Every strawberry season we eat our body weight in fresh juicy strawberries from the local farmers market and these strawberry crumble bars are one of the dessert recipes that we always make.
These bars feature a crunchy shortbread crust that doubles as the crumble topping. It's made entirely in the food processor, so it's super quick and easy. The fresh strawberry filling is so jammy and perfectly sweet, you could eat it with a spoon. Paired together they make an amazing treat that is easy enough for a beginning baker to master and no one will even guess it is gluten free!
If you have even more strawberries to use, check out my collection of gluten free strawberry desserts for inspiration.
Ingredient Notes
These easy strawberry bars use basic ingredients that can be found in any grocery store. Make it during the height of strawberry season for the brightest fruit flavor. The recipe is both gluten free and vegan as written.
- Strawberries - I recommend using fresh strawberries in season, since they are the star of this dessert. I haven't tried making the homemade jam with frozen strawberries, but I suspect it would work fine.
- Corn Starch - This starch is used to thicken the strawberry filling to a jam consistency. If you don't want to use cornstarch, you can substitute an equal amount of arrowroot powder.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour blend for this recipe. I haven't tested it with any other brands, so your results may vary if you make substitutions.
- Vegan Butter - I used Country Crock plant butter for this recipe, but any stick type plant based butter will work fine. If you're not dairy free or vegan, use unsalted butter in the same measure.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Strawberry Swap - If you prefer to use frozen strawberries, you'll need to thaw and drain the liquid before making the strawberry jam.
- No Cornstarch - Replace cornstarch with an equal measure of arrowroot powder.
- Not Dairy Free / Not Vegan - Simple replace the vegan butter with unsalted regular butter. The measurements are the same.
- No 8-inch pan - You can also use a 9-inch baking pan for this recipe, but the bars will come out thinner than in the photos.
- No Food Processor - You can use a pastry blender or a fork to combine the dry ingredients with the butter.
- Want to Save Time? You can replace the homemade strawberry filling with store-bought jam or strawberry preserves. Just spread the preserves over the bottom crust and layer on a few sliced fresh strawberries before adding the crumb topping.
How to Make Strawberry Crumble Bars
There are two main parts to making these layered dessert bars. First you have to cook the strawberry jam on the stove. Then you make the shortbread crust in the food processor and layer the two together.
You'll need an 8-inch square pan for this recipe. I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper to make it easier to remove the bars once they have cooled.
- STEP 1: Combine the fresh berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium low heat.
- STEP 2: Once the berries have released their juices, use a potato masher to mash about half of the berries.
- STEP 3: Make a cornstarch-water slurry and stir it into the strawberry mixture.
- STEP 4: Continue to cook until the strawberry jam is thickened and bubbling. Allow it to bubble 2-3 minutes. Then remove from the heat and set aside while you make the crust.
- STEP 5: Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cold butter, vanilla, and lemon zest in a food processor. Pulse until it comes together in a dry crumbly dough. It may seem too dry, but it will be okay.
- STEP 6: Transfer ⅔ of the crust mixture into your prepared baking pan. Press the crust into an even layer using a flat bottomed glass or measuring cup.
- STEP 7: Spread the prepared strawberry jam over the crust.
- STEP 8: Crumble the remaining crumble mixture over the strawberry layer. Now it's ready to bake!
Storage
Store leftover strawberry crumb bars in an airtight container. While it isn't necessary to refrigerate these dessert bars, I prefer to as I think keeping the butter in the crust chilled helps to keep them crispy. They do tend to soften after a couple of days, so I recommend consuming within 2-3 days.
More crumble dessert recipes to try:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Strawberry Crumble Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 3 Cups Strawberries stems removed and sliced
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons Water
For the crust:
- 1 ¾ Cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend I use Bob's Red Mill
- ½ Cup Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 10 Tablespoons Vegan Butter cold and cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 ½ teaspoons Lemon Zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
For the filling:
- Add the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a saucepan over medium-low heat.3 Cups Strawberries, ½ Cup Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Once the berries release their juices, mash about half of the strawberries with a potato masher.
- Make a slurry of cornstarch and water. Stir the starch slurry into the berries.2 Tablespoons Cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons Water
- Cook until the juices are bubbling and thickened. Allow to bubble for 2-3 minutes while stirring.
- Remove from heat and set aside while you prepare the crust.
For the crust:
- Add the gluten free flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest to a food processor. Pulse the mixture until it comes together in a crumbly dough. It will seem too dry, but it is okay.1 ¾ Cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, ½ Cup Sugar, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda, 10 Tablespoons Vegan Butter, 1 teaspoon Vanilla, 1 ½ teaspoons Lemon Zest
- Add ⅔ of the dough mixture into the prepared baking pan. Press it into an even layer that covers the bottom of the pan.
- Spread the strawberry jam over the bottom crust.
- Crumble the remaining dough on top of the fruit filling.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the topping is barely browned.
- Allow the bars to cool completely before removing them from the pan.
- Carefully lift the bars from the pan using the parchment paper flaps. Dust with a little powdered sugar (optional) and slice.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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