Layers of oats, fresh cranberries and a delicious crumb topping make up these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars. They’re perfect for the holiday season and easy to make gluten free! Whip these up for a sweet Christmas breakfast or wonderful winter snack.

Originally inspired by my gluten free recreation of Starbucks Blueberry Oatmeal Bars, these bars are the perfect way to use fresh cranberries when they’re in season! And when they’re out of season, you can still make them anytime of the year with frozen cranberries!

Oatmeal Cranberry Bars cut into squares on marble serving tray

Can we talk about how gorgeous these bars are for just a minute? I mean in addition to being totally delicious, the bright bursts of cranberry also make these bars so beautiful!

Are they breakfast, dessert, a sweet snack? Yes, yes and yes! They can be all of the above! My family has been making the Blueberry Oatmeal Bars for years and will eat them for breakfast or a mid-day snack.

I took these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars to a holiday party this year and they were a HUGE HIT! People have actually been asking me for two weeks when the recipe would hit the blog!

I also plan to make two batches of these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars to keep around the week of Christmas for people to snack during the day or dig into in the mornings. No matter whether you serve these bars around the holidays or whip them up on a winter weekend, this is a great recipe that I guarantee will be a hit!

ingredients for oatmeal cranberry bars on white wood board

Ingredients

  • All purpose flour
  • Brown sugar
  • Butter
  • Rolled oats
  • Baking powder
  • Sea salt
  • Cranberries – fresh or frozen cranberries will work just fine in this recipe, with no alterations needed. I recommend buying a few bags of fresh cranberries while they’re in season at the grocery store and storing them in the freezer. That way, you’ll always have a bag on hand!
  • Ground cinnamon
Collage of images showing how to make Oatmeal Cranberry Bars

Instructions

  • Prepare the oatmeal base.
    • Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
      • Quick tip! You can also line the baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal of the bars after they’ve baked and cooled completely.
    • Combine flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, baking powder and sea salt together in a large bowl.
    • Add cold, cubed butter and mix with your hands to form a crumbly mixture.
    • Press the mixture into the prepared pan.
  • Add the cranberries and brown sugar crumble.
    • Spread a layer of fresh or frozen cranberries over the oatmeal base.
    • In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and ground cinnamon.
    • Add cold, cubed butter and mix into a course crumble.
    • Sprinkle the brown sugar crumble over the cranberries.
  • Bake the oatmeal cranberry bars.
    • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    • Place the cranberry bars in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the cranberries begin to burst and the crumble is golden brown.
    • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing into the bars.
      • Note: If you try to slice the bars before they’re cool, they will likely crumble and fall apart. For guaranteed nice, uniformly sliced bars, wait 1 hour and allow the bars to cool completely before slicing.
Oatmeal cranberry bar on plate with fork and fresh cranberries

How to make them gluten free

Simply replace the all-purpose flour with a 1 to 1 gluten free flour and make sure the oats used are gluten free.

As I mentioned, the original inspiration for these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars came from my Gluten Free Blueberry Oatmeal Bars, so I can guarantee you that the gluten free version is just as delicious as the original version of this recipe!

Should I refrigerate uneaten bars?

The bars do not have to be refrigerated, but I do recommend it to make them last longer. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, they will last 5-7 days.

If you don’t want to eat them cold, straight from the refrigerator, you can reheat them in the microwave on a plate for 30 seconds.

Oatmeal cranberry bars on marble serving tray with fresh cranberries

More cranberry recipes

If you love these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars, then you’re also going to love these 5 easy cranberry recipes!

Oatmeal Cranberry Bar on plate with fork and fresh cranberries
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Oatmeal Cranberry Bars

Layers of oats, fresh cranberries and delicious crumb topping make up these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars, perfect for the holiday season and easily made gluten free!

Ingredients

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

Brown Sugar Crumble

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, baking powder and sea salt for the oatmeal bars together in a large bowl.
  • Add the butter and mix with your hands to form a crumbly mixture.
  • Press the mixture into a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
  • Spread the cranberries evenly over the top.
  • Combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon for the crumble in a small bowl.
  • Add the remaining butter, mix into a course crumble and sprinkle over the cranberries.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes.
  • Allow to cool AT LEAST 30 minutes before slicing into bars.

Video

Notes

  • Storage: these bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
  • Gluten free: these bars are just as delicious made gluten free. Simply substitute gluten free flour for the all purpose flour and make sure to use gluten free oats.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 299kcal (15%)Carbohydrates 43g (14%)Protein 3g (6%)Fat 13g (20%)Saturated Fat 8g (40%)Cholesterol 33mg (11%)Sodium 215mg (9%)Potassium 131mg (4%)Fiber 3g (12%)Sugar 25g (28%)Vitamin A 399mg (8%)Vitamin C 3mg (4%)Calcium 41mg (4%)Iron 1mg (6%)
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