These vegan and gluten-free blueberry crumble bars are sweet enough to be dessert but healthy enough for breakfast or a snack.They have a sweet juicy blueberry center surrounded by the perfect crumbly crust. These bars are easy to make and refined sugar-free. They can be made with fresh blueberries when in season or frozen blueberries year-round!
These irresistible vegan and gluten-free blueberry crumble bars are filled with a naturally sweetened blueberry filling that is so juicy, tart, fresh and satisfying. They are made with nutritious ingredients and are entirely plant-based.
The blueberry bars are lightly sweetened with only maple syrup making them refined sugar-free. They are also full of whole grains from the oats and plant-based protein from the almond flour. The crust has a buttery taste even though it doesn't contain any butter. It is the perfect crumbly contrast for the tangy fruity center.
Just like my blueberry crisp, I love these blueberry bars for breakfast, brunch, snacking or dessert. I somehow find ways to enjoy them whenever!
How to Make Vegan Gluten-Free Blueberry Crumble Bars
These blueberry crumble bars come together so quickly and they don't require any fancy equipment. You simply stir together the crumble ingredients (almond flour, oats, baking soda, salt, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract). Then, press ⅔ of that mixture into a baking pan.
On the stovetop you warm and mash the blueberries and stir in maple syrup, arrowroot starch (to thicken it) and a pinch of salt (to bring out the flavors). Once the blueberry filling is juicy and thick you pour it overtop the oat almond flour crust.
Then, crumble the remaining oat almond flour mixture overtop. Bake it for 28 minutes and then let it chill in the freezer so it is easy to slice. That's it! Not too bad right? Just some stirring and easy layering. And yet they are super impressive.
If you love these vegan gluten-free blueberry crumble bars:
Try my blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, blueberry cobbler, blueberry galette, blueberry compote or lemon blueberry muffins next!
Happy baking!
@eatingbyelaine When I bake in the summer, it is ALWAYS these blueberry crumble bars #blueberryrecipes #easyrecipes #foodtiktok #veganfoodie #glutenfreerecipes ♬ original sound - eatingbyelaine
Vegan Gluten-Free Blueberry Crumble Bars (refined sugar-free)
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These vegan and gluten-free blueberry crumble bars are sweet enough to be dessert but healthy enough for breakfast or a snack. They have a sweet juicy blueberry center surrounded by the perfect crumbly crust. These bars are easy to make and refined sugar-free. They can be made with fresh blueberries when in season or frozen blueberries year-round!
Ingredients
For the crust/crumble:
- 1.5 cups super-fine blanched almond flour
- 1.5 cups quick cooking gluten-free rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup melted unrefined coconut oil
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the blueberry filling:
- 2.5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1.5 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare the crust/crumble: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla and stir until well combined.
- Transfer ⅔ of the mixture to the parchment paper-lined baking pan. Place another piece of parchment paper overtop and use the bottom of a glass to press down into one even layer that coats the entire bottom of the pan. Place the remaining ⅓ of the mixture in the refrigerator (this will be the crumble topping).
- Prepare the filling: Add fresh or frozen blueberries to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Use a potato masher or fork to mash the blueberries (you can leave some whole for texture). Stir in the maple syrup, arrowroot powder and salt. Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer on low heat for 5-7 minutes until it thickens. Pour the mixture overtop the crust and use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread into an even layer. Then, use your fingers to sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture overtop the blueberry layer.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes until the crumble is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to fully cool. I highly recommend placing the pan in your freezer to speed up the process (this also makes slicing easier and less messy). When ready to enjoy remove from the freezer, slice into 16 bars with a sharp knife and serve at room temperature. Store fully cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or the freezer for up to two months.
Notes
Let the blueberry crumble bars cool completely before slicing them (otherwise the filling will ooze out).
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: Dessert or Snack
- Method: Stovetop and Oven Baked
This recipe is adapted from Ambitious Kitchen's Blueberry Pie Crumble Bars. I wanted to create a recipe similar to this but refined sugar-free, butter-free and using as few ingredients as possible.
Bridget K says
These are incredibly easy to make and so, so delicious. I had to substitute arrowroot starch with cornstarch because I didn't have any, and still great. They are perfect for spring and just the right amount of sweetness. Will definitely be making again!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Bridget! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them so much! And, yes, cornstarch is a perfect substitute for arrowroot starch. I'm just allergic to corn, personally. So happy you plan to make again this spring! 🙂
Twinkle Doshi says
Another hit recipe and a keeper! Finally made these last week to send a sweet snack item in school lunch box. Such a delicious treat for my little one and both of us at home. Was easy to make, clean ingredients, refined sugar free makes it guilt free indulgence :)!!!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Twinkle! What a fun school treat! So happy you all enjoyed! Thank you so much for the five star review. Best, Elaine
Karen says
Very good & easy to make! The hard part is waiting to eat it.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Karen! I'm so happy you enjoyed them so much. I agree - that is for sure the hardest part! 🙂
Abby says
These were so easy to make and taste sooo good! I imagine you could use this recipe with any fruit! I will definitely be making this again!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much for letting me know, Abby! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them! We had them this weekend too! I'm hoping to use this recipe as a base for an apple crumble bar recipe for fall actually - so funny you should say that! 🙂
Eugenia says
Hi, is there a good gluten free substitute for oats (don’t like them)? Thank you !
Elaine Gordon says
Hi Eugenia: Unfortunately for this recipe I would have to say no. Oats have such a unique texture and absorb different than other flours. If you do use another flour you would need to adjust the wet ingredient to dry ingredient ratio. I do have recipes on the site that are paleo and do not use oats or oat flour. If you go to the recipe index page you can filter by paleo and desserts and find some other options. I would recommend my paleo lemon bars: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/vegan-gluten-free-lemon-bars-refined-sugar-free/ - I hope that helps! Best, Elaine
Reagan says
I love your recipes!!! I have made many of them and so appreciate your creativity and healthy approach. I am GF, DF and have to limit eggs. I also am having trouble with oats though. ? Any substitutions you would recommend?
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Reagan! I'm so happy to hear my recipes have been helpful. The oats in this recipe are key for flavor and texture. They help bind things together without the egg. Typically when I do a vegan + paleo recipe I use almond flour with arrowroot flour to help with the binding and texture. But I would have to test it out before telling you the proportions. I wish I could tell you an easy swap for the oats but they are a big part of this particular recipe. Vegan and gluten-free baking is tricky so it is important to follow recipes closely otherwise I cannot guarantee the results for you. I do have a recipe section on my site for all Paleo recipes (and all recipes on my site are also vegan so if you filter dessert recipes + paleo recipes on this page you can find an oat-free dessert: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/recipes/
My vegan cupcakes are fairly new on the site and free of oats: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/best-vegan-paleo-vanilla-cupcakes/
If you are looking for a fruity vegan + paleo dessert you could try these thumbprint cookies: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/vegan-and-paleo-raspberry-thumbprint-cookies/ or these lemon bars: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/vegan-gluten-free-lemon-bars-refined-sugar-free/ or this blueberry galette: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/vegan-grain-free-blueberry-galette-gluten-free-and-refined-sugar-free/
I hope this helps - please let me know!
Grace Naughton says
I never review recipes, but this was really REALLY good. And super simple to make. Along with the vanilla extract I added just a tad over a 1/4 tsp of almond extract.... sooo so good.
I also used cornstarch instead of arrowroot (it was just what I had in the pantry).
Grace N says
I never review recipes, but this was really REALLY good. And super simple to make. Along with the vanilla extract I added just a tad over a 1/4 tsp of almond extract…. sooo so good.
I also used cornstarch instead of arrowroot (it was just what I had in the pantry).
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Grace! I so appreciate your review and five star rating as well! I'm so happy to hear how much you enjoyed this recipe. I agree it is super simple to make! Glad you found it and love your addition of the almond extract - one of my favorite sweet flavor additions! And yes, cornstarch totally works in place of arrowroot... I'm just allergic to corn personally 🙂 Best, Elaine
Josephine says
I used this recipe and subbed blueberries for huckleberries. I added an extra tablespoon of maple syrup. It was absolutely delicious!
Definitely keeping this recipe around and continuing to place with the berries.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Josephine! I bet those huckleberries were delicious in this recipe! They are a bit tarter than blueberries so I'm glad you thought to add the extra maple syrup... smart move! You can also use maple sugar if they get too liquidy by adding the extra. Just a thought! Can't wait to hear what other berries you try with this one! Best, Elaine
Karen says
I cannot have coconut products. Is there anything I can substitute for the coconut oil?
Elaine Gordon says
Hi, Karen: Any fat that is solid at room temperature should work. Vegan butter for example! Pls LMK if you give that a try and how it turns out for you. Thanks, Elaine
Karen says
I used ghee in place of the coconut oil and they were terrific!! I took them to the school where I teach for a potluck day and everyone kept complimenting how yummy they were. Not many of them follow a “clean” diet so they were surprised they tasted so good AND were healthy! Thank you!!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much for letting me know, Karen! I'm so happy to hear they were a hit all around! Best, Elaine
Jeannette says
This was very good. I have always used King Arthur’s Gluten Free All Purpose flour for almost everything. I have never even eaten anything with almond flour! My intention was to make these for some gluten free/dairy free/low sugar friends at a get together, but I made them for me to see how they tasted first. I’m glad I did! Thank you!! The only change I made was to use sugar free raspberry preserves. I like them from the fridge and to drink hot chocolate or hot tea with them.
Thank you again.
Jeannette says
I mean the raspberry preserves was the filling!!
Elaine Gordon says
Gotcha!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Jeannette! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this one and made it your own 🙂 Best, Elaine
Reanna K. says
Cheese and rice these are REALLY REALLY GOOD! super simple to make, I added honey and went the cornstarch route.otherwise, followed to a tee. I DEFINITELY will be making these again but using X2 or X3 because these are going to be gone.. SO FAST!!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Reanna! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them so much and plan to make again in larger quantities! Thank you for the five star review! Best, Elaine
April says
I just found your site as I was looking for a blueberry recipe. These bars were very good!! The only changes I made were I used old fashioned oats which I pulsed in blender a little and I added a bit of lemon juice to the blueberries. I love that there’s no refined sugar and the use of almond flour. I’m wondering about adding chopped walnuts to the topping crumble next time. My son loved them too. Thank you!
Elaine Gordon says
Hi, April! Thank you so much for this sweet review. I'm so happy to hear you found my site and that you and your son enjoyed this recipe. Your additions sound great! Chopped walnuts could be fun for sure! All the best, Elaine
Brooke says
One of the best sweet treats I have ever had! So easy to make. Trying it again with mixed berries!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Brooke! I really appreciate that! If you get a chance, could you please give this a five star review? I hope you lvoe it with the mixed berries too - sounds delicious! Thank you, Elaine
Ingrid says
Can I use vegan butter in place of coconut oil? Ty!! 🙂
Elaine Gordon says
Hi Ingrid: Great question - yes you can! Hope you enjoy these! Best, Elaine