Are you one of those people who would choose pie over any other type of dessert and practically couldn’t live without it? I know people like that and I’m definitely not one of those people. Don’t get me wrong- I like pie, but I’d just put it a little farther down on my list. Whenever I do eat pie (apple or key lime, please) I prefer making it myself so I can control the ingredients and flavors. Truth: I’ve really only made crumble at home, but they’re almost the same.
I haven’t eaten many strawberry rhubarb pies in my life since I don’t like the gooey fruit part of store-bought berry pies.
When I saw the beautiful strawberries and rhubarb that have taken over my local farmers’ market, though, I knew I had to put them to good use. Enter these Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Oat Bars.
There is no butter or refined sugar in these bars, which makes them vegan and much healthier than a classic pie or crumble. The crust is held together with just coconut oil and date puree (which you can easily make at home in a food processor). And the fruity filling is thickened naturally with chia seeds. The best part is that these bars are not overly sweet, so I even ate them for breakfast.
The recipe will make more chia compote than you need for the bars, but you can eat the leftover compote with greek yogurt or oatmeal or really anywhere else that you would use berry jam.
So the next day you see strawberries and rhubarb at the market, snatch it up before the seasons over and enjoy these healthy crumble bars!
- 2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
- 1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup to keep vegan)
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 4 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 cup chopped medjool dates (about 12 dates)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup rolled oats, gluten free optional
- 1 cup oat flour, gluten free optional
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup melted or room temperature coconut oil
- 1 and 1/4 cup Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Compote
- Add all ingredients except chia seeds to a heavy pan and heat over medium heat.
- Bring to a roiling boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn off stove and sprinkle chia seeds on top. Stir to mix evenly and let sit to cool while making the rest of the bars.
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and process into a smooth paste, using a spatula to scrape down the sides while pulsing in intervals
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 pan with cooking spray or line it with greased parchment paper.
- Whisk oats, oat flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl to combine.
- Add the coconut oil and date puree and mix until completely combined.
- Scoop half of the oat dough into the greased pan and press into an even layer with your fingers along the bottom of the pan.
- Spoon the chia compote on top and spread evenly.
- Crumble the remaining oat dough over the top of the chia compote.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove and let cool completely before slicing.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze.
There will be leftover chia compote that you can add to greek yogurt, oatmeal, put on top of toast, in a smoothie, etc.
Love this- been wanting to make something with the strawberry rhubarb combo and these fit the bill!
I bought rhubarb on Saturday and have no clue what to do with it.. I didn’t know how easy making jam was!
I’ve got your answer, girl! The jam is super simple and I’ve been eating it with greek yogurt and granola which I love!
You had me at strawberry and rhubarb! Seriously, your strawberry rhubarb chia oat bars sound absolutely divine … I will be making them soon!
Thank you, Kimberly! I hope you get a chance to try them soon!
As I was pulling out of the grocery store today…I realized I forgot the rhubarb! UGH!
Oh no!! I hate when that happens. You could use raspberries or blueberries in place of the rhubarb. It’s a great way to use the seasonal rhubarb but I could see lot of flavor combinations being delicious!
I’ve almost forgotten how much I LOVE oat bars! It’s funny, I made a strawberry rhurbarb chia jam recently. I can only imagine how wonderful those flavors taste in these bars!
Yes! I just want all the strawberry and rhubarb right now. Your jam looked so good!
In step two on the oat bar preparation, shouldn’t it say add the coconut oil and the date puree and mix … I keep re-reading the recipe and the date puree never seems to get added. This sounds so great!
I just updated the recipe to include the date puree in the step with the coconut oil. Thanks for letting me know, Marsha and I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Definitely a perfect summer snack. I love these bars and will have to make them!
I liked these a lot, but I did find the lemon overpowered the other flavors a little. Is it possible to leave the lemon out, or does it serve a purpose?
Thank you for a great recipe!
You could definitely reduce the lemon a bit. I changed the recipe to half a lemon instead of one whole lemon, since I remember thinking the same and it wont change the recipe much.