Triple Berry Crumb Bars are a sweet and easy gluten free dessert that's packed with fresh, juicy berries. Taste like pie but so much easier!
“I keep coming back to this recipe and it’s a hit every time! Even gluten eaters always go back for seconds and thirds!”
Welcome berry season with gluten free Triple Berry Crumb Bars – aka spring and summer in dessert form!
Sweet and juicy blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, are sandwiched between a simple crumb mixture that acts as both the crust and crumb topping to these gluten-free dessert bars that taste like pie in bar form.
From baby to bridal showers, potlucks, picnics, or simply to satisfy a sweet-tooth, these easy bars always hit the spot. They travel well too!
Watch How to Make It
Tastes Like Pie – But Easier
Growing up I had a soft spot in my heart for the Triple Berry Pie from Perkins, which these bars are inspired by.
Pie in bar form – how bad could that be?
Well better, because they’re much faster and easier to make than a whole pie. I love how you can taste each individual berry, too.
Gluten Free + Diary Free if Needed
As written, this recipe is gluten-free, and easily made dairy-free. The bars get better as they sit, so I recommend making them a day ahead of time for the best results.
Alrighty, let’s bake!
How to Make Triple Berry Crumb Bars
Step 1: Prepare the berry filling.
Start with a near bushel of fresh berries – you’ll need blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
Add the berries to a mixing bowl then sprinkle granulated sugar and gluten-free flour on top and fold with a spatula to combine. Set the berries aside.
Gluten-Free Flour Tip
For this recipe, I recommend using the gluten-free flour blend you like best for making GF cookies and cupcakes. I typically use King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
Step 2: Mix the topping together.
To a large mixing bowl add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and the same gluten-free baking flour blend used above. Stir with a fork to combine.
Next add a whisked egg and vanilla extract then stir to combine. Lastly add very cold butter or vegan butter that’s been cut into cubes and stir to combine. Switch to a pastry cutter or use your fingertips to crumble the mixture until only small pieces of butter remain.
Substitution Tip
Do not substitute the all-purpose gluten-free baking flour blend with a single flour or starch like almond flour, coconut flour, or tapioca starch, which don’t contain binders, and have different liquid requirements.
Step 3: Form the crust and topping.
Scoop a little more then half the mixture into a nonstick-sprayed, 9×13″ baking dish then press down firmly with your hands or the back of a measuring cup to form the crust.
Spread the berry mixture on top then squeeze handfuls of the remaining crumb mixture in your hands to make big clumps.
Crumble the clumps evenly over the berries then bake for 38-40 minutes at 375 degrees, or until the topping is light golden brown, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through.
Step 4: Let the bars cool.
An important step in gluten free baking is to let your baked goods cool completely and THEN let the item sit for AT LEAST 6 hours before slicing and serving.
If you slice into the bars while they’re still warm, the crust will crumble and fall apart. During this cooling + resting time, the bars become both sturdier and softer.
Trust me, these sweet and easy bars are worth the wait. I hope you love every berry-packed bite. Enjoy!
More Gluten Free Dessert Recipes to Love
- Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake
- Gluten Free Shortbread
- Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Bars
- Gluten Free Blueberry Pie Bars
- Gluten Free Lemon Bars
- Gluten Free Angel Food Cake
- Soft & Chewy Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups + 1 heaping Tablespoon gluten free baking flour blend WITH binder, divided, see notes
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup very cold butter, 2 sticks, cubed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pint blueberries
- 6 oz raspberries
- 6 oz blackberries
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees then spray a 9×13” baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- To a medium-sized mixing bowl add the berries, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and a heaping Tablespoon gluten-free flour then fold gently with a spatula to combine and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the remaining 3 cups gluten-free flour, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt then stir with a fork to combine. Add the egg and vanilla extract to a small dish then whisk to combine. Drizzle the egg mixture over the flour mixture then stir with the fork to combine.
- Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture then stir to combine. Switch to a pastry butter or use your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour mixture until only small crumbles of butter remain.
- Scoop a little more then half the crumb mixture into the prepared baking pan then use your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup to press it into a firm layer. Pour the berries over the crust then spread them into an even layer. Squeeze handfuls of the remaining crumb mixture into clumps then crumble the clumps over the berries.
- Bake the bars for 38-40 minutes or until the crumb topping is light golden brown, rotating the baking pan 180 degrees halfway through. Check on bars at the halfway – if the topping is browning too quickly, place a piece of foil on top. Uncover for the last 8-10 mins so the topping becomes golden brown.
- Cool the bars completely then let them sit for at least 6 hours before cutting into small squares and serving. The bars will soften and become better as they sit. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
- I like King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Just put this together for the grands. Thanks much for including dairy free with your gf recipes. It covers all the bases for me. Spring analogy there.???? Thanks!
I love it, Deb!! Hope all the kids (and you!!) love them!
Hello, I love this! I’ve made it several times but I need to change the butter and sugar. What type of vegan butter works because they are usually soft butter; does it have to be hard? Also, what about liquid agave sugar? Will it work if it’s not course sugar? Thank you
Hi Leslie! You can use a vegan butter stick like Earth Balance. I wouldn’t recommend a liquid sugar because the texture of the dough would be too soft, unfortunately!
Thank you, I used Earth Balance and they came out great. my husband really likes them and he never eats GF or vegan.
So happy to hear that, Leslie!!
Hello Kristin, I have tried these triple berry crumble bars and they turned out awesome. I want to change the berries to peaches, what do you recommend how much peaches will I be needing?
Thanks,
Ayesha
I keep coming back to this recipe and it’s a hit every time! Even gluten eaters always go back for seconds and thirds!
Love to hear that, SLR!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Made these for the 4th and they were delicious. Will definitely make again.
So glad to hear it, Vicki! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
These look amazing! Would it work if I substituted coconut oil for the butter?
I think that could work!
Fantastic! This is a recipe I’ll be saving and using many, many times in the future. Thank you!!!
The first go-round, I made it as is for a friend’s mom and yum! Quick, easy, and used ingreds I had on hand.
The second time, tonight, I made it using regular flour and subbed rhubarb (approx 3 cups) for the berries. Once again, perfect!!!
LOVE the rhubarb twist! I’ll have to try that ASAP – maybe add some strawberries!
Hi! I’d love to make this this week but my youngest is allergic to egg. Do you think the crust would fall apart without it ?
Hi Valerie! Unfortunately, I do. That said, we’ve had good success baking with Bob’s Red Mill powdered egg replacer. That might work in this recipe!
Thank you for the quick reply! I don’t have that on hand but will try to find a vegan crust recipe and then make the rest of the recipe as written. Thanks so much !!
You got it! I hope it works out for you!
I wondered if this could be made with oat flour or almond flour instead of the GF flour for a more nutritious option? Thanks.
So, so good! I made a pan of these for our Easter family dinner, and sadly for everyone else, they didn’t quite make it because my daughter and I took down half the pan. ;) I did use a frozen berry mix because I ran short on time, and they cooked up beautifully. Great recipe! :)
HAHA, I can relate!! So glad you and your daughter loved them so much. :)
Lovin’ this recipe! Made it for a friend who’s had to go gluten-free and she loved it!! Ready to share it again with our family who’s coming for a visit! Thanks.
Woo!! So glad to hear it, Lynette! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
These are so simple and so good! I have a huge bag of frozen berries from Costco and they worked great in this recipe.
This was one of the first GF recipes I made. I served it at a brunch, and one of my non GF friends took a bite, her eyes got great big and she said, “OMG these are so good, you need to enter these into the State Fair!” I haven’t done that yet, but I make them all the time. YUMMY!!!