Gluten free strawberry rhubarb bars feature a jammy fruit filling sandwiched between crisp layers of buttery crust. Sweet, fragrant strawberries are paired with tart rhubarb to make a gorgeous and easy treat.
These cute little guten free strawberry rhubarb bars are a cross between a gluten free rhubarb crumble (or gluten free rhubarb crumble), a gluten free rhubarb crisp, with a pinch of your favorite granola bar. But don't be fooled - this is no health food recipe! While they make a delightful morning snack, they're even better paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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Why I Love These Homemade Bars
These bars aren't fancy, but they sure are satisfying, and they're so simple to make. My preference is to eat a bar straight from the fridge, when the fruit is cold and refreshing. I also love them slightly warm, nibbled on outside while enjoying a cup of coffee on a June morning. Here's why I make these bars on repeat while rhubarb's in season:
- Naturally gluten-free. Oat flour and rolled oats form the base of the crust, and they are both whole grain and naturally gluten-free. The rest of the ingredients list is simple - fruit, a little sweetener, and spice.
- So flavorful. Rhubarb - what else can I say about rhubarb? It is so unique and has such a wonderful, almost buttery scent to it as it cooks. When rhubarb and strawberries are combined, they create an amazing blend of sweet-tart that isn't replicated by any other vegetable-fruit pairing.
- Not too sweet. Adapt this recipe to be as sweet or not as you like (I'll give tips below). Even if you stick to the amounts listed, the bars won't be sickly sweet (promise).
Ingredients Needed
Here's a look at the simple ingredients you'll need to make these bars. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Oat flour - Learn how to make oat flour or buy a package. Swap brown rice flour for the oats if you can't have oats.
- Oats - I used rolled (old-fashioned) oats. These are not the instant oats, they are the larger, coarse oats that are so great for baking.
- Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar is fine.
- Ginger - Swap ground cinnamon instead of ginger for a different take.
- Baking soda -: To help bind the crust.
- Salt - A little fine sea salt or table salt accents the sweetness in the bars.
- Butter - I use unsalted butter. You could also use coconut oil or non-dairy butter.
- Rhubarb - Choose rhubarb that is ripe and firm, with no brown spots.
- Strawberries - Ripe strawberries are the best, but you can use frozen strawberries in a pinch.
- Granulated sugar - Or use honey.
- Arrowroot powder - This is used to thicken the filling. You could also use cornstarch.
How to Adjust the Sweetness
When I originally wrote this recipe, I developed it to include honey in the filling. I still often make it with honey because I love the floral sweetness of honey that complements the floral note in the rhubarb.
If the strawberries are very sweet, you can lower the amount of sugar in the filling to 3-4 tablespoons (or 3-4 tablespoons of honey). Test and adjust for sweetness; start on the lower sweet side, then add more to taste. This will serve a dual purpose of not resulting in a super sweet final product while also keeping the sugar content a bit lower.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
Here's an overview in photos of how to make this recipe, with the full instruction details in the recipe card lower down.
1. Combine topping: Add all topping ingredients to a bowl.
2. Add butter: Pour in the melted butter and mix together.
3. Make filling: Add filling ingredients to a pot.
4. Cook: Heat over medium until fruit is slightly softened.
5. Press crust: Use your hands to press ⅔ of the crust into the pan.
6. Add filling: Spread the filling over in a smooth layer.
7. Top: Sprinkle the remaining crust over the top.
8. Bake: Heat oven to 350°F and bake for about 35 minutes.
Baking Tip: Dice the Fruit
I like a bit of texture in my filling, but for a really smooth and jammy center, dice both the strawberries and rhubarb before adding them to the pot. The smaller size will help the fruit cook down into an almost jam-like consistency that's easy to spread over the bottom crust.
Tips & Variation Ideas
- Cut into large or small bars - You can make 16 smaller squares for the bars, or cut them into large bars. You do you!
- Use parchment in the pan - Make sure to line the pan with parchment paper for easy lifting out of the bars. Or, make a "sling" (this means leaving some side overhang) if you prefer to lift the whole pan of bars out of the pan in one go.
- Try maple syrup - For a different flavor profile in the filling, use maple syrup instead of sugar.
- Add nuts - Stir in 1 cup chopped pistachios or walnuts to the crust.
- Coconut - I love adding 1 cup sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut to the crust ingredients!
- Vegan - Swap coconut oil or non-dairy butter for the butter.
- Refined sugar-free - Swap coconut sugar for the brown sugar and granulated sugars.
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few ways to serve strawberry rhubarb bars:
- Warm and topped with ice cream. Vanilla or strawberry ice cream on top of a bar is my idea of a dream dessert.
- With whipped cream. You could also make lightly sweetened or unsweetened whipped cream to go with these gluten-free bars.
- Topped with fresh strawberries. Why not slice up some strawberries and serve them atop the strawberry rhubarb bars?
Proper Storage
- Counter - Store leftover strawberry rhubarb bars, tightly covered in the pan or in an airtight container, on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Fridge - To make them last longer, store the bars in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To serve - Serve warm, room temperature, or straight from the fridge.
More Strawberry Rhubarb Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Recipe
Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
Ingredients
For Crust
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free oat flour (160 grams)
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter , melted
For Flling
- 2 stalks rhubarb , cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups strawberries , hulled and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
Make Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish and line it with a square of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 ½ cups gluten-free oat flour, 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt. Stir in the melted ½ cup unsalted butter and stir until the dough begins to stick together.
- Place about ⅔ of the mixture in the baking dish and press flat using a rubber spatula and/or your hands. Put the remaining crust in the fridge until ready to use.
Make Filling
- In a large saucepan, place the 2 stalks rhubarb, 1 ½ cups strawberries, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder, vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt and stir to combine. Cook fruit over medium heat until rhubarb has broken down and the mixture is bubbling and thick. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- When mixture has cooled a bit, pour it onto the prepared crust and spread out evenly. Remove the remaining crust from the fridge and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the fruit.
- Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.
- Remove from oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool full, then place in the fridge. Bars can be served room temperature or cold; keep covered in the fridge for 5 days.
Notes
- Cut into large or small bars - You can make 16 smaller squares for the bars, or cut them into large bars. You do you!
- Use parchment in the pan - Make sure to line the pan with parchment paper for easy lifting out of the bars. Or, make a "sling" (this means leaving some side overhang) if you prefer to lift the whole pan of bars out of the pan in one go.
- Try maple syrup - For a different flavor profile in the filling, use maple syrup instead of sugar.
- Add nuts - Stir in 1 cup chopped pistachios or walnuts to the crust.
- Coconut - I love adding 1 cup sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut to the crust ingredients!
- Vegan - Swap coconut oil or non-dairy butter for the butter.
- Refined sugar-free - Swap coconut sugar for the brown sugar and granulated sugars.
I'd love to hear from you! Please leave me a note.