Best Blueberry Bars
You’re in for a special treat with this Blueberry Bars Recipe. These Blueberry Pie Bars are made with blueberries and lemon. These tender, easy dairy-free bars boast a berry filling and a crumbly streusel topping. Say bye-bye to that rolling pin and mixer — pie bars means no rolling out the crust! And look at ALL that sweet blueberry filling. Now that’s a dessert to remember!
Spring Desserts
Blueberry desserts seem to signal to the world that it’s time for spring! Of course, blueberries are available year-round these days, but it’s still worth noting the seasonality of food.
That means, regardless of the time of year, everyone’s gonna love these Blueberry Lemon Pie Bars!
Love Blueberry Recipes?
If you love blueberry dessert recipes, check out our Vegan Cheesecake that boasts a blueberry sauce topping. That’s a favorite of ours. Or how about these delicious Vegan Blueberry Pancakes. For a real change of pace, these Blueberry Waffles are outstanding!
Making breakfast in bed for mom is a perfect present! And, of course, everyone loves these Blueberry Crumble Bars. They’re healthy and delicious! And pull out all the stops with this indulgent Blueberry Crumble Recipe!
Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars
If you’re looking for an easy dessert, lemon blueberry bars are going to be your go-to favorite. Because you don’t need a rolling pin to get that crust just right. Simply mix the crust ingredients together and press into your pan. Voila! Easy crust.
This blueberry squares recipe might also be referred to as blueberry crumb bars because you reserve some of the crust to create a nice crumbly topping. The trick is getting the balance just right because you want a nice, thick crust to handle the weight of those berries.
How do I Make Blueberry Pie Filling?
The blueberry filling is unbelievably easy. Start with fresh or frozen berries (I used frozen) and then sprinkle with the following ingredients:
- lemon juice
- sugar
- cornstarch
That’s it! Gently stir those together and then spoon that over the lemon filling. Some people are opposed to using cornstarch and if that’s the case for you, use something like tapioca starch, arrowroot, or even potato starch will do.
What You’ll Love About Blueberries Bars
The combination of the tart lemon and the fresh, sweet flavor of the blueberries combines so perfectly with this recipe. Of course, it’s hard to deny the role of the crispy crust too. There’s no doubt it’s a perfect dessert.
Blueberries are another one of those superfoods that you want to get plenty of in your diet. Obviously, that could be said for a lot of berries. They’re naturally nutrient-dense because they’re usually fairly low in calories and high in nutrients.
There’s also some tofu in this recipe, and tofu delivers a punch of protein to this dessert. Protein in a dessert? Well, it happens sometimes. And I’ve included some oatmeal to the crust, which not only adds a nice nutty flavor but a little bit of nutrition as well.
If you’re going to a gathering of any type, bringing fresh blueberry desserts is a nice touch! After everyone is enjoying eating it, that is the time to tell them it’s vegan. Be prepared for falling jaws!
I love surprising people like that. Don’t you?
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Blueberry and Lemon Pie Bars
Ingredients
Crumbly Crust/Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup oatmeal
Lemon Filling
- 12 oz package of firm silken tofu drained
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- zest of one lemon
- juice of one lemon
Blueberry Filling
- 2 cups frozen blueberries or fresh
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350°F/175°C and line a 9-inch square baking pan (I used an 8×8") with foil. Give that foil a light coating of vegetable spray.
- In a food processor, combine the flour, butter, powdered sugar, and oatmeal. Pulse until combined. Use a spatula to press down any ingredients on the sides of the container. Pulse again until smooth. Reserve about one cup of this mixture and press the rest of it into your prepared pan, being sure to distribute it evenly across the bottom.
- Don't bother cleaning out the food processor bowl. Simply add the silken tofu, half cup of sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice into the used food processor bowl. Pulse until combined and smooth. Pour this into the pan over the crust.
- In a medium-sized bowl add the frozen blueberries. Sprinkle the sugar and corn starch over the top of the blueberries. Add the lemon juice and gently stir to distribute equally across the blueberries without smashing them. Gently spoon the blueberry mixture over the lemon filling.
- Sprinkle dollops of the reserved cup of Crumbly Crust/Topping evenly over the top of the bars.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the crust becomes a golden brown.
- When done, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool before slicing. I think it's good to wait at least an hour, but you can extend that even longer. It makes for a perfect dish to make the day before a family gathering! When you're ready, simply pull the bars out of the pan by lifting both sides of the foil. This makes clean-up so easy!
Recommended Equipment
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The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Enjoy!
So the first time I made these they came out amazing. The last three times I can’t get the bottom crust to firm up at all when it’s cooked and it doesn’t brown at all. Any suggestions? I’m following the directions exactly as well. It just doesn’t seem to be setting at all now and I love the flavor so I keep trying and trying.
Hi Jody. It could be related to the kind of vegan butter you’re using. Some tub butters have water added to them and don’t set well when baked. I recommend using Earth Balance buttery sticks, Miyoko’s vegan butter sticks or homemade vegan butter. Let me know if this helps!
do i have to use powdered surger
Hi Hamid. If you don’t have any powdered sugar handy, you could run regular sugar in a food processor blender. However, if you goal is to not use regular sugar, you could try coconut sugar or maybe even something like agave or maple syrup. I have not tried this recipe with anything but powdered sugar so I can’t say for sure, but I think it would work. Let me know!
Hi what are the calories in one of this guys
These sound delicious! I’ve been vegan for several years now but haven’t tried the tofu yet. I never see it in the stores around here. I may have to make my own.
I never would have thought to add tofu to a filling before.. I definitely am curious to know what these bars taste like!
It makes a nice filling because it sets perfectly. Hope you like it! 🙂
That purple is so inviting. And tofu? Gawd.
I get you Ai! But here’s my question…why do they call them blueberries when they’re oh so purply? Don’t you wanna know??
Mmm those look great! Pie bars are the best…especially with that thick layer of crust 🙂
I KNOW! The crust is the best part! 🙂