These delicious blackberry oat bars are made with only a handful of wholesome ingredients. Can also substitute blackberries with your berry of choice. Free of gluten, dairy, eggs, and refined sugar, as well as vegan friendly!
Like most American families in this day and age, we are always on the go. My car is my second home as I run errands around town or shuttle the kiddos, and sometimes their friends, from one thing to another. Add onto that end of year testing, driver’s ed for my oldest, work projects, researching and booking our family vacation, planning my son’s sixteenth birthday party, helping my sister move, volunteering at our homeschool co-op, etc…the list goes on and on.
Sometimes I just feel like I’m drowning in responsibilities. Adulting is hard!
I’m definitely more night owl than early bird, so I find it easiest to prepare for things the night before, especially if I have to get up early in the morning. The snooze button and I are good friends 😆 so it really helps to have our clothes picked out, as well as a quick snack or breakfast ready to go. And having the coffee maker scheduled to brew 5 minutes before my alarm goes off doesn’t hurt either. There’s something about the aroma of fresh coffee brewing that nudges me out of bed.. and keeps me from hitting the snooze button more than once or twice. 😜❤☕
So I made these blackberry oat bars as our easy breakfast on the go last week for co-op. They’re perfect for dessert dessert, but wholesome enough to enjoy for breakfast. Even better when you use sweet berries so you won’t have to add much sweetener to the filling.
These bars are hearty, only mildly sweetened, and reminiscent of those fruit-filled cereal bars, but much more satisfying (and much more delicious too!) They are also great with that morning cup of coffee…just sayin’. 😊
Whether you make them for dessert, breakfast, or snack, the point is to MAKE THESE BLACKBERRY OAT BARS NOW! You seriously won’t regret it!
And if you need a grain-free/paleo friendly version, be sure to scroll down for a link to my Mixed Berry Almond Crumb Bars! Enjoy!
Print
Blackberry Oat Bars
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 16 1x
Description
These delicious oat bars are made with only a handful of wholesome ingredients. Can also substitute blackberries with your berry of choice. Free of gluten, dairy, eggs, and refined sugar, as well as vegan friendly!
Ingredients
Oat Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
(make sure they’re certified gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
(or melted butter, if not dairy-free)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
(honey or other liquid sweetener can also be used)
- 1–3 teaspoons water, if needed, to help dough come together
(make sure they’re certified gluten-free, if needed)
(or melted butter, if not dairy-free)
(honey or other liquid sweetener can also be used)Blackberry Filling:
- 18 oz. fresh or thawed from frozen blackberries or other berry of choice
- 2–3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds
Instructions
Filling:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large mixing bowl, roughly mash berries with a fork or potato masher. Stir in maple syrup, to taste, and chia seeds. Set aside to gel while preparing the crust.
Oat Crust:
- Line an 8 or 9-inch pan with parchment paper or grease lightly to keep crust from sticking and set aside.
- Place rolled oats and salt into food processor
and blend until finely ground into oat flour. Add almond flour, melted coconut oil and maple syrup, blending until dough holds together when pinched between your fingers. Add a little water, if needed, to form the dough.
- Reserve 3/4–1 cup of the oat dough. Press the remaining crust firmly into the bottom of the pan.
- Spread berry filling evenly across crust and top with reserved dough crumbles. To get chunky crumbles on top, clench dough tightly in your fist and then roughly break up into large clumps. Sprinkle across berry filling, leaving some berry filling exposed for a more marbled, rustic look.
- Bake for 30–40 minutes, until crust is lightly golden and filling has thickened.
- Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 9–16 bars, depending on how large you cut them.
and blend until finely ground into oat flour. Add almond flour, melted coconut oil and maple syrup, blending until dough holds together when pinched between your fingers. Add a little water, if needed, to form the dough.- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Category: Dessert, Gluten-Free, Vegan
You may also enjoy these similar recipes:
Paleo Mixed Berry Crumb Bars
Healthier Lemon Blackberry Bars
Easy Berry Turnovers
I cannot have oil or vegan butters. Any suggestions to replace that coconut oil?
Hi LouAnn, you could try replacing the oil with unsweetened applesauce and/or mayonnaise. The crumble may be a little more crumbly and crunchy with a substitute, but it should still work. The bake time may also be altered, so check in the bars a little earlier than the recipe calls for. Please let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
These are AMAZING!!! I’ve made them more than once, and this time I used strawberries instead of blackberries.
I made the blackberry bars, I add ed vanilla extract to filling, a little cinnamon, a dash oh nutmeg. Theatre cooling, as I write this. Can’t wait to try them. The fragrance is delisshus. Thanks or the recipe
Ooh, that sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing your alterations, will have to try it with those additions next time! Hope you enjoyed them! Thanks for giving these a try!
I’m allergic to chia seeds. Is there a substitute for them?
Hi Ashley, you can stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch instead of the chia seeds. The filling may not be as thick, but it will still be delicious! Hope you enjoy them!
Ok thanks for the substitution.
You’re welcome! Let me know how it goes!
Hi Lisa,
Cant wait to try this recipe. Can we use all almond flour instead of oats and almond flour (basically making blackberry almond bars).
Hi Anusha, I actually just created a recipe using mostly almond flour: https://www.wifemamafoodie.com/mixed-berry-almond-crumb-bars/. It has a little bit of tapioca flour to help hold the bars together better, but I’ve also made them without it with good results 🙂 Feel free to use the filling in this recipe too, if you prefer. Let me know how it goes! Enjoy!
Thank you! Will try it this weekend. Should tapioca flour be replaced by almond flour for base and filling or omit it all together?
Replace the tapioca in the bar with additional almond flour and use the chia recipe for these bars or replace tapioca with cornstarch in the other filling. The crumb mixture should be just moist enough to hold together when pressed. Add a little extra water if it’s too dry. Let me know how these turn out for you!
Thank you! Is chia recipe on your website?
You’re welcome! It’s here on the blackberry oat bar recipe. It uses chia seeds to thicken instead of tapioca 🙂 Hope you enjoy them!
I have made this twice now. Once as you published it and the second time with stewed apples with cinnamon. Equally delicious both ways. Can’t wait to try it with peaches once they are in season.
Hi Sue! So glad you enjoyed these bars! I love the idea of an apple cinnamon version too—YUM! I bet the peach filling would be just as delicious too…will definitely be giving that a try as well once they are in season! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! Hope your week is off to a great start 🙂
Hi Lisa, I haven’t tried it, but I’m assuming all purpose flour or gf all purpose flour blend would work in place of the almond flour. I wouldn’t use coconut flour because of how much it absorbs and it doesn’t hold together well. You may need to add a little more coconut oil though, (I reduce it for these since almond flour has a lot more fat.) maybe 1/2–2/3 cup instead of 1/3 cup. Add all the other ingredients and 1/2 cup oil and if the mixture still seems really dry, add a few extra tablespoons + some water if necessary until the dough is crumbly and holds together when pinched between two fingers. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions and please come back and share your experience if you give it a try!
These look good but is there any substitute for almond flour? We’re allergic and nearly every gluten free baking recipe I find includes it with no substitute. Would coconut flour work or affect the texture badly?
Hi Lisa, I haven’t tried it, but I’m assuming all purpose flour or gf all purpose flour blend would work in place of the almond flour. I wouldn’t use coconut flour because of how much it absorbs and it doesn’t hold together well. You may need to add a little more coconut oil though, (I reduce it for these since almond flour has a lot more fat.) maybe 1/2–2/3 cup instead of 1/3 cup. Add all the other ingredients and 1/2 cup oil and if the mixture still seems really dry, add a few extra tablespoons + some water if necessary until the dough is crumbly and holds together when pinched between two fingers. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions and please come back and share your experience if you give it a try!
Only two words for this: YUM! E!
Thanks Kelli! Happy you enjoyed them! 🙂
Every year I go blackberry picking with the kids. We mostly use the berries for jam or eat them fresh but we usually have enough left over for some sort of baking project. I wanted a guilt-free bar I could give to the kids. When I took them out of the oven I was a little too eager to and took a bite. I was under impressed. Disappointed even. But the next day, after having been in the fridge, they were amazing! It’s not something I would eat warm with a bowl of ice cream like an apple crisp, but they work PERFECTLY for breakfast bars. Super tasty! So glad I gave it a second chance. I’ll be making these again next year. Thank you!
Hi Maggie! I’m so happy you enjoyed these bars! Yes, they’re not heavily sweetened, so they’re not as good warm, but do make a delicious bar once cooled! I’m glad you gave them another chance! 🙂
I want to make these for the kids since we just picked blackberries last week. But I only have almond flour (not blanched). Does it make a difference?
Hi Maggie, almond meal/flour should work just fine. The crust may be a little darker in color though. I hope you all enjoy it! 🙂
So glad to find you ! So attractive ideas ! Will be back !
I made these in a round 9” pan and they came out lovely. I love the use of chia in the berries for a more gelled filling. I will surely use that great idea in other berry filled recipes in the future. Also, I didn’t have quite enough berries, so I added some homemade blackberry jam I had on hand. They were perfect for breakfast with coffee!
I’m so happy you enjoyed these oat bars, Cameron! They are definitely a family favorite! And yes, chia seeds are such an amazing superfood, aren’t they? I love using them to naturally thicken jams and fruit fillings. They’re so good for you too! Thanks for taking the time to leave such a detailed review! Have a lovely week! 🙂
I can’t believe how easy these are to make! They look so impressive and stunning. That purple color from the blackberries is so eye-catching. Amazing recipe, Joscelyn!
Gorgeous bars! There’s nothing better than blackberries and all those crumbs! 🙂
I love anything to do with blackberries! I’ll definitely be trying out this recipe!
WOW these bars are stunning! Looks and sounds amazing ♥
You got me at blackberry! This is perfect recipe now that blackberries are in season. Those bars look moist and so tasty perfect to enjoy with coffee too.
These all look delicious! Oh my goodness, so divine and a perfect treat with the fresh fruit blooming! Ah I want to try some right now!!! xo – Kam
These look SO GOOD. I am totally saving this recipe. Thank you!!
These all look amazing!! I’m gluten free, I’ll have to try these! Pinning for later 🙂
Woohoo! Loving this vegan recipe 🙂 Always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, haha! But seriously, my husband will absolutely adore me if I make these for him… Super healthy too because of the chia seeds. I can’t wait! I’ll tweet and bookmark – thank you!