Berry Crumble Bars
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Aug. 15, 2024
These Berry Crumble Bars are bursting with all the goodness of fresh berries and zesty lemons. They’re perfect for serving crowds and couldn’t be easier to make!
In This Article
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Why This Recipe Stands Out
Here’s why Berry Crumble Bars are one of our go-to Dessert Bar Recipes to serve friends and family in the summer:
- Fresh Berries: These bars are a great way to put freshly picked berries to use – one of our many mouthwatering summer berry recipes.
- Easy to Make: We make both the crust and crumble topping from the same mixture, meaning easier assembling and cleanup.
- Perfect for Crowds: This recipe makes 15 servings, but you can even cut crumble bars into cute, little bite-sized squares to serve twice as many.
- Make-Ahead: Berry Crumble Bars can easily be made the night before and chilled for a super easy make ahead treat.
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – Salted butter gives the crust and crumble topping that irresistible buttery flavor.
- Lemon Zest – We add lemon zest to both the crust mixture and the filling for a burst of citrus flavor that brings out the freshness of the berries.
- Lemon Juice – Lemon juice’s sourness balances the sweetness of the filling ingredients.
- Eggs – Eggs bind all the ingredients together so our bars don’t fall apart.
- Sugar – Simple granulated sugar sweetens these bars perfectly without overpowering the freshness of the berries and citrus.
- Greek Yogurt – We use yogurt to get a creamy, soft filling. It also balances the sweeter ingredients perfectly..
- Berries – We like using a mix of blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries for our bars, but any combination works amazing here.
Substitutions And Variations
Here are some of our favorite variations and additions to Berry Crumble Bars:
- Switch the Fruit: Try swapping the fruit you use in this recipe. Add fresh, juicy peaches like we do in our recipe for Peach Blueberry Crumb Bars. If you’re making these in the fall, try swapping the berries for apples and adding some spices like these Winning Apple Pie Bars.
- Choose one Berry: Instead of using mixed berries, single in on your favorite berry or whatever you have on hand like we do with these irresistibly Easy Blueberry Bars.
- Add Toppings: For a truly sensational dessert, serve Berry Crumble Bars with a scoop of Creamy Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and a dollop of Stabilized Whipped Cream.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and lemon zest. Add cold, cubed butter into food processor and pulse until crumbly.
- Set aside half of the mixture for the topping and press the other half into the greased baking dish.
- Bake crust at 350F for 15 minutes until golden. Let cool.
- In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, yogurt, flour, salt, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Gently fold berries into yogurt mixture; pour over baked crust.
- Sprinkle crumble topping over berry mixture and bake at 350F for 75 to 90 minutes. Let cool completely and chill in the fridge before serving. Enjoy!
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
These dessert bars make for a great meal prep breakfast, dessert, or snack. Here are our favorite prep-ahead tricks:
- Make Crust in Advance: The crust/crumble for this recipe can be made 2-3 days in advance, wrapped in plastic, and stored in the fridge. You can also freeze it for months before baking.
- Refrigerate Bars: Like we said, these bars are best enjoyed after they’ve chilled overnight in the fridge. They’ll stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze Bars: Fully cooked Berry Crumble Bars freeze wonderfully. Thaw frozen bars in the fridge overnight.
Commonly Asked Questions
Can I use frozen berries for this recipe?
Yes! You can definitely use frozen berries for this recipe. Do not thaw before using. Baking time will be longer when using frozen berries.
Can I make Berry Crumble Bars gluten free?
Although we haven’t tried making these gluten-free, we think it would work just fine if you substitute the all purpose flour for 1:1 gluten-free all purpose flour. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
How can I tell when my Berry Crumble Bars are done?
You’ll be able to tell your bars are done when the top turns golden and they set. They won’t be completely set until they cool, but the top should be almost firm to the touch.
Why aren’t my bars setting even after they’re cooled?
There could be a few reasons your bars may not be setting after cooling. You may have under baked them. Make sure they’re mostly firm to the touch before removing from the oven. Also, if you’re using frozen berries, you may need to add extra flour or a tablespoon of cornstarch to the mixture to soak up extra moisture from the berries.
Did you make this?
Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!
Berry Crumble Bars
These Berry Crumble Bars are bursting with all the goodness of fresh berries and zesty lemons. They're perfect for serving crowds and couldn't be easier to make!
Ingredients
For the Crust and Topping
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup white sugar
- Zest of one large lemon
- 1 ½ cups salted butter, cold
For the Filling
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ⅛ tsp salt
- Juice of one large lemon
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 30 oz any mixture of fresh blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Generously grease a 9×13 pan along bottom and sides. Set aside.
- In bowl of a food processor, lightly pulse together the flour, sugar, and lemon zest just until blended.
- Cut cold butter into slices and add to bowl. With a few short pulses, cut the butter into flour mixture just until mixture is crumbly. Small bits of butter remaining is fine. Alternatively, you can use a pastry cutter if you don't have a food processor. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the flour/butter mixture for the topping.
- Pour the rest of the flour mixture into bottom of prepared baking pan. Press firmly for an even layer of crust on bottom of pan. It's easy to press evenly with the flat bottom of a water glass or ramekin.
- Bake crust about 15 minutes or until golden. Remove baked crust from oven, but keep oven on.
- Combine eggs, sugar, Greek yogurt, flour, salt, lemon juice, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Carefully fold in the berries with rubber spatula. Gently spread filling over the baked crust. Sprinkle reserved topping over the filling, to make an even layer of crumble topping.
- Bake about 75 min to 90 min or until topping turns golden and bars are set. Cool completely at room temp before putting in fridge to chill. Chill several hours or overnight. Cut and serve cold.
Notes
- When zesting the lemon, make sure to only zest the yellow part. If you get too much of the white underneath, the bars may taste a little bitter.
- Berry Crumble Bars are best enjoyed chilled. We recommend letting the bars sit in the fridge overnight before slicing. If you prefer them warm, you can definitely heat them in the microwave, but be sure to let them chill first so they can set.
- If you’re wanting to go all out with these Berry Crumble Bars, serve a square with a scoop of Creamy Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and a dollop of Stabilized Whipped Cream.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 658IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg
More To Bake And Eat
- Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust – A thick, buttery shortbread crust is topped with the most lemony of lemon custards for a bright, vibrant dessert bar.
- White Chocolate Cranberry Bars – Packed with fresh cranberries and white chocolate, these bars are the perfect holiday treat.
- Winning Apple Pie Bars – These apple pie bars are sensational in the fall. They’re packed with fresh apples and cinnamon, and drizzled with a salted caramel sauce.
- Peach Blueberry Crumb Bars – We can’t get enough of these crumb bars. Fresh, juicy fruit sits on a buttery crust and is topped with a crunchy crumble.