It’s berry season and you know I’ve been running my cart all over Whole Foods picking up delicious pints of every single berry you can think of. This time of year I’m down to put berries in literally anything. They’re perfect for smoothies, fresh salads, topping yogurt bowls, and of course, making incredible desserts like these blueberry pie bars.
I first made these gluten free blueberry pie bars back in 2019 after the organic blueberries went on sale at the grocery store. Of course, I picked up pints on pints of these delicious berries, and my brain was buzzing about what I should make. Blueberry pie? Too complicated. Blueberry salad? Sound delicious. Blueberry crumble? Maybeeee.
Finally, the winning idea hit: healthier blueberry bars with an oatmeal crumble! Sounds dreamy, right? Just you wait.
These amazing blueberry bars aren’t overly sweet or filling, which makes them perfect for a quick grab and go add to your breakfast or even a snack. The oatmeal crumble is crunchy and full of delicious toasted oatmeal flavor.
Personally, I think they taste like a Nutri-grain bar, which I loved to eat for breakfast growing up.
Ingredients in these easy blueberry pie bars
These healthy blueberry bars use super simple ingredients, come together in just 15 minutes or so, and only take about 30 minutes to bake. To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- Oat flour: to easily keep the bars gluten free. Learn how to make your own oat flour right at home here!
- Rolled oats: you’ll need old fashioned rolled oats for that amazing crumble topping. As always, use gluten free rolled oats to keep the bars gluten free, and do not use steel cut oats.
- Sweetener: we’re using brown sugar to help these bars stay true to flavor and texture. You’ll also need some pure maple syrup to naturally sweeten the filling.
- Cinnamon: for that true pie flavor in the crust and crumble.
- Baking staples: remember to use baking soda, salt & vanilla extract. You’ll also want to add a little almond extract for incredible flavor in the crust, crumble & filling.
- Butter: this helps the crumble clump together and turn a delicious golden color. Use a vegan buttery stick to keep the bars vegan and dairy free!
- Blueberries: the star of the show in these blueberry pie bars! Feel free to use fresh or frozen in this recipe.
- Cornstarch: you’ll need a little cornstarch or arrowroot starch to perfectly thicken the blueberry filling.
Simple ingredient swaps
As always I recommend sticking with the recipe as closely as possible to get the best results. There are a few easy swaps you can make in the blueberry pie bars that will stay make them amazing:
- Swap the flour: if you don’t have oat flour you can easily sub all purpose flour. Reminder: see note below for making your own oat flour at home!
- Choose your sugar: instead of brown sugar you can also use coconut sugar. Please note that you may not get the best “crumble” in the topping with coconut sugar, and you can also learn how to make your own brown sugar here.
- For the blueberries: as a reminder, you can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this recipe.
How to make your own oat flour
You can easily make your own gluten free oat flour by simply placing gluten free oats into a blender and blending/pulsing until they’re smooth and resemble a fine flour. This is probably the cheapest option. Check out my tutorial with all of my best tips & tricks. Always measure the oat flour after you blend to ensure that you’re using the proper amount called for in the recipe.
The best blueberry pie bars in 3 simple step
- Make the crust & crumble. First, you’ll mix the oats, oat flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda & salt in a bowl. Then stir in melted vegan butter or regular butter, vanilla extract and almond extract. Press a little more than half of the mixture into an 8×8 inch pan lined with parchment paper, then set the rest of the crumble in the fridge for later.
- Make the filling. make your blueberry pie filling, which is naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup and blueberries. Place a medium pot over medium heat. Add in blueberries, maple syrup, almond extract, cornstarch (or arrowroot) and salt. Use a wooden spoon to press down and break down the blueberries just a bit. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the filling thickens. Pour over the crust.
- Assemble & bake. Sprinkle the remaining crumble all over the top of the blueberries and then bake for 30-40 minutes until filling is bubbly and the oatmeal crumble is slightly golden brown. YUM. Cool completely and then cut into bars.
Can I use a different fruit?
Sure! Because this blueberry pie bar recipe is so versatile, you can easily mix it up with other berries. Be sure to try these amazing pie & crumble bars as well:
Jazz up your blueberry pie bars
These gluten free blueberry are, of course, delicious on their own, but I have 2 fun ways for you to jazz up the flavor a bit:
- Add lemon: mix in zest from 1 lemon for an extra bright, fresh flavor in the filling.
- Drizzle a glaze: melt a little white chocolate and drizzle it over the bars for an even more decadent treat. You could also do this with a lovely lemon glaze from this cookie recipe! YUM.
Storing tips
- In the fridge: I recommend storing these bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- In the freezer: yes, these blueberry pie bars are freezer-friendly! Once they’re completely cooled, simply place them in an airtight container and pop them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy one, just let it thaw a bit in the fridge before eating.
More blueberry recipes you’ll love
- Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins (gluten free & dairy free)
- Maple Blueberry Turkey Sausage Breakfast Patties
- Good Morning Healthy Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
- Peanut Butter Blueberry Overnight Oats
- Paleo Lemon Blueberry Bread
Get all of my fresh berry recipes here!
If you make these blueberry bars, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below. I’d love to hear from you and it helps encourage others to make the recipe too! xo.
Blueberry Pie Bars with Oatmeal Crumble (vegan and gluten free!)
Ingredients
- For the crust and crumble:
- 1 ½ cups gluten free oat flour (or sub all purpose flour)
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, gluten free if desired
- ½ cup packed brown sugar (or sub coconut sugar but you may not get the best 'crumble')
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons butter or vegan buttery stick, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- For the filling:
- 2 1/2 heaping cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- Optional to make the with a hint of lemon flavor: zest from 1 lemon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and generously spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Make the base + topping: In a large bowl, use a fork to mix together the oat flour, oats, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add in melted butter, vanilla extract and almond extract and stir until a nice crumble forms and dough begins to clump together.
- Place 1 3/4 cups of the mixture into the prepared pan and place the remaining mixture into the fridge (the remaining mixture will be used for the topping). Use your hands to evenly press the dough to the bottom of the pan.
- Next make your blueberry pie filling: place a medium pot over medium heat. Add in blueberries, maple syrup, almond extract, cornstarch (or arrowroot) and salt. Use a wooden spoon to press down and break down the blueberries just a bit.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 3-5 more minutes until mixture is thickened up and nicely coats the back of a spoon.
- Pour mixture over the crust and use a spoon to evenly spread.
- Take the remaining topping out of the fridge. By now there should be some nice crumbles that have clumped together. Sprinkle the topping over the blueberry filling.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.
- Allow bars to cool completely on a wire rack before transferring to the fridge to chill. Bars are delicious served at room temperature or straight out of the fridge. Use a sharp knife to cut into 16 bars before serving.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on May 22, 2019, republished on March 10th, 2020, and republished on May 12th, 2022.
265 comments
I’m excited to try these! And the girl you mean is Violet Beauregard 🙂
Oh shoot, you are totally right! haha!
I made this literally right after you posted and they are AMAZING! Already planning another batch for the holiday weekend. I get what you mean they remind you of a Nutrigrain bar but these taste 9000 times better!! Great recipe.
Hi Kristen! Thanks so much for leaving a comment and for letting me know how much you like these bars. I absolutely love them!
This looks delicious! I will definately make it for my toddler. She loves wild blueberries. Can we sub the oats flour with almond flour?
I haven’t tried it with almond flour, so I’m not certain it will work, but please let me know if you give it a try.
I made this with almond flour and truvia brown sugar blend and they came out beautifully.
Perfect!
Seems yumm!! Can I sub the butter with coconut oil ?
I have used coconut oil instead of butter to make a Graham cracker crust and it turned out perfect. Couldn’t tell the difference. I am going to try doing the same for this. I think it will be hard to tell the difference
Awesome, let me know how it turns out!
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work well!
Have you tried making these with applesauce instead of maple syrup?
I haven’t, and I don’t think it would work the same, sorry!
Yummy, blueberry pie is freaking amazing, but it can be a bit time consuming to make. Bars tend to be easier since you don’t have to worry about making your own crust–because face it, homemade pie crust is far more superior than anything pre-made. These bars look much more delicious than any store-bought blueberry crumble or pie I’ve ever seen–thank you for making a vegan-friendly version!
Absolutely agree on the effort of blueberry pie. 🙂
I made these and subbed cherries for the blueberries and they turned out incredible! thank you for such a great summer recipe!
Delicious! Perfect for summer 🙂
Unfortunately mine didn’t turn out – not enough of a binding agent in the crust/topping so it just turned into powder 🙁
Kristie! I’m so sorry to hear this. I would recommend adding more butter. Can I also ask — did you use oat flour or regular flour? And did you pack your flour in? If you packed it, this is often where the issue comes in because there will be more flour and not enough liquid.
Can I use fresh, not frozen blueberries?
Yes, absolutely! I actually used fresh when I tested once. I’ve updated the recipe to include fresh blueberries!
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that. It could have been the way the oat flour was measured. Next time try adding a tablespoon more butter if you have an issue.
Made these this weekend. My crumble was not very crumbly. Slightly more powdery. But still tasted good! I did use all purpose flour, so thinking maybe next time I should use slightly less flour and add some more cold butter when I add the topping on. Just heated a piece up and added some vanilla ice cream on top – SO delicious even with my so-so crumble on top.
Hi Carrie! Sorry to hear that it wasn’t crumbly. I think it’s because you used regular flour. That being said, I’m upping the butter by just a bit to create more of a crumble topping 🙂 That should solve it!
Made these tonight, and WOW they are incredible. Your recipes never fail me!!
So happy to hear that, Brittany! 🙂
Delicious! These were super easy and turned out perfect. I used frozen berries, but added the lemon and it tasted super fresh. I love how you always give suggestions and substitutions. I made these bars, and several other food items for a meal train. These were the absolute favorite. The pieces I kept for us didn’t last long. Can’t wait to make again. Thanks!
Perfect! Happy to hear that, Kristine. Hopefully you’ll have some more leftover to keep next time 🙂
OMG.OMG.OMG. These are literally life!!! I honestly didn’t think I would like it because I don’t like things with whole fruit in them normally but dangggg these are fire!!
Def. husband approve because I only got one, he at the rest hahaha.
Haha I’m so happy you found these, Nicole! The blueberry part is mostly a complement to the delicious crumble 😉 glad they’re husband-approved, too!
Made these using almond flour and truvia brown sugar blend and they were delicious. Great recipe!
Glad those worked out! Perfect for summer 🙂
These were a dream to make and devour! I decided made a little extra crumble topping than the recipe called for so I could completely cover the blueberry filling. I will definitely be making this again and passing the recipe along to friends and family! Delish 🙂
So happy to hear that, Meaghan! All about a little extra crumble 🙂 Hope everyone loved them!
can these be frozen and reheated
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work fine! Just freeze, then thaw in the fridge!
These were perfect! Can I substitute coconut oil for the butter?
Glad you loved them! I haven’t tried it but I’m guessing it would work. I would probably reduce the coconut oil by 1 tablespoon total.
So good! Just made these and they’re delicious (and not overly sweet). I didn’t have almond extract or corn starch, and they’re fine. Awesome breakfast treat / dessert.
Perfect! Such a great treat 🙂 glad you liked them!
Wow! I didn’t expect these to turn out THIS GOOD! Absolutely delicious. Followed recipe as is. Coconut sugar worked great.
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
I made a double batch of these with lemon zest in the filling and a white chocolate drizzle on top. SO good. And I don’t even usually like fruit pie type desserts. Can’t wait to share at our family get together tomorrow.
Delicious! I hope everyone loved these!
My husband loves blueberries. An 8×8 pan would last less than a day in our house. I would like to double the recipe and bake in a 13×9 pan. Have you tried this? How long do you think I should bake it for?
Yes, I think you can easily double the recipe. I would bake for the same amount of time or until filling is slightly bubbling and topping is golden.
As soon as I saw these posted on Instagram I knew I had to make them! Luckily I had all of the ingredients on hand and I made them exactly as the recipe calls for. They are delicious! I plan on using them for a healthier dessert option with a dollop of whipped cream!
Amazing! So glad you loved them!
Can I use strawberries since that’s what I have right now and I NEED to make this now!
I’ve tried strawberries and they weren’t my favorite because they’re more watery. Perhaps just cook the filling a bit more until it’s nice and thick!
These blueberry pie bars are AMAZING!! So good served chilled! I used ghee instead of butter, and it worked just fine!
Perfect! So happy you loved them!
Hello I came across this recipes googling pineapple and blueberry and it looked quite delish I had to try I basically had the ingredients except maple syrup so i used dark brown sugar all the not enough blueberries so I used 1 cup of pineapple and the butter so I used coconut oil made the oat flour and I added the lemon zest. My 22 year old son and I can’t stop eating them they’re absolutely delish thank you for the recipe 🙋♀️
I’m glad those swaps worked out well! Such a great treat 🙂
Fabulous! Even my spouse loves them and he doesn’t even like blueberries! Only change I made was to sub coconut oil for the butter. Easy recipe, delicious. We are keeping the pan in the fridge and yum, yum, yum!
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
Absolutely loved these! I used a combo of regular flour, coconut flour, and almond flour. So thankful I found this website because I love Monique’s vibe and all her recipes! Haven’t tried a bad one yet.
I’m glad those swaps worked out well! Hope you keep finding recipes here that you love 🙂
What do you do when your sheltering? Bake. Easy to make and super yummy! Thank you Monique for continuing to be here for us 😘
Keep safe.
Absolutely! Glad you loved these and be well!
Just made these today and OMG they are DELICIOUS! I love the hint of almond flavor from the extra. Will definitely make these again.
10/10 would recommend!
So glad you loved these!
I only had 1 cup of blueberries on hand so I used that and 1.5 cups strawberries and made kind of a mixed berry version and it was so delicious. Thank you!
Yum I love that idea! Glad you enjoyed!
This is the BEST recipe. I have made them a few times already using frozen blueberries (not out and about right now). They are so good. I added a little lemon zest to the blueberry layer Because I had it. It is amazing how sweet the berry layer is with just that little maple syrup as sweetener. Lots of Gold Stars !!!
Amazing! Love the idea of adding lemon zest. Glad you enjoyed!
I was in love as I taste tested this before baking (gotta drizzle that blueberry filling on some pancakes), stole some hot right out of oven, and was definitely addicted by my third try after cooling! Can’t wait for my kids to try in the morning for breakfast! Very grateful we have blueberry bushes in our yard and have another tasty way to enjoy them! Thanks, I can always count on your recipes being tasty and healthy!
Delicious! So glad you loved these!
Can’t wait to try this! Just wondering- would it work with other ripe fruit? eg plums or even peaches?
Probably very well! 🙂 the bar base is very flexible. A jam in the middle would also be super yummy.
Oh my word SO GOOD! I wouldn’t say that they’re anything like a nutrigrain bar! 😂
My son helped me make them and we devoured the pan in 2 days. #ronaproblems #bakeeatrepeat
The best!! Glad you both loved them 🙂
Hi I will definitely make this come blue berries season. Would u have a recipe like this but Rhubarb?
Perfect! I don’t have a rhubarb recipe on my site yet, but that’s a great idea 🙂
In the past I made a strawberry rhubarb with ginger crumble and saw in the comment section that someone had used blueberries instead of strawberries and it came out wonderfully.
Ooh that sounds AMAZING! I also have a Strawberry Crumble Bar recipe here 🙂
Ohhh these are my new favorite. They are perfect!!!!!
I’m so glad you love them!
I want to make these but only have a 9×9 pan, 11×7 and a 9 inch round cake pan:(, any suggestions or alterations I should make?
9×9 inch should be ok, but the bars maybe a little thin.
My husband and I both loved these. I love to bake but have never been very adventurous and these took me just far enough out of my comfort zone! I used fresh blueberries to make the filling which was so fun and so delicious. These make a perfect breakfast bar and a perfect snack during my long 12 hour ER shifts. I did end up having to add more melted butter for the oat crust but I’m always okay with more butter!
So happy you tried these ones! A great treat or snack for long shifts. Thank you for everything you do!
Loved this recipe. Precooked the crust about 10 min and cooked it about 10 min longer as well. Definitely worth making again.
I’m glad that worked out well! Such a great treat 🙂
I made these last night and they were incredible! I adapted the recipe slightly to what I had on hand – I used frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries) instead of blueberries, and cassava flour instead of cornstarch / arrowroot and they were absolutely perfect. Can’t wait to make them all summer and enjoy with some vanilla ice cream!
Perfect! I’m glad those worked out well 🙂 perfect for summer!
Delicious. I just made them today. It’s difficult waiting for them to cool since they smell so good. Thanks for a great recipe.
The best! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Holy moly! These are so delicious! And super easy to make. The crumble is so tasty… do you think it would work as an oatmeal cookie?
I didn’t have almond extract so I just omitted and it’s perfectly fine. I also used tiny frozen wild blueberries which worked great. The filling is not too sweet, too gooey, and there’s the perfect amount of it. I’m not a fruit pie person, so this is saying something.
One tiny note-Recipe calls for 1 3/4 cups of the crumble for the crust. I would probably use a little less – maybe 1 1/2 – just because I like the top crumble so much. Or maybe I would make more of it! But that’s personal preference.
SOOOO GOOD. I made these last week and they were perfect. I hadn’t used almond extract in a blueberry crumble recipe before but I’m a fan! Will definitely make again.
The almond extract makes them extra delicious! Glad you loved them 🙂
I made these over the weekend and they are amazing! My family loves them and they were so easy to make. I followed the recipe as instructed except I didn’t have almond extract so just used the vanilla. Will definitely be making these again.
I recommend my healthy oatmeal cookies: https://bit.ly/2Zj96Ox
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
Amazing! Storing in the fridge, I also added some lemon juice to the recipe for even more lemon flavor!
Perfect! Great idea 🙂
I made this recipe today and it is delicious. I had a piece at room temp and then just ate one after it had been in the refrigerator. I liked the refrigerated piece better, but both ways are good! Thanks for always providing great recipes.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
These were so good! If anyone wants to sub the butter, i used half olive oil and half yogurt as the replacement and they came out delicious! They might not hold together as well with this sub, but still tastes amazing! Thank you for this recipe!
I’m glad that worked out well! 🙂
I made these for a backyard party yesterday and everyone thought I had bought them at a bakery! They tasted like a professional baker had made them… so they were incredible, in other words. The recipe is easy and after letting them cool completely, they were really easy to cut into bars. I can’t wait to make these again and experiment with other kinds of fruit. Thank you for an excellent recipe!!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
I’m making these for the third (maybe fourth?) time. They always turn out perfectly. I make the oat flour in my food processor.
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
This was delicious. Happy to find a bar (compote) recipe that I could cut and bring to a party. I modified it by adding strawberries to the filling.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
These were incredible and loved by the whole family after dinner! My husband loves everything extra sweet and I prefer less sweet treats and yet somehow we both LOVED these. I would say they are on the lighter side of sweet dessert but the blueberries and crumble make it feel like you aren’t missing out on any flavor! Highly recommend!
* I used all purpose flour and brown sugar for reference
* I used 1 tbsp of flour bc I didn’t have another thickener for the filling and it worked fine
Amazing! I’m glad that worked out well 🙂 perfect treat!
SCRUMPTIOUS. I made for a party with vegan butter, and they were gone in a flash! Do you think I could pre-make the fruit part and freeze, then thaw to bake?
So happy to hear that! And sure! You may just need to drain a little excess water off the blueberries after they are frozen, but it should be fine.
This came out delicious. Not sweet but satisfying. I didn’t have cornstarch so I used xanthan gum instead, worked perfect. Thanks!
These were delicious – not too sweet, like you said, which is one of my pet peeves with fruit pies. However, even after refrigerating overnight, they didn’t hold together terribly well. The light texture is lovely, but you have to be careful handling them. Would cooking down the mixture more to make it almost jammy help with holding them together?
Also, my cornstarch clumped a little when I added it in, so I had to chase down the lumps and smooth them with the back of my spoon. The blueberry filling also has a very slight bitter tang so I’m wondering if I didn’t get all of them. I was actually surprised the recipe instructs you to just add the cornstarch in with the blueberries, because I’ve always been told to make a slurry with a bit of cold water before adding it to the main part of the recipe. Wondering if that would help.
Finally, I skipped the lemon because that sometimes overwhelms the flavor of the lovely fresh picked blueberries I used, but would include it next time — brightens to flavor (and would hide that bitter edge).
The cornstarch should easily dissolve with the juice of the blueberries. I’ve never had an issue. Perhaps they needed to bake a bit longer to firm up? You can also sift in the cornstarch!
Perfect! They were soo delicious and not too sweet.
Such a great treat! 🙂
I made these this morning and they were delish! I used all purpose flower and brown sugar so i didn’t go the healthy way. I needed to cook a little bit longer than 30 minutes. Loved it!
I’m glad that worked out well! Such a great treat 🙂
Hii!!
Can you use gluten free flour?
Hi! Yes, the recipe calls for gluten free oat flour + gluten free rolled oats 🙂
One of my sons is vegan and I made these for his birthday. They were outrageously good! I highly recommend.
I made these bars and they were great! Only changes I made were I used quick oats instead of rolled, I added the zest of half a lemon and just a squeeze of juice. Would highly recommend! Next time I’ll try using less/no brown sugar to make a healthier version.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
Hi! These look amazing. I’m wondering, do you think these could be made with blackberries instead of blueberries? (Hubby is a huge blackberry fan.)
Hi! Yes definitely, just mash the blackberries down a bit more while you cook before using!
I made these. I think the bottom probably needed to be blind baked first. Because it wasn’t, the blueberry filling seeped thru the crust & incorporated all thru it. That made it rather mushy.
Sounds like there may have been cracks in your dough before baking! Feel free to bake the crust for 5-10 minutes first next time if you’d like.
These are incredible! Hard to really describe, but not overly sweet which I absolutely love. My neighbors went crazy over them as did we!
Delicious, couldn’t stop snacking on these! Will definitely be making them again.
So happy to hear that!
This recipe is delicious. My family requests this all the time. Easy to make and healthy too.
So happy to hear that!
Yummm! These bars are easy and delicious. I didn’t have blueberries on hand, so I swapped in a bag of frozen tart cherries. My kids, husband and I ate the whole pan in one sitting.
Love that! Perfect dessert.
Made these blueberry pie bars recently and they were absolutely delicious. I made a few changes to the recipe because I am diabetic. Instead of brown sugar I used total sweet I also used less maple syrup for the same reason. Despite the changes they still worked really well. I was able to freeze them and eat them over the next few months. I will defintely be making these again. Also they were very easy and quick to make.
I’m glad those swaps worked out well! Perfect treat 🙂
Hands down my favorite dessert bars, EVER! Anytime I make them for guests, the whole pan is gone in one sitting!
Such a great treat for spring & summer!!
Making these this weekend for next week snack but will use strawberries. I want to sub in coconut oil? Should I still you the same 8tbsp? Do I measure the oil first before melting it or after?
I haven’t tried it but I would probably reduce the coconut oil by 1 tablespoon total and measure it after melting. Let me know how it goes!
Delicious! One of my favourites to make and everyone always loves them. I’ve used coconut sugar every time I’ve made these and they turn out still crumbly and great!
So happy to hear that!
Another amazing recipe! Had them for breakfast with coffee one day and dessert the next with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Will definitely make again!
Oooh, those are both amazing combos! Glad you’re loving the bars!
Literally these bars are the best thing ever! I wanted to make them but was out of blueberries – ended up substituting in a berry blend with sweet cherries and couldn’t be happier. This is the first crumble bar I’ve found where the crumble hasn’t been absolutely bland. I’m going to try it in the future with different fruits (apple, berries, peach) but if you’re looking for a delicious and versatile snack that likely won’t survive past the day you made it… this is it! So good! And toddler-approved!
Omg I’m SO happy to hear that, Charne! Great idea to use mixed berries here. Glad you guys loved them 🙂
Can I use maple syrup instead of brown sugar?
You could try it, but I think the brown sugar makes the best crumble texture!
I was so surprised at how much these EXACTLY taste like nutri grain bars!! I also loved these as a kid. excited to see what my family thinks 🙂
Don’t they?! Glad you’re loving them, and hope they do, too!
Hi! This is the most delicious dessert I think I’ve ever made! If I wanted to make an apple filling do you have any tips or input on how I should go about doing that? For instance, should I cook down the apples a bit first?
Thank you so much!!!
Love these! Easy to make. I was short on blueberries so added a few chopped strawberries! Will be making again!
So glad you enjoyed them! And yummm, love a mixed berry dessert 🙂
I love this recipe. It’s really what I have been looking for. I did use gluten free flour and didn’t have brown sugar but used raw cane sugar. We ate it hot right out of oven with ready whip. Delicious. I didn’t have butter but I used coconut oil, it was pretty good. I wonder if it would work with strawberries. Any way, great breakfast bars, delicious, healthy, and seems like it’s cooperative with substitutions. For breakfast we had it right out of the refrigerator, my husband loves it too. Thanks.
So happy that you loved it!! Great to know the GF flour and raw cane sugar worked well in here. Feel free to use strawberries in this recipe or try my new Strawberry Crumble Bars 🙂
Monique….gurl..these blueberry bars are nothing short of AWESOME!!!! So easy to make too!! Ill definitely be putting this into rotation! Thanks, once again for another great recipe!!
YAY! I’m so happy you’re loving them, Cat!
Do you personally use the lemon or omit? I am prepping to make these this week!
I love lemon in here! Totally up to you but it brightens them up a little bit 🙂
So good!!! I have been looking for a great fruit crumble recipe and so far this is my very favorite. It beats all of the classics from Joy of Cooking, America’s Test Kitchen, etc. Having multiple allergies can be limiting but these bars make GF/DF feel like no problem. 🙂
Oh, that’s amazing to hear! So happy that you loved them so much and that they’re safe for you to eat, Bre! 🙂
These blueberry bars are amazing- probably in my top 5 desserts of all time. They taste just like blueberry pie. I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfectly! Will definitely make them again!
Omg best compliment ever! I’m so happy you’re loving them, Nicole!
Doubled the recipe and used regular flour for the crust because I didn’t have enough oats for oat flour. I added lemon zest to the blueberries and left out the almond extract.
Thanks for sharing, Christina! Glad to hear you enjoyed these 🙂
Easy to make, and they came out fab!
Yay!! So glad they turned out well and that you enjoyed them, MK!
Thank you! One of the best deserts I’ve ever made. I added walnuts pieces to the crumble which gave it a better texture and taste. Can’t wait to try more recipes!
Amazing!! I’m so glad you loved these. Great idea to add walnuts!
Amazing! One of the best diet recipes that I have ever come across. Thanks Monique!!
Quick question- if I wanted to give these to friends, should I tell them to keep it in the fridge or can they stay at room temp? (It gets pretty humid where I am and food tends to mold quickly at room temp). Thanks again!
So happy you’re loving them! I’d definitely recommend keeping them in the fridge 🙂
I’m on my second batch of these in just 3 days! I made them for an event the other day, and people absolutely raved about them. So, I have another batch in the fridge for a picnic tonight. These bars are so delicious–not too sweet but full of blueberry flavor. Thanks for a very enjoyable recipe!
Oh yay! So happy you guys all loved them!
My family and I love these!! Quick, easy, delicious way to use up a bunch of berries and way more portable for gatherings than pie! I like to add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to the crust/topping instead of the almond extract because that’s just how I roll. Definitely don’t skip the lemon zest in the berry filling.. it really makes the flavor pop. SO good!!
These are SO GOOD. Better than other crumble bars with more sugar and fat. They are great as a dessert or a breakfast treat, and super easy to make.
I added pumpkin seeds, flax, crushed almonds, and hemp hearts to the crust. It was amazing. Simple treat to make!
Delicious!!! The whole pan was gone so quickly!
I love this recipe!!! It was so easy and it turned out perfectly! I would highly recommend it!
Yay!! So glad it was easy and tasty 🙂
If you add the lemon zest do you omit the almond extract?
No need to! You can use both if you’d like 🙂
I discovered this recipe last week and have made it twice already! I needed the perfect recipe to use the strawberries from our garden in, and this is it! I’ve made it once with strawberries and blueberries, and once with just strawberries, and both times it’s been delicious! It is a perfect after dinner sweet or quick breakfast treat. The berry filling is the perfect mix of sweet and tart – I don’t like desserts that are too sweet. The only modification I made was adding a bit more butter to the crumble that goes on the top – for some reason, mine gets a bit dry, so the extra butter helps the crumbles stick together. Highly recommend you try this!
😍 So happy you’re loving it, Sophie!! And good call on the extra butter in the topping. Thanks for the review!
So simple and so delicious! One of my fav AK recipes ever!!
I made these last night and used regular butter and a mix of all purpose flour and wheat bread flour that I wanted to use up. Warm out of the oven I thought they were good, not great, but TRUST the instructions to refrigerate! Today, when eaten cold out of the fridge, they are next level delicious! Will definitely make again! I didn’t have lemon at home but will try that addition next time.
These are AMAZING! Recipe was easy to follow and they are so tasty. I brought them to a party and they were such a hit – people were going back for thirds!
These bars are my new favorite go to dessert. I made them once using 1/2 oat flour and 1/2 ap flour and once ujsing all ap flour. Both times they were delicious. I’ve been using frozen assorted berries and the bars come out perfectly. Although they are great as is, I liked them better when I doubled the fruit filling. My company devoured the bars. I love all of your recipes! Thank you!
Oh nice, glad to hear that both of those worked well! And GREAT idea to double the filling–sounds yummy!
I made this with about half blueberries, and equal amounts raspberries and strawberries for the rest. Also 1/2 coconut oil and 1/2 butter since I was low on coconut oil. We are not GF so I did use regular flour. I also forgot to add the vanilla to the crumb mix so just added it to the berry mix! Hubby hates almonds so I guess it replaced the almond extract 😉 they are super tasty, not too sweet, hold their shape, and are a lovely treat. I baked the bottom for about 8 minutes before adding the berry layer and then baked another half hour. They didn’t golden brown at all so I may leave in a few minutes more next time. And there WILL be a next time!
So happy to hear that all worked out well and that you guys enjoyed them!
These bars are a perfect dessert! The filling is sweet and tart, and the crust is perfectly salty, sweet, and buttery. I will definitely be making these again (and again)!
Awesome!! So happy you loved them, Angela!
I had a gluten-free friend come over for treats and wanted something she could enjoy with the cookies (gulten-filled) that my daughter made. These were so delicious everyone tried one! Thanks for a simple and great recipe!
Small adaptation: I didn’t have quite enough blueberries, but I had some fresh plums. I cut those up into small pieces and added them to make the 2.5 cups needed. It was delicious.
Oh yay! I’m so happy you guys loved them 🙂 GREAT idea to add the plums, it sounds amazing 🙂
Soooo good – definitely taste more indulgent than they are!
Yay! Glad they came out well 🙂 Thanks for the review!
Can I substitute the blueberries with apples? I would like to make this more fall-like. Thank you!
I’d recommend these apple pie bars! That PB drizzle is optional 🙂
I made these with flour I made from steel cut oats, used coconut sugar, & replaced 3 tbsp of the butter with avocado oil. They came out DELICIOUS!! The tiny bit of almond extract really adds something extra to the bars, as does adding lemon zest to the blueberry filling. Definitely will be making these over & over again!
So happy to hear that all worked well and that you enjoyed these, Lulu!
made these today in 4 different ways… blueberry , apple, cranberry, date and all were a hit .
took to a pot luck and good thing i had your web info with me , because many asked for recipe.
the date reminds me of fig newton cookies, and the cranberry was tart & sweet.
thanks for all the great recipes
I’m so impressed!! Those all sound INCREDIBLE. Thanks for letting me know, Pam!
This is a fantastic recipe – thanks for posting it! – I have made several times now, cutting the sugar more each time, since I want an even healthier snack. I use just 1/4cup of unpacked brown sugar in crust/crumble and only about a tablespoon of maple syrup with the berries and works out sweet enough for me. I also will serve with a dollop of plain yogurt. Have subbed in frozen strawberries /rhubarb for blueberries too and used more fruit than recipe calls for, to match the volumes I put in the freezer in summer.
I’m so happy you love it and glad to hear that works well!
I thought this was delicious! I think the ratio of berries to crust and crumble is perfect. The only modifications I made were to use a little less sugar and using various substitutes for the 1 1/2 cups oat flour. One time I used mostly GF flour with some almond flour and some chia seeds. Today I used 1/2 cup GF flour, 1/2 cup almond flour and 1/2 cup flax seed meal. I try to lessen my sugar intake by using less sugar in recipes – I don’t substitute with sugar free substitutions. I used a heaping 1/4 cup of brown sugar and only 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and it’s sweet enough for me. Thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper!
I’m SO glad you loved it! Thanks for sharing those variations 🙂
Can I substitute the maple syrup for honey? Would just be 1:1?
Hi, Lindsay! Yes I think that should work totally fine, and yep 1:1 🙂
Made these using the all-purpose flour option, but substituted in 1/4 cup almond flour I had to use up and would definitely consider more! Turned out delicious! I also used an extra tablespoon or so of melted butter to get really nice clumps for the topping.
Thanks for sharing! So happy they turned out great!
I made the bars for the first time for my-at the time-1yr. old grandson. Every time he comes over he wants Grammie’s blueberry bars and he’s now 3! I make them all the time! Best healthy treat out there! Thank you for making the instructions so easy to follow! I like how you list the dough/filling and the last steps separate! (I should have rated this years ago but never too late!)
Just ate four pieces… dang it. Amazing. Ooey gooey and the perfect amount of sweetness.
NICE! So happy you’re loving them!!
Could I use the crust from the strawberry crumble bars / use maple syrup instead of sugar?
Yes the strawberry crumble bars crust/crumble will work well in here! Enjoy 🙂
YUM! My crumble was pretty dry, is that normal? I had to use butter out of a tin(it’s all i had) instead of a stick-could that be it?It was delicious none the less!
Hi, Marilyn! Hmm possible that it wasn’t quite enough butter! Totally fine to add more next time if it’s looking a little dry 🙂 So glad you loved them, though.
cant wait to make this soon for me will be using vegan butter instead i never had blueberry pie bars before perfect for my office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Vegan butter’s perfect! So excited for you to try them 🙂
These bars were sooo delicious. I love how they are healthy and yummy at the same time! I really enjoyed them however I faced just one problem with the crumble. It was just super powdery for some reason. I used all-purpose flour and omitted the almond extract (reluctantly! I was out of almond extract unfortunately.) so that may have something to do with it, but I don’t know. Any ideas on how I could make the crumble less powdery next time? Thanks again for the great recipe!
So glad I made these this morning! Absolutely delicious. Used frozen, wild blueberries and couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. Definitely making again.
These sound SO DELICIOUS for a Memorial Day Pool party we’re going to. Can I make them the day/evening before serving? Thanks Monique!
Hi, Marylynn! Yes absolutely, they’ll keep well in the fridge and you can take them out a couple hours before serving to bring them to room temp 🙂
Made these this morning and they are absolutely delicious! They look as beautiful as they taste and we’re so easy . The only change I’m going to make next time is reducing the sugar. I found them to be extremely sweet. Thanks for the recipe
Good to know about the sweetness — thanks for the feedback! Happy you still loved them though 🙂
Bonjour je voudrais faire vos recettes qui on l’air délicieuses mais que représente en grammes vos mesures de tasses ?
Merci pour vôtre réponse.
Hello! Sorry I don’t speak French. I’d recommend Googling the conversions!
Just made these! They are really good. Only change I made was to make it in a 9 by 9 pan so I did 1/3 more of all the ingredients in the crumble ( not the filling). They are definitely not too sweet… that said I think when I make them again I will increase the sugar and butter ( more like a date square) I love butter! thanks for the recipe. Love your stuff! And if you ever come to Newfoundland Canada, we have the BEST wild blueberries! They grow everywhere.
SO happy they came out well and that you loved them, Chrys! And so cool to hear that about the Newfoundland blueberries — you’re so lucky!
Made the classic method with frozen berries and brown sugar. Put some quick oats in the food processor to make oat flour. They were wonderful for snack and breakfast!
Delicious!! Ended up being more of a crumble for us than a bar…also could be that we couldn’t wait and didn’t let it cool long enough haha so so delicious and so simple. We topped it with some tillamook ice cream, perfection!
I love that it basically uses pantry ingredients so it’s easy to whip up last minute. I used frozen blueberries and plan to have a bag on hand available all summer!
Happy you loved it, Camille! And yes totally — such an easy summer dessert!
Yaaas these are fire!!! I was looking for a copycat recipe for Starbucks blueb oat bar they used to carry and these hit the spot but are so much better. Love the subtle almond essence. I did part oat and part AP flour. Hardest part was having the patience to wait for them to cool. Thx for this recipe!!
Nice!! Glad to hear you loved these, Mandy! Thanks so much for the review ❤️
Lovely! I must say they are delicious but not so sweet as expected!
Delicious!!! Followed the recipe but didn’t seem to have enough mix for both the crust and crumple so had to make another batch to have enough crumble. So good tho!
Happy you enjoyed them! And that’s strange — did you use a pan that’s larger than 8×8 inches?
Question-Can I leave out or substitute the almond extract? We have a nut allergy.
Thank you!
Absolutely! Totally fine to leave it out.
These were so good, and super simple to make. Boyfriend approved, he isn’t one for a super sweet treat. You can freeze. Super yummy crumbled on yogurt at the end of week shelf life. Love that you can make gluten free.
I’ve made this dessert twice now. Once with blueberries and once with a mix of strawberries and blackberries because that’s what I had on hand. This is seriously one of the easiest desserts ever to make and so yummy! We love to eat it while it’s still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Try it out, you won’t regret it!
Make these every single week for my family! I do not even need to look at the recipe anymore! DELICIOUS
I made these and they are absolutely amazing and delicious..and so easy to make. Will be making again for sure & maybe trying strawberries next time.
So delicious. I did sub brown sugar for the maple syrup because I didn’t have any, and it worked just as well.
Glad to hear that worked well. Happy you loved them, Marcy!
These were AMAZING! Just sweet enough, great texture, and I normally don’t enjoy fruity desserts like pies and cobblers – the fruit tends to be too sour/tangy for my liking and the texture is not pleasing.
I only had a 9×9 pan so when I made the crust, I used all of the “crumbles”. I had to take about 1/2 cup out to refrigerate for the toppings and even that wasn’t enough. Next time I would increase the quantity of some of the ingredients so I have enough crust and topping, since I don’t own an 8×8 pan. *I also didn’t have almond extract and these were still delicious!* Will definitely get some to try for next time. Make these! You won’t be disappointed!
Waiting for these to cool is proving difficult! They smell and look so good I can tell they are going to be fantastic! Thanks for another great recipe Monique. Yours are the recipes I come back to time and time again. I swear I make your banana oat pancakes,chickpea flour banana bread and tahini brownies every month and now I have these bad boys to throw in dessert/snack rotation!
So good and easy to make with ingredients I had on hand! I agree with a previous poster this would be outstanding with tart cherries. Yum!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! And YES omg that would be delish. I have a tart cherry pie recipe, too — so yummy 🙂
To make this vegan, I used coconut oil and one less tablespoon (7 tbsp) as Monique suggested in the comments – also used frozen blueberries . . . . I am pretty sure I made new friends because of this recipe 🙂 Incredible! I can’t wait to make it again! Thank you for having so many options for gluten free people!
These were easy and delicious! I made them for my book group and people loved them. Used 2/3 regular flour and 1/3 tiger nut flour because I thought the two would work well (they did!). Added 1 T. lemon juice to the berries. So grateful for a great dessert with no soy or dairy. Thank you!
Perfect! Glad those flours worked out well!
Made these yesterday and they’re delicious!! I used cassava flour instead of flour and used melted coconut oil instead of butter. I also used a combination of mixed berry jam and blueberries instead of making the blueberry filling. I didn’t have the right sized tin so I made them in cupcake cases in muffin tins instead. Very delicious, very easy, very adjustable recipe depending on your tastes/what you have on hand. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!!
Amazing!!! Excellent way to use up blueberries laying around and not too sweet. Great for breakfast or snack
Super easy to make. I doubled the recipe for a family function and everyone wanted to take the leftovers home.
I tripled the batch and used frozen blueberries. It turned out amazing and still tasted great days later. The only thing I will change is using a little less crumble on top. Thanks for a great recipe.
I made this recipe last night and it’s gone! I followed the recipe exactly and I’d do it the same way again. Well, I’d probably double the recipe. When I have blueberries that I’m afraid will gone bad soon I throw them in the freezer so I used those. It is a perfect recipe!
Awesome! So glad this one is a hit, perfect way to use up those blueberries!
Fantastic!!! Made these last night and refrigerated them overnight. Cut them this morning. Perfect for breakfast as they are not too sweet. They are like a blueberry bakery pastry. I used coconut sugar and the crumble was fine. Increased the cinnamon to 1 tsp. I will definitely be making these often! Thank you for a delicious recipe!
Can you use dried blueberries instead of fresh blueberries?
Hi Tina – You really need the juice / moisture from the fresh or frozen blueberries to make this recipe shine so I wouldn’t recommend subbing dried blueberries in this recipe.
Hi Monique, Do you use light brown or dark brown sugar in this recipe?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hi Monique, thank you for the delicious recipe and detailed instructions I definitely rate this 5 stars, but the rating button would only allow 4 .
I made with coconut oil and used maple syrup in place of brown sugar. I made 2 recipes . One with frozen blackberries and one with frozen blueberries. After they were cooled I placed in freezer.
Both recipes turned out wonderful. Very easy to assemble with ingredients that I keep stocked. Easy dessert to keep in freezer if the occasion arrives when I need a gluten-free dairy free treat.
Thanks again! You’re doing an amazing job!
Kristina
We really enjoyed this, easy to make and so scrumptious. I actually used coconut sugar and potato starch as that is what I had on hand but couldn’t tell a difference! Thanks for a great recipe, we can’t wait to try the strawberry tart 🙂
absolutely! glad you’re loving this recipe and it turned out great of you 🙂