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These Blueberry Pie Bars deliver everything you love about blueberry pie with a fraction of the work. A buttery shortbread crust, creamy blueberry filling, and golden crumble topping bake together into an easy dessert that's perfect for summer parties, potlucks, and make-ahead entertaining.
Love blueberries? Don't miss my recipes for Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake, Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins, and Blueberry Smoothie.
Blueberry Pie Bars at a Glance
- Serves: 16 bars
- Time Needed: 10 minutes for prep + 60 minutes to bake + 3 hours to chill (even better the next day after chilling)
- Made With: Fresh or frozen blueberries, sour cream, and a simple shortbread dough that forms the crust and crumble.
- Best For: Potlucks, summer cookouts, make-ahead desserts
- Why This Recipe Works: A rich sour cream filling creates an almost cheesecake-like texture, while a single shortbread mixture forms both the crust and crumble topping for an easy dessert that tastes anything but simple.
Kristen's Key Tips
These tips make the difference between bars that hold their shape and bars that fall apart when sliced.
- Use cold butter. Cold butter creates a tender, flaky shortbread crust and crumbly topping.
- Skip fat-free sour cream. Fat-free sour cream is made with added stabilizers that will impact the consistency and flavor. Full-fat or reduced-fat sour cream keeps the filling rich and creamy.
- Chill before slicing. Refrigerating the bars for at least 2 hours helps the filling set and makes clean slices possible. I personally like to prepare the bars the day before serving for effortless entertaining.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
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
Notes on Ingredients
- Blueberries: Fresh or frozen both work well.
- Sour Cream: Use full-fat or reduced-fat sour cream, not fat-free sour cream.
- Butter: Cold butter is critical for a crumbly shortbread texture.
- Egg: Helps the filling set into neat bars.
Variations & Substitutions
- 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 bar recipe.
- Add Lemon: Add the zest of 1 large lemon to the blueberry sour cream filling for a bright citrus finish.
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. Prebaking the crust prevents it from becoming soggy once the blueberry filling is added.
- Prepare Filling. While the crust is baking, use that time to mix together the sour cream, sugar, egg, and blueberries together.
- Assemble. 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 until the center is just set and the crumble topping is golden brown. The center should no longer wobble when the pan is gently shaken.
- Chill. Let the bars chill at room temperature for at least 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing into bars.
Blueberry Pie Bar FAQs
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Yes. Add them directly from frozen and increase baking time by about 10 minutes.
Why are my blueberry bars runny?
They likely weren't chilled long enough. The filling continues setting as it cools.
Can I make blueberry pie bars ahead of time?
Yes. In fact, they taste even better after chilling overnight.
More Favorite Fruit Desserts
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
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.
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Wish it gave an estimated time for baking.
Hi Laurie! It sounds like you just missed the baking time. It is in step 4 of the recipe card stating to bake 45-50 minutes. I hope you enjoy.
These are everyone’s favorite and so yummy! I can’t wait to make these bars again! Such a great and easy recipe!
Thanks for sharing. I love hearing you enjoyed this recipe.
These are a family favorite around here. The blueberry with the crumble is irresistible!
That crumble gets us every time! Glad you enjoyed Katie!
The crust on these is out of this world. I followed your instructions for using frozen berries, and they turned out perfect.
So glad you enjoyed Krystle! And thanks for letting us know the results with frozen berries!
we LOVE blueberry pie - we have three large blueberry shrubs growing in our front yard. And we're always on the look out for new recipes. This was fantastic and tasted just like my favorite pie without all the effort. Thanks for a great new recipe!
I am so happy you all enjoyed so much! And what a wonderful thing to have blueberry shrubs!
This is the perfect summer treat! It says it can be refrigerated for up to 3 days but there is NO way these will last that long in my home! Delish!
So glad you all enjoyed so much Beth!
Hi! We did enjoy these, but the sour cream mixture disappeared. Should there have been more of it (maybe 1 cup or even more) so that it made a "sauce" around the berries?
Hi Janell. I am glad you enjoyed the flavor, but sorry you were disappointed by the lack of cream mixture. Adding more would make this recipe not sliceable or able to be hand-held.