These easy Gluten Free Cherry Pie Bars have a buttery oat and walnut crust, jammy and sweet cherry layer, and a golden brown crumb topping. All while being vegan and dairy free.
This recipe took me five tries to get right. Count 'em 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
When I thought about making a Cherry Pie Bars recipe, I thought, pshhhhh man this will be easy. A little crumble, a little cherry, a little more crumble on top. No problemo (pats self on back).
Oh how my confidence brought me to my knees.
The final score was Cherry Pie Crumble Bars: 4, Laurel: 1.
BUT, that last win was the perfect most ideal delicious delightful ending, because these cherry pie bars are everything I was hoping for! Sweet, crumbly and caramelized dough hugging a slightly tart and deeply cherry-flavored jam filling. Melt in your mouth. Perfectly sweet and tart. And effortless to bake.
Reasons to love this recipe:
- Made with 8 simple ingredients!
- One dough recipe doubles as a perfect crust and crumble topping!
- It's naturally sweetened, vegan, and gluten free.
- Very easy to make while being impressive!
- Bars keep well in the fridge for up to a week of delicious snacking :)
What ingredients are in Gluten Free Cherry Pie Bars?
It's a simple list that creates BIG flavors!
- Chopped almonds or walnuts - we'll toast them for a couple of minutes in the oven to bring their flavors to life!
- GF oat flour - I like Bob's Red Mill brand or often grind my own from whole gluten free oats
- GF oats - for a nice chewy texture
- Salt
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil - you could use vegan butter (or regular butter), too. I would not recommend swapping for a liquid oil like avocado or grapeseed
- Pitted cherries - I use frozen
- Arrowroot starch - to thicken up our cherry layer to the perfect consistency.
How do you make gluten free cherry pie bars?
Do a quick 6-minute toast on your nuts of choice to bring out the flavors. Spread them out on a pan, into the oven, and set a timer for 6 minutes. When you smell them, they're done.
Next, stir all the dough ingredients together. Be sure that the coconut oil is well distributed. Get in there with your hands if needed.
Press ¾ of the dough into you pan. Lay a second piece of parchment paper over the crust so you can really press it down without the mixture sticking to your hands. Bake until golden brown.
Meanwhile, simmer the cherries in a sauce pan. Use a potato masher to break them into smaller pieces. Add in your starch to thicken and pour the cherry mixture over your crust.
Top with crumbles of the remaining dough, bake again, and let cool before slicing. The hardest part!
Cherry Pie Crumble Bars
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These easy Gluten Free Cherry Pie Bars have a buttery oat and walnut crust, jammy and sweet cherry layer, and a golden brown crumb topping. All while being vegan and dairy free.
Ingredients
For the crumble dough:
- ¾ cup chopped almonds OR walnuts
- 2 cups gluten free oat flour
- 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut oil
For the Cherry Pie Filling:
- 4 cups pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x9 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Spread the almonds out on a sheet tray. Bake for 7 minutes or until fragrant and golden.
- In a bowl, whisk together the oat flour, quick oats and salt. Add in the maple syrup and coconut oil. Stir the mixture together, being careful to incorporate the coconut oil. Get in there with your hands if needed. The mixture should hold together when pinched and there should be no stray flour in the bottom of the bowl.
- Add in the walnuts, and stir to combine.
- Press ⅔ of this mixture into your prepared pan. Using an extra piece of parchment paper, press mixture down firmly into an even layer, pressing to get rid of any cracks and form one solid piece.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, add the frozen cherries and maple syrup to a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the cherries are defrosted and the sauce is simmering. Use a potato masher to gently break the cherries into smaller pieces.
- Remove from the heat and add in the arrowroot starch mixture. Return to the heat and bring back to a simmer.
- Pour the cherry mixture over the baked crust and sprinkle on the remaining crumble. Bake, uncovered, for 14 to 18 minutes, until the topping is lightly firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 45 to 60 minutes. Lift out the slab and slice it into squares or bars.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days, or wrapped up and stored in the freezer.
Notes
If you can't find gluten free oat flour, you can process any gluten free oats
in a food processor until a fine flour forms.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 234
- Sugar: 16g
- Sodium: 52mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
Keywords: gluten-free, vegan, pie, cherry, crumble, crisp, healthy, coconut oil, bar, dessert, Spring, Summer,
I need to make this for my mom! She loves Cherry crumbles but this healthy alternative will be perfect for her!
I hope she LOVES it!
Beautiful bars look just like your photos. Mine were a bit bland. Maybe need a tad more salt ( I used kosher) and my cherries lacked robust flavor (tarter cherries would have been tastier). I also added a dash of rose water to the cherries and wish I had also put in a tablespoon of lemon juice. I added the 2 T maple syrup to the cherries but the recipe didn’t state what to do with it. I love that it was super easy, GF and vegan. Oh, and perfectly moist. Not dry and not mushy. Not very sweet which threw me off at first but I came to appreciate it with a cup of coffee. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
★★★★
Hi April, thank you for your review and for catching the recipe typo! You were absolutely correct adding the maple syrup to the cherries. I just updated the recipe to make it clear. I have also made this recipe with tart cherries and it is delicious!
Could I use the topping snd just make a crumble / crisp ? i need to bring a summer time desert for friends get together but it has to be gluten free . Thanks
Hi Paula! That should work :) You can also try the crisp topping from this apple crisp recipe. Whatever looks best to you!
This was a hit at my church luncheon! I used half frozen sour cherries and half frozen berry medley and doubled the recipe. Yummy, now I’ll use the crust recipe and change out the fruit for variety. This is a keeper! 🌹
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the review, Rose! So glad to hear your church enjoyed the bars!