These blueberry breakfast bars are made with a thick layer of oatmeal crust, a sweet bubbly layer of fresh blueberries and topped with more cinnamon crumble. They're simple to make, easy to freeze and delicious any time of day.
I had some blueberries remaining from a 5 pound box and I wanted to use ingredients I had on hand - the final product were these gooey blueberry oatmeal bars. Thanks to the oats and blueberries, it's a great recipe for the morning (our toddler loves them!), as a healthy snack, or you can serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the perfect dessert. I love warm fruit desserts with ice cream (helloooo peach apple crisp).
Next time you have extra blueberries or are just craving a sweet to go with your cup of coffee, I hope you think of these blueberry oat bars (but you wouldn't be mad if you made a blueberry muffin either).
The Simple Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: I love the flavor butter gives this recipe. We tested these with vegan butter and it worked well, but you could also use coconut oil.
- Flour: white whole wheat flour is a great option for whole grains. We also testing this using 1:1 gluten-free flour (Bob's Red Mill). 3/4 cup
- Old fashioned oats: this is the best type of oat for this recipe, but instant oats or quick oats will work if you have those on hand.
- Cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt for extra flavor.
- Brown sugar: I like to use the brown sugar if I'm making it for dessert, but I opt for coconut sugar or maple syrup for the breakfast version.
- Blueberries: fresh or frozen work well (so you can have these year round!)
- Pure maple syrup: this helps sweeten up the blueberries just enough.
- Lemon juice: the acid balances the sweetness in this recipe. Add a little lemon zest too if you feel like it!
- Corn starch: this helps the blueberry layer become extra gooey. Great subs for this are tapioca or arrowroot starch.
How to Make Blueberry Oatmeal Bars
- Crumb layer: Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl with the melted butter and mix well until it starts to come together and creates large, sandy clumps. Reserve 1 heaping scoop of the mixture then pour the rest into the bottom of a square pan lined with parchment paper.
- Blueberry filling: mix all of the blueberry filling ingredients together (you can use the same bowl), then spread it evenly on top of the crust.
- Assemble: Sprinkle the reserved crumble on top evenly. You will see a lot of the blueberries still showing, this is what you want!
- Bake: bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown and the blueberries are bubbling.
Variations and Dietary Modifications
Use other fresh fruit: if you have peaches or strawberries on hand they would be great options!
- Gluten-free: use 1:1 gluten-free flour and gluten-free rolled oats.
- Dairy free: swap the butter or vegan butter or coconut oil.
- Refined sugar free: use coconut sugar and maple syrup instead of brown sugar.
Storage Instructions
These can easily be a meal prep recipe! Kids love these in the morning, so follow the instructions to individually wrap each oatmeal crumble bar separately if you want to freeze them so they last longer.
Storage: allow the bars to cool and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: cut the bars into squares then wrap each one in plastic wrap. Place them in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight then warm in the microwave until warmed through.
More Blueberry Recipes
- Blueberry overnight oats
- Overnight blueberry waffle casserole
- Brown butter blueberry coffee cake
- Blueberry muffins with crumb topping
Blueberry Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
Crust and Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (or substitute coconut oil for vegan, gluten-free option)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (or sub 1:1 gluten-free flour)
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
Blueberry Layer
- 12 ounces 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen; I used fresh)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Recommended Equipment
- 8x8 inch baking pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Pour the melted butter into a large bowl with the flour, oats, sugar and salt, and stir to combine. The mixture will be dry and sandy with some larger, well-formed crumble pieces. This makes up the crust and crumble. Set 1 heaping cup of the mixture aside to be sprinkled on later as crumble topping.
- Transfer the remaining mixture to the prepared pan, and using a spatula or your fingers, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan to create an even crust and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients for the blueberry layer and combine. Distribute the blueberry mixture over the crust and sprinkle with the remaining crumble topping mixture.
- Bake for about 55 minutes, or until the crumble is golden and the blueberry center is set. Be sure to watch the bars as they cook because the juiciness and fresh/frozen blueberries will add or reduce cook time.
- Allow bars to cool completely before slicing and serving for breakfast or serve warm with ice cream as dessert.
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