Strawberry Crumble Bars
By Jessie
Updated: July 31, 2025
Rate This Recipe
By: Jessie
Updated: July 31, 2025
Rate This Recipe:
If you’re after something sweet and fruity, these Strawberry Crumble Bars drizzled with white chocolate tick all the boxes. They’ve got a crunchy oat base, a layer of juicy fresh strawberries infused with zesty lemon, and a crumbly topping – all finished with a drizzle of creamy melted Milkybar chocolate! These bars make a delicious summer treat for lunchboxes, picnics, or stash them in the fridge for a grab-and-go snack.
This recipe is kindly sponsored by Milkybar. I only recommend products I personally use, love and trust!
RECIPE AT A GLANCE
TASTE
Buttery and sweet, balanced with fresh strawberries and zingy lemon. Not forgetting the creamy sweet white chocolate drizzle!
TEXTURE
Enjoy a crunchy base, soft strawberry filling, and a crumble topping. The chilled bars hold together well but still melt in your mouth.
SKILL
Very beginner friendly, there’s nothing fancy about this recipe.
SERVES
This recipe makes 12 strawberry crumble bars.
Your Ingredients List
- Plain flour: Forms the base of the crumble and binds everything together.
- Oats: Give the base and topping a lovely crunch and a slightly nutty flavour.
- Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and a subtle caramel flavour that pairs beautifully with the strawberries.
- Baking block/butter: Brings the crumble mixture together and offers a rich, buttery taste.
- Fresh strawberries: For a juicy, sweet and tart strawberry filling. For the best flavour, use fresh, ripe, in-season strawberries. Give them a good wash and pat dry before using in the recipe.
- Cornflour: Used to thicken the strawberry filling, so it’s jammy rather than runny once baked. No soggy bottoms in these strawberry crumble bars! Cornflour is called cornstarch in the US.
- Lemon (juice and zest): Brightens the flavour of the strawberries and adds a little zing whilst balancing out the sweetness.
- Milkybar White Chocolate: Melted and drizzled on top for a creamy, sweet finish that ties everything together perfectly. Strawberries and white chocolate is a dream combo!
How To Make Strawberry Crumble Bars
Step 1: Prepare the oaty base and crumble mixture
This part couldn’t be easier – the oaty crumble mixture comes together in under 5 minutes. You simply mix the oats, flour, sugar and melted butter until it looks like chunky breadcrumbs. The best bit? You get two uses from one mix. Most of it is pressed out into the tin and baked for 15 minutes at 180°C fan to create the sturdy base. The rest is popped in the freezer and reserved for later as the crumbly topping.
Step 2: Prepare the strawberry filling
For the filling, toss chopped strawberries with lemon zest, juice and a little cornflour together. The lemon brightens the flavour and balances the sweetness, while the cornflour thickens up the strawberry juices as the bars bake, so you don’t end up with a soggy base. Opt for fresh, ripe strawberries for the best flavour and chop them into small chunks so they cook evenly and nestle into the crumble without leaving big gaps.
Step 3: Layer and bake
This is where the bars come together – the crunchy oat base, the juicy strawberry filling, and the crumble topping. Follow these steps to layer and bake the bars:
- Remove the oat base from the oven after about 15 minutes. It should look golden and set.
- Spoon the strawberry filling over the top and spread out into an even layer.
- Take the crumble mixture out of the freezer. Use your hands to crumble it up and sprinkle it over the strawberry layer.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the tin and gently pierce the strawberries with a fork to release their juices. This helps everything stick together and makes the filling extra jammy.
- Leave to cool in the fridge for 1 hour or until set.
Step 4: Drizzle over Milkybar White Chocolate
Once the bars have cooled and set, it’s time for the finishing touch! Milkybar is my go-to white chocolate for its smooth, creamy texture and sweet flavour. You can break the chocolate up and melt in the microwave, or give this speedy melting hack a try:
- Keep the chocolate in its wrapper: Make sure the Milkybar foil wrapper is sealed tightly with no holes.
- Boil the kettle: Pour the boiling water into a large heatproof bowl, jug or baking tin.
- Submerge the chocolate: Place the unopened bar into the hot water, making sure it’s fully submerged. Leave it for 5–10 minutes, pressing it occasionally with a spatula so it melts evenly.
- Snip the corner: Once fully melted, use scissors to cut off a small corner of the wrapper.
- Drizzle away: Gently squeeze the melted chocolate out of the corner straight over your strawberry crumble bars for a quick, no-mess drizzle.
FAQ’s for baking Strawberry Crumble Bars
I used a 20cm square baking tin.
Yes! Swap the butter for a dairy-free baking block and use a vegan white chocolate for the drizzle (or skip the chocolate altogether). Everything else is naturally plant-based, so it’s an easy switch.
Both work well. Fresh strawberries give the best flavour and texture, especially when they’re in season. If you use frozen strawberries, don’t defrost them first, just toss them with the lemon and cornflour straight from frozen and add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
Absolutely! Swap the plain flour for a gluten-free blend and make sure your oats are certified gluten-free.
Chilling firms up the butter, so when it bakes, the topping holds its shape and gives you those nice, crunchy clusters instead of melting into the fruit.
It helps the strawberry layer set so you get neat slices instead of a runny mess.
The best way to store these strawberry crumble bars is in the fridge to keep the fruit fresh and the bars from going too soft.
THE FINAL FLOURISH
Want to show off your Strawberry Crumble Bars in style?
These are my go-to items for plating, serving, and stashing the leftovers (if there are any).
The best way to store these strawberry crumble bars is in the fridge to keep the fruit fresh and the bars from going too soft.
Strawberry Crumble Bars
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Print Pin Rate this RecipeIngredients
- 120 grams Plain flour
- 50 grams Brown sugar
- 100 grams Oats
- 100 grams Baking block or unsalted butter melted
- 250 grams Strawberries washed
- 1 Lemon zest and juice
- 1 teaspoon Cornflour
- 45 grams Milkybar White chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional. Line a 20cm square tin with baking paper.
- In a bowl, stir together flour, oats and sugar. Add the melted baking block or butter, and stir until it resembles chunky breadcrumbs.120 grams Plain flour, 50 grams Brown sugar, 100 grams Oats, 100 grams Baking block or unsalted butter
- Reserve roughly ⅓ for the topping and pop in the freezer.
- Tip the rest of the mixture into the tin and press down firmly to make an even base. Bake for 15 minutes until golden.
- While the base bakes, chop the strawberries into smallish chunks and pop in a bowl. Add the cornflour, lemon zest and juice and toss together.250 grams Strawberries, 1 Lemon, 1 teaspoon Cornflour
- Remove the base from the oven and spoon the strawberry mixture evenly on top. Remove the oat crumble from the freezer, crumble it up and sprinkle it over the strawberries.
- Bake for a further 30-35 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the tin from the oven and pierce the strawberries with a fork to release the juices. Then return to the oven for the remaining baking time. Once baked, pop the tin in the fridge to cool and set (about 1 hour).
- Melt the Milkybar chocolate and drizzle over the top. Leave to set then slice into 12 bars and enjoy!45 grams Milkybar White chocolate
