Crumbly, tender pie crust and sweet juicy blackberries combine to make these Blackberry Pie Bars. Ready in under an hour, you can enjoy all the deliciousness of pie without having to roll out the dough!
Recipe Rundown: What To Know
- “Lazy” Pie: All the flavor of a homemade pie without rolling out pie crust.
- Taste: Delicious contrast of buttery shortbread and a juicy berry filling!
- Fresh or Frozen Berries: Use whichever you have on hand.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Can be prepared in advance and stored for later.
- Portable: Bars travel better than pies, perfect for bake sales or lunchboxes.
A rich, buttery shortbread crust is wrapped around a juicy blackberry filling to create these blackberry pie bars. They bring pie-level satisfaction without the fuss of a regular pie and they’re ready in just about an hour! Just like blackberry cobbler, they are always a crowd favorite. You can serve them room temperature or warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Either way, they will disappear fast!
“I decided to make these blackberry pie bars for my daughter’s bake sale and I have one word to say – WOW! They were super low effort and easy to make several batches of. I’m going to try this recipe with raspberries next time!” — Haley, busy mom of two and passionate home cook and baker.
Key Ingredient Notes
Below you will find helpful notes and substitutions for a few key ingredients for this blackberry pie bar recipe. Visit the printable recipe card below for the full ingredient list and amounts.
- Blackberries: Both fresh or frozen blackberries will work for this dessert. If you do opt for frozen berries, let them thaw and drain off the excess juice beforehand.
- Lemon: Lemon zest brings a little something extra to the pie crust, while lemon juice brightens the berry filling. If you want to really taste the lemon flavor, double up on the lemon zest!
- Cornstarch: This is an important addition that helps to thicken up the blackberry filling a bit.
- Cinnamon: Including cinnamon in the pie crust gives it a nice hint of warmth and really compliments the berries! You could also add a pinch of nutmeg for even more warmth.
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How to Make Blackberry Pie Bars
Like classic pie dough, this recipe begins with cold butter cut into squares. A food processor will have the dough ready in minutes! You can also make the dough by hand, even if it takes a little longer. Below is a quick step-by-step recipe overview, please scroll down to the printable recipe card for full instructions.
When adding the crumb topping, don’t press it down or compact the bars. You want to leave it loose for a nice texture once baked.
The tops of the bars will be a light golden color once done. Keep a close eye on them as they bake, you do not want to over bake them. You are looking for a light golden brown color. If your oven has hot spots, turning the bars halfway through baking can make them bake more evenly.
It’s best to allow the blackberry pie bars to cool completely before slicing and serving, as the filling will hold together when it’s cold. You can even place them in the fridge to help the cooling process along, if you’re in a hurry.
Frequently Asked Questions
The filling should be set but still slightly jiggly in the center, and the topping should be golden brown.
Yes! Raspberries, blueberries, or a mix of berries all work well. Just keep the total amount the same. Strawberries can also be used, though they’ll need to be sliced and laid out on paper towels to absorb the excess liquid.
They’re great chilled or at room temp. You can also warm them slightly and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Yes, store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh for up to 4 days. I like to let them come to room temperature before serving, or warm them up if serving them with ice cream. However, some people prefer them cold! Try them both ways to see which you prefer.
Absolutely! Wrap tightly (with plastic wrap) or transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Blackberry Pie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Zest and juice of one lemon, divided
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch slices
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups fresh blackberries
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
- In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and lemon zest. Add the butter, egg and vanilla extract. Pulsing until dough is crumbly.
- Pat half of dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, saving the remaining dough for the topping.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blackberries. Sprinkle the blackberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown (you are only looking for the top to slightly brown, if you cook for too long – the bottom will burn).
- Cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
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Try These Berry Recipes Next
- There’s a reason my lime blueberry pound cake recipe is one of my most popular. It’s got a thick layer of cream cheese frosting that really sends it over the top!
- You can never go wrong with a mixed berry cobbler or strawberry dump cake. Both are the perfect summer treat when served warm with ice cream.
- This homemade strawberry cake with real strawberry buttercream frosting is a show stopper!
- Enjoy the best salty and sweet goodness with strawberry pretzel pie! The fluffy cheesecake filling ties it all together.
- Want to impress your overnight guests? Surprise them with berry stuffed french toast in the morning!
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A 9X13 is too big for just the two of us. Has anyone made these by cutting the recipe in half?
Hi Patty! You could absolutely halve this recipe and bake it in an 8×8 inch pan. Just watch the baking time as they will bake in a shorter amount of time!
Has anyone used frozen berries? How did it turn out? Worried it would be too wet…
Hi Angela, frozen berries will work if you let them thaw before and just pat dry any excess water! I let them thaw on a paper towel on the counter in an even layer. It helps keep them from getting soggy.
Just made these exactly as the recipe says and they were really good! My family ate half the pan in 20minutes!
Delish! And so easy. Made it with my 6 year old granddaughter with fresh picked blackberries.
I love blackberry jam, but have never baked with whole blackberries. Do you find the seeds to be an issue with this recipe?
Hi Grammie, no I personally don’t mind blackberry seeds. If you don’t personally like baked goods with blackberries, you could also make these bars with blueberries!
these bars look so good. my family loves blackberries. I will for sure make these. thank you for sharing this recipe.
I followed the directions exactly and it was like powder in my food processor… wasn’t dough-like at all… still used it… in the oven and smells yummy but not sure why it was so dry… should it only be 2 cups of flour???
Hi Kimberley! No, 3 cups is the correct amount. If you used all the correct amounts (with 2 sticks – 16 tablespoons – of butter) it should have plenty of liquid to form the dough. Can you share how you scooped the flour? Make sure to fluff your flour with a fork (or scoop it out with a spoon into a measuring cup) before measuring cups of flour for baking recipes. If you scoop directly into a compacted bag of flour, you will get more flour than you need.
This recipe worked just fine for me yesterday and the pastry recipe aligns with what i already do. sounds like you didnt use the proper amount of butter or didn’t give it enough mixing time in the processor/blender.
I did use 1 cup butter and I always scoop my flour with a spoon… it was like a powder… absolutely no moisture in the mix… so weird… I’m a home baker and for some reason this one didn’t work for me…
Mine too…in the oven now though so hopefully will come out right..smells yum
My picky mother-in-law LOVED these. We made them over the summer when we picked a bunch of blackberries as a family. My son said (in July), “These taste like Thanksgiving” so I’m making them for Thanksgiving from now on. Thank you for this delicious (and easy) recipe!
Made this last week it went fast everyone loved it I got requests to make it again Really quick to make
I used pastry flour instead of regular flour tho
In love with this recipe! Delicious use of our foraged hedgerow offerings and will be a family favourite every autumn.
I’m not a baker but this was sooo easy and got lots of compliments. Can’t wait to try your other recipes, thank you! ❤️☺️
I just made this recipe last night with some fresh blackberries from my garden. My 20-something year old kids LOVED it! So did I! This recipe’s a keeper!
I love this recipe! I live in Alaska, I made it the first time with salmon berries and blueberries it came out great! the next time I made it with raspberries and huckleberries even better! I added an extra quarter cup of sugar to the berry filling and only put half the lemon juice it came out perfect amount of sweet and tart. The first time I made pie bars I should have put more crust on the bottom but they were still really good, second time I nailed it perfect! I wish I could include a picture! This is going to be my go-to recipe for all my berries! it uses way less berries than a traditional cobbler and the crust is just perfect on these! The lemon zest is a great touch to an already yummy buttery crust
Can I make this with the blackberry jam I made last week? I had so many blackberries
Has anyone tried making these with a gluten free flour ?
I made it with King Arthur’s 1 to 1 flour (gluten free). I thought they turned out great!
Hi Beth! I have never tried it with jam, it would be worth a shot! But I can’t guarantee your results, especially with homemade jam.
I had to find something to do with all the berries I picked yesterday, so I just tried this recipe and it turned out amazing!!! I wish I could post a picture!!! Thanks so much!!!
I made these earlier in the summer and they were delicious. I need to make a vegan dessert and thought I’d bake more pie bars. I can substitute vegan margarine for the butter, but what can I substitute for the egg? Many thanks!
google flax egg or chia egg. You can make these with a combination of water and the seeds. makes a good vegan egg substitute.
This recipe sounds delicious but the fat content in the nutrition information can’t be right. It shows 2 grams per serving but a cup of butter has 184 grams which would be 15 grams per serving.
Lynne,
Try making the crust with coconut oil. I did this with another bar recipe and it turned out good. Good luck!
Hi Lynne, I’m sorry, I’m not well versed in vegan baking. However you can make a pie crust without egg, so maybe go that route and add more vegan margarine if needed to the dough? Good luck!
I know these comments are older. Just letting y’all know I made this recipe with my egg substitute and it worked perfectly. For 1 egg, you can use 1/4 unsweetened applesauce mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder (I used pear sauce but it’s identical to applesauce). It tasted identical to when I make it
With actual egg
It would be great if you would list ingredients by weight as well as volume. Makes for more precise baking. Thanks!
Went berry picking with my kiddos for the first time and we made this with our fresh blackberries. We followed the recipe exactly (as much as you can with a 3 year old and 5 year old stealing nibbles and spilling ingredients) and it came out DELICIOUS! Definitely simple to make and comes out picture-worthy and impressive. A little tart, a little sweet, a little buttery and perfect when served warm with vanilla ice cream!
So glad you and your kiddos loved them Melissa! Such fun memories!
Do these bars freeze well, would like to make a large batch if they do.
Hi Julia! Yes, I believe they should freeze ok. They will be best fresh, but I think if reheated, would still be tasty again after freezing!
Made these last night – and they are delicious! My crust didn’t look at all like yours – it covered the blackberries entirely – and I followed your instructions exactly, but it was delicious! I loved the addition of lemon zest and cinnamon to the crust ingredients. Thanks for a great recipe – I’ll be making these again!
I subbed cardamom for the cinnamon for a more subtle flavor and this was just perfect!!
Aldi had blackberries on sale, so tried this recipe. Excellent , easy to make, crust was perfect. Will make again
I used 1 cup Almond Flour and 2 cups Flour. Mmmm it is soooo good!