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Raspberry crumble bars taste like a fruit crumble meets berry crumb bar! These easy dessert bars make the most of fresh raspberries paired with buttery crumbs (my favorite duo!). They’re sweet, simple, and completely satisfying to the last bite. Enjoy as is or top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the dreamiest dessert!
These raspberry bars are adapted from my reader-favorite blackberry pie bars, and they’re buttery, jammy, and completely delicious!
I added rolled oats to the crust and crumble for chewy texture, and swapped the ratio of sugars (these have more brown sugar than white) for an oatmeal cookie-like flavor that pairs nicely with the sweet-tart raspberry filling.
To make the filling, I cook fresh raspberries with sugar and cornstarch until reduced and jammy. You can also make the filling with frozen raspberries (no need to thaw first!), or use raspberry preserves (or jam) as an easy shortcut.
Love baking with raspberries? You may also like my raspberry loaf cake, plush raspberry lemon layer cake, or classic raspberry pavlova!
Success Tips
- Baking pan – Use an 8-inch square baking pan lined with parchment paper for this recipe. Light-colored pans conduct heat evenly, and parchment paper keeps the bars from sticking to the pan. If you’re baking for a crowd, you can double this recipe and bake in a 9×13-inch pan.
- Use rolled oats – The oatmeal crust and crumble topping are made from one simple dough that mixes together in minutes (you’ll reserve part of the dough for the crumble topping, and press the rest into the baking pan for the crust). I like old-fashioned oats for a nice chewy texture.
- Cool bars completely before slicing – The raspberry filling continues to thicken as the bars cool. For nice clean cuts, let the bars cool completely and then chill in the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting into squares with a sharp knife.
Raspberry Crumb Bars, Step by Step
Make crust and crumbs: Combine all-purpose flour, old fashioned rolled oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk well to combine.
Combine melted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Whisk well until incorporated.
Add dry ingredients to the bowl and fold in with a spatula until incorporated. Reserve 3/4 cup (220 grams) dough for the topping. Chill crumble topping until ready to use.
Press remaining dough evenly across the bottom of prepared pan. Bake the crust for 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and set. Transfer crust to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
Make raspberry filling: Combine raspberries, sugar, salt, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, pressing berries firmly with a spatula to release juices, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until filling is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Remove pan from the heat and cool filling for 10 minutes.
Spoon raspberry filling over par-baked crust and sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top. Return pan to the oven.
Bake bars for another 40 to 42 minutes or until crumble topping is golden brown and filling slightly bubbly. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
How to Freeze
These bars are a great make-ahead dessert and freeze beautifully. Once cool, place raspberry bars on a baking sheet and freeze flat for 1 hour. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 8 weeks. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw bars overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
More favorite dessert bars:
PrintJammy Raspberry Crumble Bars
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Raspberry crumble bars taste like a fruit crumble meets berry crumb bar! These easy dessert bars make the most of fresh raspberries paired with buttery crumbs. They’re sweet, simple, and completely satisfying.
Ingredients
Crust & Crumble
- 1 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (80 g) rolled oats
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract
Filling
- 2 1/2 cups (425 g) fresh raspberries
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp (24 g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Make crust and crumble: Whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined. Add dry ingredients and fold in until incorporated.
- Set aside 3/4 cup (220 g) of dough for topping (chill until ready to use). Press remaining dough evenly into bottom of prepared baking pan.
- Bake crust for 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and set. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
- Make filling: Combine raspberries, sugar, salt, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, pressing firmly on berries to release juices, about 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until filling is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Remove pan from the heat and cool filling for 10 minutes.
- Spoon raspberry filling over cooled crust and crumble reserved dough over filling
- Bake bars for another 40 to 42 minutes, or until topping is golden and filling slightly bubbly. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Just before cutting, chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. Carefully lift parchment and place bars on a cutting board; cut into squares with a sharp knife.
- Store crumb bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Raspberry filling: You can use fresh or frozen raspberries in the filling. If using frozen berries, add directly to the saucepan from the freezer and cook as directed (do not thaw). You can also use raspberry jam as a filling – simply spread about 1 cup (320 grams) jam over the par-baked crust and top with remaining crumble.
Freeze bars: To freeze crumb bars, let cool completely. Once cooled, place bars on a baking sheet and freeze flat for 1 hour. Transfer bars to an airtight container and freeze up to 8 weeks. Thaw bars overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
I made these rasberry bars and they came out excellent. My only question, comment is that my crust came out hard. Should the crust be hard, did I overbake or press the crust too much.
Hi Jayne, thanks for your feedback. I would describe the crust texture as firm (able to support the layers without falling apart). If the crust is hard, it may have been slightly overbaked during the initial par-bake process. You could try cutting back the bake time for a minute or two in the future.
I can’t wait to try these bars!! I would like to double the recipe, could I make these in a 9×13 pan? Thanks!
Hi Sadie, yes you can double this recipe and bake in a 9×13-inch pan.
Thank you for this recipe! The crust/crumble ratio to filling is excellent, because it gives the squares a really good structure. I used raspberry spread, because that is what I had, and it came out wonderful. It is easy and very delicious!
Thanks for sharing this feedback, Linda!
I would like to try your recipe using the canned boysenberries that I purchased at Knotts Berry Farm, but need some advise! Do I still need to do step #5 of the receipe? They already have sugar in them so I am not sure if I should add anymore, and complete step #5 without the sugar- do you have any suggestions?
Hi Courtney, if the texture is thick like a jam or preserves, then you can layer it right over the cooled crust, top with reserved crumble, and bake as directed. If it’s more like a canned pie filling, I would gently simmer with a bit of extra cornstarch for a thicker filling that sets up nicely once baked. For reference, see my cherry pie bars recipe.
These turned out delicious! Perfect texture and they don’t fall apart when you eat them!
Great to hear this, thank you Emily!
Fantastic recipe. Easy to make and a nice raspberry filling.
Thanks so much, Michele!
Laura, your crumble bars are such a great go to dessert for me. They are quick and delicious and always please. I’ve used so many fruits for them. Just yum! Thanks!
Thanks so much, Joan! Hope you love these! 🙂