Easy blackberry crumble bars with sweet fruity blackberries, zingy lemon zest, and a buttery oat crumble topping.
A classic Autumnal pudding in bar form! Best of all, they are absolutely delicious, just like my easy blackberry crumble recipe!
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These blackberry oat bars are perfect for picnics and bake sales, but equally good as a dessert with custard or a scoop of ice cream.
I make this blackberry recipe with fresh blackberries during blackberry season, but you can make them with frozen blackberries too! You'll just need to defrost them first and pat dry with a paper towel.
👩🍳 Love blackberries? Try my easy blackberry muffins next!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- If you're making these blackberry bars during blackberry season, you'll be using fresh, ripe berries at their peak.
- They're the perfect dessert for on-the-go enjoyment. They're neatly packed into bars, making them easy to hold and eat without the need for utensils. Ideal for picnics, lunchboxes, or as a quick snack during busy days.
- Making these crumble bars is relatively straightforward and requires less time and effort compared to making a traditional pie or tart.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Blackberries - wash and dry foraged blackberries to get rid of any dirt! If you're using frozen blackberries, defrost them first and pat dry with a paper towel to get rid of excess moisture.
Flour - white plain flour is best to use for crumble toppings.
Oats - porridge oats or rolled oats both work well. Don't use jumbo oats or quick cook oats as they don't work as well.
Butter - I like to use salted butter as it contrasts nicely against the sweet light brown sugar. Use unsalted if you prefer and just add a pinch of salt to the dry ingredients instead. The butter should be taken out of the fridge about 10 minutes prior to use to allow it to come up to room temperature.
Sugar - light brown sugar gives a lovely caramel flavour to the bars, but caster sugar or granulated sugar can also be used.
Nuts - chopped pecan nuts add a nice crunchy texture to the crumble. Swap for walnuts or pine nuts, or just leave them out.
Lemon - the zest of one unwaxed lemon is added to the crumble mixture for a citrussy zing. Lemon and blackberries pair really well together.
🔪 How to make blackberry bars
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Preheat the oven to 190C (170 fan/ Gas 5/ 375F) and line a 20cm square baking tin with non-stick parchment paper or baking paper.
Two: Place the flour and oats in a large mixing bowl and rub in the cubed butter by hand until you get large clumps forming.
Three: Stir in the sugar, lemon zest, and three-quarters of the chopped pecan nuts. Use a metal dinner knife to cut any large clumps into smaller clumps.
Four: Press two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared tin and press down with the back of a metal spoon.
Five: Top with the fresh blackberries.
Six: Sprinkle over the remaining crumble mixture and lightly press down with your hand.
Seven: Bake in the oven for 35 minutes until golden. Cool completely before cutting into bars.
Top Tips
- I wouldn't recommend using a food processor to make the crumble topping. This is a buttery crumble recipe and you risk overprocessing it. Doing it by hand ensures you achieve a nice crumble consistency.
- If you're using frozen blackberries, defrost them at room temperature before using them, and remove any excess moisture by patting them gently with paper towels.
- Don't be tempted to cut them into bars until they are completely cold and set firm. To speed up the process you can put the baking tin in the fridge.
🍴 Serving suggestions
The blackberry crumble bars are perfect for parties, picnics, and bake sales.
If we're having the bars for dessert, I like to serve them with creamy custard, whipped cream, or homemade honeycomb ice cream.
📖 Variations
- Swap the berries for whatever is in season! Blueberries and raspberries would both work well.
- Use orange zest or lime zest instead of lemon zest.
- Swap out the nuts for desiccated coconut. You could also replace the light brown sugar with coconut sugar.
- For a healthier version, reduce the amount of butter by 50g and reduce the sugar by 25g. be aware this will result in a drier more crumbly bar.
- Make apple and blackberry crumble bars and replace half of the blackberries with 100g of sliced apples (Bramley apples or Granny Smith apples would be best).
🥡 Storage
Store - Place the cooled bars in an airtight container or cake tin. If it's particularly warm place them in the fridge. They will keep for 4-5 days.
Freeze - Once cool, place the bars in layers (separated with baking parchment) in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
❓ Frequently asked questions
I wouldn't recommend using jam or pie filling. There is too much moisture in jam and pie filling which will mean the bars won't stick together very well. They also contain a lot of sugar which would alter the finished taste.
I haven't tested the recipe with a vegan butter alternative, but try to use a block vegan butter substitute if you'd like to try these yourself.
To avoid the crumble topping becoming too hard, make sure not to overbake the bars. Keep a close eye on them towards the end of the baking time and remove them from the oven when the topping is golden brown
Yes, you can make the bars in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. Alternatively, you can refrigerate them for a slightly longer shelf life. Just be sure to cool the bars completely before storing to maintain their texture.
😋 More bars and slices
- Sticky Date Flapjacks
- Apple Flapjacks
- Caramel Apple Pie Bars
- Lemon and Blueberry Blondies
- Raspberry Brownies
- Blackberry Loaf Cake
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Recipe
Easy Blackberry Crumble Bars
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Equipment
- Baking Paper
- Wooden Spoon
- Knife
Ingredients
- 200 g Plain Flour
- 200 g Oats porridge oats or rolled oats
- 250 g Salted Butter cubed
- 175 g Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Lemon zest only
- 75 g Pecan Nuts chopped
- 250 g Blackberries if frozen defrost before using
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°c (170 fan/ Gas 5/ 375F) and line a 20cm square baking tin with non-stick parchment paper or baking paper.
- Place the flour and oats in a large mixing bowl and rub in the cubed butter by hand until you get large clumps forming.200 g Plain Flour, 200 g Oats, 250 g Salted Butter
- Stir in the sugar, lemon zest, and three-quarters of the chopped pecan nuts. Use a metal dinner knife to cut any large clumps into smaller clumps.175 g Light Brown Sugar, 1 Lemon, 75 g Pecan Nuts
- Press two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared tin and press down with the back of a metal spoon.
- Top with the fresh blackberries.250 g Blackberries
- Sprinkle over the remaining crumble mixture and chopped nuts, and lightly press down with your hand.
- Bake in the oven for 35 minutes until golden. Cool completely before cutting into bars.
Notes
- Swap the berries for whatever is in season! Blueberries and raspberries would both work well.
- Use orange zest or lime zest instead of lemon zest.
- Swap out the nuts for desiccated coconut. You could also replace the light brown sugar with coconut sugar.
- For a healthier version, reduce the amount of butter by 50g and reduce the sugar by 25g.
- Make apple and blackberry crumble bars and replace half of the blackberries with 100g of sliced apples (Bramley apples or Granny Smith apples would be best).
Jess
Love how easy these are! And love the tips for how to make them a little bit healthier!
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman
I love how short and sweet the ingredient list is for these crumble bars! Quick, easy, and delicious!
Aimee Mars
So so so delicious! Made a batch and have been using for breakfast. Easy to make too!
Tavo
super easy and fun to make recipe! My kids loved it.
Tayler
I love fresh blackberries this time of year, so I can't wait to make these crumble bars. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Kay Parry
Such an easy recipe and tastes lovely. One which can be tweaked in several ways to give different varieties too!