Strawberry Dark Chocolate Oat Bars

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Strawberry dark chocolate oat bars are a wholesome, kid-friendly baked good or lunchbox snack. Freeze-dried strawberries add a beautiful pop of bright red color and the flavor pairs perfectly with rich, slightly bitter dark chocolate.

strawberry dark chocolate oat bars with toddler hand grabbing one

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I am so excited to share a homemade snack recipe with you! Both of my boys love these and they’ve been such a nice addition to our rotation. We enjoy them as a breakfast side for eggs, a coffee pairing, or packed in lunches and they’re always a hit.

Something I’ve been working hard on is to level up the snacks in our house. Packaged snacks get expensive when you have littles! My goodness. It’s also hard to find things that check all my nutritional boxes. I’m getting back to the basics with things like fresh and dried fruit, veggies (trying at least 😂), cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, nuts and nut butters, homemade breads, crackers and oatmeal balls.

Of course this does take extra time, and we’re in a unique stage where we can make it work and my 4-year old loves to be my little sous chef. It’s been fun and I want to keep it going as long as we both enjoy it! He’s learning and the whole house benefits so win/win.

On to the recipe… here’s what you need to make these strawberry dark chocolate oat bars. Make your own baked goods and you get to control how much and what type of ingredients go in. These are just lightly sweetened and have a good bit of fiber from the oats and flax.

Ingredients

rolled oats & oat flour (certified gluten-free if needed)
ground flax
baking powder
salt
egg
milk (any kind should work!)
avocado oil or other neutral oil
pure maple syrup
vanilla extract
freeze-dried strawberries
dark chocolate chips (I love 63% dark chocolate, not too sweet and not too bitter)

Step-by-Step Instructions

The first step is to mix the dry ingredients: oats, oat flour, ground flax, baking powder and salt until everything is well-incorporated.
In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients: egg, milk, avocado oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. I like to use a whisk when there’s an egg involved.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until no flour streaks remain (as always, don’t over mix!)
Next comes the add-ins: freeze-dried strawberries and dark chocolate chips. Fold them into the batter. Look at that color! My helper loves this step because he gets to “sample” – you know, for quality control.
Pour into a prepared pan (I love this baking pan!) and bake. Lining with parchment makes lifting the bars out of the pan super clean. I use mini close pins to hold the paper in place while pouring the batter, but I always remove them before the pan goes in the oven.

strawberries and chocolate chips on top bowl of batter

mixing the strawberries and chocolate in

Substitutions & FAQs

Are these gluten-free?

Yes, as long as you buy certified gluten-free oats and oat flour!

Can I make the bars vegan?

I haven’t tested these with a flax egg but I’m confident it would work here. Mix 1 tablespoon of flax with 2.5 tablespoons water and let stand until thickened. Add it in as you would the egg.

What’s the best way to store these bars?

At room temperature in an airtight container if you plan to eat within three days. You can also freeze them in a glass food storage container or zip top freezer bag for up to three months! Leave them out at room temp over night and they should be thawed and ready to eat.

Other flavor combinations:

Try white chocolate or different freeze-dried fruits like raspberries or blueberries. You can also leave out the chocolate completely and add in chopped nuts instead.

strawberry dark chocolate oat bars on plates with forks

Note on Serving Size

These are pictured in full squares so you can see the texture and ingredients a bit clearer, but I typically cut each square in half to make 18 triangles. Nutrition information in the recipe card below is calculated to reflect 18 servings.

I hope you love these too! Be sure to leave a star rating and review if you give them a try.

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