These Strawberry Rhubarb Bars are thick, soft and fruity! They are made with a buttery, oat and brown sugar cookie-like base topped off the simple strawberry-rhubarb fruit filling and topped with the final sprinkling of the simple crumble topping. Naturally gluten free with vegan and oat free options available!
Originally shared this recipe on June 29, 2015 – Updated July 25, 2022 with improved photos, recipe, tips and ingredient explanations.
Rhubarb season isn’t over just yet! Make the most of it it while you still can with these soft and crumbly strawberry rhubarb crumb bars!
Tart rhubarb, sweet strawberries and fiery ginger come together to make a delicious fruit filling, sandwiched between the brown sugar oat crumb mixture!
A few things I learned about rhubarb while making these:
- Rhubarb is a vegetable. Looking at them it makes sense because they look like celery stalks, but I always saw them pictured with berries or in lemonade in some type of dessert – I assumed they were a fruit!
- The color of the stalk doesn’t actually indicate ripeness. Different colors just mean that they are different types of rhubarb. Ripeness is indicated in the stalks. Rhubarb stalks should be about 1/2 an inch to 1 inch thick.
- The leaves are poisonous because of the high levels of oxalate – so don’t ever be tempted to eat them no matter how deliciously green they look.
Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
These bars come together quickly and easily with little effort. The process can be broken down into a few simple steps:
- Mix the strawberry rhubarb filling.
- Make the oatmeal cooking base and top.
- Bake and enjoy!
The Filling
In a small bowl, combine the fresh strawberries, rhubarb, ginger, lemon juice, starch and sugar.
The Crumble
The crust/topping is my tried and tested crust and topping for most of my fruity crisp bars. The crumble ingredients are egg free, can easily be made dairy free and most of all – delicious!
All you need is some gluten free flour, gluten free rolled oats, light brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract and melted butter or oil. Mix together and that’s it. Half of the mixture will go down first, then top with the rest at the end.
The hardest part is not eating all the crumble before you actually get to baking it!
Assembly
Make sure to partially bake the bottom crust before you add the fruit filling. This is to ensure the crust cooks fully into a perfect sturdy base.
If you don’t cook it first, the juices from the strawberry rhubarb layer will keep it soft. While I can attest that the bars themselves are still absolutely divine in flavor, it does make them a bit more difficult to handle.
After the initial crust bake, spread the filling over the crust then sprinkle the remaining crumb on top and that’s it. Bake until set, then cool and enjoy.
The only thing left to do is enjoy a bar with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and try not to eat the whole pan!
So, since rhubarb is actually a vegetable, these are healthy, right?
I’m pretty sure that means these should count as at least one of your five a day – strawberries, rhubarb, ginger.
I think I’ve just created a super food 👊
You’re welcome, and enjoy!
Strawberry Rhubarb Bars (Gluten Free & Vegan)
Crumbly, gluten free and vegan strawberry rhubarb fruit bars spiced with a hint of ginger.
Ingredients
Fruit Filling
- 1 1/2 cups (250g) sliced strawberries
- 2 cups (240 g) rhubarb cut into 1/3 inch pieces or smaller
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons (24g) white granulated sugar
Base & Crumb Topping
- 1 1/4 cup (175 g) gluten free all purpose flour blend
- 1 1/4 cup (112 g) certified gluten free quick oats
- 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (only add if using unsalted butter or coconut oil)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (170g) melted vegan butter or (160 g) coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl: combine the strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice, ginger, corn starch and sugar. Mix together until combined, then set aside for later.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly grease or line an 8x8inch (20x20cm) square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to make the crumble mixture.
- Stir in the melted butter and vanilla extract and mix until a soft dough forms.
- Spread half of the oat mixture across the bottom of the pan. Press firmly into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven.
- Spread the fruit mixture in an even layer over the partially baked crust. Top with the remaining oat crust. Sprinkle it over the top of the fruit making sure to cover the majority of the surface.
- Place the baking dish back in the middle of the oven and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes or until the top comes out golden brown.
- Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into slices and store in an airtight container for up to five days.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from The Kitchn.
- These bars do come out quite soft - especially right out of the oven. A few readers have suggested popping them into the fridge for an hour or so before serving to help firm them up.
Rebecca says
Hey there! I tried this recipe last night and unfortunately it just tastes of baking soda.. sort of burns the tongue 🙁 It also did not bake into a crust like the pictures here. The original Kitchn recipe calls for baking powder, I wonder if this would make a difference? Thanks!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Rebecca! So sorry it took me so long to get back to you! Your comment got caught up in my spam filter and I’m just now seeing it!
Sorry to hear that the baking soda flavor was too strong and thank you for that feedback! Looking through the recipe again, I think you’re right that it might be a bit too much baking soda. Baking soda has a more intense flavor than baking powder so it’s not always a good idea to make a 1:1 substitute. While it’s never been too noticeable for me here, I can see that it definitely might be for some!
With that in mind, I’ve decrease the amount of baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon. Thanks for taking the time to come back and write your comment! I always appreciate the feedback and I’m sure other future readers do too 🙂
DJ Trav says
Hi, Sarah. This sounds and looks fantastic, but I don’t have fresh ginger on hand. Think I could use crystallized and cut back on the sugar in the filling a bit to compensate?
Thanks a bunch!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi DJ! I think crystallized ginger would be really tasty here! I think you’re right as well – try cutting the sugar in the filling to 1 tablespoon or just skip it altogether.
Alice says
Hello! Could you send me the original recipe? We made it a few times and really liked it. We are in the middle of making the updated version, so will probably like this too, but would like to still be able to make the original.
Thank you!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Alice! So sorry about the inconvenience! I’ll email you the old recipe card ASAP. I’m sending it to the email you’ve listed here, but if you need it sent to another one just let me know!
The main difference in the recipes is that I strained out the liquids from the strawberries and rhubarb before baking them. In the updated version you add a bit of starch to help soak up some of the fruit juices.
Sorry again that I’ve delayed your baking!
Brenda says
Can you use frozen strawberries and rhubarb?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Brenda! Frozen fruit should be no problem! I just recommend that you add 1 tablespoon of flour to the fruit mixture. That should help absorb some of the extra water from the frozen fruit.
Kate says
Which gluten free flour do you use?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Kate! When I have some mixed already – I like to use my homemade flour blend: https://www.asaucykitchen.com/homemade-gluten-free-flour-blend/
When I don’t have that already prepared I usually use Dove’s plain gluten free flour (available in the UK)
Vivienne Conway says
Wondering about the Gf oats. Is this the same as steel cut oats? I’m in Australia so sometimes we don’t get the same products.
Sarah says
Hi Vivienne! I used rolled oats and used quick instant oats, but I’ve never used steel cut for this recipe. Steel cut usually takes longer to cook because it’s not as processed as rolled or instant, so I’m not sure how that might affect the cooking time here