The easiest and most delicious healthy blueberry crumb bars. Jammy filling with a perfect balance of tanginess and sweetness, with crispy crumbs. These blueberry crumb bars with oats taste like blueberry pie and are perfect to make all year round. A huge bonus, you don't need to cook the filling first!
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Why This Recipe Works
With this recipe, you'll get a tangy and slightly sweet jammy blueberry filling in between crispy yet tender lemony crumb layers. It uses wholesome ingredients, you wouldn't believe that these gluten-free blueberry bars are also refined sugar-free!
These easy blueberry bars are so amazingly delicious for the amount of work they take! All you need to do is mix the ingredients by hand, no machine required.
And there's no blind baking or cooking the filling first. Everything cooks together, all at once. So simple, even your kids can make this!
One of my other healthy blueberry desserts that you should try is my no-bake mini blueberry cheesecakes. Super delicious and creamy!
Ingredients For This Recipe
Instant rolled oats - Make sure they're gluten-free. Don't use steel-cut oats for these blueberry oat crumble bars because of their grainy texture and longer cooking time.
Oat flour - Keeping the gluten-free theme going! If not, you can use all-purpose flour. Or even better, why not try to make your own oat flour? Read more below on how to make it.
Honey - Acts as a subtle sweetener and binder for the crumble. Other liquid sweeteners like maple syrup also work. Maple syrup goes amazing with my delicious blueberry pancake bread (must try!)
Desiccated coconut. Unsweetened ones. Trust me, the flavor combo is so amazing that I even use it in my blueberry swirl cheesecake bars and my layered carrot cake with cream cheese frosting! You can also swap it for more rolled oats (you might need an extra 1-2 tablespoon of oil to bring everything together).
*See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Oat Flour
As I said, it's ridiculously easy to make! Grab a food blender and add your oats to the bowl. Pulse a few times and blend until the oats become a fine texture. That's it!
Always blend the oats first and then measure. Else you won't get the accurate amount needed.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Make the crumble. Add rolled oats, oat flour, desiccated coconut, honey, coconut oil, vanilla extract, salt, and lemon zest into a bowl. Mix everything together using a wooden spoon.
2. Make the crust. Add half of the crumble into a lined and greased 9-inch (23cm) square pan. Press evenly with your fingers. Set aside.
3. Mix the filling. Add fresh blueberries, coconut sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix everything well using a spatula. Pour into our prepared pan and spread evenly.
4. Bake. Sprinkle the other half of the crumble evenly on top of the blueberries. Bake at 350ºF (175ºC) for 50 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil if the top gets brown too fast. Cool completely before slicing. Enjoy your blueberry oatmeal bars!
Recipe Expert Tips
- Use frozen blueberry. Frozen blueberry is available all year round, which makes it easier to make these delicious bars whenever you want. Thaw them first and discard any possible liquid before using them for these healthy blueberry crumb bars.
- Cover with aluminum foil. I usually cover the pan with aluminum foil at 20 minutes of baking time to prevent the top from getting too brown.
Variations And Topping Ideas
Variations - Make it yours using raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, or other berries. Use apple, pineapple, peach, or other fruits. Just cut them into small cubes before using them.
Toppings - Serve these bars with a scoop (or two!) of vanilla ice cream. Whipped cream works also. Oh la la! Or drizzle with some lemon sugar glaze or honey. Yum!
How To Store And Freeze
Store - In an air-tight container, in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just know that the crispy topping will soften by then.
Freeze - Slice the bars in portions, make some space between them, and freeze for 1 hour on top of the parchment paper. Once frozen, place them in an air-tight container, back in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
If you're into blueberries, you should make my most tender lemon blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting. You won't regret it!
Recipe FAQs
Of course! Just thaw them first and discard any possible liquid before using them.
You can swap coconut oil for butter. But I do not recommend using other types of oils, since we need the fat to solidify. This will ensure the bars don't break apart.
Use instant rolled oats or rolled oats. Don't use steel-cut oats, they're grainy in texture and take longer to cook.
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Healthy Blueberry Crumb Bars
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Ingredients
The Crumble
- 1 cup (90 g) instant rolled oats
- 1 cup (130 g) oat flour
- 2 cup (160 g) unsweetened desiccated coconut
- ½ cup (170 g) honey
- ⅓ cup (75 g) coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 lemon
The Filling
- 2 ½ cup (375 g) fresh blueberries
- ⅓ cup (50 g) coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC) using top and bottom heat, without the fan. Grease a 9-inch (23cm) square pan with some butter and then line it with parchment paper.
The Crumble
- Add rolled oats, oat flour, desiccated coconut, honey, coconut oil, vanilla extract, salt, and lemon zest into a bowl. Mix everything well using a wooden spoon.
- Pour ½ of the mixture into the prepared pan. Press evenly with your fingers. Set aside.
The Filling
- Add blueberry, coconut sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice into a bowl. Mix well using a spatula. Pour into the pan and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle the other half of the crumble evenly on top.
Bake
- Bake for 50 minutes on the lower ⅔ rack. Cover loosely with aluminum foil if the top browns too fast. I usually cover it at 20 minutes of baking time.
- Cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cool it completely before slicing or else it's going to break apart easily.
- Use a kitchen scale for a more accurate measurement. I love to use it in bakings as baking is a science and needs to be precise.
- Use a portable oven thermometer to get the accurate oven temperature. I use it every single time I bake.
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition facts provided are an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Originally published on Aug 4, 2019. Updated with improved text and pictures on Jun 17, 2023.
BG D'orville says
Made it yesterday and it was superb. So easy too. Planning to make it again soon as a surprise gift for my good friend. Thanks for the recipe.
Bea says
Awesome! I'm happy to hear that. Hopefully, your friend will like it also. If you loved this recipe, perhaps you'd also love this healthy strawberry oatmeal or chocolate cheesecake bars. They're insane! Thanks for your feedback!
Rachel Fortin says
This recipe is so much easier to make than I thought it would be. The results are absolutely fabulous! I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Bea says
Super easy, right? I'm glad that you liked it and thank you for your feedback Rachel!
Olivia says
Yummy bar. The bottom broke away so couldn’t pick up - had to use a spoon on a plate. It was a yummy bar and will make again and may blind bake the base first.