So easy and perfectly sweet! These vegan strawberry jam bars have a perfect crispy crumble topping and super healthy strawberry jam filling. The perfect afternoon snack or healthy dessert!
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Happy ‘we’re so close to summer I can feel it and it feels SO GOOD!’. We’re reaching that time of year where the threat of snow is (almost) gone and the sun shines more days than it doesn’t. Boy, does that feel GREAT! Since it’s been warmer around these parts, I’m dreaming about baking up allll things strawberry.
But here’s the thing, I’ve kind of been experimenting with making healthy-ish desserts! Is that cool or weird or how do we feel about it? Mainly, I want to be able to indulge in some REALLY good desserts, while also having a few healthy vegan dessert recipes in my back pocket for when I want a sweet, but need it to balance everything else out.
The crust and crumble for these healthy strawberry bars are the perfect amount of crunchy and soft, without being overly hard to put together. The dough comes together REALLY easily in a food processor (I love my mini one) and the strawberry chia jam is SO simple and easy, it’s just crazy.
Basically what you get is a super crunchy/perfect crust for your vegan strawberry bars and a jammy/kinda hearty (is that weird?) filling that comes together for the strawberry jam bars of your dreams! They could also count as breakfast if that’s your thing…since the crust and filling are chock full of good stuff and don’t have ANY refined sugar in them.
The strawberry filling can be made with fresh or frozen strawberries, whichever is in season or easiest for you and TBH the fruit can be swapped out for just about any berry that tickles your fancy.
How to make healthy strawberry bars
One of the best things about this strawberry bar recipe is that it’s SO EASY. As I said, the dough comes together in the food processor, the filling can be made in under 15 minutes, and the assembly is easy as pie. One of the best things about the filling is that it’s kicked up juuuust a notch with Zevia’s Strawberry Soda. Adding a 1/3 cup of Strawberry Zevia makes the filling go from pretty good to OMG THAT’S GOOD. Plus, bonus points for no added sugar!
The crust for these healthy vegan strawberry bars is a little heartier from the combo of whole wheat flour and rolled oats, with just the right amount of sweetness/binder from my vegan baking favorite, dates! If your dates are a little on the dry side, you can soak them for 10-15 minutes in hot water while you gather all the ingredients together. This will make them soft enough to process into the dough, without bogging them down with extra oil or water.
Fresh vs. Frozen Strawberries
The strawberry filling can be made with fresh or frozen strawberries, whichever is in season or easiest for you and TBH the fruit can be swapped out for just about any berry that tickles your fancy.
If you choose to use frozen strawberries, I would let the jam sit a bit longer after it’s made or increase the chia seeds just a smidge. Since frozen fruit gives off more juice when it’s cooked than fresh fruit, your strawberry jam filling is going to be just a bit runnier. But, it will all be baked together and given time to solidify while it cools, so frozen strawberries work just fine too!
More vegan strawberry recipes on Heart of a Baker:
- Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
- Strawberry Rose Lemonade Popsicles
- Strawberry Coconut Cream Tart
- Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Vegan Strawberry Jam Bars
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: Healthy Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
So easy and perfectly sweet! These vegan strawberry jam bars have a perfect crispy crumble topping and super healthy strawberry jam filling. The perfect afternoon snack or healthy dessert!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 4–6 pitted dates
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 3 cups fresh strawberries
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/3 cup Strawberry Zevia
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8×8 or 9×9 square pan with parchment paper and grease lightly. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the strawberries until they start to break down and can be mashed with the back of a spoon, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the chia seeds and Zevia.Â
- In a food processor, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oats, dates, cinnamon, salt, olive oil, and almond milk. Pulse together until the batter starts to come together.Â
- Take half of the mixture and press firmly it into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the strawberry filling over the crust.Â
- Sprinkle the rest of the crumble mixture over the top of the filling, until all has been used.
- Bake for 50 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and top is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and after the bars have cooled for 10 minutes, chill for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- You can sub in already prepared strawberry jam for the filling, if you want! The homemade version ensures it’s a pretty healthy option and is super easy.Â
Keywords: strawberry recipe, strawberry dessert, healthy dessert, strawberry bars
Sara @ Cake Over Steak says
I love a jam bar!
Heart of a Baker says
Jam bars for LIFE!
Claire says
It’s amazing how much you can make with Zevia! Strawberry bars are my fave but I’ve yet to make them vegan. Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Heart of a Baker says
Isn’t it?! They are SO GOOD!
Belinda says
Hi Abby is there a substitute for strawberry stevia? I’m not able to buy it in the grocery stores near me but would love to try out the recipe