Raspberry Bars with Oatmeal Crumble Topping

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Raspberry Oatmeal Bars with Crumble Topping — These easy raspberry bars are made with a delicious oatmeal crumble topping. They require less than 10 minutes of hands-on prep and everyone loves these!

three raspberry bars on a white plate

Raspberry Bars with Oatmeal Topping

I love raspberries in all ways. From crisps and crumbles to bread to scones to drinks, I’m a fan. And if there’s a crumble or streusel topping, the happier I am!

It’s even better when the crust and crumble topping are one and the same, so there’s one less step and one less bowl to wash. Which is exactly the case with these supremely easy, no-mixer raspberry oatmeal bars.

I adapted my Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars, which are a reader favorite, and incorporated raspberry preserves instead. You don’t need fresh raspberries for this fruit bar recipe, so you can make the bars year round.

These raspberry bars are soft and slightly chewy, and the hearty oats are a perfect contrast to the sweet jam. The big, buttery, oatmeal crumbles are irresistible.

These dessert bars aren’t overly sweet, and the raspberry flavor shines nicely making them an easy grab-and-go breakfast, snack, or a healthy dessert. They also happen to be egg-free, which may come in handy for some people.

close up shot of three raspberry bars on white plate

Ingredients in Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

To make these raspberry jam bars with crumble topping, you’ll need:

  • Unsalted butter
  • Granulated sugar
  • Light brown sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Old-fashioned oats
  • Salt
  • Raspberry preserves
Raspberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars - Fast, easy, no-mixer bars great for breakfast, snacks, or a healthy dessert!! The big crumbles are irresistible! Fresh raspberries not needed so you can make the bars year round!!

How to Make Raspberry Bars with Oat Crumble Topping

Making raspberry oatmeal crumble bars is always a good idea! The crumble topping and crust use the same dough, and because the filling is made with fruit preserves instead of fresh berries the recipe comes together in no time.

Here’s an overview of how the crumble bars are made:

  1. Make the crust / crumble dough: To a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, two types of sugar, and vanilla extract.
  2. Then, carefully stir in flour, oats, and a pinch of salt, and stir to combine. At this point, you’ll want to set aside 1 cup of the mixture — you’ll use this later as the oatmeal crumble topping! 
  3. Assemble the bars: Transfer the remaining crumble mixture to a greased 8-inch square pan. Use your fingers or a spatula to pack down the mixture to form a crust.  
  4. Once the crust has been packed down, evenly spread the raspberry preserves over it. Make sure the preserves completely cover the crust! 
  5. Finally, sprinkle the preserves with the reserved crumble topping. Again, make sure to evenly distribute the mixture so that every bite of these raspberry bars will have all the layers. 
  6. Bake the raspberry bars: Bake the raspberry oatmeal bars until the edges are set and the center is lightly golden brown.
  7. Cool the bars: Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving (the wait is worth it, trust me!). 

FAQs

Can I Use Instant Oats Instead of Rolled?

No, quick cook and instant oats are finer and behave like flour, which will make mixture too dry. 

Can I Use Another Type of Fruit preserves?

Yes, of course! I’ve also made, Blueberry Bars, Strawberry Bars and Cranberry Bars using this same base recipe. 

Can Fresh raspberries be used instead of preserves?

Probably, yes, but I’ve only made this recipe as written. If using fresh raspberries, you may want to cook them in a saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes to break them down slightly and release some of their moisture before smoothing over the crust.

Can I Use Gluten-Free Flour?

I imagine so, yes! However, you’d need to use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour and NOT something like almond meal or almond flour.

Can I Freeze Raspberry Bars?

These raspberry bars freeze and reheat beautifully. To freeze these bars, cut them into wedges once fully cooled. Then, place them on a baking tray and set that in the freezer. After 90 minutes or so, the bars should be firm enough to stack in a freezer baggie or freezer-safe container. 

When you’re ready to enjoy the frozen raspberry bars, simply set them out on the counter to thaw to room temperature. These bars are delicious as is, but a small scoop of vanilla ice cream would be a welcome addition! 

Raspberry Bars with Crumble Topping — These easy raspberry bars are made with a delicious oatmeal crumble topping. They require less than 10 minutes of hands-on prep and everyone loves these!

Tips for Making Raspberry Crumble Bars

When stirring together the crust / topping mixture, make sure there are some chunkier bits as well as some sandier bits. You want the oatmeal crumble topping to have lots of texture! 

I made this recipe as raspberry bars, but I’m sure you could just as easily use strawberry preserves or another fruit preserve of choice. 

I’ve also had readers report success using fresh raspberries instead of raspberry preserves to make these bars. I haven’t tried this myself, but it sounds delish! 

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4.48 from 136 votes

Raspberry Bars with Oatmeal Crumble Topping

By Averie Sunshine
These easy Raspberry Bars are made with a delicious oatmeal crumble topping. They require less than 10 minutes of hands-on prep and everyone loves these!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8
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Ingredients  

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup old-fashioned whole-rolled oats, don’t use quick cook or instant, they’re finer and behave like flour and will make mixture too dry
  • pinch salt, optional and to taste
  • about 12 ounces raspberry preserves, with or without seeds

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
  • To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
  • Add the sugars, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
  • Add the flour, oats, optional salt, and stir to combine. Mixture will have some larger, well-formed crumble pieces as well as some sandier, dryer bits.
  • Set 1 heaping cup mixture aside to be sprinkled on later as crumble topping.
  • Transfer remaining mixture to prepared pan, and using a spatula or your fingers, hard-pack the mixture to create an even, smooth, flat crust.
  • Evenly spread the raspberry preserves over the crust making sure there’s complete coverage. Preserves should be about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick.
  • Evenly sprinkle with the reserved heaping 1 cup crumble topping mixture. Before sprinkling, I squeeze the mixture in my palm to encourage bigger crumble pieces to form.
  • Bake for about 30 to 32 minutes, or until edges are set and center has just set and is lightly golden browned. Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.

Notes

  • Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
  • Adapted from my Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 474kcal, Carbohydrates: 77g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 34mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 41g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Easy Fruit Desserts:

Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars — Fast, easy, no-mixer bars great for breakfast, snacks, or a healthy dessert! BIG crumbles and juicy berries are irresistible!!

Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars - Fast, easy, no-mixer bars great for breakfast, snacks, or a healthy dessert! BIG crumbles and juicy berries are irresistible!!

Berry Crumble Bars — Big buttery crumbles top the soft, juicy bars packed with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries! Easy, no mixer recipe that’s irresistible! (Frozen fruit okay!)

Berry Crumble Bars - Big buttery crumbles top the soft, juicy bars packed with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries! Easy, no mixer recipe that's irresistible!! (Frozen fruit okay!)

Blueberry Pie Bars – Super soft, easy bars with a creamy filling, streusel topping and abundance of juicy blueberries!

Blueberry Pie Bars - Super soft, easy bars with a creamy filling, streusel topping and abundance of juicy blueberries! Sooo darn good!

Strawberry Lemonade Bars – Imagine crossing lemon bars with a strawberry pie. These easy bars taste like strawberry lemonade!

Strawberry Lemonade Bars - Imagine crossing lemon bars with a strawberry pie. These easy bars taste like strawberry lemonade! Sooo good!

Tropical Escape Soft Pineapple Crumble Bars — In need of a tropical pineapple dessert? Look no further than these pineapple bars! There’s an abundance of pineapple chunks in every bite, which are surrounded by a custardy, creamy filling! 

Tropical Escape Soft Pineapple Crumble Bars

Cranberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars — The bars are soft, slightly chewy, and the hearty oats with big crumbles are a perfect contrast to the juicy cranberry filling.

Cranberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Strawberry Custard Bars — These easy, one bowl, no mixer custard bars are perfect for your fresh strawberries. There’s a shortbread crust, topped with diced strawberries, before a custard filling is poured over the the top.

Strawberry Custard Bars
4.48 from 136 votes (108 ratings without comment)

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I absolutely LOVE these bars! So delicious and the perfect summer treat. We used a 1/2 raspberry, 1/2 blueberry mix as we didn’t have as many raspberries as I thought. SO delicious!

    I ate a slice maybe an hour after coming out of the oven and the base was perfectly done and added the perfect slight crunch contrasting with the soft filling. I left them out maybe around 90 minutes before putting them in a container to store. Now they are soft! Did I store too soon?

  2. 5 stars
    I absolutely LOVE these bars! So delicious and the perfect summer treat. We used a 1/2 raspberry, 1/2 blueberry mix as we didn’t have as many raspberries as I thought. SO delicious!

    I ate a slice maybe an hour after coming out of the oven and the base was perfectly done and added the perfect slight crunch contrasting with the soft filling. I left them out maybe around 90 minutes before putting them in a container to store. Now they are soft! Did I store too soon?

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love these bars! If it’s humid, it is tricky to keep a crumble topping or more crisp crust semi-crunchy, especially when sealed in a container. It’s just the way it is and so no, I don’t you did anything wrong.