Amazingly easy and delicious, these Blueberry Crumble Bars are the perfect amount of buttery crumble and sweet filling and are easily prepared year-round with fresh or frozen blueberries.
Buttery toppings and sweet pie fillings are a favorite dessert here at The Forked Spoon, including Easy Lemon Bars, Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Honey Butter Biscuits, and Blackberry and Blueberry Galette with Rosemary.
I keep going back and forth on how to properly start a post for the most amazing Blueberry Crumble Bars you will ever make in your whole life. Do I start with small talk first? Or just start talking about the food?
Since most (translation- all) of you are here for the food, let’s start there.
And with the basics.
Ingredients in these Easy Blueberry Crumb Bars
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- All-purpose flour
- Cold butter
- Eggs
- Lemons- juice, and zest
- BLUEBERRIES
- Cornstarch
Definitely not diet food, but that’s ok. I mean, we’re not here for diet food today.
As far as flour goes, I used all-purpose flour. It’s like the white bread of flours and my personal preference for this particular recipe. That said, I suspect that these blueberry crumble bars would taste fantastic if you mixed the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour or almond flour.
Fresh or Frozen Blueberries?
I have two answers to this question-
- If you want the best, fresh, ripe blueberry flavor, then fresh in-season blueberries are ideal. You can’t gauge taste and ripeness when you purchase frozen blueberries. That said, it’s not always berry season.
- Cost. Big, beautiful, ripe, in-season berries are expensive. So, unless they grow wild in your backyard, making a single sheet of Blueberry Crumble Bars or a couple of blueberry pies is expensive. For me, a person who already spends way too much on groceries, I am willing to compromise a teeny bit of flavor and use frozen berries.
So just in case you didn’t catch that, these Blueberry Crumble Bars shown here are made with frozen blueberries.
Why these Blueberry Crumble Bars are so Fantastic
- They are, quite honestly, the easiest thing you will ever make.
- They are super versatile. Meaning what exactly? If you don’t have blueberries, use what you’ve got on hand or whatever’s in season.
- Blueberry crumb bars are easy to store and transport, which makes them the perfect party or potluck treat!
- There is no need for fancy equipment when making these blueberry pie bars.
- Which reminds me…pie is a thing of the past thanks to these beauties.
If you do plan to share your beautiful blueberry crumb bars with friends and family and you plan to get all prepped and ready ahead of time, I HIGHLY recommend hiding them from everyone in your house. Actually, in the case of these bars, it’s just better to triple the recipe because unless you hate delicious blueberry pie, there is no way you’ll be able to keep these from even yourself.
And I know this because this happened to me.
Usually, it’s the husband’s fault when treats go missing, but in the case of these sweet and buttery bars, well… that was all me.
Equipment needed to make these Easy Blueberry Crumb Bars
Are you ready for this super long list?
- Mixing bowls
- Parchment paper
- A 9×13-inch pan. I used this 9 x 13-inch pan and love love love it. Yes, the glue is a pain in the you-know-what to remove, but it does eventually come off.
If you love these bars, you may also enjoy
Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze
>FIND MORE DESSERT RECIPES HERE<<
RECIPE CARD
Blueberry Crumble Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter - (2 sticks)
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 lemons zested
- 2 lemons juiced
- 5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- ½ cup white sugar
- 4 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan (I also lined my pan with parchment paper for easy transfer and cutting).
- In a large bowl, mix together the 3 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Using a large fork or pastry cutter, blend the butter and egg into the flour (you could also do this is a food processor, but be careful to slowly pulse until just incorporated). The dough will be very crumbly. Transfer half the dough to your prepared pan and pat firmly until crust is uniform.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Mix in the blueberries. Transfer the blueberry mixture over the top of the prepared crust. Finally, crumble remaining dough over the top of the berry layer.
- Bake in preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Remove from the oven and allow bars to cool completely before cutting into squares, or, better yet, store in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving (it makes slicing a breeze and, in my opinion, they are best cold).
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
What substitutes/subtractions/additions would you make for high altitude baking? Struggling here in the mountains…
Baking at high altitudes can be challenging due to the lower air pressure, which affects how ingredients interact and how baked goods rise. Here are some adjustments you can make to your blueberry crumble bars recipe to improve your results:
Substitutes/Subtractions/Additions for High Altitude Baking:
1. Flour: Increase the amount of flour by 1-2 tablespoons to provide more structure and prevent the bars from being too crumbly.
2. Leavening Agents: Reduce the baking powder or baking soda by 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. At high altitudes, leavening agents work more quickly, so reducing the amount can prevent the bars from over-rising and then collapsing.
3. Sugar: Decrease the sugar by 1-2 tablespoons. Sugar tends to become more concentrated at high altitudes, which can affect the texture and consistency of the bars.
4. Liquid: Increase the liquid (such as milk or water) by 1-2 tablespoons to help keep the bars moist. This can counteract the drying effect of high altitude.
5. Oven Temperature: Increase the oven temperature by 15-25°F (about 10-15°C). This can help set the structure of the bars more quickly, preventing them from over-expanding and collapsing.
6. Baking Time: Decrease the baking time slightly. Because the oven temperature is higher, the bars may bake faster, so start checking for doneness a few minutes earlier than the recipe suggests.
These adjustments should help you achieve better results with your blueberry crumble bars at high altitude.
These came out great. I received many compliments. Do you think I can make this worth strawberries too? Would I also use lemon and zest etc?
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the blueberry crumble bars! You can definitely make them with strawberries too. Strawberries work well with the same recipe, including the lemon juice and zest. The lemon adds a nice brightness that complements the sweetness of the strawberries, just like it does with the blueberries. Just be sure to slice the strawberries into smaller pieces to ensure they cook evenly and release the right amount of juice. Enjoy your strawberry crumble bars!
Just wondering bc the recipe card calls for 1 cup sugar & the recipe says to use 1 cup in the dry ingredients & 1/2 cup w the blueberry mix. Do I need 1 or 1.5 cups sugar for this recipe??
Never mind! I see the additional 1/2 cup on the recipe card. Oops! My bad 😅
Everyone LOVED these bars! Thanks so much for another great recipe. FYI – as for the glue from the label sticking to bottom of pan, I use GOO-BE-GONE — SPRAY A LITTLE ON THE SURFACE, LET IT SINK IN FOR A FEW MINUTES. Wipe clean & wash pan thoroughly.
I appreciate your rating and advise, Frannie 🙂
When using frozen berries, should I thaw and drain excess liquid first??
It is not necessary to thaw them first 🙂
Nice and tangy and not too sweet!
Thanks for the feedback and rating, Dee 😀
Can stevia sugar be used instead? Would love to try as a friend is a diabetic.
I have not tried that substitute, but I don’t see why not 🙂
Did you make this? I’m interested in using stevia sugar as an alternative?
Where are the measurements? Just says what goes in, not amount
Please see the blueberry Crumble Bar Recipe Card aboeve 🙂
Can you use tender flake instead of butter?
I have never tried tender flake, and looking it up it appears to be Canadian, so I am not quite sure how it will turn out to be honest.
No! Tenderflake is lard very different from butter I’m 🇨🇦
I have made blueberry bars numerous times using this recipe.
Fabulous! Yummy bars!
Everyone loves them.
Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for coming 😀
Absolutely delicious! My husband kept coming back for more 😊
Can you freeze these?
After your blueberry crumble bars have completely cooled, cut them into individual servings. Wrap each bar tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Place these wrapped bars in a freezer-safe bag or container, removing as much air as possible. Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months, and thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving 🙂
Hi there!
Could I half the recipe and bake in a 9 x 9 Pyrex baking dish? This recipe looks delicious!
Thank you,
Marg
While I have not personally tried this, I believe this blueberry crumble recipe that was originally for a 9×13 inch pan can be halved and baked in a 9×9 inch pan. However, it’s important to note that the baking time may slightly vary as the crumble might be a bit thicker in the smaller pan. You should always check for doneness according to the recipe instructions, like a golden-brown topping or bubbling fruit at the edges, before removing it from the oven.
Thank you so much for replying to my question. I have the blueberries but not 5 cups worth and it’s just me and my husband. I’ll let you know how it turns out! : D
Very easy and very good! I didn’t have any fresh lemons on hand so I used 2 tbsp. of lemon juice instead. It wasn’t too sweet and I let it cool in the refrigerator before cutting. It set up thick and was easy to cut. I used parchment paper in my 13×9 pan. Many recipes use a 8×8 pan. I like that this one used a 9×13 pan. Used the 5 cups of blueberries and it came out perfect. Thanks for a great reciepe!!
Thanks for the great review and rating, Linda 🙂
I made this for 14 hungry folks on a river trip. I baked it in an aluminum pan with parchment paper for easy cutting. It fit perfectly in my cooler. We had it for dessert and then breakfast the next morning. We devoured it! Everyone loved that it wasn’t too sweet with just the right amount of lemon. Thank you!
I am glad it worked out so well on your river trip, Karen 😀
Would it be okay to omit the citrus if you can’t eat it?
It should be fine to omit the citrus 🙂