Quick and easy to make, these vegan raspberry crumble bars are beyond delicious! With a soft center and a crunchy toasted coconut topping, you'll enjoy the incredible flavors in each layer!
Nothing tastes better than a homemade dessert bar that has layers of sweet and buttery flavors! And that's exactly what these raspberry crumble bars bring to the table. They have three incredible layers: a buttery shortbread-like crust, a thick and creamy raspberry filling, and a topping of toasted coconut that has a hint of vanilla. You can literally taste the flavors of summer in every bite!
This raspberry bars recipe is simple to make and only takes 30 minutes to come together! That's it! Similar to these 7 Layer Bars and my Carrot and Zucchini Bars, I love serving these in the warmer weather months because they are light and refreshing. And, they're perfect to enjoy at a picnic, a potluck, for Mother's Day, Easter, baby showers...any occasions!
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Why This Recipe Works
- This is a vegan recipe...so these raspberry crumble bars are free from all dairy and eggs.
- Use fresh raspberries instead of jam or jelly!
- They are perfect for a sweet breakfast, afternoon snack, or as an after dinner dessert!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Flour: use whole wheat flour.
- Margarine: make sure you use a vegan butter. I use Earth Balance vegan butter when I make these homemade vegan truffles and the results are amazing.
- Hemp Seeds: this is an optional ingredient. I add hemp seeds to the bottom layer for added health benefits and nutrition. They are a great source of protein, as well as contain Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.
- Dairy-Free Milk: use rice milk since it's naturally sweet.
- Raspberries: use fresh raspberries.
- Coconut Sugar: this is a natural sugar that adds a mild hint of caramel. When buying coconut sugar, don't let the labels confuse you. Coconut sugar and coconut palm sugar are the exact same thing.
- Banana: used to make the crust and the top layer of the crumble bars. Just like when making a banana bread recipe, use a slight overly ripe banana.
- Coconut Oil: a healthy oil that adds a subtle hint of coconut to the raspberry crumble bars.
- Vanilla Extract: compliments the flavors of the coconut.
- Almonds: use blanched sliced almonds. Blanched means that the skins have been removed from the almonds which will result in a smoother texture.
- Baking Powder: helps the shortbread-like crust slightly rise when baking.
- Coconut: use sweetened shredded coconut as the top layer of these crumble bars.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
📋 Variations
- Flour - Instead of using whole wheat flour, you can use all purpose flour or a gluten-free version.
- Milk - Try substituting almond or oat milk.
- Jam - I love using fresh raspberries as the filling, but you can also use raspberry jam instead. You can also use a different flavored jam, such as cherry, blueberry, or peach!
- Sugar - white granulated sugar can be substituted for the coconut sugar.
🥣 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Then, start with making the crust. In a large bowl, mix the flour, margarine, milk, baking powder, ½ mashed banana and hemp seeds. Combine well.
Step 2: Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with 2 teaspoons of margarine before spreading the first layer, otherwise the bars will stick. Pour in the crust batter and spread evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
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Step 3: Next comes the raspberry layer. Most crumble bar recipes use raspberry jam as the filling. Raspberry jam is sweeter and thicker, so feel free to use that if you prefer...but I love using smashed up fresh raspberries because they provide a fresh burst of flavor with every single bite!
Step 4: Once the raspberries are smashed, spread them evenly over the base layer.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tip
When spreading the layers, be careful not to push too hard because the layers underneath are more delicate than the top layer.
Step 5: For the final layer, mix together in a large bowl the rest of the mashed banana and coconut sugar, then add the melted coconut oil, shredded coconut, and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Stir it well until it is combined and then gently spread it over the raspberry layer.
Step 6: Once the third layer is ready, bake the bars for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top layer has turned a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool before serving.
Don't these buttery raspberry crumble bars look so delicious??? Each layer is completely different. Each bite is full of coconut and raspberry crunch! They're buttery, soft, sweet, gooey, and ohhhh soooo scrumptious!
🙋🏼 Recipe FAQs
You'll want to store these covered in the refrigerator, either in a sealable plastic bag or in a container with a lid. They're delicious cold, but also really good warmed up.
Yes! To freeze, put them evenly in any freezer safe container, such as a large freezer bag, and freeze them for up to 3 months. To defrost, place the frozen bag in the refrigerator and enjoy once they are no longer frozen.
Expert Tips
- After baking, let the pan cool on the counter for about 10 minutes. Then, put the pan in the refrigerator to finish completely cooling before you cut the bars. They are much easier to cut and stay together better when they are cooler.
- To add more crunch to these raspberry crumble bars, sprinkle shaved almonds over the top of the mixture halfway through baking. Almonds are so thin and can burn easily...so don't add them too soon.
More Simple Dessert Recipes To Try!
If you tried these vegan raspberry bars or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Vegan Raspberry Crumble Bars
Equipment
- 9-inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons dairy-free margarine, for greasing the baking pan
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup dairy-free butter
- ⅕ cup hemp seeds, (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon dairy-free milk
- 2 cup raspberries, mashed
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar,
- 1 banana, mashed , divided
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sliced, blanched almonds (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and then set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, dairy-free melted butter, dairy-free milk, baking powder, ½ of a mashed banana, and hemp seeds (if using). Using a large spoon, mix to combine well.
- Add the mixture to the greased 9-inch square baking pan. Spread evenly.
- Use a fork to smash the fresh raspberries and then spread them evenly over the bottom crust layer.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the sugar and the remaining ½ of the mashed banana. Stir in the shredded coconut, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well until evenly blended.
- Gently spread the sugar and coconut mixture on top of raspberry mixture in pan, being careful not to press too hard.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top layer of the bars are golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow them to cool on the counter for 10 minutes. From there, place the pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. The bars will be easier to cut when chilled.
Notes
- All-purpose flour or gluten-free flour is a good substitute for whole wheat flour.
- Earth Balance is the best vegan butter to use when baking.
- Almond milk, rice milk, or oat milk are all great dairy-free options and all work well when making these raspberry bars.
- You can substitute ¾ cups of raspberry jam if you desire a sweeter flavor instead of using fresh raspberries.
- You can use sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut depending on your taste preference.
- After baking, let the pan cool on the counter for about 10 minutes. Then, put the pan in the refrigerator to finish completely cooling before you cut the bars. They are much easier to cut and stay together better when they are cooler.
- To add more crunch to these raspberry crumble bars, sprinkle shaved almonds over the top of the mixture halfway through baking. Almonds are so thin and can burn easily...so don't add them too soon.
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JK
Underrated recipe IMO. Great ingredients and taste (especially impressive that you chose fresh raspberries instead of jam...actually that's what initially hooked me)! Very nice recipe, thank you.
Amanda Mason
Thank you SO much JK!! I'm SO glad you liked it!! Yes - fresh raspberries are the key!!! Thanks for following me and I can't WAIT to hear what other recipes of mine you try!
Natalie
These bars looks fantastic. So fruity and delicious. Perfect for Spring and Summer. My kiddo love desserts like this one. I'm a big fan too. So I can't wait to make this recipe for us. We will enjoy so much, I just know that.
Allison Leigh
Thanks very much Natalie! Raspberries are our favourite fruit!
Aditi Bahl
This looks stunning. You have explained it so beautifully and clearly that it sounds so easy.Surely trying this one soon.
Allison Leigh
Thanks so much Aditi! I would love to hear how it goes if you try it!