My husband’s favorite fruit pie happens to be cherry. Over 5 years ago (when this recipe was created!) he begged me to make cherry pie for Thanksgiving, and each year I have. Yes, it’s the buttery, sweet, magical pie that’s topped with a delicious dutch crumble that you all know and love.
For AK Cherry Week Day 4 I’m bringing back these incredible tart cherry pie bars because not only are these easy to make, but the bars come out perfectly sweet and chewy. Tony loved them with coffee, while I preferred to drizzle them with a little melted dark chocolate for an indulgent twist.
The best part? These bars are gluten-free thanks to oat flour (which you can easily make yourself). They’re also easily dairy-free and vegan too!
Love cherries? Try my NEW Cherry Pie Granola Butter!
I launched a brand new flavor of granola butter with Oat Haus: Cherry Pie! You’re going to LOVE this creamy, nut-free, gluten-free, vegan spread studded with dried cherries and white chocolate chips. Order HERE and get ready to dip it, drizzle it (on this smoothie, perhaps?!), and eat it by the spoonful!
Everything you’ll need to make these tart cherry pie bars
There are a few special ingredients that keep these cherry bars gluten-free and naturally sweetened, but they end up being so easy to make and SO delicious:
- Oats & oat flour: the base and crumble in these bars use both rolled oats and oat flour for the perfect texture. Just remember to use certified gluten-free oats and oat flour to keep them gluten-free!
- Sweetener: we’re using coconut sugar for the crust and crumble topping, and a little pure maple syrup for the cherry filling.
- Baking staples: don’t forget the baking soda and salt.
- Butter: you’ll need butter for the crust and topping to help the oatmeal mixture stay together.
- Vanilla and almond extract: I always add almond extract to my baking recipes that use cherries because it really brings out that cherry pie flavor. I like adding vanilla extract to these bars, too! Learn how to make your own vanilla here.
- Tart cherries: the star of the show! You’ll need frozen tart cherries to make the cherry filling.
- Cornstarch: a little cornstarch helps thicken the filling.
Easy ingredient swaps
Yes, there are a few substitutions I can recommend for these tart cherry bars if you’re out of something or need to make a swap:
- For the butter: keep the bars dairy-free and vegan by using vegan butter or coconut oil.
- For the coconut sugar: brown sugar will also work well!
- For the cornstarch: feel free to use arrowroot starch instead.
Can I use a different fruit?
Sure! This recipe will work with pretty much any berries you’d like. Alternatively, try one of these recipes:
- Blueberry Pie Bars with Oatmeal Crumble (vegan & gluten free)
- Raspberry Bars with Oatmeal Cookie Crumble
- Strawberry Crumble Bars
DIY oat flour
That’s right, you can easily make your own flour at home by simply adding oats to a blender and blending until they resemble a fine flour. Check out my tutorial with all of my best tips & tricks.
Make them a little ambitious
After your cherry pie bars are done baking, add ¼ cup white or dark chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl, and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Drizzle over your bars!
How to make cherry pie bars
- Make the crust & topping. In a large bowl mix together the crust and crumble ingredients until a wet sand texture forms. Press a little more than half of the dough into the bottom of an 8×8-inch pan, then place the rest in the fridge.
- Make the filling. Add all of the filling ingredients to a medium saucepan over medium heat and use a spoon to break up the cherries a bit. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until the mixture thickens.
- Assemble & bake. Pour the cherry filling over the crust, then evenly sprinkle clumps of the rest of the crust mixture on top of the filling and bake the bars.
- Cool, chill & enjoy! Let the bars cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge to chill before slicing and devouring.
Storing & freezing tips
- In the fridge: feel free to keep the bars at room temperature for 1-2 days, then I recommend storing these cherry pie bars in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- In the freezer: these cherry bars are freezer-friendly! Once they’re completely cooled, place them in an airtight container and pop them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy one, just let it thaw a bit in the fridge before eating.
More brownies and bars you’ll love
- The Best Zucchini Brownies You’ll Ever Eat
- Vibrant Lime Bars
- Sweet and Salty Chocolate Tahini Rice Krispie Treats
- Fudgy Almond Butter Blondies
- Ooey-Gooey Tahini S’mores Bars
Get all of my brownie and bar recipes here!
If you make these tart cherry pie bars, be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe below! You can also snap and picture and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen. xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Tart Cherry Pie Bars with Oatmeal Crumble (vegan and gluten free)
Ingredients
- For the crust and crumble:
- 1 ½ cups (138g) gluten-free oat flour (or sub all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour)
- 1 cup (95g) old-fashioned rolled oats, gluten free if desired
- ½ cup (77g) coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113g) butter or vegan buttery stick, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- For the filling:
- 2 ½ heaping cups (350g) frozen tart cherries
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot starch, plus 1-2 teaspoons more if necessary
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and generously spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Make the base + topping: In a large bowl, use a fork to mix together the oat flour, oats, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- Add in melted butter, vanilla extract and almond extract and stir until a nice crumble forms and dough begins to clump together. Place 1 ½ cups of the mixture into the prepared pan and place the remaining mixture into the fridge (the remaining mixture will be used for the topping). Use your hands to evenly press the dough to the bottom of the pan.
- Next make your cherry pie filling: place a medium pot over medium heat. Add in tart cherries, maple syrup, almond extract, cornstarch (or arrowroot) and salt. Use a wooden spoon to press down and break down the cherries just a bit.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 5 more minutes until mixture is thickened up and nicely coats the back of a spoon without being too drippy. If it’s too drippy stir in 1-2 teaspoons more cornstarch or arrowroot.
- Pour mixture over the crust and use a spoon to evenly spread.
- Take the remaining topping out of the fridge. By now there should be some nice crumbles that have clumped together. Sprinkle the topping over the tart cherry filling. Bake for 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.
- Allow bars to cool completely on a wire rack before transferring to the fridge to chill. Bars are delicious served at room temperature or straight out of the fridge. Use a sharp knife to cut into 16 bars before serving.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on June 13th, 2019, and republished on July 17th, 2024.
52 comments
Cherries are abundant at the Farmers’ Market right now, but I’m guessing that frozen would be easier for this recipe. They do look like the perfect breakfast bar to enjoy with coffee.
Feel free to use fresh or frozen in this recipe 🙂
Wow! This is a great recipe bursting with flavor. I fortunately have access to fresh sour cherries straight from the tree. I was looking for a healthy recipe to use these beauties. Thank you for publishing this recipe!
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
Hi, I’m dumb and I’m not sure what a montmorency cherry is! Is it brand? Type? I searched for them at my WF and couldn’t find them!
Hi Emily! Not dumb at all 🙂 it’s a type of tart cherry that’s grown around Michigan! They should be in the frozen section at Whole Foods (and are a ruby red color).
Thank you! I’m in Oklahoma and they didn’t carry them at my Whole Foods sadly 🙁 I might have to just try using regular cherries.
Shoot! If you try others, let me know how they come out 🙂
These look and sound amazing, and such a fun summer dessert! Cannot wait to try 🙂
They are!! Hope you love them 🙂
Can you use coconut oil in place of butter? I don’t keep butter on hand.
Yes that should work!
These turned out amazing! Living in Seattle, I used fresh Washington cherries. I brought these to a dinner party and received so many compliments! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
So happy to hear that! Perfect for summer 🙂
Can you substitute dried cherries in this mix to make it a shelf stable product? I’m thinking of jars for the holidays. If SO, what would you recommend reconstituting the cherries with? Our local USDA Commodities program gives out lots of dried fruit such as cherries, plums, etc.
Unfortunately I would not recommend that. You can add the mix and then just tell people to add filling and write out the instructions?
I’m excited to try this recipe as I I have some canned Michigan montmorency cherries in my pantry. Should I make any adjustments for canned cherries vs frozen? Thank you!
It’s hard to say because I’m not sure how much juice the cherries are in!
I liked this recipe. The only thing I will do differently is pressing the top layer a bit more so it is more hand held. It was a bit crumbly without doing this.
Glad you enjoyed! Great tip with that layer 🙂
Very tasty! My choices were oat flour, GF rolled oats, coconut sugar, butter, and arrowroot starch. The filling did take a bit more of the arrowroot before it was thickened to my satisfaction. Having no frozen cherries on hand, I used 2 cans of red tart cherries (drained) instead. Thanks for a great alternative to cherry pie!
Perfect! I’m glad those worked out well. Such a great treat!
I subbed applesauce for the melted butter to make a low fat version. Guilt free treat … even though I may have scattered a few dark chocolate chips over the top straight out of the oven.
I’m glad that worked out well!
this was really yummy!!! i especially love the clean ingredients. i experienced a really crumbly crust. any suggestions? i subbed butter with coconut oil and oat flour with bob’s red mill all purpose baking flour.
Glad you loved the taste! We haven’t tested it with an all purpose GF flour, but that could be the reason it’s so crumbly as sometimes it turns out a bit dry with gluten free flours.
Love these! I couldn’t find tart cherries, so I had to use sweet cherries, and they still turned out well! We ate a few, and then I froze the rest. We had them in the freezer for about 3 or 4 weeks, and they stayed well. I just had a problem with the crumble and base being a bit mushy after they defrosted, so I popped them in the oven for a few minutes, and they crisped up nicely! Thank you!
Perfect! Great idea to freeze them and love that tip for baking them a bit afterward. Glad you enjoyed!
We loved the smell of this baking! However, the top was loose and didn’t firm up so it was hard to pick up and eat as a bar. I used Myokos butter substitute and ghee and Sorghum flour in the topping and wonder if that caused it.
Hi, Heather! I haven’t had that issue, so my guess is that it was because of the substitutions. Glad it smelled great though!
My dad is a huge cherry fan, so I made these for his birthday and he loved them! Actually, everyone loved them! I used fresh cherries instead of frozen and the balance between the oat crumble and the cherries was perfect! The oat crumble was a little dry (not sure if it was because I used all-purpose flour) so I added in a little extra butter. Will definitely make again!
Aw I’m so happy you guys all loved them! Happy bday to your dad 🙂 I haven’t had issues with the crumble being dry so it might have been a result of using AP flour. Good call to add extra butter!
These bars were delicious and super easy to make. I could eat the cherry filling by itself or on yogurt/ice cream!
Yay!! I’m so happy you loved it. Agreed, I could eat the filling by the spoonful 😍
My son recently turned vegan and this is one of the regular treats in the fridge these days. Love the flavors yet today I am trying it with peaches and I bet that will be good. I use fresh fruit not frozen. I have used butter flavor coconut oil as well as vegan butter and there didn’t seem to be a noticeable difference. My only issue with this recipe is it is a little too crumbly and tends to fall apart. I tried last time adding in 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds, that might have helped a little. I am gonna continue to tweak it and see if I can get the crust a little firmer. But overall, we love it!
Hi, Katie! So happy that you’re loving these! Thanks for the note about the crumbly-ness. You could try to add a bit more fat (vegan butter/coconut oil) to help it stay together a bit more. Let me know how the peach version goes!
Hi Monique–my crust/crumble mixture came out very dry as well even though I added lots of extra butter! Is it possible that I am using too much (1.5 cups oat flour plus 1 cup oats)? Yours almost looks like a dough and mine looked more like sand with no clumping. We will see how they come out of the oven! Fingers crossed they hold up.
So sorry you’re having an issue! You can try increasing the butter/oil next time. Also feel free to use the crust from my blueberry pie bars if you’d like: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/blueberry-pie-bars/
super yummy and easy to make!
I picked my own tart cherries, made a simple jam, and this recipe was the perfect vehicle. The most elevated nutrigrain bar I’ve ever had! Thank you!
Ohh I love that comparison! SO amazing that you picked your own cherries, too. Glad these came out great 🙂
We have 15#of Door County Montmorency cherries in our freezer so…..I made these for our Sunday Fun Day group. I used whole wheat pastry flour and old fashioned oats for the mixture and the amount of pastry flour seemed to much for some reason-the oats didn’t come through so going to change the proportions next time closer to my apple crisp. Everyone loved the bars – right amt of tart!
Do you know if you can sub coconut oil for the butter? 🙂
Hi, Tracy! Yes, coconut oil will work!
These bars were delicious! I could only find Dark Sweet Frozen Cherries and they still turned out well. So easy to make and my group loved them!
YUM! So glad everyone is loving these, Annalisa!
This was an incredible recipe! I could only find frozen dark sweet cherries and it still turned out fantastic. Highly recommend this recipe!
YAY! I am so glad you’re enjoying this recipe, Annalisa!
Loved this recipe.
I used all purpose flour and added 4 TBSP of maple syrup and a little more miyoko’s butter. So tasty! I may add a few crushed walnuts next time.
Love love the tart fresh cherries. And I’m doubling the recipe next time bc it disappeared into our bellies fast.
Loved this recipe.
I used all purpose flour and added 4 TBSP of maple syrup and a little more miyoko’s butter. So tasty! I may add a few crushed walnuts next time.
Love love the tart fresh cherries. And I’m doubling the recipe next time bc it disappeared into our bellies fast.
So DELISH! I prefer this to a traditional cherry pie bc there’s more texture. This was such a wonderful way to use my neighbor’s tart cherries. I did use a little more Miyoko’s butter (1/4 cup) and 1 more TBLS of maple syrup. Didn’t have almond extract so used lemon extract and it was super. The only issue is that it disappeared into our bellies too quickly. Non-vegan/non-GF friends had no idea that it was egg/flour/dairy free until their bowels were empty. I like the So Delish Coconut Whip, but since it’s 4th of July, I may try Vanilla nice cream. Infact I doubled the recipe today to take to a party. Happy Vegan Eating friends!!!
Amazing! So glad they were a hit!