We love any type of berry dessert and these blueberry crumb bars are perfect for any time of year. The best part about this recipe is that the crust and the topping are double duty, so you only have to use 2 mixing bowls for this entire recipe. Blueberry crumb bars are probably one of the best desserts I’ve made!

Blueberry Crumb Bar Recipe

What I love most about this recipe is that blueberry crumb bars are perfectly imperfect. They are not a science. Simple, rustic crumbly pie crust and topping is dual purpose so the effort is low, and the filling mixture is perfection. Bright, easy and bursting with blueberry flavor.

I encourage you to mix the crust/topping with your hands. No need to dirty a mixing bowl. You’re after a sandy texture, so using clean hands to mix the cold butter with the flour/sugar works best.
Flexible ingredients make this a super easy recipe. Use what you have. Fresh berries work great, but you can also use frozen. Additionally, you can throw in different types of berries.
I like to add in some almond extract. The flavor really compliments the berries (and it makes the house smell delicious).

Best Pans to Use for this Recipe

I used a 9 inch tart pan for this recipe.
- Be sure to put a sheet pan under it while it bakes so incase some of that pie bar mixture seeps through, it won’t get all smokey in your oven.
You can also use a 9×13 inch casserole dish or sheet pan.
- You can choose to either spray with nonstick spray, or line your pan with parchment paper.
You can also use a pie pan.
A springform pan would also work.

Consider the shape of the crumb bars you’re after when you choose a pan to use. A round pan will result in pie shaped bars, a square pan will result in square bars, etc.

Crumb Bar Crust & Topping

Flour, salt, sugar, and butter. It’s that simple!

I mentioned mixing this part of the recipe with your hands. It will be messy, but keep lightly pinching the butter and the flour/salt/sugar together until you have a sandy consistency. There will be little tiny blobs of butter, and that’s what we’re after. Reserve about 1 cup of the crumb mixture, which will be for the topping.

After reserving 1 cup of the mixture for the topping, press the crust into a pan and use the bottom side of a glass to press down. Bake this for about 12 minutes. While it’s baking, move on to the filling.

Blueberry Crumb Bar Filling

One bowl. A hand whisk. Again, no fancy equipment required for this recipe. Mix together everything except the blueberries. You want a lump free batter. Once you’re lump free, fold in the blueberries. If you use frozen blueberries, handle with care to try and keep the purple hue down, but even if you do get a purple hue, the world will not collapse. : )

Pour the blueberry filling into the baked pie crust, and bake for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Serving Berry Crumb Bars

I realize it’s super tempting to want to eat these straight out of the oven, but you have to let them cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into them! It makes them easier to slice, and bonus, you won’t burn your finger if you just sit tight for a bit. : )

I love to serve these on their own, or with vanilla ice cream. I usually pack them in my son’s lunch when I make them and he gets so happy!

If you have leftovers, I like to store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 4 days.

More Dessert Bar Recipes

We love easy dessert bars, here’s a few more recipes we think you’ll enjoy.

Let’s eat! – Kathi and Rachel

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