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!
Best Ever Blueberry Dessert Recipe
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!
What’s 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
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!
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.
Can I Double This Recipe?
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.
Can I Make These Bars Gluten-Free?
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Blueberry Dessert Recipes:
ALL OF MY FROZEN BLUEBERRY 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!
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 Cake — This fast and easy cake tastes like a big buttermilk pancake that ran into a blueberry muffin on the way to the oven.
Reposted July 13, 2019 and reposted May 13, 2022 with updated text.
Could you make this with fresh strawberries
I’m sure it could although I haven’t personally tried.
So impressed with this !!!!! My son who haaaaaaates bluberries just devoured this and honestly i wasnt sure mine would turn out …substitude reg strawberry yogurt and tapico instead of cornstarch and to my surprise it worked amazing and was glorious!!!
So glad it worked and that you impressed your bb hating son! I impressed my mother with this dessert and that’s not easy to do either :)
Hi — do you think this would work without the filling, just the blueberries?
Hmmm hard to say. If you want to make something without a filling I would suggest https://www.averiecooks.com/blueberry-oatmeal-crumble-bars/
no baking soda or powder for the crust?
Correct, there’s neither.
Hi, I made these bars a few days ago. I used fresh blueberries and I think that’s why the bars didn’t turn out as “moist” as yours, because you used frozen blueberries instead. I didn’t really like the bottom crust, it was very hard – something I am not a big fan of. However, the flavor of these bars was outstanding. I just wished there was a “softer” bottom crust recipe.
I have never had these turn out anything other than very juicy and the crust isn’t too hard at all. Berries vary in their juiciness as do ovens, climates, etc. I would suggest reducing the baking time by 5 mins or so based on what you wrote. Glad you loved the flavor overall.
Just made the blueberry pie bars for my husband and he loved them! I’m not a fan of blueberries. Do you think I could use frozen peaches?
Glad your husband loved them! I would use fresh peaches rather than frozen if possible but I think either will work.
I made this today with fresh blackberries, which I do not like, but my family loves. I just tried it and it is delicious, even though it has blackberries!!! Thank you for an awesome recipe
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed it – even with a fruit you’re not particularly fond of! That’s quite a testament to the recipe :)
Hi! Has anyone ever tried to double this recipe and make in a 9 x 13? Would you have to bake longer than 60 minutes? I’ve tried the original recipe and is very delicious! Now have to make for a larger croud.
Thank you!!!
Generally when you double a recipe, you don’t necessarily need to add much time to the baking overall, but it can vary. I would just keep an eye on things and bake until it’s done.
Made your blueberry pie bars. Delicious! So easy! Next time I would bake only 50 minutes. Definitely a keeper.
All ovens (and the juiciness level of the berries) vary, so yes bake until it’s done in your situation. Glad you loved the bars and that it’s a keeper!
Just made these! Tweaked the recipe a bit though, didn’t have sour cream or yoghurt so I used cream cheese (about 5oz, omitted the flour), baked it in a 9×13 so I 1.5x the crust and eyeballed the amount of filling and blueberries needed, I also added some oats into the crumble, they turned out great! Thanks!
Glad your tweaks worked and that you loved the bars!
I can I tell you how grateful I am for this recipe. I have used it over the last two years for all kinds of events. Backyard barbecues and picnics as Well as formal high tea event. Mostly For my friends. I have done many different variations…. like making more crumble (or adding oats and coconut) and adding different fruits like mulberries, but I always come back to the same recipe. I have seven children and cannot thank you for the ease of this recipe. I basically use one bowl and stir each step accordingly. I wish I could post pics, but you get the idea. A HUUUUUGE THANK YOU!!!!! You have brought many smiles too many people.
Thanks for the glowing feedback and so glad this recipe is an ultimate hit for you! And kudos to you for being a mom of 7!!
Hi Averie – I made these pie bars last week and they were a huge success, so I made them again today for superbowl sunday. This time I added a 1/2 tsp of almond extract to the crust, which added a nice flavor. I also tried your blueberry crumble bars last week. These pie bars are definitely more sweet dessert-y as you mentioned, and they were my family’s favorite between the two. Needless to say we wiped out our stock of frozen blueberries! Thanks for the delicious and unique recipes! Love your site!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And also for trying the crumble version. These are definitely more dessert-ey and nice to know which ones you preferred.
Hi, Averie! I put the bars in 25 minutes ago, and I’ve noticed the crumble topping has started to sink into the blueberry mixture. I’ve made these before, but this has never happened. There are a few “nibs” of topping but it looks like the rest have sunk ?. I used a slightly bigger pan, so I felt as I needed more blueberry. Last time, I used this same pan and used the same amount of ingredients as this time. Could you please determine where I went wrong? Thanks.
Hard for me to say since I wasn’t in the kitchen with you but maybe these blueberries are extra juicy and are ‘soaking up’ the majority of the crumble topping? Since you’ve made it before successfully I would just say this is a fluke and I’m sure things will be back to normal next time. When baking with fruit, there are always extra variables.
Thank you so much! I’m so sorry, but I have one more thing ?. Instead of cooling them room temperature, can I use the fridge?
For years I have looked for the perfect dessert. And for years I have shoved blueberry pie down my throat saying, “There has to be a better way!” Found it! Thanks so much, Averie! I’m horrible at making crust; it either cooks or it doesn’t. And when it DOES cook, I never get that perfect crust. Sigh. Happy New Years!
Kathryn
I too am not a pie crust maker. I’d rather make anything else! Glad these are the perfect dessert for you!
Your recipes are killing me! These bars are perfection. I made a batch a couple of weeks ago and froze them. Each night, I’d pull out four bars just to keep us from inhaling the entire batch in one sitting. They’re so good, with that irresistible combo of crunchy crumble topping and sweet, gooey filling. Love the idea of using frozen fruit so we can enjoy these year-round. Thanks for another winner, Averie!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Great idea to freeze the portion you don’t need all at once…I do that too! :)
i made these blueberry bars and while they were tasty they were VERY sweet. I would most likely cut the sugar way back next time I made them. After eating just one bar I have a raging headache and needed to brush my teeth right away.
I’ll probably only put a tablespoon of sugar in the filling since there is already a lot of sweetener in the crust and blueberries.
Thanks for trying the recipe and yes, they are a dessert and are sweet. If you’re looking for a blueberry bar that’s less sweet and more breakfasty rather than desserty, try these which are less sweet https://www.averiecooks.com/2015/02/blueberry-oatmeal-crumble-bars.html Everyone has different tastes and fruit can vary dramatically in it’s natural sweetness, too. You maybe also got lucky with extra sweet blueberries!