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These Cherry Pie Bars feature a jammy cherry filling sandwiched between a buttery crust and a crisp almond crumble. They’re a magical summer dessert without the effort it takes to bake a whole pie! Vegan; Gluten-Free and Oil-Free Options.
Cherries and almonds are married in these Vegan Cherry Pie Bars with Almond Crumble. Featuring a glistening cherry pie filling, a sweet and buttery crust, and an almond crumble on top, they’re a delicious summer dessert you can dust with powdered sugar or top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Plus, they’re easier to make than a homemade cherry pie!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
Every year, I make myself a cherry dessert for my birthday and share it on the blog. I’ve never really been a cake person; I’ll always take a slice of pie (or giant bowl of fruit) over a slice of chocolate cake. Cherry season also peaks in July, so it’s always the perfect time to enjoy them! 🍒
This year, I’m making these Vegan Jammy Cherry Pie Bars. I had a vision of a buttery almond crumble stuffed with a juicy (not dense and dry) cherry filling—like a portable cherry pie with the flavor of a yummy almond croissant!
- EXTRA Jammy Filling: Extra cherries = lots of juicy, fruity flavors! My trick is to mash some of the cherries for the best jammy consistency.
- Buttery Almond Flavor: A kiss of almond extract, crunchy sliced almonds, and almond flour complement the cherries so well here, just as they do in my Cherry Almond Twist.
- Save $$$ with Frozen Fruit: Frozen cherries are the way to go because I can’t be bothered to pit a bunch of fresh cherries. Plus, they’re always more affordable and picked at peak ripeness, so you know you’re getting the best deal.
What You Need for Cherry Bars
These pie bars have 3 components: (1) an almond-oat crust, (2) a cherry filling, and (3) a crumble topping. They’re easier to make than a whole pie, thanks to these baking staples:
Frozen Cherries: a whopping 4 cups of cherries are going into the filling. Frozen cherries are recommended because they’re a little more affordable than fresh cherries.
AP Flour & Almond Flour: using both yields a crust that holds together but still has a nutty, melt-in-your-mouth charm. You should also be okay to make the crust with oat flour instead of almond flour, or with 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour.
Oats: these pie bars are meant to be semi-rustic, so old-fashioned rolled oats are the best option in the crust and crumble. Quick oats should work in a pinch, though.
Sliced Almonds & Almond Extract: sliced almonds in the crumble topping and almond extract in the filling give the cherry bars a flavor that reminds me of maraschino cherries, except a million times better!
Sweet Cherries vs. Tart Cherries
Both sweet dark cherries and sour tart cherries are great options. I can’t ever seem to find tart cherries locally here in the Pacific Northwest, so I tend to stick with sweet cherries.
The flavor of the filling will vary depending on the cherries you use, which is why I recommend making these adjustments:
- Sweet Cherries: I like adding an extra dash of lemon juice to the filling when I’m using sweet cherries, which is how the recipe is written. It adds a touch of tart flavor and really helps the cherry flavor shine!
- Tart Cherries: When using tart cherries, I recommend using an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar.
How to Make Cherry Pie Bars
- Combine the flour, oats, almond flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla.
- Press 2 cups of the base mixture into a prepared baking dish. Mix the sliced almonds into the remaining base to make the crumble.
- Bake the crust until golden.
- Warm the cherries and sugar in a pan, mash them into a jammy filling, and heat to a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer until the filling has thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and almond extract.
- Pour the warm cherry filling over the cooked crust.
- Sprinkle the reserved almond crumble over the filling and bake until the filling is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
- Cool the cherry bars completely, then slice and top with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- To avoid adding too much flour into the crust, either measure the dry ingredients with a kitchen scale or spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level off the excess with the back of a butter knife. The crust will stay light and tender this way.
- That first bake will prevent a soggy bottom. Blind baking the crust for 12 minutes is crucial to keeping the bars firm rather than mushy under the pie filling.
- Speed up the cooling process: Once the baked crust is cool to the touch (this will take about an hour), place the baking dish in the fridge to speed things up. This will take another hour or so.
Serving Suggestions
I honestly think these cherry pie bars are perfect on their own. A dusting of powdered sugar on top is really all I need! But when you want an extra fantastic dessert, feel free to drizzle the cherry glaze from these Easy Cherry Almond Scones on top, or serve the bars with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream for classic cherry pie vibes.
If you’re looking for more vegan dessert bars, you’ll also love these Vegan Lemon Bars, these Sweet Potato Pie Bars, and these Cranberry Orange Crumble Bars!
Or, if you love baking with cherries and almonds as much as I do, you’ll also love this Cherry Tart and this Chocolate Cherry Cake.
How to Store Cherry Pie Bars
Transfer the cooled cherry pie bars to an airtight container and store them for up to 2 days at room temperature, up to 5 days in the fridge, or up to 2 months in the freezer. Thaw as many bars as you plan on eating in the fridge overnight or on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes before serving.
The bars taste great chilled and at room temperature, or you can heat them up in the toaster oven! I love how it makes the crumble topping crunchy and the cherry filling gooey again.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Option: Use an equal amount of a quality 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour instead of the regular all-purpose flour. Make sure your oats are certified gluten-free as well.
- Almond Flour Substitute: An equal amount of oat flour will work in place of the almond flour in the crust; however, you’ll miss out on some of the nutty flavors.
- Oil-Free Option: The crust in these Blueberry Crumble Bars is oil-free and will work as a substitute for the “base” in this recipe. You can skip the initial bake and top the oil-free crust with the cherry filling before baking the bars for 27 to 30 minutes.
- Fresh Cherry Substitute: Fresh, pitted cherries can be used as a substitute for the frozen cherries.
- Brown Sugar Substitute: Coconut sugar is the best substitute for brown sugar.
Recipe FAQs
I would avoid using canned cherries or canned cherry pie filling since both tend to have added ingredients that will throw off the ratios and flavors in the filling.
You can bake the crust, make the cherry filling, and separate the crumble 1 to 2 days before assembling and baking. Just keep everything covered and stored separately in the fridge.
The bars will be a bit different but still taste great if you use fresh or frozen blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries as a substitute.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Jammy Cherry Pie Bars with Almond Crumble (Vegan)
Ingredients
For the Base & Almond Crumble:
- 1 1/4 150 g cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup almond flour spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 10 tablespoons salted butter, melted (I used dairy-free sticks)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting
For the Jammy Cherry Filling:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 16 ounces frozen sweet or tart cherries* do not thaw (about 4 cups)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray; set aside.
- Make the Base & Crumble: Mix the flour, oats, almond flour, sugar, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and vanilla and mix with a spatula, until a crumble forms. Take about 2 cups (240 g) of the mixture and use your hands to press it evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.Mix the sliced almonds into the remaining “base” to form the crumble, then set aside.
- First Bake: Bake the base in the preheated oven for 12 minutes, then set aside on a wire rack.
- Jammy Filling: Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl and set off to the side. Add the cherries and sugar to a nonstick sauté pan or medium pot over medium heat. Once the cherries have thawed I like to use a potato masher or fork to break them up more for a jammy filling, but you can leave them whole if you want your filling to be more chunky. Bring to a simmer; give the cornstarch slurry one more mix, then add to the cherries. Simmer for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently; the filling is done when you can drag a spatula through it and it leaves a clear path. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and almond extract, then pour the warm filling over the cooked crust, using your spatula to spread it out evenly.
- Second Bake: Sprinkle the reserved almond crumble evenly over the cherry filling. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and set the entire pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Once the crumble is cool to the touch (about an hour) you can place the baking dish in the fridge to speed this up – mine took an additional hour to cool completely once refrigerated
- Slice & Serve: Sprinkle the powdered sugar lightly over the bars. Use the parchment paper to remove the bars from the baking dish and transfer to a cutting board, then use a sharp knife to slice into 16 even bars. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftovers and reheat in the toaster oven as needed!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Gluten-Free: Swap the all-purpose flour in this recipe with 1 cup of oat flour, or you can make the base and crumble topping for this recipe instead, which is also Oil-Free!
- Fresh Cherries: You can also make this recipe with fresh pitted cherries instead of frozen; I would simmer the cherries (in step 4) for 1-2 minutes less if using fresh, as they will release less liquid than frozen cherries.
- Tart Cherries vs Fresh Cherries: I can only find sweet cherries near me, but you can also make this recipe with tart cherries if you prefer! I’d suggest increasing the sugar in the cherry filling to 1/3 cup, and start by adding only 2 teaspoons of lemon juice (then more to your taste, if needed).
