These Oatmeal Linzer Crumble Bars are deliciously healthy, easy to make and inspired by the traditional Linzer torte. They are sweetly spiced with cinnamon and allspice, filled with raspberry jam and topped with a walnut crumble. Made without butter or wheat flour, they are also gluten free, dairy free and vegan.
The recipe comes together with one bowl and a spoon. You can also customise the jam filling, spices and nuts in the crumble topping to suit what you have at home. Plus, rolled oats provide a boost of fiber and some plant-based protein.
Healthy oatmeal crumble bars
These healthy oatmeal crumble bars are lower in sugar and higher in fiber than a lot of crumble bar recipes. This is achieved with some simple ingredient swaps.
- Rolled oats are the main ingredient. Rolled oats replace all-purpose flour in these oatmeal bars. Some almond flour is also added to improve the texture of the bars.
- Almond butter replaces regular butter or oil. Instead of using butter or coconut oil, almond butter stops these oatmeal crumble bars from drying out. It also provides some plant-based protein and keeps the bars dairy free, vegan and very low in saturated fat.
- The oatmeal mixture is lightly sweetened with coconut sugar. Instead of using refined white sugar, coconut sugar adds a rich, caramel-like flavor to the bars. Coconut sugar is still a form of sugar to be enjoyed in moderation, but its flavor profile works really well with the raspberry jam and sweet spices.
Which type of oats is best for oatmeal bars?
Rolled oats, also known as old-fashioned oats, work best in oatmeal bars for that desirable chewy texture. Instant oats or quick oats, which are rolled thinner and cut into smaller pieces, absorb more liquid so they can cause your oatmeal bars to dry out. Steel cut oats, which are more course in texture, may give too much chew and an overly dense texture.
If you need your oatmeal bars to be strictly gluten free, make sure to use oats that are labelled as gluten free. Oats naturally do not contain gluten, but they often have traces of gluten due to processing on the same equipment as wheat. Oats that are labelled as gluten free have usually been processed in a dedicated gluten-free facility and do not show measurable contamination with gluten-containing grains.
Ingredients for oatmeal linzer crumble bars
- Rolled oats: Rolled oats are the main ingredient in these oatmeal linzer crumble bars. They are often also called old-fashioned oats.
- Almond flour: Some almond flour is mixed with the rolled oats to improve the texture of the oatmeal bars. When oats are used alone, the bars become more gummy.
- Almond butter: To replace the need for butter or oil, almond butter provides good fats and stops the oatmeal bars from drying out. You can substitute another neutral-tasting nut butter, such as cashew butter. Natural peanut butter will also work, but it has quite a strong flavor so it will make the bars taste a bit like peanuts.
- Coconut sugar: The caramel-like flavor of coconut sugar is perfect in these bars. You can use brown sugar as a substitute if you prefer.
- Cinnamon and allspice: Ground cinnamon and allspice paired with the jam give these oatmeal bars their Linzer torte vibe. Ceylon cinnamon is best if you can get it, since it has a sweeter and more delicate flavor than regular cassia cinnamon. If you don’t have cinnamon and allspice, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice or mixed spice, which is a British sweet spice mix that is also widely available in Australia.
- Raspberry jam: I love raspberry jam in these oatmeal crumble bars. However, you could use other jams like black current, cherry, strawberry or blueberry.
- Walnuts: Chopped walnuts are added to the crumble topping for crunch and extra nutrients. You can use other nuts if you prefer, like almonds, cashews or pecans.
- Boiling water: Some boiling water helps to dissolve the coconut sugar and bring the oatmeal mixture together.
- Salt: Adding some fine salt to the oatmeal mixture enhances the flavor of the bars.
How to store oatmeal crumble bars
Oatmeal crumble bars are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They should keep like this for up to five days. Storing them in the fridge helps to keep the good fats in the nuts as fresh as possible.
You can also freeze oatmeal crumble bars for up to three months. After slicing the bars, I place them in an airtight container or zip lock bag before freezing. I find it best to arrange them in one layer or separate them with some parchment paper to prevent sticking. Individual bars can then be removed from the freezer and defrosted in the fridge overnight.
More healthy oatmeal recipes
- Banana Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Protein Bars
- No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Energy Balls
- Savory Sweet Potato Muffins
- Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Vegan Peanut Butter Oat Protein Bars
You can find more ideas on the Oats Recipes page.
Oatmeal Linzer Crumble Bars Recipe
Serves
12 bars
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
20 mins
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup / 80 g almond butter (see Note 1)
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp / 60 g coconut sugar (see Note 2)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml / 60 g boiling water
- 2 cups / 180 g rolled oats
- 1/2 cup / 48 g almond flour
- 1/4 cup / 30 g walnuts
- 1/3 cup / 100 g raspberry jam
Method
- Preheat your oven to 160°C fan-forced / 180°C / 350°F and line an 8 x 8 inch / 20 x 20 cm square baking dish with parchment paper or baking paper (see Note 3).
- Add the almond butter, coconut sugar, cinnamon, allspice, salt and boiling water to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine. Add the rolled oats and almond flour, then mix everything together until well combined.
- Press about 2/3 of the oat mixture firmly into the lined baking dish in an even layer. This forms the base of the oatmeal bars. Bake the base in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until just starting to lightly brown. While the base is baking, roughly chop the walnuts and mix them into the remaining 1/3 of the oat mixture.
- Once the base has finished baking, remove it from the oven. Spread the jam evenly over the base with the back of a spoon. Crumble over the remaining oat and walnut mixture in an even layer, pressing it lightly into the jam. Return to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes or until the crumble topping is lightly browned.
- Allow to cool slightly in the baking dish, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (see Note 4). Once cold, slice into bars with a sharp knife.
Notes
- Almond butter – Almond butter is my preference in this recipe because it has a neutral flavor. However, you can substitute other natural nut butters, like cashew butter or peanut butter. Just keep in mind that peanut butter has quite a strong taste, so it will alter the flavor of the bars slightly.
- Coconut sugar – The caramel-like flavor of coconut sugar is delicious in this recipe. You can use brown sugar as a substitute. If substituting brown sugar, I recommend weighing it out in grams on a food scale because cup measures give inconsistent results depending on how you pack the sugar into the cup.
- Lining your baking dish – When lining your baking dish, make sure there is some overhang for easy removal of the baked bars.
- Cooling after baking – To speed up the cooling process, you can chill the baked slab in the freezer after removing it from the baking dish. Letting it cool completely before slicing makes it easier to get a clean cut.
- Serving suggestion – If you’re serving the bars for a special occasion, they look pretty dusted with some powdered sugar. I did this for the recipe photos with a small, fine-mesh tea strainer.
- Storage – Store the oatmeal bars in an airtight container in the fridge. They should last like this for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the bars and defrost in the fridge as needed.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving size: 1 bar
- Energy: 171 Calories / 717 Kilojoules
- Total Fat: 7.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Total Carbohydrate: 18.9 g
- Dietary Fiber: 2.2 g
- Sugars: 8.3 g
- Protein: 4.8 g
- Sodium: 63 mg
- Potassium: 110 mg
