Raspberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars
These Raspberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars are filled with a delicious raspberry jam and topped with a buttery, crumbly oat topping!
You don’t need any fancy ingredients or equipment to make these. They’re easy to throw together and if you need to plan ahead these bars are even freezer friendly!
Raspberry crumble bars recipe
These Raspberry oatmeal bars are the best! Sweet, soft, buttery, and delicious. They are easy to throw together and make a great summer dessert, picnic snack, or breakfast on-the-go!
Just 10 minutes of prep time and one bowl. The dough you make for the crust doubles as the crumb topping.
And as we are using jam instead of fresh raspberries, you can make these fruit bars recipe year-round! 🙌🏻
Ingredients & substitution suggestions
To make these raspberry oatmeal bars, you will only need a few ingredients you probably already have on hand.
- Flour – You’ll want to use all-purpose flour.
- Oats – Rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) work best in these bars as they are thicker and give a nice chewy texture. Quick oats or instant oats will change the consistency of the bars, so these types won’t work as substitutions.
- Sugar – I used a mix of brown and white sugar for a deeper flavor and chew.
- Salt – It makes all the flavors pop.
- Unsalted butter – Rather than using cold butter and rubbing it together with the flour mixture, we are using melted butter in this recipe. It’s quicker, easier, and it gives me a crunchier crumble.
- Vanilla – It infuses a light vanilla flavor.
- Raspberry jam – You can use a good quality store-bought jam or make your own. I prefer to use seedless raspberry jam. If using cold jam, warm it up in the microwave for 30 seconds before spreading it on.
How to make raspberry oatmeal bars
- Crust/crumble – Start by making the crust which is just a mixture of flour, old-fashioned rolled oats, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, melted butter, a little bit of salt, and vanilla extract. Then, set aside about 1 cup of the mixture which you’ll use for the topping.
- Layers – Press down the crumbs firmly into the prepared pan to form the crust, spread the jam, and sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top of the jam.
- Bake – Bake until the crumbs are lightly golden and the jam is bubbly. Don’t forget to wait for the bars to fully cool in the pan before slicing or they will fall apart.
Keep in mind that these bars are quick to throw together but they do take a few hours to cool before cutting.
Recipe variations
- Different flavors – I love these with raspberry jam, but feel free to use your favorite one (strawberry, blueberries, peach, blackberry, apricot or plum are all great options!).
- Add fresh berries – Feel free to add some fresh raspberries on top of the jam layer.
- Add lemon – Add lemon zest to the crust or filling for a hint of tangy citrus flavor.
- Icing – Drizzle a vanilla glaze/icing over the top of the raspberry squares.
- Make them dairy-free – Use coconut oil in place of butter.
- Make them gluten-free. Swap the flour for your favorite 1:1 baking blend, and use certified gluten-free oats.
These bars are delicious served with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Storage & freezing instructions
To store – Keep bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To freeze – You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Let the bars cool completely, then cut them into squares. Place the squares on a baking tray and place that in the freezer for 1 1/2 or 2 hours. Now the bars should be firm enough to stack in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container.
To thaw – When ready to enjoy the raspberry bars, remove them from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature until no longer frozen.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, quick-cook and instant oats are finer and will change the consistency of the bars.
These raspberry bars freeze for up to 3 months. Once completely cooled, cut them into squares, place them on a baking tray, and set that in the freezer for 2 hours. After that, the bars should be firm enough to stack in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container.
If you don’t have an 8×8 baking dish, I wouldn’t use a bigger size pan as it changes the thickness of the bars (and these bars are already thin). If using a smaller size baking pan, adjust the baking time accordingly.
Toss 2 cups of raspberries with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. You don’t need to thaw frozen raspberries.
More fruity desserts:
- Peach Crumble Bars
- Berry Cheesecake Parfaits
- Quick and Easy Individual Apple Crisps
- Apple Pie Yogurt Parfaits
If you make this recipe, please leave a feedback and rating in the comment section below. I always love hearing how it turns out for you! ♡
How To Make It: Raspberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup+ 1 tablespoon (130 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (75 g) rolled oats
- ⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup firmly packed (50 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (115 g – 1 stick) unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (315 g) raspberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) pan with aluminum foil, leaving enough overhang on the sides.
- Spray with cooking spray and set aside.
Make the crust/crumble
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt.
- Pour in the melted butter and vanilla, and stir until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened.
- Set aside 1 cup of the crumble mixture, then press the rest into the prepared pan to create a smooth layer.
Spread the raspberry jam
- Spread the jam over the crust. If your jam is cold, warm it up for about 30 seconds in the microwave so it’s easy to spread.
Add the topping
- Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the jam layer.
Bake
- Bake the bars for 28-30 minutes, until the jam is bubbly and the crumb topping is lightly golden. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Added bourbon soaked chopped pecans to crumble mix. Yummy in the tummy!
It sounds delicious, Joy! :)
I made my own version of these last year to use up left over cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving, and they were soooo good. Very simple so I looked for a recipe and yours is the closest to what I came up with. The things I did different was used cranberry sauce, but with raspberries mixed in (hello, holidays!) and mixed in millet with the topping. They were a way to use up left-overs but have now become requested and are the star of the show. Since they freeze so well they are great to have on hand to add to a Christmas cookie plate. Making up a batch now, thanks!
That’s a brilliant idea, Lisa! :)
Wonderful recipe—just as good as the bars at Whole Food! I try to limit sugar and flour and have had great success making this recipe with Monkfruit sweetener, unsweetened raspberry jam, and a combination of almond flour and coconut or oat flour. What a great treat that is low in sugar (and lower in carbs). Thank you for sharing!
That’s a great idea, Gail. I bought Monkfruit sweetener a few weeks ago but I haven’t tried it yet.
Easy to make and delicious!
I’ve been searching for a recipe for these since sampling them at various bakeries and restaurants. These are just as good if not better! It was surprisingly easy and everyone loved them.
So glad to hear that, Elizabeth! Thank you for the feedback! :)
Hallelujah a recipie in grams!!! I love a one bowl quick recipie! I’m getting creative cleaning out the pantry by turning things like the raspberry jam gifted to us by my husband’s coworker into holiday treats to affordably share!!! Thank you so much! Happy holidays!
That’s a great idea, Sam! Happy Holidays! :)
Oh, I didn’t have quite enough oatmeal so I rounded out the 3/4 cup with shredded coconut. Added just a little extra flavor and did the job.
Thank you for the instructions on how to use fresh berries. This was wonderful. Turned out beautifully and I didn’t even wait for them to cool before digging in.
I am so glad to hear that, Emily! :)
Made this with fresh raspberries – delicious! Didn’t have cornstarch, so subbed a bit of flour and that seemed to work fine. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you for your feedback, Molly! I am glad you liked this recipe :)
You can use any type of oatmeal as long as it’s not quick cooking or instant. Let me know if you try these! :)
YUM! These were delicious!