to make at home! Compared to other gluten-free flours that can be quite expensive, oat flour can be one of the least expensive options.

To make your own, simply add the rolled (or quick) oats to a food processor. Measure out as many oats as you need oat flour, so 1 cup of whole oats should yield about 1 cup oat flour. Blend until a very fine flour forms and there aren’t any little bits of oats left.

And that’s it! I usually make a big batch at once so I’m not making it ‘fresh’ every time. Store leftover oat flour in a well-sealed container or jar in the cabinet.

Swaps for Strawberry Crisp Bars

While I highly recommend these strawberry crisp bars exactly as they are, I understand if some swaps are needed. I’ll share a few tricks and tips below if you plan to change things up.

To make these strawberry crumble bars 100% vegan/dairy-free, sub for vegan butter. I love the brand Earth Balance for their vegan butter sticks.
If you don’t have walnuts, feel free to substitute them with pecans or cashews.
Frozen strawberries should work if you can’t find fresh ones. You may need to add another teaspoon of arrowroot powder to thicken the filling since the frozen strawberries will give off more moisture while cooking down.
If you’re enjoying these crumble bars for breakfast and prefer to skip the glaze, try drizzling your favorite nut butter overtop instead. It’s a super tasty swap and adds healthy fats to fuel your day.

Golden baked oat crumble bars with a vivid strawberry filling are drizzled with a vanilla glaze. The crumble bars rest on parchment paper with strawberry halves and walnuts sprinkled around.

For more crumble bar recipes, check out these blog favorites.

Caramel Chocolate Crumble Bar – Soft and chewy chocolate crumble bars layered with luscious vegan caramel. These rich & indulgent chocolate caramel bars will satisfy any sweet tooth craving.

Caramel Apple Pie Bars – A crumbly base is layered with sweet cinnamon apples covered in decadent vegan caramel and topped with streusel for the ultimate layered flavor. Imagine apple pie but in crumble bar form!

If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Strawberry Crumble Bars 🙂