Are you a blueberry lover? I ask because blueberry szn is upon us and I’m all about looking like that chick from Willy Wonka. Abra kindly just informed me that her name was Veruca Salt.
Anyway, a few weeks ago I went to the grocery store and found organic blueberries for $3/pint. I piled those cute little pint into my cart and jetted off, eager to make a batch of these greek yogurt blueberry scones, my blueberry power smoothie and latest and greatest pancake recipe (seriously a must try!).
Of course, my brain was still buzzing on what I could make next with blueberries. 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?
How to make the blueberry pie bars
Step 1: These blueberry pie bars are easy to make and require only a few ingredients: For the crust and crumble you’ll need rolled oats (gluten free, if desired), oat flour or regular flour, brown sugar or coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt. You’ll mix these ingredients together 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.
Step 2: 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.
Gorgeous, right?!
Step 3: 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!
These blueberry bars aren’t overly sweet or filling, which makes them perfect for a quick grab and go add on to breakfast or even a snack. The 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.
If you want to make these blueberry pie bars more decadent, I suggest drizzling a little melted white chocolate over the top or perhaps a nice lemon glaze (from this lemon cookie recipe). Either way, I know you’re going to LOVE them!
Other blueberry recipes you might like:
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
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
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and generously spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Pour mixture over the crust and use a spoon to evenly spread.
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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.
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Bake for 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.
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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
To store these blueberry pie bars: the bars are delicious served at room temperature or straight out of the fridge. After 1-2 days, transfer the bars to the fridge.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by Eat Love Eats
39 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!