Easy Strawberry Crumb Bars (Fresh or Frozen)

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These easy Strawberry Crumb Bars, with a buttery crust, sweet strawberry filling, and crunchy butter crumb topping, make wonderful dessert bars. Whether you use juicy fresh berries or a bag from the freezer, they are perfect for an afternoon snack, party, or potluck year-round.

Why Make Strawberry Crumb Bars?

It is Saturday, the day of my friend’s party, and she tells me to bring a dessert to the party. no worries! There are a number of delicious quick and easy desserts for me to choose from.

However, these Strawberry Crumb Bars are easy to make, especially if you have fresh (or frozen)strawberries, on hand and are super delicious, and I never have leftovers. I like to serve them as a dessert to go with some of my other favorite foods, like Chicken Empanadas, Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings, or Mahi Mahi.

If you love this buttery crumb crust but want to switch up the flavors for the season, be sure to try my tart Lemon Crumb Bars for spring or my rich Chocolate Chip Caramel Crumb Bars!

If you have followed my blog, you will notice that my desserts are usually simple. Often magic bars, fruit bars, or brownies. Nothing complicated. I saw no reason to change that trend. After all, my blog is all about fast, easy, and flavorful recipes.

Strawberry Season (and Beyond)

It is strawberry season!! If you are close to one, I highly recommend traveling to the local strawberry farm to pick strawberries. It is so much fun and the strawberries are so fresh and juicy.

However, don’t let the calendar stop you! If you are reading this in the winter or when fresh berries aren’t available, don’t worry! You can use this same delicious crumb technique with frozen strawberries to make this sunshine-filled dessert year-round.

There is just something about the juicy, sweet strawberries that makes me want to serve them in as many things as possible, especially desserts, like the Mini Strawberry Pretzel Desserts and Strawberry Cheesecake Salad, in addition to these Strawberry Crumb Bars.

What Makes This Strawberry Crumb Bars Recipe Work?

These Strawberry Crumb Bars have lots of flavor from sweet fresh strawberries and a buttery crumb crust and topping. Why this recipe works?

• The Strawberries. Fresh strawberries are amazing when in season, but frozen berries work perfectly too! This makes it an easy, flexible dessert you can make any time of year.
• Buttery crumb crust. When combined with the sweet strawberries, this buttery crumb crust makes the Strawberry bars extraordinary.
• Tried and true recipe. Don’t take my word about how good this recipe is. Read a couple of the 88 comments from some of the over 200,000 people who pinned this recipe on Pinterest.

I adapted these Strawberry Crumb Bars from my Blueberry Crumb Bars recipe by using fresh strawberries instead of blueberries. Both taste amazing.

I also used only white sugar for these Strawberry Crumb Bars instead of using a combination of white and brown sugar.

The Strawberry Crumb Bars take a little longer than the Blueberry Crumb Bars because you have to chop the fresh strawberries. However, the end result is totally worth the effort.

What Ingredients Do I Need To Make Strawberry Crumb Bars?

See the recipe card at the bottom of the blog post for the specific measurements of each ingredient, as well as detailed instructions for how to make the Strawberry Crumb Bars.

• Granulated Sugar
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Butter
• Egg
• Vanilla
• Strawberries
• Cornstarch

Fresh, Frozen, or Preserves: Which is Best?

Option 1: Fresh Strawberries (Recommended). This is my favorite way to make these bars! When strawberries are in season, fresh berries give the filling the absolute best texture and natural sweetness. Just chop them up and toss them with the sugar and cornstarch as written.

Option 2: Frozen Strawberries (Great for Winter!). If fresh berries are out of season or too expensive, you can absolutely use frozen strawberries. Here is the secret to making them work:

1. Thaw and Drain: Thaw the strawberries completely and drain any excess liquid before using. This prevents the crust from getting soggy.
2. Check the Thickness: Frozen berries release more juice. If the filling looks watery after mixing, add an extra 1 teaspoon of cornstarch.

Option 3: Strawberry Preserves (The Pantry Shortcut). Several readers have reported success using strawberry preserves or jam instead of fruit! If you choose this route, you can skip the sugar and cornstarch in the filling step. Just keep in mind the bars will be sweeter and have a softer, jammy texture compared to the fresh fruit version.

How To Make Strawberry Crumb Bars

1. Make the Crumb Crust and Topping.
   1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
   2. In a smaller bowl, beat an egg with a fork.
   3. Add the egg and vanilla to the medium bowl with the flour mixture and stir.
   4. With a fork or a pastry cutter, cut VERY COLD butter into the flour mixture. The dough will be very crumbly. (You could also use a food processor for this step.)
2. Make the Strawberry Filling.
   1. In a separate bowl, stir together 1/3 cup sugar with the cornstarch.
   2. Spoon in the fresh strawberries.
   3. Stir until it is combined.
3. Assemble the Strawberry Crumb Bars in the baking pan.
   1. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the pan.
   2. Spoon in the strawberry mixture evenly over the dough.
   3. Crumble the remaining dough over the strawberry mixture. It is ok to not cover all the strawberries.
4. Bake the Strawberry Crumb Bars.
   1. Bake the Strawberry Crumb Bars in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 45 minutes or until the crumb topping is a light golden brown.
5. Cool the Strawberry Crumb Bars.
   1. Let the Strawberry Crumb Bars cool for about 10 minutes and cut into bars.

NOTE: See the video and detailed written instructions in the printable recipe card below. (Scroll down for a printable recipe.)

Recipe Tips For Perfect Strawberry Crumb Bars

1. Fresh Strawberries. As stated above, for the best taste, sweetness, and texture, I recommend using fresh strawberries if they are available.
2. Make sure your butter is very cold. This is extremely important to get the crumb crust to be the correct consistency. If the butter is warm, it starts melting too soon.
3. Make Sure Baking Powder is fresh. Yes, baking powder can go bad after a period of time. Check the date and make sure the baking powder you are using is fresh.
4. Don’t overwork the crumb topping. This also will make the butter melt too soon.
5. Parchment Paper. Place parchment paper in the bottom of your baking dish and let the paper hang over the sides. This will make it easier to remove the strawberry crumb bars after they are baked.
6. Use your food processor for perfect crumb consistency without the work. It just makes it a little easier.
7. Be patient. Patiently wait for these to bake and cool.
8. Double The Recipe.  If you have a crowd to feed, you can easily double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 baking dish. Just change the number of servings in the recipe card below from 9 to 18 to double the amounts of the ingredients. This crust recipe is incredibly versatile! You can easily swap the filling to make my Blueberry Crumb Bars or even Cranberry Crumb Bars during the holidays.

Other Strawberry Dessert Recipes You May Like

Before you make this recipe, be sure to check out our other similar recipes, and continue scrolling down for the Strawberry Crumb Bars printable recipe below.

• Strawberry Bread – This sweet, moist Strawberry Bread is a fantastic quick bread to make when you have fresh strawberries on hand.
• Strawberry Cheesecake Salad – This Strawberry Cheesecake Salad is like a strawberry cheesecake in a bowl and makes a delicious and easy no-bake dessert.
• Baked Glazed Strawberry Donuts – These Baked Glazed Strawberry Donuts, with their sweet, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness, are baked and not fried, and are perfect for breakfast or dessert.
• Strawberry Pretzel Dessert Mini Parfaits – Strawberry Pretzel Dessert Mini Parfaits are a lightened up version of the traditional Strawberry Pretzel Dessert (or Salad) made with Greek yogurt and served in portion-controlled sized mini mason jars.
• Strawberry Margarita Pie – This delicious no-bake Strawberry Margarita Pie is a cool summer dessert that won’t heat up your kitchen.

Other Dessert Bar Recipes To Try

If you like these Strawberry Crumb Bars, be sure to try these other dessert bar recipes.

• Blueberry Crumb Bars, which were the inspiration for the Strawberry Crumb Bars.
• Lemon Crumb Bars make perfect crumb bars for Spring and Summer!
• Chocolate Chip Caramel Crumb Bars – Chocolate Chip Caramel Crumb Bars are buttery, chocolate-y, caramel-y, crumbly cookie bars made with chocolate chips and caramel bits with a buttery crumb crust that melts in your mouth.
• Cranberry Crumb Bars – Festive crumb bars with a sweet and tangy cranberry filling; perfect for the holidays.
• Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars!  Inspired by the Mexican dessert called sopapillas, these Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars have a sweet, creamy cheesecake filling tucked between 2 crescent roll pastry sheets, and are topped with butter, cinnamon, and sugar and drizzled with honey.

For more recipes to serve in the fall and year around, you may like Pumpkin Fluff and Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding or  old fashioned Chess Pie.

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The original post was published July 5, 2015, and updated April 3, 2019.