Vegan Cherry Fruit Bars

Vegan Cherry Fruit Bars are an easy homemade fruit bar dessert. It takes no time at all to make an entire pan of these cherry bars thanks to the canned cherry pie filling! You can even swap in other pie fillings to switch it up.

Do you want something sweet that is easy to make and makes enough for a few days? Then you found a very nice recipe to bring into the kitchen.

These fruit bars are also perfect to bring to a summer potluck or party. They’re best served after cooling to room temperature so you can easily make them in advance. 

Cherry Pie Bars are like a combination between a classic cherry pie and cookie bars. Chewy, soft, sweet, and loaded with cherry flavor. You can even serve with a scoop of vegan ice-cream for an out of this world dessert!

The ingredients for these Cherry Pie Bars are so simple! Only 8 pantry staples to make a fun summer dessert. Here’s what you need:

Ingredients

• Dairy-Free Butter – softened to room temperature.
• Granulated Sugar – It’s safest to use organic to keep it vegan.
• Chia Eggs – Also known as chia seeds mixed with water.
• Vanilla and Almond Extract – the combination of the two provides the best flavor and almond pairs amazingly with cherry! But if you don’t have almond extract, you can use extra vanilla.
• All-Purpose Flour
• Salt
• Canned Cherry Pie Filling – using store-bought pie filling makes this fruit bar recipe super easy!

You won’t believe how quickly these fruit bars come together! Check out the simple steps below:

Instructions:

• Chia Eggs – Make the chia eggs by mixing the chia seeds with water. Let them sit for a few minutes so they thicken into a gel-like consistency. 
• Prep – Preheat the oven and spray a 15-inch x 10-inch x 1-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

• Make the Batter – Cream together the butter and sugar until combined and fluffy then slowly mix in the chia eggs. Mix in the vanilla and almond extract. Then slowly add the flour and salt to the batter and beat until well combined.

• Assemble the Bars – Add about 3 cups of the batter to the greased pan. Spread into an even layer.
• Spread the cherry pie filling over the base then drop the remaining batter in tablespoons over the top of the cherry filling.

• Bake – Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

These Fruit Bars are easy to make but I have a few tips to make them foolproof!

This cherry pie version is my favorite and perfect for summer, but there are so many ways you can customize these pie bars! Check out some of my favorite variations below,

Recipe tips

• Room Temperature Butter – Make sure to let your butter soften at room temperature. This is important to be able to cream it with the sugar. If you forget to set it out, you can microwave it for just a few seconds, but be careful not to melt it.
• Grease the Pan – Greasing the pan with cooking spray makes it much easier to remove the bars cleanly
• Try Adding a Glaze – To level up the presentation, you can mix together some dairy-free milk with powdered sugar to form a glaze that you drizzle on top of the bars.

FAQ’s

I love serving fruity desserts in the summer. Here are some of my other favorites.

More vegan fruit desserts

• Vegan Blueberry Coffee Cake – perfect for your next weekend breakfast or brunch. It’s topped with a delicious crumb topping and is extra moist thanks to the dairy-free sour cream. 
• Strawberry Sauce – so easy to make and uses only 3 ingredients! Use it for cheesecake to make an elegant dessert or serve it with pancakes or waffles for a fun breakfast.
• White Chocolate Covered Strawberries – a simple recipe but with an impressive presentation. You can even mix it up with different toppings.