These gluten-free raspberry bars are soft, creamy, and full of fresh fruity flavor in every bite. They have a buttery shortbread crust topped with raspberries, a melty cream cheese filling, and a golden crumble topping. Whether you use fresh berries or frozen, this simple dessert is a guaranteed win over friends and family. They’re one of the fastest treats to disappear from our kitchen, and once you taste them, you’ll see why.
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These gluten-free raspberry crumble bars officially hold the record in our house for being eaten the fastest! This recipe was one of the first bar recipes I ever shared, and it remains a family favorite. I created this recipe on a whim when I had leftover raspberries and wanted something delicious.
Over the years, I have tested it with various flours and made it allergy-friendly as well. It is a dessert I know you’ll come back to often.
Want to know which bars came in second and third place with my family? These Gluten-Free Strawberry Bars! Both have delicious fruity flavors! For more baking inspiration, check out my delicious gluten-free cookie bar recipes or these Gluten-Free Blueberry Crumble Bars.
Ingredient Notes and Easy Swaps:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend. Any blend should work.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten-free flour blend does not contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon.
- Almond Flour – I highly recommend using almond flour instead of almond meal. Almond meal is coarser and will result in a grainy crust. See the Substitutions below for a nut-free option.
- Butter – Use unsalted for best flavor. Vegan butter works well too (I’ve tested Earth Balance and Miyoko’s).
- Raspberries – If you don’t have fresh raspberries, you can use any fruit you have on hand.
- Cream Cheese – I use full-fat cream cheese for extra creaminess. If you are dairy-free, you can skip this ingredient.
Substitutions:
- Make them dairy-free by using vegan butter and dairy-free cream cheese. I like Kite Hill and VioLife Cream Cheese. Daiya also works well.
- Make them nut-free by using the crust and crumble from this Gluten-Free Cranberry Bars recipe.
A Note From My Kitchen
This is one of those recipes where you really can’t mess up. Even if your dough feels a bit dry or sticky, it still bakes into a buttery crust. If your crumble feels too dry, a tiny splash of water or melted butter brings it back to its original consistency.
I tested this recipe with plant based butter (Earth Balance) and Kite Hill Cream Cheese. I am happy to say these dairy-free options worked great. The plant-based cream cheese melted in a bit more than regular cream cheese. If you prefer, you can skip it all together.
How to Make Gluten-Free Raspberry Bars (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: In a mixing bowl, combine your dry crust ingredients.
Step 2: Stir in the melted butter until the mixture resembles soft crumbs.
Step 3: Press about ⅔ of the crust mixture firmly into an 8×8 baking dish lined with parchment or greased.
Step 4: Spread raspberry jam evenly over the base. Use a spoon to smooth the jam over the crust evenly.
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Step 5: Scatter fresh raspberries on top of the jam.
Step 6: Dot small spoonfuls of cream cheese across the raspberries. It will melt into creamy pockets during baking.
Step 7: Optional: Sprinkle with sliced almonds (if using).
Step 8: Drop the remaining crumbles and spread them all over the top.
Step 9: Bake at 350°F for 25 to 28 minutes, until golden. Let the bars cool completely to allow the filling to set. Warm cream cheese can be very hot!
Delicious Flavor Variations:
- Drizzle these gluten-free raspberry dessert bars with melted white or dark chocolate before serving.
- Swap raspberries for strawberries, blueberries, or a mix.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or coconut whip.
If you love raspberries, be sure to try my popular homemade Raspberry Mousse recipe too!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes. Thaw them first and drain any liquid to avoid soggy gluten-free raspberry bars.
These bars will stay fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container, for up to 4 months in the freezer.
Absolutely. The bars will still be sweet and delicious without the cream cheese, just a bit less creamy.
Yes! Other fruit work in this recipe. Try blueberries, blackberries, or diced strawberries.
More Gluten-Free Cookie Bar Recipes:
If you bake a lot of cookies, try some of my favorites:
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this gluten-free raspberry bar recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out, and which pan or flour blend you used! Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gluten-Free Raspberry Cream Cheese Crumble Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup melted unsalted butter
- ¾ cup raw sugar
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- ¾ cup almond flour * see note
- 1 cup raspberries
- ¾ cup raspberry jam
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 6 ounces cream cheese
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup gluten free flour blend, 3/4 cup almond flour, and 3/4 cup raw sugar. Whisk to blend. Pour in 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter and mix.
- It should look crumbly when you are done mixing them
- Put 2/3 of the crumble crust into a greased pan and press down as shown in the photo.
- Add a layer of jam on top of the crust.
- Spread fresh raspberries over the jam.
- Add chunks of cream cheese as shown in the photo.
- Add almonds on top, then add the remaining 1/3 crumble topping.
- Bake for 25 minutes until done.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend, and Authentic Foods Multi Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter and substitute dairy-free cream cheese.
- If you are nut-free, use the crust and crumb recipe from this Gluten Free Cranberry Bars recipe.
- I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your donuts grainy.
- These cookie bars will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an older version from May 2016.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
The bars were a hit at church and at work. I will be making them again 🙂
I have a question: at room temperature, the cookie bar was very soft. Is this supposed to be more like a shortbread? If so, did I just need to cook it longer?
Hi Joanne, I am not sure why the bars were that soft. What flour blend did you use? Maybe you needed a little more flour if you used a starchy blend. I am glad everyone loved them.
Delicious and so easy to make! I subbed monk sugar and instead of preserves, I cooked up some blueberries with orange juice then added cornstarch and fresh blueberries. A perfect gluten free sugar free treat! Baked for about 28 minutes till it was golden on top!
I love how you changed the recipe to be sugar free. It sounds delicious!
I’ve made this recipe many times with great success. Not today though. The bottom is nice and crunchy, but the top is runny and wet.
Changes I made – Dairy free cream cheese was used for the first time today.
Any thoughts? Is it fixable after baking?
Thank you so much!!! This is now a family favorite and I’m afraid I’ve forgotten how to put it together!
Hi Lisa, Did you use the same flour blend as last time? This may be a starchy flour blend issue. Which brand of dairy-free cream cheese?
This recipe is excellent, I just made it today, it smelled so yummy I couldn’t wait for them to cool. They are delishious. I will be making these again.
I am so glad you all loved it!
I missed the pan size and made it an 11×13 and it still came out great. Very tasty. Can I substitute wheat flour for GF flour for my non-GF family?
I am so glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t baked with wheat flour in 15 years, so I am unable to advise.
SO GOOD!!!! Not too sweet perfectly fruity!!!!
Sent the recipe to 5 family members within 30 mins of taking it out of the oven!!!
I am so glad everyone loved it! Thank you for letting everyone in your family know too :-).
Ah-may-zing!! So good warm from the oven. Made sure to add the xanthum gum and cut back butter to 7oz but it didn’t impact the buttery deliciousness of the crust. I also added blueberries as I didn’t have enough raspberries. SO good and will definitely make again!!
I am so glad you enjoyed the bars Karen. This recipe is great with lots of different fruits too :-).
These were delicious but didn’t stay together well. I followed the recipe exactly but they were too crumbly
Hi Sandy, which gluten free flour blend did you use? Did it contain Xanthan Gum?
Enjoy 🙂
Your bars are currently baking in my oven and I had a bit of a heart attack because I remembered seeing eggs in the picture of ingredients and remembering putting 0 eggs in the bars. So I double checked the recipe and breathed a sigh of relief. The recipe doesn’t call for eggs. Crisis adverted. Bake on bars, bake on!
I hope you enjoyed these 🙂
Sandi- this is for you. I don’t know if you really read these which is why I haven’t commented on anything until now. I was diagnosed with Celiac at the age of 60 1 year ago. I came upon your blog. I download, copy and save almost most of your recipes. I have joined 2 farmers markets; a 3-day boutique 3x’s per year; and a food truck 1x/mo. I hand make homemade goods. I started 9 months ago to add GLUTEN Free and LACTOSE Free baked goodies. I sell them for little, until I think I am worth more. 70% of my sales have been on your recipes!!!!! You are amazing! I have learned SO much from you. I embellish and improvise, but your tutelage and information have taught me how and allowed me to do so. I truly thank you, from the bottom of my heat. Of all of the 100 items I have baked from your recipes, I have received only one complaint. The Gingerbread donuts didn’t have enough ginger in them. Yet- these are my number 1 seller!!!
Wow Charlie, thank you for your note. I am so glad you enjoy my recipes. I would ask a favor that you direct your customers to my blog so that they can read it and see my recipes as well. Most of the money I make on my blog goes to pay my daughter’s medical bills. The little money I make on ad revenue is based on traffic to my blog. (I also tell everyone to watch out for ticks. They are really bad and 50% of people do not get a bullseye rash when bitten.)
I served these when we had family visiting (sister in law is gluten free) and everyone loved them! I was a little nervous taking on my first gluten free dessert but the recipe was easy to follow and they came out perfect!
Susanne
I am so glad they loved this recipe Suanne. Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Hi Stecky, If you look in the recipe, you will see each bar is 254 calories. I just started to add this information to recipes. I hope this helps.
Could you make these with coconut sugar?
Hi Kim,
You can definitely make these with coconut sugar. Please leave a post on how they turned out so other readers know how it worked.
WHAT SIZE PAN DID YOU BAKE THESE IN????
Hi Carole, I used a 8×8 baking pan. Thank you.