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Gluten-free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars

Spring may not be here just yet, but now you can look forward to it even more, with these Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars! Plus, they’re oil-free, gluten-free, and vegan.

Piece of strawberry crumble bar cut out of a baking pan and bite on a fork next to it

Today, I’m sharing a delightful recipe from my friend Caitlin Shoemaker’s cookbook, Simply Delicious Vegan! If you’re unfamiliar, Caitlin is the powerhouse behind From My Bowl, and makes plenty of allergy-friendly and diet-friendly vegan recipes.

oats, strawberries, rhubarb, maple syrup, and more in small bowls on a cutting board

She also has a great YouTube channel with all kinds of videos on recipes, her adorable dogs, “What I Ate in a Day”, and lifestyle. When I was working on VYA’s Plant-Based Meal Prep, her and her S.O. Dylan were able to hang out a bit and I got to feed them all kinds of goodies! Now, she’s letting me give away a copy of her book to one lucky reader!! (Rules at the end)

Ok, now here’s more about the book: SDV is completely oil-free, refined sugar-free, and gluten-free, plus she keeps the ingredients pretty simple. This cookbook is definitely beginner-friendly and has a lot of intro-kitchen info in the first chapter.

Image collage of strawberries and rhubarb cooking in a pan

Simply Delicious Vegan Chapters:

  • Waking Up (easy breakfasts)
  • Brunch
  • For Slurping
  • Salads and Slaws
  • Grab and Go (with low-waste kitchen hacks)
  • Extra Crispy (air fryer)
  • Quick and Cozy
  • Super-Quick Fixes
  • Marvelous Mains
  • Dessert, Please!
  • Let’s Get Saucy

There are lots of tasty-looking recipes in here, and I’m quite in love with the Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars that she’s letting me share with y’all today. Next, I may have to try the Grit Bowls with Tempeh Bacon, or these Sweet & Smoky Chickpea burgers. The Chimichurri Quinoa Salad also looks awesome!

Image collage of assembling crumble bars

What You’ll Need for the Recipe:

  • Fresh strawberries and rhubarb – while Caitlin notes to use fresh strawberries and rhubarb, you can use frozen in a pinch. (I found frozen rhubarb at Sprout’s Market)
  • Grade A Maple Syrup – If you’re unfamiliar with syrup grades, this has to do with the flavor profile of the syrup, not the general quality. Grade A is usually a bit lighter than Grade B syrup, as well.
  • Vanilla extract
  • Pink Himalayan salt – or sea salt will work.
  • Blanched almond flour – this almond flour is a bit finer, as the skins have been removed from the nuts before grinding.
  • Tapioca flour – helps bind the gluten-free flour base.
  • Quick-cooking oats – make sure to get oats denoted as gluten-free if you have Celiac’s.
  • Baking powder
  • Unsalted almond butter – I typically buy mine at Costco, as it’s a little cheaper.
Spatula lifting a piece of strawberry crumble bar out of a baking pan

As for the recipe, it’s easy-to-make, really delicious, and I actually really like it for breakfast. Lol! But, as Caitlin mentions in the book, it’s great warmed up, then topped with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream. Yuuuuuum.

Yield: 9 bars

Gluten-free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars

Piece of strawberry crumble bar cut out of a baking pan and bite on a fork next to it

"These bars = the perfect spring dessert. Sweet Strawberries meld with tart rhubarb for a juicy and refreshing filling while oats, almond flour, and maple syrup combine to make an irresistably crunchy crumble top.

It's best to use fresh strawberries for this recipe as they are generally sweeter, but frozen will work in a pinch. If you do go frozen, you'll have to simmer the filling for a few minutes longer to get rid of the extra water. These crumble bars are best served while still warm - topping them with a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream in an absolute dream. The bars will soften over time as they sit on your countertop, but I still enjoy them this way as well." Reprinted from Simply Delicious Vegan, with persimmon from Abrams Books, Copyright 2020

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

For the strawberry rhubarb filling:

  • 1 1/2 cups (225 g) sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1 1/2 cups (195 g) thinly sliced fresh rhubarb
  • 1/3 cup (75 ml) grade A maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of pink Himalayan salt

For the dough and crumble topping:

  • 1 cup (100 g) blanched almond flour
  • 1/2 cup (55 g) tapioca flour
  • 1 1/2 cups (160 g) quick-cooking oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
  • 3/4 cup (200 g) unsalted smooth almond butter
  • 2/3 cup (165 ml) grade A maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and line an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. Make the strawberry rhubarb filling: Put the strawberries, rhubarb, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt in a medium pot over high heat. When the mixture starts to bubble, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 8 to 12 minutes, stirring the mixture frequently to ensure nothing burns or sticks to the pan. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Make the dough and crumble topping: Put the almond flour, tapioca flour, oats, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and mix until evenly incorporated. Stir the almond butter and maple syrup together in a small bowl, then add this mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir well until no dry lumps are left-the mixture should be pretty thick!
  4. Press half of the "dough" into the bottom of the baking tin, then pour the berry filling on top. Use your hands to evenly crumble the remaining dough over the top of the fruit.
  5. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the crumb topping is crisp and slightly browned, 27 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing in the pan. Serve as desired; leftovers will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • Fresh strawberries and rhubarb - while Caitlin notes to use fresh strawberries and rhubarb, you can use frozen in a pinch. (I found frozen rhubarb at Sprout's Market)
  • Grade A Maple Syrup - If you're unfamiliar with syrup grades, this has to do with the flavor profile of the syrup, not the general quality. Grade A is usually a bit lighter than Grade B syrup, as well.
  • Pink Himalayan salt - or sea salt will work.
  • Blanched almond flour - this almond flour is a bit finer, as the skins have been removed from the nuts before grinding.
  • Quick-cooking oats - make sure to get oats denoted as gluten-free if you have Celiac's.
  • Unsalted almond butter - I typically buy mine at Costco, as it's a little cheaper.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Piece of strawberry crumble bar cut out of a baking pan and bite on a fork next to it

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Maggie

Wednesday 24th of March 2021

I usually enjoy this dessert with a cup of coffee. I really like the strawberry flavor and the crunchiness of it. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! Have a sweet day!

EMC

Monday 15th of March 2021

Thank you for the giveaway! (And Caitlin too!!) I found her blog fairly recently and have been enjoying it quite a bit! The Chickpea No Boil Casserole is a favorite in my house.

I’ve long been into plant based options, but my husband actually declared we should all go vegetarian recently (thanks to the How Not To Die book!) Thus I am now searching for even more fun recipes to support our move to ever more plant based!

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