Blueberry Pie Bars
Blueberry Pie Bars — These pie bars are one of my all-time favorite frozen blueberry recipes! They have the flavors you love in a blueberry pie, but you don’t have to mess around with homemade pie crust. If desired, you can easily make these with fresh blueberries instead of frozen!
Addicting Blueberry Pie Bars
Blueberry pie is such a classic, but I’m not much of a pie-maker. I’m indifferent about pie crust and making a pie just to eat filling sounds like way too much work.
With these blueberry pie bars, there’s no crust to roll out, no mixer or rolling pin needed, and there’s an abundance of sweet blueberry filling. Now we’re talking! The pie bars have a soft yet crisp, buttery, shortbread-style crust. The crust mixture does double duty as the crumble topping. Love it when that happens so there’s one less step and one less bowl to wash.
There’s a creamy filling that tops the crust, which gives the bars a soft yet dense texture. Blueberries top the filling layer and they soften and release their juices while baking. All those juicy berries help to create extremely moist bars.
The crumbly bits on top of the bars add welcome texture and dimension to the soft filling and juicy berries. I love streusel or crumble toppings and will take crumble topping over pie crust any day. The blueberry bars are super soft and tender in the interior while the crust is firmer. The contrast of soft and firm makes you want to keep on taking bite after bite of these blue beauties.
Between the firm crust, the soft filling, the juicy blueberries, and the sandy crumbles, the bars have so many wonderful textures and flavors in every thick bite. They taste fancy enough to serve at a special event, luncheon, or brunch, yet are so homey and comforting. I’ll take a pie bar over pie any day.
What’s in These Blueberry Pie Bars?
For this easy blueberry recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Egg
- Greek yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- Blueberries
- Lemon juice
- Cornstarch
How to Make Blueberry Pie Bars
You’ll first need to make the dough for the crust and streusel topping. Set 3/4 cup of the mixture aside (that’s your topping), and press the rest of the dough into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan. Pack the dough down so there are no gaps.
Next, make the creamy filling and pour it over the crust. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the filling out evenly.
Lastly, toss together the blueberry filling and sprinkle evenly over the filling. Crumble the streusel topping over the blueberries, then bake the pie bars until the edges are bubbling vigorously. The crumble topping should be pale golden in color.
Should I Use Fresh or Frozen Blueberries?
I used frozen blueberries because they’re cheaper, readily available year-round, and went straight from freezer to mixing bowl. I always bake with frozen. If you have fresh, they’d be lovely and you’ll need to reduce the baking time.
Can I Use Other Berries in This Recipe?
Most likely, yes! I’ve had readers report success using frozen mixed berry blends in this recipe. Just remember that your bake time will vary depending on whether you use frozen or fresh berries, no matter what type you use!
Tips for Making Blueberry Pie Bars
When baking these blueberry pie bars, watch your dessert, not the clock, to determine doneness. The middle of the pie bars should just be starting to bubble up, while the edges should be bubbling a lot. The crumble topping won’t be a deep golden brown, but rather a pale golden color.
You’ll need to let these pie bars cool completely before slicing them (they can cool on your countertop, no need to store in the fridge). If you try to slice these before they’re cooled completely, they’ll fall apart and will make a huge mess.
If desired, you can freeze these bars once they’ve cooled on your countertop. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to eat the frozen bars, just place them on the counter to thaw.
More Blueberry Desserts:
- Crustless Blueberry Pie — a FAST, crustless, no-mixer dessert that’s perfect for summer entertaining, picnics, or potlucks!! Somewhere in between pie, cake, and blondies is what you get with this FABULOUS blueberry dessert recipe!
- Blueberry Bars with Crumble Topping — These bars are buttery and packed with blueberry flavor! They take just 10 minutes of prep and then go straight into the oven. So easy to make, and a crowd pleaser every time!
- Blueberry Crisp — This fruit crisp is delicious as is, but you could also serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.
- Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake – An EASY, no-mixer cake studded with juicy blueberries and topped with big buttery streusel nuggets that are just SO GOOD!! Not overly sweet and PERFECT with a cup of coffee for breakfast, brunch, or a snack!
- Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake — The cake is packed with sweet, juicy blueberries and while there’s lemon in the batter, it’s the lemon glaze that really brings out the tartly-sweet lemon flavor that complements the blueberries so well.
Blueberry Pie Bars
Ingredients
Crust and Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
Filling
- 1 large egg
- heaping 1/2 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt; or sour cream (lite is okay)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Blueberry Layer
- 12 ounces (2 cups) blueberries (fresh or frozen; I used frozen and didn’t thaw)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (or 1/2 cup if berries are sour)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside. Lining the pan will really help with cleanup and is recommended.
Make the Crust and Crumble Topping
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Add the sugars and whisk to combine.
- And the flour, optional salt, and stir to combine. Mixture will be very dry and sandy with some larger, well-formed crumble pieces.
- Set a heaping 3/4 cup crumble mixture aside.
- Transfer remaining mixture to prepared pan, and using a spatula or your fingers, hard-pack the mixture to create an even, smooth, flat crust; set aside.
Make the Filling
- In a medium bowl, add the egg, Greek yogurt, sugar, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the flour and whisk to combine.
- Evenly pour filling over the crust and jiggle pan to help distribute it or smooth it with a spatula; set aside.
Make the Blueberry Layer
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, add all filling ingredients and toss to combine. If sugar hasn’t dissolved fully or still has crystals, that’s okay because it liquifies while baking.
- Evenly distribute blueberry mixture over the filling.
- Evenly sprinkle with the reserved heaping 3/4 cup crust mixture. Before sprinkling, I squeeze the mixture in my palm to encourage bigger crumble pieces to form.
Bake the Bars
- Bake for about 60 minutes, or until edges are bubbling quite vigorously and there’s some bubbling in the center. Crumble topping should appear set and very pale golden.*
- Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 1 to 2 hours (overnight is even better) before slicing and serving. If you try to slice bars before they’ve cooled completely, they’ll be extremely messy and could fall apart. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for up to 10 days (they’re good slightly chilled if you like chilled pie), or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
*Note: I used frozen berries without thawing and the pan was very cold going into the oven. If using fresh berries, baking time will be reduced, but I’m not sure by how much, I’d guess at least 10-15 minutes, possibly less. Watch your bars, not the clock, when evaluating doneness.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340 Total Fat: 11g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 49mg Sodium: 32mg Carbohydrates: 56g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 36g Protein: 5g
Even More Frozen Blueberry Recipes:
The BEST Blueberry Muffins — These muffins are fluffy and moist thanks to the addition of sour cream in the batter. Not to mention they’re bursting with fresh blueberry flavor.
Brown Sugar Blueberry Banana Bread — Super moist blueberry banana bread made with Greek yogurt and dark brown sugar. Smear some homemade blueberry butter onto a slice of this blueberry brown sugar banana bread and prepare to fall in love!
Lightened Up Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake — Since most of us can’t afford to eat a pound of butter and a pound of sugar, this is the next best thing. This is butter-less pound cake and made using I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Spread, the Light version.
Blueberry Muffin & Buttermilk Pancakes Cake — This fast and easy cake tastes like a big buttermilk pancake that ran into a blueberry muffin on the way to the oven.
I didn’t have an 8 x 8 pan so I decided to make it in a pie pan and I put in 1 1/2 the blueberriy filling. I haven’t cut into it yet because I’m actually giving it to someone but it looks beautiful! I did end up having to cook it about 15 minutes longer.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it looks beautiful! I’m sure the person will love it!
I’ve made this twice with blueberries picked on the trail. The first time I used 2 cups and felt it wasn’t juicy enough, as wild blueberries can be so much smaller and less juicy than “regular” blueberries. The second time I used 4 cups of the wild blueberries and it was perfect! Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad the ratio of wild blueberries turned out to be great!
Literally the best dessert I have ever eaten. I can’t get enough of it. I did modify it by adding frozen cherry berry mix rather than just blueberries (cherries, blueberries, rasberries and blackberries), giving it a bit of tartness. Seriously so heavenly. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it’s literally the best dessert you’ve ever eaten!
YUM! I made these pie bars today and they are amazing. I had a bunch of frozen blueberries I needed to use up and this was the perfect recipe for them. It really does taste like pie, without all the hassle of crust-making. I still have more blueberries, so I’ll be making this again soon!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad you loved the recipe and will make it again soon!
This is a lovely recipe . Just cooked it and it looks and smells delicious. I did reduce the sugar in each section and it seems ok. Did you used heaped cups of flour as I am cooking in UK? I had to add a bit more flour to get the clumping. It’s off to our community kitchen tomorrow for the taste test! Thankyou Averie
I used a regular American cup of flour. I am not sure how that translates into other measurements. It was not a heaping cup or overfilled, it was just one standard cup.
I’m glad with even reducing the sugar that this turned out nicely for you and I hope everyone loves it!
This looks awesome, can’t wait to make it. Do you think I would need have to alter anything for the crust/crumble topping if I were to use gluten free flour? It’s all I currently have in the pantry haha!
Ooh sorry! I just read the note at the bottom. I’ll have a look at the FAQ’s :)
Just made these as I love blueberry! I’m letting them sit and wonder could I put it in the fridge for little or will this affect it negatively? Also I think I did what a previous baker did and maybe packed the crust too much? I tried a smidge and found the crust tastes good not hard but slightly chewy ish if that make sense. Any tips on that? Otherwise, the flavors are great! I also used activia vanilla yogurt as its all I had on hand and it still tastes lovely but I will try greek next time :)
Regarding the crust you are supposed to pack it so not sure. It is slightly chewy, it’s not like biting into a crisp and hard graham cracker or anything.
Fridge is fine.
I see this recipe was somewhat recently updated but I’ve been making it for about five years now and I thought it was my duty to come leave a 5 star review as I prepare to make it again. I’ve probably made 10 times and every time it’s delicious. I follow the recipe exactly using store bought blueberries. I’ve made it with both fresh and bottled lemon juice and fresh really takes it up a notch. One of the things I love about this dessert is the subtle lemon flavor. I bring it to a lot of pot lucks and stuff like that and I always get compliments. It looks so fancy when you cut it into squares so it looks like you put a lot more work into it than you actually did. Definitely a great spring/summer dessert recipe.!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that you’ve been making it for years! I didn’t update anything with the actual recipe, just some of keywords so Google has a better chance of finding it.
Glad that it’s always a hit and you always get compliments!
This recipe tastes amazing! Both times I have made it, the pastry texture is very wet and not dry or crumbly at all, but it still makes a delicious dessert.
Thanks for the 5 star review and just add a touch more flour to dry out the pastry portion, very easy solution.
One of the best desserts that I have made. Fresh bluberries were incredible.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad it was one of the best desserts you’ve made!
Made this for the first time today with my frozen blueberries picked 2 weeks ago. The recipe was super easy to make and it turned out beautifully. I’m so happy and will be sharing with my 3 grown daughters. Thanks!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad you were able to make this with berries you picked yourself!
Amazing recipe, delicious and easy to make! I doubled it and baked in a bigger pan, baked for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Bars got better the next day, I stored them in an airtight container in the fridge. I did use slightly less sugar, but otherwise great recipe! My 2 year old loved them 😀 and my friends asked for the recipe
Thanks for the five star review and glad they even got better the next day!
Made this recipe with frozen blueberries, they came out perfect and so delicious! Made them in my 9 inch square pan, Thank you for this wonderful recipe, it’s now my favourite blueberry dessert!
Thanks for the five star review and glad this is your favourite blueberry dessert!
We made these bars tonight, discovered we didn’t have blue berries and used frozen mixed berries but otherwise made zero chnages… It was so good. The texture is incredible, creamy and firm all at the same time. Dang, these are super good.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these turned out perfectly with your frozen mixed berries!
Just made these today. Thank you so much for the recipe. They taste amazing. Approved by all the family.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they are family approved!
This recipe is great. I used fresh blueberries but cooked it for the same amount of time and it was perfect. I did substitute almond for the vanilla and it was delicious.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was delicious! I love almond extract too.
These were so good! I didn’t have any yogurt or sour cream in the fridge so I made my own buttermilk with 1teaspoon white vinegar in 1/8cup 1/2 & 1/2 instead. It worked fine and wasn’t too liquidy.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad they turned out great!
This recipe sounds so easy but I’m wondering if the shortbread crust should be baked prior to putting the fillings in?
Can’t wait to try it, sounds absolutely fantanstic.
It’s meant to be baked all at once, together. Make as written for best results.
Hi Averie,
I’m dying to make this but can I double it and bake in a 9×13?
yes
I made this a couple of weeks ago, it is so good that my wife got mad at me for never having made it before, haha. Round 2 for a potluck tonight.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you’re making round two tonight!
Hey Averie! I made this tonight – delicious! I have a question on the crust – when I prepared it it was very moist and not dry as mentioned in the recipe. Tastes great but almost carmelized and hard to cut through on the bottom – should I reduce the amount of butter or do you have any suggestions? Thanks! I look forward to making this again soon
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was delicious!
It’s hard to say what exactly happened with your crust. Since the crust and the crumble topping are one in the same, I probably wouldn’t mess with it. You could try adding a tiny touch more flour next time and that will dry it out some.
Oh my goodness, this is amazing!! I added a splash of almond extract to the crust and a bit to the blueberries. It is just fabulous!!! My topping basically melted into the filling so I think I’d do 1.5 times the topping/crust recipe or reserve a heaping cup (rather than 3/4). It’s definitely not a complaint. These are so easy and so incredibly delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they turned out amazing!
Discovered your website yesterday while looking for something besides pie that I could make with frozen blueberries. After reading every one of your blueberry recipes, I settled on this. Yours are the first recipes I’ve seen that don’t require thawing first. That drew me in immediately. Even though I didn’t have aluminum foil, an 8×8 pan or Greek yogurt, I figured I could sub with parchment paper, a 9″ pie pan and full fat sour cream. I had to add 1/4 cup extra flour to get a more sandy consistency for the crust/crumble, but no biggie…it came out perfectly! And I baked at 325F because the pan is dark brown. At the 37 minute mark, the house started smelling like HEAVEN. I took it out of the oven after 70 minutes and let it cool for 4 hours. Oh, my goodness, it was FANTASTIC! Now I have a reason to go buy an 8×8 pan – just so I can try those blueberry oat bars. I’ll never bother with the hassle of a plain blueberry pie again. This is SO much easier, interesting and flavorful. Thank you BUNCHES for sharing this! I’ll be coming back to your website again and again. You are bookmarked at the very top of my list.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they turned out amazing!
And glad to hear you’ll be making more of my recipes! Keep me posted in the comments what you try!