I don’t do desserts too often, and when I do they’re usually made with simple pantry staples that I know I’m already going to have on hand. These super easy Raspberry Oatmeal Bars are the perfect example. They’re just flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, butter, and whatever jam you happen to have (in this case raspberry). This is the perfect fun weekend baking project for when you don’t want to go out to get more ingredients and you don’t want to make anything that is too difficult, but you definitely want something sweet. 😉
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What Do They Taste Like?
These raspberry oatmeal bars are basically made out of the same mix that you’d use as a crumb topping for a pie. It’s rich, buttery, and has a good amount of texture, thanks to the rolled oats. When you compress this mix into a baking dish it becomes more solid and provides a base layer for the bars, but when you sprinkle it over top, it acts more like a loose crumb topping. And then you can put whatever flavor jam you like in the center!
Do Raspberry Oatmeal Bars Need to Be Refrigerated?
While you don’t need to store the baked oatmeal bars in a refrigerator, they hold their shape better when chilled, so I do prefer to keep mine refrigerated. Make sure they’re in an air-tight container to prevent them from absorbing odor and moisture.
Can I Use Quick Oats?
I used old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe because they provide a lot more texture to the crumble mixture. You can use quick oats, which as smaller, softer pieces, in place of the rolled oats if needed.
Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
Servings 9Ingredients
- 8 Tbsp Butter ($0.88)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.10)
- 1 cup rolled oats ($0.18)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar ($0.32)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1 cup raspberry jam ($1.35)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Use a ½ tsp of the butter to grease the inside of an 8×8-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut the remaining butter into chunks, add it to the bowl with the flour and oat mixture, and use your hands to work the butter into the mixture until everything looks sort of crumbly or like damp sand, and no large lumps of butter remain.
- Pour half of the oat mixture into the baking dish and press it down until it forms a solid layer.
- Stir the jam to break up any clumps, then drop the jam in small spoonfuls onto the pressed oat mixture in the baking dish. Try to stay away from adding the jam too close to the edges. It's okay if the jam doesn't form a solid layer. Do not try to spread it with a spoon or knife.
- Once all of the jam has been added on top of the bottom oat layer, sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top, leaving it loose and crumbly.
- Bake the oat bars for about 30 minutes or until the top is nicely golden. Remove the bars from the oven, allow them to cool, then cut into nine squares and serve.
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Equipment
- Measuring Cups Spoons
Nutrition
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How to Make Raspberry Oatmeal Bars – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Use about ½ tsp of butter to grease the inside of an 8×8-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup rolled oats, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ tsp baking soda, and ⅛ tsp salt. Stir until everything is very well combined.
Add 8 Tbsp butter (minus the ½ tsp used to butter the dish) to the bowl with the flour, oats, and sugar.
Work the butter into the flour and oats until the mixture looks a bit crumbly or damp. No large lumps of butter should remain.
Pour half of the oat mixture into the baking dish, spread it out evenly, and then press it down until it is in a solid layer.
Drop 1 cup raspberry jam (or your favorite flavor) onto the oat mixture, avoiding placing the jam right up against the baking dish (this makes it harder to remove the bars after baking). It helps if you stir the jam well first to break up any clumps, then you can drop small dollops onto the oat mixture to create a fairly even layer. Don’t try to spread the jam with a spoon or knife, as it will pull up the oat mixture.
Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over top of the jam. Leave this layer loose, do not try to press it into a solid layer.
Bake the raspberry oat bars in the preheated 350ºF oven for 30 minutes, or until the topping is nicely golden brown. Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting it into nine squares and serving. Running a knife around the edge to loosen any jam that may have baked onto the dish helps when removing the squares from the dish.
Enjoy the buttery, crumbly, oat goodness!
I have been making this recipe for years. I usually use the quick cooking oats because that is what I have on it hand. I just made this last week for a church function and used my homemade peach jam instead of the raspberry. Is everybody raped about them. Instead of cutting the butter into the oats I used my food processor and pulsed a few times.
Followed exactly and these by far are the best we’ve made!
What kind of flour do you think would work best to make these gluten free? My whole family loves these but would like to make them gf/vegan if that’s a possibility..
We only tested it with AP, but I would think a 1:1 gluten free flour blend would work well. Or you could maybe try oat flour since we’re already using oats. It is a bit drier though so you may need a touch of moisture to hold it together.
You can use matzo meal as a replacement.
Didn’t have enough for the top. Had to lightly sprinkle what I had left over after I covered an 8×8 pan. I think you should up this recipe by 1 1/2 cups of flower, oats. 3/4 cup of brown sugar and add pinch more of baking soda and salt.
Incredibly easy to make! It seems like it would be a very forgiving, beginner friendly recipe. Though the recipe calls for raspberry jam, I think most jams would go excellently with it. It was also very quick to make – I was nearly done prepping everything by the time my oven finished preheating. This is a great way to use up jam, and the bars have a really nice texture. The brown sugar was a really nice addition, though, I did find the the amount of sugar paired the jam to be a bit overly sweet. I think I’ll halve the brown sugar amount next time, and maybe add a tiny splash of vanilla to crumble for an extra bit of flavor. Otherwise they were delicious!
Soooooo good! I make it in a muffin tin. Makes them much easier to transport and eat!
I ended up using a 9-inch pan and then not reading the directions (totally my fault!) and using ALL the mixture for the bottom crust. So I made a quick half-batch of the oat mix for the top and made a nice big batch of these. I did need extra jam and baked a little longer. We’ll be making these again and again!
I just did this too. It’s too late to save it. I put it in the freezer to harden the jam. It’s like jam on a biscuit.
I will get it right next time!
These are fantastic!! I made the bars with a quick homemade raspberry jam for a work function and my co-workers wouldn’t stop raving about them. Incredibly easy to make even for those with limited baking experience.
We love these. I make them every week for breakfast. Would also be great as a dessert with vanilla ice cream. Ran short of all-purpose flour & used whole wheat flour to make up the difference. Could whole wheat be substituted entirely?
I zested a lemon and added some of its juice to the rest of my jar of strawberry jam, mixed it thoroughly, and added to the oat mix. I think it adds a really tasty brightness. I just adore this recipe!
Love the concept of the recipe but they are much too sweet for me. If I make them again I will definitely be using less sugar.
How long will these keep?
These bars will keep for about a week when refrigerated and stored in an air-tight container. (To prevent them from absorbing odor and moisture, as Beth mentions in the post.) ~ Marion :)
OMG 🤩 these are amazing! THANK YOU BETH 💜 these will be a go to recipe for quick morning snacks and for work!
Side note – I was short on jam by 1/4 cup so I threw in some sad diced strawberries (that I patted dry) over the jam and it was superb👏👏👏
Perfection on the first try! Used 2/3 of the oat mix on the bottom and 1/3 on top. Nice balance of crispy base to fluffy topping. Just the right amount of jam. Super easy and quick.
I needed something quick, and I had all the ingredients. Turned out great… thanks!
I’ll try this out later.
I’m gonna try it when I go home..
Would gluten-free all purpose flour work?
While we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, and can’t promise the results will be equally-successful as the original recipe — a GF all-purpose flour should work just fine! I would suggest checking the packaging to make sure that the brand you have can be used as a 1:1 substitution. ~ Marion :)
When I was little, my mom used to make these using mincemeat ( Non-Such brand in the jar.) Kind of a seasonal item sold usually around Thanksgiving and Christmas. So good!
very easy to make whenever you want
I made these tonight and they’re tasty! And easy to make! But:
– 9 servings makes very small pieces given how thin mine ended up. I divided these into 4 servings for meal prepped breakfast items to take to work (and eat with coffee). I took a small sliver off one to try and it was great!
– they’re very crumbly, I’m not sure these are good to pick up and eat because loose oats will fall everywhere
– I turned aging (but still good) blueberries into blueberry-lemon chia seed jam for this recipe, that way I didn’t need to purchase any ingredients for this recipe, I had everything I needed, which is always great
The recipe seems good and healthy
Its very fun
Thank you Beth for another great recipe. We make these often. Sometimes we add fresh fruit to the jam as well.
This is a great recipe! I made these with fresh raspberries since they’re in season and it worked well. The bars are crisp when baked and softer the next two days but still held together enough to take to work. Great with yogurt for breakfast.
For the filling I used about 250g raspberries which I mashed slightly, 2tbsp raspberry jam, lemon zest, 1tbsp cornstarch, sugar to taste. That’s not intended as guidance on amounts, just saying you can wing it a little with some fresh fruit.
Love this recipe! So good, even with a quarter-cup of brown sugar and low-sugar fruit spread. Thank you!!
Can I use honey or maple syrup instead of sugar.
Those will definitely change the texture of the mixture, so I’d need to test it to see if they hold together with the liquid sugars compared to the granular sugar.
Can you freeze these after they cool completely and wrap in cling wrap in a freezer bag?
I haven’t tried that, but I suspect it would work!
Really great base recipe! I used almond butter in place of half the regular butter, to add some protein. Also used a mix of regular flour, oat flour and almond flour because I didn’t have enough flour. I look forward to making these often! Thanks for a great recipe.
These look really good! What is the purpose of the baking soda?
I feel like this may be a silly question – but am I supposed to use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe?
I use salted butter. :)
Make these often but melt the butter to add to the oat/flour mixture-doesn’t effect the cooking at all. Also nuke the jam to warm it..spreads like a dream. And I always line the pan with parchment paper so I can lift the squares out, cut them, then plop them back in the pan. GREAT RECIPE. Oh, I also use 1/2 raspberries 1/2 jam sometimes.😏
Perfectly simple and delicious – Thank you!
Yes!!! Looking at the photos I thought this would be hard to make and lots of ingredients but just the opposite is true! I’m so excited to try this! I have a bunch of Cranberry apple jam I made This fall that would likely be delicious in this!
I made these with the 4 berry preserves from Costco. They were too sweet for me but my husband loved them. I will make a separate batch with less sugar for myself the next time I make these.
My husband was given some apple butter for Christmas. It was a huge jar, and I didn’t think we would use it all on toast before it spoiled. This recipe seemed like the perfect solution. Only addition I made was some toasted walnuts to the crust. It came out perfect. Thanks so much
I always use my leftover cranberry sauce (also your recipe) to make these after Thanksgiving! So good!
Great idea!
These are INCREDIBLE! They’re lovely as is but they’re so versatile – I only had 1/3 cup of raspberry jam so I added frozen blueberries on top to make up for it (so good!), it turned out perfect! I also added pumpkin and sunflower seeds on top for added nutrition. Next time, I’ll try using half the sugar to make them breakfast friendly.
Been a reader for years, this blog has been to my side ever since I moved out. We have a couple recipes that are in the regular rotation (the bbq tofu buns are absolutely heavenly!). Another amazing recipe! :)
I also used salted churned butter and the sweet and salty mix was so, so good!
These are too crumbly for me. When the recipe says to use half the oat mixture as the base, I took it literally. But that means there’s a pile of loose, sugary oats that falls off when they’re cut. I may make them again, but use 2/3 of the oats for the base so there’s only 1/3 to sprinkle over the top.
These are maybe the most delicious thing I’ve ever made (the snickerdoodles for two are my other favorite dessert on here). So easy and amazing. I used strawberry jelly. Incredible. Thanks Beth!!
These were so easy to pull together and so tasty! I had two almost empty jars of plum jam and strawberry jam and used them up on this and it was fantastic! I wish I had read the comments about reducing the sugar to make these appropriate for breakfast but these were a super tasty mid-day snack. Next time I will cut them all and pre-portion them because I ate way too many straight out of the pan :)
Do you think these will freeze well?
I haven’t actually tried it, but I suspect they would. The only part I’m not certain about is the jam. I don’t know if that holds up or breaks down through freezing and thawing.
I think jam holds up fine, my family freezes and thaws it when the jar is too much to eat at once.
So tasty, so easy! Totally my fault – but the jam makes them much more attractive to ants than other desserts, so make sure to have a very tight sealing cover if bringing them outside. :-(
This is an excellent recipe as is. I have been making variations on it for years: Reduce flour by 25% an increase last by same amount. Add chopped walnuts, coconut, raisins, chocolate chips as one person suggested. I also use fruit spread instead of regular full sugar jam. Trader Joe’s has a reduced sugar jam that is also really good. Other fillings also work such as spiced pumpkin puree with a spoonful of flour mixed in to bind the liquid in the pumpkin and a spoonful of sugar to taste for sweetness. I prefer chopped apples to applesauce, again with some spice and a little flour aded to absorb the extra moisture of the apples. A little sugar (natural or substitute) to counteract the tartness of the apples.
This is a very versatile recipe and I am glad to see it introduced here.
Love it! I used strawberry jam and dolloped a warmed serving with vanilla ice cream. So decadent but so easy.
Could I use gluten free 1 to 1 flour for this recipe?
I’ve never used that type of flour before, but I would suspect that it would work since you aren’t utilizing the gluten in the flour for this recipe like you would for a kneaded yeast bread. :)
I’m going to try it today with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour and I will report back!
Can this recipe go without butter? What can I use to substitute it?
The butter is a pretty large part of this recipe, so I don’t think you’d be able to substitute it, unfortunately.
My son is allergic to dairy and we use Earth Balance. Works great!
I can’t believe how ridiculously easy this was to make, and how delicious it turned out! I used cherry jam which was PERFECT for this (and it’s great I found this recipe because I have a lot of jams in my fridge that I need to use up). Also scaled it down to a tiny loaf pan to make 3 servings. I used a 2nd loaf pan of the same size/shape, and pressed it into the first and last layer. The squares hold up really well when completely cooled and set. And great tip not to jam it to the edge, because it’s good for the top and bottom oat mixtures to pinch the edges closed.
So scrumptious!
I wonder if there would be a way to incorporate peanut butter into this? Either into the crusty part, or the filling part. I’m simply mad about peanut butter!
I bet you could mix it into the base!
Ive made a recipe similar to this, and the peanut butter REPLACED the butter.
I swapped half the butter for creamy peanut butter and melted them together in the microwave before stirring them into the oat mixture.
These disappeared like magic! The recipe was very easy and oh so good. Instead of raspberry I used apricot jam instead. Will definitely add this to my recipe rotation.
May try to make these as a quick breakfast option or snack by decreasing the amount of sugar. As fall arrives I bet these would be really good with pumpkin purée or applesauce/butter with chunks of apple!
May try to make these as quick breakfast bars by decreasing the amount of sugar. I bet these would be really good with pumpkin purée or apple butter/sauce with small chunks of fresh apple as fall gets here!
I am making these now. They smell great, but I am having a terrible time getting it to brown. Ideas?
I added chocolate chips to mine. Oh my! I make these weekly for a sweet treat at work. Love this website! I enjoy cooking and eating again.
I doubled the recipe (used a full sized casserole dish and added about 5 minutes in the oven) and made these with strawberry jam. They turned out so well! I had everything in my pantry already except the jam, so these were really easy to throw together. Thank for the recipe!
Oh. My. Gosh. The Raspberry Oat Bars are addicting!!! It was so freaking delicious that my sister and I made them again for the second time!!! We used strawberry jam instead of raspberry because it was something we had available in the kitchen. The house smelled amazing. I’m looking forward to making these bars again soon. Thank you, Beth!!!! :-)
I will definitely try making these to day but can they be pre-cut and put in the freezer for a later date? Also I have some fresh blueberries kicking around that I want to use up can I put a layer of the blueberries on top of the jam or would it be to wet?
I think they’ll be too wet, unfortunately. The oat topping won’t be able to crisp up with all the juice from the fresh berries.
These turned out pretty great even though I accidentally cooked them for almost twice the time. I also used rolled oats because that’s what I have. One of those two changes may be why they were more crumbly than optimal. Next time, I’ll bake them for the recommended time and see if that makes a difference. If not, perhaps rolled oats call for a little more liquid.
I tried it two ways: 1 pan with strawberry jam and 1 pan with apple butter + 1 granny smith apple. The strawberry was great (raspberry probably would have been better). For the apple, I would recommend using 2 apples rather than just 1.
I think this is a great springboard recipe and plan to try it a whole bunch of different ways, mostly with different fillings. But I’d also like to try replacing some (or all, if possible) of the flour with oat flour for that full oat-y flavor, replacing some/all of the sugar with honey, and replacing the butter with coconut oil.
I know I didn’t cook it as you wrote it, but thanks for a great recipe!
So awesome and simple – my kids looked at the bars suspiciously at first and now they are absolutely hooked! Delicious oatmeal crust layered around raspberry preserves. AND…absolutely budget friendly and easy to throw together…win-win!!!
Always awesome.
Ok, so I made these with sugar free strawberry preserves (I meant to buy raspberry, but when I got home, I had strawberry). They are AMAZING!!! We have been eating them for breakfast for the last few days – I don’t think they’ll last much longer. My husband is absolutely addicted & I think they might be added into our weekly rotation.
My husband loooooves these. We call them Jam Jam’s. They are definitely in the top five desserts he requests and I don’t complain because they are super easy to make!
I usually keep old fashioned oats on hand instead of quick-cooking. How much of a difference do you think it would take in cook time or liquid needed?
I think you could get away with the same liquid and cook time, but the texture of the bar will be a bit more coarse and crumbly. Still delicious, I’m sure!
These are so delicious! My son just told me they are the best bars he has ever tasted. I used coconut oil in place of the butter. Thanks so much for another awesome recipe! I love your site!
Made this tonight to take to a dinner along with the summer veggie tian. They were a huge hit! Everyone asked for the recipes and there were no left overs. You will have some new followers.
I used blueberry preserves and it turned out great! During the filling of the baking dish I felt like I wouldnt have enough oat mixture to cover the entire thing, but it worked out okay in the end.
These were amazing! I used wheat flour and smartbalance 50/50 butter blend. Turned out AWESOME and they were so yummy! I mixed raspberry and strawberry preserves and they are to die for!
dont put in 1/4 cup baking soda.
To make a little healthier, substitute the butter with coconut oil.
These are wonderful! I use these as snacks for my kiddos. The first time I made them I realized I had forgotten to buy jam…..so I pureed some frozen berries I had and it turned out wonderful. I just made my second batch(double) and I used half the sugar, a little extra oats and the frozen berries. Can’t wait to see how they turn out!!!! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes! I visit your site every Saturday to plan my weekly menu. I use about 95% of your recipes. :o)
i shall half the butter!
Made these with mixed berry jam and with white sugar in an 8×8 square pan! Thank you for the recipe, I’ll stay true to the recipe next time!
I used raspberry preserves the first time I tried this recipe and it was delicious! The second time around I used some left over baby food apples. (its just applesauce, but I added cinnamon and a little bit of sugar and nutmeg) It turned out really well. I’m on WIC and they gave me a ton of free baby food, but my baby never really ate any of it. She just eats whatever we’re eating. So now I have hundreds of jars of baby food and I’m trying to come up with recipes to use it all. This one was great! Thanks.
Perfect springtime quick dessert. I think I’ll try it and throw in some flax seed and sub maybe 1/4 C of the flour with oat bran — could become a breakfast bar with those additions. Thanks for this post; love your site!
I make something like this every Christmas, but I use cream cheese somewhere in it, so it’s even more unhealthy. Hence the reason I make it only once a year.