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Love blueberry pie but short on time? These Blueberry Pie Bars deliver all that classic flavor with far less effort. A buttery shortbread crust, creamy blueberry filling, and golden crumble topping come together in a handheld dessert that's ready for the oven with about 10 minutes of prep.
Love blueberries? Don't miss my recipes for Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake, Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins, and Blueberry Smoothie.
Kristen's Keys for Blueberry Bars
While an easy recipe, I have a few tips to help ensure your blueberry bars are perfectly sweet and sliceable.
- Use cold butter for the crumble and crust. To give the shortbread a crumbly, and melt-in-your-mouth texture, cold butter is essential.
- Never use fat-free sour cream. Adding sour cream to the blueberry filling, creates a creamy base with just enough tang to balance the sweetness. But never opt for fat-free sour cream as it is made with added stabilizers that will impact the consistency and flavor.
- Best enjoyed chilled. As tempting as it is to dive in after baking, let the blueberry pie bars cool to room temperature than refrigerate to fully chill. As they cill, the filling sets up and the flavor intensifies.
5-Star Reader Review
The crust on these is out of this world. I followed your instructions for using frozen berries, and they turned out perfect. -Krystle
How to Make Blueberry Pie Bars
Because both the crust and crumble are made with a shortbread base, these blueberry bars come together rather easily.
- Prepare Shortbread. Using a food processor or two forks, mix the flour, salt, and sugar together until combined. Add the cubed butter and pulse or mix until the mixture is crumbly. Remove ½ cup of this mixture and set aside for the crumble topping.
- Prebake Crust. Press the remaining shortbread into the baking dish to form the crust and pre-bake for 15 minutes. Partially baking the crust keeps the crust keeps it flaky and tender.
- Prepare Filling. While the crust is baking, use that time to mix together the sour cream, sugar, egg, and blueberries together.
- Layer Blueberry Pie Bars. Once the crust has prebaked, evenly spread the blueberry sour cream mixture over the crust and then sprinkle the reserved shortbread evenly over the blueberry mixture.
- Bake. Bake the bars until the blueberry pie filling is no longer jiggly and the crumble topping is golden brown. Let the bars chill at room temperature for at least 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate, for 2 hours before slicing into bars.
Recipe Modifications
- Egg-Free: Simply omit the egg from the filling. The bars don't set up as well and may need to be enjoyed with a fork, but are still delicious.
- Use Frozen Blueberries: Do NOT thaw the berries, simply fold them frozen into the batter and increase the baking time by 10 minutes.
- Use Different Berries: Feel free to replace the blueberries with blackberries, raspberries, or diced strawberries--similar to my Strawberry Pie Bars.
- Add Lemon: As proven by my recipe for Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake, blueberries and lemon are a batch made in heaven! For a kiss of lemon flavor, add the zest of 1 large lemon to the blueberry sour cream cream filling.
More Favorite Fruit Desserts
Blueberry Pie Bars
Made with a buttery shortbread cookie base, a creamy blueberry filling, and a delicious crumb topping, these Blueberry Bars are an irresistible, yet easy dessert recipe.
Video
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust and Crumble
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed and cold
Blueberry Filling
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, slightly beaten
- 4 cups fresh blueberries, washed and dried
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease an 8x8 baking dish or line it with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or base of a food processor fitted with an s-blade, combine 1½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture in the food processor and pulse until the mixture is crumbly, and the butter is distributed evenly. Alternatively use 2 forks or a pastry blender to mix the butter into the flour mixture.
- Remove ½ cup of the mixture to use for the crumb topping. Press the remaining mixture evenly into the baking dish, using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass if needed to help flatten. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, mix ½ cup full-fat sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and 1 large egg in a large mixing bowl. Gently fold in the prepared blueberries.
- When the crust comes out of the oven, pour the blueberry batter over the crust and sprinkle the reserved ½ cup crust batter over the berry mixture evenly.
- Return to the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until pie bars are set and the crumble over top is slightly browned.
- Allow the bars to cool for at least an hour before slicing. I recommend allowing the bars to reach room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for 12 hours. This will intensify the flavor and allow the bars to fully set.
Equipment
Notes
No Food Processor? If you don't have a food processor, use 2 forks or a pastry mixer to combine shortbread mixture.
Sour Cream: Plain Greek yogurt can be substituted for sour cream. Do NOT use fat-free sour cream.
Frozen Blueberries: If using FROZEN blueberries, do NOT thaw the berries before folding into the sour cream mixture and increase the final time by 10 minutes.
Note on Doubling Recipe: To double the recipe, use a 9x13 baking dish and 1 cup (instead of ½ cup) of the shortbread mixture for the crumble.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I don't recommend freezing.
Nutrition
Calories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 10mgPotassium: 54mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 255IUVitamin C: 3.6mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @amindfullmom or tag #amindfullmom!
This post was originally shared in 2017 and updated in 2026.
Are the measurements correct for this recipe? One half cup flour seems too little.
Mary, It does seem like too little, but it works. This is only for an 8x8 pan and the blueberries are really the star here.
These look absolutely decadent - can't wait to give them a try!
You will love them!
oooh, this makes me miss our old house where we had six blueberry bushes... this recipe is perfect for the huge amounts of blueberries I had all over my kitchen. I am saving this to make later this summer, cannot wait!
I wish I lived in that house too!! I love blueberries.
I am definitely a dessert person especially when the dessert involves my favorite fruit, blueberries. These are going on my list of must make!
You will love these Christie.
Hi,
I just made this with my five year old, its amazing! we can't stop eating it! Just a quick question....is it better to keep in the fridge overnight or out?
thanks again for this super easy recipe!
Kate, I am so glad you love them and you had your 5 year old help you!!! Yea!! I would keep them in the fridge--just my own preference to be extra safe. Plus, I really enjoy them cold!!!
Blessings,
Kristen
Hi Kristen! Just like everyone else, I thought these looked so good! I made them this morning and they are delicious! We all love blueberries here and with the yogurt and whole wheat flour, I don't feel too guilty about snitching a bit or two out of the pan. Next time, I think I may play a bit with the ingredient amounts. My dough was very thick and hard to spread. When baked and cooled, it could only be eaten in a dish with a spoon. Still...a great treat!
Hey Kathy,
Hmmm. I wonder if the humidity or elevation where you are affected the result. I did let my bars cool for about an hour before slicing. Sorry it wasnt perfection for you. I am glad you enjoyed the flavor though.
Hi I'm just wondering how much a stick of butter is in grams please???
Hey Rhiana, The recipe calls for 3/4 cups of butter which is 170 grams of butter. That would equal 1 stick (113 grams) + 1/2 stick (about 57 grams). I hope that helps you!!
Kristen
I know a long time has passed since this comment, but for anyone new reading this, definitely don't use 3/4 cups of butter! The recipe lists 1 1/2 sticks, which is 6 tablespoons, and even that is way too much for the listed amounts of flour and sugar.
Thanks for you comment Agnes. My recipe only calls for 3/4 a stick of butter NOT 3/4 cup of butter. So it will work out just fine!