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These easy raspberry bars feature a buttery base, raspberry jam middle, and a golden crumble topping. It needs just 5 simple ingredients.
Love wholesome dessert bars? Try my strawberry oatmeal bars, zucchini bars, oatmeal chocolate chip bars, and blueberry bars next.
I know I shouldn’t play favorites, but raspberries have to be my favorite fruit. When I’ve had my fill of eating them fresh from the market, I love to use them up to make my easy raspberry bars with a gorgeous crumb topping.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- It uses simple ingredients. You only need a bunch of pantry staples and fresh berries for this recipe. In fact, both the shortbread crust and the crumb topping use the exact same ingredients!
- Customizable. Once you know the basics, you can make this recipe will any fruit of your choice. We like to use any berry on hand or other fruits, like apples and peaches.
- Versatile. These raspberry bars are perfect if you have a sweet tooth and want to finish your meal with a dessert. They also make a fabulous afternoon treat or something to entertain guests with.
- Great for making ahead. You can make these over the weekend and enjoy them throughout the week.
Ingredients Needed
- All-purpose flour. To make the crumbly base and the top. If your flour has clumps, be sure to sift it well beforehand.
- Rolled oats. Rolled or old-fashioned oats are perfect for this recipe. They crisp up upon baking and impart a lovely texture to the bars.
- Sugar. To sweeten the base. Feel free to use brown or white sugar per your preference.
- Salt. To taste.
- Butter. Use good quality unsalted butter to make the crust. Melt the butter in the microwave and use it to bind the flour mixture.
- Raspberry filling. Raspberries, sugar, and all-purpose flour. I typically use fresh raspberries in the summer and when they aren’t in season, frozen ones.
How to make raspberry bars
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the crust. Combine flour, oats, salt, butter, and sugar in a large bowl until you get a coarse crumbly texture. Layer it on a square pan lined with parchment paper. Press it down, poke holes, and bake until golden.
Step 2- Prep the raspberry filling. Add sugar and raspberries to a saucepan and boil it over medium heat. Break down the raspberries until smooth, add flour, and simmer for another minute.
Step 3- Layer. When the base is done, remove it from the oven. Layer it with raspberry jam, spread over the remaining crumble, and bake for 20 minutes.
Step 4- Set, slice, and serve. Let the bars cool at room temperature. Then, transfer it to the refrigerator to firm for an hour or longer. Once set, remove it from the fridge, slice it into them, and serve.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use a food processor. For a quick crust mixture, pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor until they come together.
- Adjust the thickness. If you like thinner bars, make this recipe in a 9-inch pan instead.
- Remember to poke the base. To prevent puffing up or cracking the crust, poke the base several times using a fork.
Variations
- Make it gluten-free. You can use certified gluten-free oats and gluten-free flour if you want these bars to be suitable for celiacs.
- Make a cookie base. Reminiscing good old thumbprint cookies? Revisit the nostalgia by making shortbread cookie crust instead of crumb crust.
- Use a mix of fresh raspberries and raspberry preserves. For a more jammy taste, you can add a layer of raspberry jam.
- Add other fruits, like blackberries, peaches, and apricots.
- Make raspberry lemon bars. A cinnamon crust tastes delightful with butter and raspberry flavors. I also add lemon zest to the crumble for a subtle lemon flavor.
Storage instructions
To store. Leftover raspberry crumble bars keep well at room temperature in an airtight containwr for three days. Refrigerate them for up to a week for extended storage.
To freeze. Alternatively, you can freeze the raspberry bars in ziplock bags for up to three months.
More bars and blondies to try
- Peanut butter blondies
- Peanut butter cookie bars
- Banana bars
- Sugar cookie bars
- Or any of these bar and blondie recipes
5-Ingredient Raspberry Bars
Video
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup butter melted
- 4 cups raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups flour, the oats, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and butter, and stir until a crumbly texture remains.
- Reserve a scant 1/2 cup of the mixture then transfer the rest of it into the lined pan. Press the mixture down into the pan until smooth. Poke holes in the crust, then bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the raspberry filling. In a small saucepan, add the raspberries and the remaining two tablespoons of sugar. Once it begins to boil, use a hand mixer or fork to break down the raspberries until smooth. Add in the remaining two tablespoons of flour and simmer for another minute before removing it from the heat.
- Once the crust is golden, remove it from the oven and spread the raspberry filling on top. Drop handfuls of the remaining crumb mixture over the top and bake for a further 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Remove the Bars from the oven and let them cool to room temperature. Once cool, refrigerate for at least an hour to further firm up.
- Once firm, slice into bars and glaze. To make the glaze, whisk together some confectioners' sugar and water.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published August 2023, updated and republished May 2024
Really interesting recipe. I would love to make raspberry dessert such as this one.
Would it be okay if I used a nut butter and maple syrup for the crust, , instead of sugar and butter
Thank You
Lolly Sookdewg
I haven’t tried, feel free to experiment and see!
FABULOUS RECIPES. EASY TO MAKE AND FABULOUS INGREDIENTS
I didn’t have any raspberries so I used blueberries. I used a potato masher to blend then up.
Both worked good. they taste great.
Just tried this morning. Very good. I didn’t have powdered unsweetened sugar so I used sweetened. I will definitely make these again. Yours looks better in the picture than mine.
Is the nutritional values accurate for the keto version? Seems high ?
Nutritional info is for the vegan option. Check out myfitnesspal or another calorie calculator to work out the keto option.
Hey, what can I replace pumpkin purée with?
You could try sweet potato 🙂
I just made these for the third time. They are our fave keto dessert! The first time I made it, the crumble was actually crumbly, like the topping for an apple crisp. The second and third times, however, it was more like dough. It did not affect the taste, but the look and texture. Can you help me trouble shoot this? Thanks! And keep the great recipes coming! 🙂
Hmm, I would add extra flour to combait it 🙂
How do I know how thick the batter should be?
It should be thick enough to transfer to the pan and press into place. If it is pourable and loose, it is too thin.