With a buttery oatmeal crust and packed full of fresh berries, these raspberry crumble bars are a delicious summer dessert that the whole family will love. These crumble bars are gluten-free and vegetarian and make a healthy snack or dessert.
I don’t know about you, but when berries are in season I can never get my hands on enough; I walk around the farmers’ market and want to buy (and eat) all of the strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries I can find. I just love how juicy they are, how fresh they taste, and the extra rich flavor they have, it just doesn’t compare to the ones available in grocery stores all year round. So, when berry season arrives, I’m always looking for new and delicious ways to use them and that’s where this crumble bar idea came to mind. Made with an oatmeal crust and naturally sweetened with berries and honey, these raspberry crumble bars are the perfect way to celebrate fresh summer berries!
Although this recipe calls for tapioca flour or arrowroot starch to help thicken the berries (and keep them gluten-free) if you can’t find either a small spoonful of cornstarch or regular flour would work equally well. Plus, if you don’t love raspberries you could easily swap them out for strawberries, blueberries, or a combination of all three, and these little crumble bars are sure to taste just as good.

Raspberry Crumble Bars
With a flaky crust, crumble top, and packed full of natural sweetness, these gluten-free Raspberry Crumble Bars are a delicious treat that everyone will love!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
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Cook Time: 30 minutes
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Total Time: 40 minutes
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Yield: 9 servings 1x
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Category: Desserts
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Cuisine: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup almonds, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil
- 1/3 cup honey
Filling:
- 2 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or arrowroot starch or flour
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, pulse together 2 1/2 cups of the oats and all of the almonds until they are ground into a flour-like consistency.
- Once complete, transfer the oat and almond mixture to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining rolled oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and stir to combine.
- Add the cold butter and honey and use a wooden spoon or spatula to incorporate it with the oat mixture until well combined and the dough is sticky. (You can also do this with your hands if you prefer, I find it works better).
- Once complete, add two-thirds of the dough to the baking pan and use your hands to press it firmly into the bottom. Set aside.
- In a small pot on medium heat, add the raspberries, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt and honey. Use a wooden spoon to gently break up the raspberries (you can leave some chunks but you want them mostly broken down) and allow to heat gently for 3-4 minutes until raspberries become slightly liquidy.
- Once heated, add tapioca or arrowroot powder and heat for another 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture has thickened.
- Once the raspberry mixture is ready, transfer it to the baking pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly across the base, and then top it with remaining oat mixture.
- Transfer the pan to the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes until raspberry mixture is bubbling and the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing into 9 bars.
- The bars can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for a month.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 318
- Sugar: 17 grams
- Fat: 15 grams
- Carbohydrates: 41 grams
- Fiber: 6 grams
- Protein: 6 grams
Made these today and they are great. I changed up the filling using what I had so I used frozen blueberries, roasted rhubarb jam, and balsamic vinegar. Next time I think I will add a bit of molasses to the oat mixture to add a little more depth of flavour and I may sub I little white flour for some of the oats just so they’re a little less crumbley but overall a great recipe that can be tweaked to suit the baker. Thanks for sharing!
Great ideas! Thank you so much for sharing.
Made these yesterday, very tasty 🙂. Would the recipe work without the lemon zest in the filling? Thanks.
Yes, absolutely! That would be a nice touch.
Can you substitute avocado oil for the butter/coconut oil?
Unfortunately not, a solid fat is required for this recipe.