5-Ingredient Blackberry Pie Bars (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Vegan Blackberry Pie Bars with a shortbread crust, jammy blackberry filling and a delightful crumble topping make for an amazing dessert (or breakfast!). This 5-ingredient dessert recipe is so easy to make and always receives rave reviews!

These vegan Blackberry Pie Bars are a riff off the Strawberry Oatmeal Bars I shared last month, because what can I say? We’re addicted.

You take one bite, and all of a sudden you’re three bars in. Fair warning!

Blackberry bars are just so rambunctious with their bright berry-blasted flavor, rich and buttery between the shortbread crust and the crumble topping, and oddly enough, when drizzled with glaze, they remind me of donuts.

You’ll just have to taste them to prove me wrong. 😉

Loved by all who try them, these easy oatmeal bars recipes are not only fun to make, but they are health-conscious enough to enjoy for breakfast. 

Just five basic ingredients, a square baking dish and zero baking experience is all you need to fabricate this delightful treat.

Plus, they are gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, involve minimal sugar, and can easily be made refined sugar-free.

Let’s discuss the five simple fresh ingredients needed for these blackberry oat bars.

Ingredients for Blackberry Pie Bars:

Blackberries: Fresh blackberries are cooked into a jammy filling mixture on the stove top with a touch of sweetener. This blackberry pie filling has a fresh and tangy flavor with a nice gooey texture with some pop from the blackberry seeds. When combined with the buttery oatmeal flavor from the crust and topping, these bars are simply irresistible. To mix up these blackberry breakfast bars, use different fruits such as blueberries, peaches, juicy strawberries, etc.

You can also use frozen blackberries instead of fresh blackberries if you don’t have access to fresh fruit.

Pure Maple Syrup or Cane Sugar: The sweetener for both the blackberry filling and the crust mixture! Use either pure maple syrup, cane sugar, maple sugar, coconut sugar, or sugar-free sweetener depending on your sweetener preference. You can also use brown sugar. 

Note that if you use pure maple syrup to sweeten the bars, you will need to add about 3 more tablespoons of flour to the crust to offset the addition of liquid.

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: A gluten-free flour blend is used in the crust and topping in combination with oats to create a flaky, delicious shortbread crust and crumble. It is also used to thicken the blackberry jam mixture, although you can also use corn starch or tapioca flour to thicken the filling as well. Use your favorite gluten-free blend or regular all-purpose flour. I use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but King Arthur and Pamela’s gluten free flour blends will work too.

If you’re looking for a grain-free recipe using almond flour, make my Paleo Blueberry Crumb Bars (replacing the blueberries with blackberries if desired).

Oats: Old fashioned rolled oats make these bars taste like everyone’s favorite breakfast and brings a light flakiness to the texture Plus, they taste healthy enough to eat for breakfast or snack in addition to dessert. As is the case with all of my recipes involving oatmeal, I use sprouted gluten free oats. For the best result, use old-fashioned oats for that lovely texture rather than using quick oats or instant oats.

Coconut Oil or Butter: The liquid and fat portion of the crust and topping mixture. Use melted coconut oil to keep the bars vegan or melted butter if you aren’t dairy-free. Either one produces a rich, naturally sweet and inviting flavor. Note that coconut oil is greasier than butter, so if you’re using butter, decrease the amount of flour you use to 1 cup. You can always add more if need be.

Sea Salt: A pinch of sea salt in both the blackberry filling and the crust ensures enhances all of the flavors in the bars and makes them taste sweeter without the need for extra sweetener.

Optional Additions:

For a sweeter bar that has a bit of a donut vibe, whip up a simple powdered sugar glaze using just 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of water or lemon juice. 

If you prefer your desserts on the sweeter end, be sure you don’t skip the powdered sugar glaze, as the bars themselves are not remarkably sweet on their own.

Add ½ teaspoon of almond extract or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to either the glaze or the crust mixture if you have it on hand to add more warm buttery flavor.

Let’s bake a batch of fresh blackberry bars!

How to Make blackberry Oatmeal Bars:

Make the Crust & Topping:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8” x 8” square baking dish with parchment paper.

The crust and topping are both made using the same ingredients, so thankfully, we stir once and use twice. In addition, there is no need to separate the dry ingredients from the wet ingredients – everything gets mixed at the same time.

Add all of the ingredients for the crust and topping to a large mixing bowl and stir well until everything is combined and a thick dough forms. The dough should be somewhat crumbly and not over oily. 

Measure out ½ cup of the mixture and set it aside for later to reserve as the crumble topping.

Transfer the remaining crust mixture to the parchment-lined prepared 8-inch pan and press it into an even layer.

Use a fork to poke several holes into the crust, allowing the crust to bake evenly.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is just slightly golden brown.

Make the Blackberry Pie Filling:

While the crust is baking, prepare the blackberry pie filling mixture. To do so, transfer the blackberries, 2 tablespoons of water, and the granulated sugar (or pure maple syrup) to a saucepan. Cover the pan with a lid and heat it on the stove top over medium-high heat.

Allow the mixture to come to a full boil, stirring occasionally, and cook until the blackberries are very soft and much liquid is seeping out, about 8 to 10 minutes. Mash the blackberries using a spoon or fork until they reach your desired texture.

Stir in the gluten-free all-purpose flour (or tapioca flour or cornstarch) and continue cooking without the lid until the blackberry filling is nice and thick, about another 2 to 3 minutes.

Make the Bars:

Once the crust is out of the oven, pour the blackberry jam filling over it and spread it evenly over the crust to form the blackberry layer.

Sprinkle the reserved oatmeal crumble mixture on top. Bake for 25 to 32 minutes, or until the filling is thick and jammy and the topping is slightly golden-brown.

Remove the blackberry oatmeal bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely before slicing and serving. If desired, make the optional glaze for the crumb bars and drizzle on top.

Serve the blackberry crumb bars with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh berries for an even more decadent dessert.

Store any leftover oatmeal bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the bars in a zip lock bag for up to 3 months.

These easy Blackberry Oatmeal Bars can easily serve as a base recipe for all your crumb bar endeavors, as you can use almost any fruit as the filling! Peaches, plums, berries, cherries, and more! Anything that can be cooked into a jammy fruit sauce works!

Also try my Keto Strawberry Crumb Bars for a low-carb strawberry bar recipe or 5-Ingredient Low-Carb Cherry Pie Bars. 

More Healthy Dessert Recipes:

• 3-Ingredient No-Bake Banana Oatmeal Cookies
• No-Bake Vegan Banana Cream Pie
• Paleo Apple Coffee Cake
• Vegan Paleo Peach Cobbler
• The BEST Paleo Cheesecake Recipe

Make these berry crumble bars during blackberry season for a warm weather treat! I hope you find these healthy blackberry oatmeal bars and scintillating as my family does!

Vegan Blackberry Oatmeal Bars

4.60 from 5 votes

Easy 5-Ingredient Blackberry Oatmeal Bars made vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and healthy enough for breakfast! A fun healthier dessert for berry season.

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 9 Bars

Ingredients

For the Blackberry Filling:

• 3 cups fresh blackberries
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar or pure maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour*
• Pinch sea salt

Shortbread Crust and Topping:

• 1 ¼ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• ½ cup coconut oil melted**
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar or pure maple syrup**
• Pinch sea salt

Optional Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp water or lemon juice

Instructions

Make the Crust & Topping:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8” x 8” square baking dish with parchment paper.
• Add all of the ingredients for the crust and topping to a large mixing bowl and stir well until everything is combined and a thick dough forms. The dough should be somewhat crumbly and not over oily. Measure out ½ cup of the mixture and set it aside for later to reserve as the crumble topping.
  
• Transfer the remaining crust mixture to the parchment-lined prepared 8-inch pan and press it into an even layer.
  
• Use a fork to poke several holes into the crust, allowing the crust to bake evenly. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is just slightly golden brown.
  

Make the Blackberry Filling:

• While the crust is baking, prepare the blackberry filling mixture. To do so, transfer the blackberries, 2 tablespoons of water, and the granulated sugar (or pure maple syrup) to a saucepan. Cover the pan with a lid and heat it on the stove top over medium-high heat.
  
• Allow the mixture to come to a full boil, stirring occasionally, and cook until the blackberries are very soft and much liquid is seeping out, about 8 to 10 minutes. Mash the blackberries using a spoon or fork until they reach your desired texture. Stir in the gluten-free all-purpose flour (or tapioca flour or cornstarch) and continue cooking without the lid until the blackberry filling is nice and thick, about another 2 to 3 minutes.
  

Make the Bars:

• Once the crust is out of the oven, pour the blackberry filling mixture over it and spread it evenly over the crust to form the blackberry layer.
  
• Sprinkle the reserved oatmeal crumble mixture on top. Bake for 25 to 32 minutes, or until the filling is thick and jammy and the topping is slightly golden-brown.
  
• Remove the blackberry oatmeal bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely before slicing and serving.
  
• If desired, make the optional glaze by stirring the powdered sugar and water (or lemon juice) together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the oat bars and enjoy!
  

Notes

*You can replace the GF all-purpose flour in the blackberry filling with tapioca flour or cornstarch.

**If you’re using butter instead of coconut oil, use just 1 cup of GF all-purpose flour instead of 1 ¼ cups.

***If using pure maple syrup to sweeten the crust, add an additional 3 tablespoons of gluten-free all-purpose flour.

Store any leftover oatmeal bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the bars in a zip lock bag for up to 3 months.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1Bar (of 9) · Calories: 263kcal · Carbohydrates: 35g · Protein: 3g · Fat: 13g · Fiber: 5g · Sugar: 10g

Author: Julia

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blackberry breakfast bars, dairy free desserts, gluten free crumb bars, gluten free desserts, oatmeal bar recipe, strawberry oatmeal bars, vegan blackberry oatmeal bars, vegan dessert recipe, vegan oat bars

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