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 this blueberry dessert with fresh blueberries instead of frozen!
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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 blueberry 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!
Ingredients in These Blueberry Pie Bars
For this easy blueberry dessert recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Egg
- Greek yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- Blueberries
- Lemon juice
- Cornstarch
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Blueberry Pie Bars
This is one of my all-time favorite blueberry dessert recipes, not only because it’s delicious but because it’s so easy too! Here’s how the blueberry pie bars are made:
- Make the dough for the crust and streusel topping: Set 3/4 cup of the mixture aside (that’s your topping).
- 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.
- Make the creamy filling: Then, pour it over the crust. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the filling out evenly.
- Make the blueberry filling: 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.
Recipe FAQs
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.
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!
Mostly likely, yes! Simply double the ingredients and bake in a 9×13-inch baking dish. You may need to bake the bars for slightly longer if using a larger pan.
It is hard to say since I have never made this specific blueberry dessert with gluten-free flour, so I cannot comment on results based on my personal experience. I have only made it as written.
Recipe Substitutions to Try
If you’ve never made this blueberry dessert recipe before, I suggest making it exactly as written before you start adjusting the ingredients.
However, if you’re one of the many readers who make these bars summer after summer, feel free to experiment with one of the following ingredient swaps:
- Flour: I’ve only made this recipe as written, but I’ve had readers report success using Gluten-Free 1 for 1 flour.
- Sugar: If your berries are super sweet, you’re likely fine to scale back the sugar in the fillings to 1/4 each.
- Greek yogurt: Use plain or vanilla Greek yogurt. Or, use sour cream. Do NOT use regular yogurt.
- Blueberries: Fresh or frozen will work. Or, use another berry altogether.
Tips for Making Blueberry Pie Bars
Bake time: 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.
Cooling time: 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.
To freeze: 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.
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Blueberry Pie Bars
Ingredients
Crust and Crumble Topping
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ 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
- ⅓ 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)
- ⅓ 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.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Blueberry Dessert Recipes:
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!
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!
Blueberry Zucchini Bread — 🫐🙌🏻😋🍞This blueberry zucchini bread is a quick, no-mixer recipe that’s sweet, but not too sweet. Each bite is bursting with fresh blueberries! This is a fan favorite EVERY summer! Especially when the markets or your garden is overflowing with zucchini!
Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake — A light and tender blueberry sponge cake stuffed with tangy-sweet cream cheese filling and bursting with juicy blueberries in every bite! An EASY, no-mixer cake recipe that’s sure to be a family FAVORITE!!
Reposted July 13, 2019 and reposted May 13, 2022 with updated text.
These are wonderful and I think would be great with raspberries or blackberries. To cut the sweetness I only used 1/4 c. of sugar in the filling and 1/4 c. in the berry layer. Also, I used plain Greek yogurt – with no sugar added (unlike vanilla yogurt) that helped cut the sweet too. Lastly, my berries were thawed an quickly drained (a little juice left) and I felt like that gave the bars just enough juice, but not enough to make them runny. They hold together nicely.
Thanks for the five star review and yes they are great with raspberries and blackberries, I’ve done those combos with great success.
I am glad that the reduced sugar as well as plain Greek yogurt worked just fine.
Thanks for sharing how much you drained the juice, some but not bone dry, for the perfect amount of juiciness in the finished bars!
I have made these bars 4 times this summer and they have come out great each time. I found a way to make it more “diet friendly” by cutting all the sugar in half for each layer and it still tasted great! Also used 4 teaspoon of four instead of cornstarch since I didn’t have on hand. Used frozen wild Maine blueberry’s and it tasted just as good a fresh! Thank you!
I have made these bars 4 times this summer and they have come out great each time. I found a way to make it more “diet friendly” by cutting all the sugar in half for each layer and it still tasted great! Also used 4 teaspoon of four instead of cornstarch since I didn’t have on hand. Used frozen wild Maine blueberry’s and it tasted just as good a fresh! Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that cutting the sugar in half for each layer works great as well as the frozen berries!
I made the blueberry bars gluten free and monk fruit for sugar really good I also used 1 &1/2 cup frozen berries and 1/2 cup fresh baking time was the same. Thanks I always like your recipes.
I made the blueberry bars gluten free and monk fruit for sugar really good I also used 1 &1/2 cup frozen berries and 1/2 cup fresh baking time was the same. Thanks I always like your recipes.
Thanks for the 5 star review and great to hear that it worked well going GF and with alternate sugar as well as with half fresh and frozen!
Excellent! I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour and it turned out beautifully — everyone enjoyed it.
I also reduced the sugar by about 1/4 cup for each layer (crust, filling, berries) and it was still plenty sweet enough.
Thanks for a keeper, Averie!
Excellent! I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour and it turned out beautifully — everyone enjoyed it.
I also reduced the sugar by about 1/4 cup for each layer (crust, filling, berries) and it was still plenty sweet enough.
Thanks for a keeper, Averie!
Thank you for the 5 star review and glad that this worked great with Bob’s 1:1 GF flour. And that you were able to cut the sugar back on all 3 layers by a bit. Great to hear!
I made these yesterday and they are delilcious. Much tastier than regular pie. Will make again and thanks for the recipe.
My dad gave me some fresh berries he grew and it was the perfect amount for this recipe… after having stuffed a handful in my mouth that is. Great recipe! Easy to make, turns out great. I can see myself using this as a base for experimentation in the future. I accidentally cooked it for the longer frozen berry time and it turned out perfectly, btw.
My dad gave me some fresh berries he grew and it was the perfect amount for this recipe… after having stuffed a handful in my mouth that is. Great recipe! Easy to make, turns out great. I can see myself using this as a base for experimentation in the future. I accidentally cooked it for the longer frozen berry time and it turned out perfectly, btw.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this recipe was perfect for your berries and that you can see experimenting with it more in the future, too!
great
An excellent recipe. I seem never to be able to make enough of this pie. A hit in parties. Easy to make.
Thank you very much for this recipe.
It is a keeper.
These look amazing!! We live in Maine and have free wild berry fields to pick from. My husband and I foraged our first round ever last week and have been looking for a recipe. If these work out for us it will be fun to freeze some and later remember our adventure!
Question: I don’t have Greek yogurt or sour cream in my fridge, but I do have plain, regular yogurt. I imagine that would be a lot more liquidy? Any advice or insight? I also do have cream cheese, but… 🤷🏻♀️
To get the right consistency you really do want a thicker yogurt like Greek yogurt or sour cream. I would not start trying to experiment with cream cheese and cutting it with regular yogurt, it may work, but it may not, and cream cheese when baked has a totally different finished texture than the other two aforementioned ingredients. Bottom line, make as written for best results.
How amazing that you have access to free wild blueberries, what a dream! Enjoy them!
I used unsweetened Greek yogurt. It was so we’ll received at my potluck, I’m bringing it to the next one too!
I used unsweetened Greek yogurt. It was so we’ll received at my potluck, I’m bringing it to the next one too!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that this was so well-received that you’ll be bringing it…again! Wonderful to hear!
I have made this recipe three times this week, with fresh blueberries, I have given out to the neighbors, to my own family and all I get are raves! This is a keeper, and so easy. Thank you, I followed the recipe exactly using fresh berries.