Made with a shortbread crust and raspberry preserves, these crowd-pleasing Raspberry Bars are a sweet treat to make in the spring, summer or any time of the year! Easy to make with 5 ingredients in 1 bowl and the crust doubles as the crumb topping.
Craving more crowd-pleasing vegan dessert bars? Then you won’t want to miss my Vegan Lemon Bars, Blueberry Pie Bars, and Blackberry Pie Bars!
I love serving these Vegan Raspberry Crumb Bars to my friends and family because they’re always a hit. The shortbread crust, buttery crumble topping, and raspberry preserves in the middle are just too good to miss!
They’re one of the best treats for spring and summer, always a crowd-pleaser at the Mother’s Day and Easter brunches, and surprisingly easy to make.
Why you’ll love these raspberry crumble bars
- A berrylicious summer treat – These raspberry shortbread bars top jammy raspberry preserves over a shortbread cookie crust.
- 1 bowl and 5 ingredients – The 4-ingredient shortbread crust quickly comes together in one bowl, while the store-bought raspberry preserves are delicious right out of the jar.
- Surprisingly easy to make! The simple dough and jarred raspberry preserves keep these dessert bars quick and easy. Perfect for a fuss-free treat to share with friends!
How to make vegan raspberry bars
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Stir the softened vegan butter or coconut oil into the dry mix until you’re left with a crumbly shortbread dough.
You can experiment with mix-ins in the cookie crust if you’d like! Add up to 1/4 cup of vegan white chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried coconut flakes for extra flavor. A couple tablespoons of lemon zest would also be nice if you love lemons and raspberries together.
Set 1 cup of the shortbread dough aside and dump the rest into a baking pan. Press it into an even layer, then bake until it’s lightly browned.
Spread the raspberry preserves over the warm cookie crust, then sprinkle the reserved shortbread dough evenly over the top. Bake once more until the raspberry filling is bubbling.
While the bars are baking, make the optional glaze by whisking the powdered sugar and almond milk together until smooth.
Set the raspberry bars aside to cool. Lift them out of the pan, transfer them to a cooling rack, and let them cool for at least 2 hours. Cut them into squares, then drizzle the glaze over top. Enjoy!
For eye-catching raspberry bars, sprinkle dried coconut flakes, lemon zest, fresh raspberries, mint leaves, vegan white chocolate chips, or sliced almonds on top after adding the glaze.
Frequently asked questions
Yes they can. Substitute a mix of a quality gluten-free flour blend, like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure for the all-purpose flour.
Not if you don’t want to! Try using apricot, strawberry, or blueberry preserves instead. Or, in the fall, use apple butter! Just make sure to drizzle my Vegan Salted Caramel Sauce over top before serving (yum!).
This recipe makes 16 raspberry bars when it’s made in a 9×13” baking pan. If you don’t have a 9×13” baking pan, split the bars between two smaller pans instead.
Once they’re firm and sliced into bars, transfer them to an airtight container and store at room temperature for 5 days. They’ll keep for longer in the fridge, but they will harden quite a bit (especially if you use coconut oil) so let them come to room temperature for a little while before enjoying.
The bars also freeze well for up to 1 month or so.
Vegan Raspberry Bars
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan butter (or coconut oil), softened
- 13 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) raspberry preserves
Optional glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Now add the softened vegan butter or coconut oil, and stir until everything is well combined. The mixture should be rather crumbly. Use your hands if you need to.
- Set aside 1 cup of the shortbread dough, in a smaller bowl. This is your crumble topping.
- Press the mixture evenly into the baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and turn the oven up to 350 degrees F.
- Spread the raspberry preserves over the warm crust. Sprinkle on the topping. Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. The filling should be bubbling on the edges and in the middle.
- Allow the bars to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Lift the bars out of the pan with the parchment paper, transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool for at least 2 hours, if possible. Cut into squares and drizzle with optional glaze.
Optional glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and almond milk until a glaze is formed.
Video
Notes
- Gluten-free – Substitute a quality gluten-free flour mix, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 or King Arthur Measure for Measure flour.
- Makes about 16 large bars. You may halve the recipe and make in an 8-inch square pan if desired.
- Try using a different flavor of fruit jam, such as apricot, strawberry or blueberry. Or use apple butter in the Fall.
hiiiii! these are so good! i made the 8×8 serving and i kept going back for more the whole day. i was wondering if you think adding a bit vegan cream cheese would work? i miss danish….
I double this recipe and half the raspberry preserves. This and your chocolate cake are on my favorite recipes of yours (I love so many). Yummy!
Two oldies that are also my favorites! 🙂 Thanks for loving my recipes.
RIDICULOUSLY good! I’ve made them four times now for different events (using various preserves), and they’re the first thing to go. I had one person say, “Oh, these are pretty good”, only to later ask me not to bring them again because they’d just finished their fourth & they can’t stop eating them. Yesterday, my boss had one for breakfast….then two more with her lunch. Thank you for such a simple and customizable, yet sublime, recipe!
Thanks Judi! I have been making these for YEARS now and though they aren’t the most viewed dessert recipe on my website, they are in my top 5 favorite recipes of all time. 🙂
Too sweet. The “crumble” was impossible to press and spread on top. I had one bar and threw the rest away.
Thank you for this recipe!! Turned out perfect.
Absolutely delicious! And so easy! I used fig jam but I look forward to making these with raspberry and other flavors. Thank you for another outstanding recipe!
We have LOVED these bars this summer! I needed a last minute dessert and worked with what I had on hand instead of my normal flour- almond flour and tapioca flour with a mix of vegan butter and palm shortening. It still turned out great! We have tried multiple different flavors and truly such a crowd pleaser every time.
Hi Hope. I’m thrilled you loved the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review and feedback!
I made these this weekend but added coconut in with the raspberry preserves and sprinkled some on top as well. Delicious!
Sounds delicious, Rachelle! Thank you for sharing your wonderful idea and fabulous review! Happy cooking!
Hi- could I use frozen raspberries in this recipe in place of the preserves somehow?
I’ve never tried it, I would probably try making a homemade raspberry filling from them, like in this recipe for Raspberry Crumble Bars.
i made these according to recipe , but without icing.
even though the recipe was easy to make , it was way too sweet.
maybe i will try again and only ½ cup of sugar and less time for crust to bake.
Omg! Made these and better than anything I’ve bought at a bakery. Seriously, this is one of my top favorite recipe of yours. I cannot wait for you to come out with a cookbook!
These are sooo good Nora ! And so flippin easy ! I just made them today to use up some random bits of jam. I also added the end of some granola into the shortbread. It’s just delicious and easy and comes out beautifully.
Hi Rani. I’m thrilled you loved the bars! Granola sounds like a delicious addition! Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback!
Thank you Nora! This was recipe was really easy and there was almost no clean up. I used apricot preserves. I added sliced almonds to the topping, and I put a little bit of almond extract in my glaze. So excited for them and you!!! Thank you again!!
Your bars sounds delicious, Ann! Thanks for your fabulous feedback and review!
Nora you are amazing! This recipe is fit for a Queen Tea Party! I made it yesterday for my adult. daughter to take to her book club and I’m making it again today for us! I did add 1/4 cup of rolled oats to the crust for a hint of nutty flavor. It was so good I will add 1/3 cup today. I can’t wait to try other preserves in this. Like mango, cherry, strawberry rhubarb. Oh yesterday I did raspberry rhubarb! Thanks for all your wonderful vegan recipes. I go to your recipes more than any other vegan site!
You are so welcome, Sandy! I’m so happy that this recipe was such a hit and I can’t wait for you to try it with more kinds of fruit! Thanks for your wonderful feedback 🙂
Made these for our family Easter gathering, and they are delicious! 10/10 recipe, for sure! Love the simplicity of method and ingredients! I look forward to making again and trying with other fruit flavors! Thank you, Nora!
You are welcome, Aliesha! I’ll be curious about what all fruits you will try! Thanks for your fabulous feedback and review!
These are won-der-ful!!! Easy and delicious! I love that the recipe makes a nice sized batch. Enough for sharing and for keeping! Love them! Thank you!
You are welcome! Thanks for your terrific feedback and review!
So simple and yummy!
Nora, these are always a hit in my house! I add a little orange extract to the glaze and it pairs so nicely with the raspberry ❤️I’m sure some orange zest would be cute and add even more flavor. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes!
Would you refrigerate these to enjoy in the days after they are made?
I leave them at room temperature, because the coconut oil will cause them to harden a lot if they are refrigerated.
I’ve made this loads with different fillings including mincemeat and it’s absolutely brilliant. I’m not keen on oil in recipes so just rubbed vitalite into the flour before stirring the sugar through. I even substituted some ground almonds for some of the flour which was lovely with the raspberry filling. Great recipe thank you!
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing your great feedback and ideas! I’m glad you love the recipe!
These bars are amazing! I love them with raspberry jam, but will try other jams too. The last time I made them I had some cherry pie filling so I used that instead of jam and made cherry pie bars. They were awesome too. Great recipe!
Hi Parie. I’m thrilled that you love the bars. These are one of my favorites! It’s good to know that you have had luck using different types of fruit filling! Thank you for sharing your review, ideas, and feedback!
Would this work with an apple filling and if so, any specific advice on how to make one?
I’m sure it would work! You could use replace the raspberry preserves with the same amount of apple preserves or unsweetened applesauce.
These are amazing and so easy to make! A crowd pleaser too. Thanks, Nora!
These are so so delicious! I added some coconut flake to the topping as well.. thank you! ☺️
So glad you loved the bars! Thank you for sharing our wonderful comments!
Yes me too. Alternatively I added ground almonds to replace some of the flour and sprinkle a few flaked almonds on top for a Bakewell tart flavour. Yummy. X
Do these freeze well?
Yes, they freeze well.
Does it work best to cut them and freeze them individually or as an entire pan? Thanks!
Either way is totally fine.