I don't know about anyone else but peach season is the main reason I look forward to summer. These Vegan Peach Crumble Bars are a huge part of that. As soon as the peaches start to turn up in grocery stores and farmer's markets, I know it's time to dust this recipe off. Fresh, sweet peaches sandwiched between crumbly, buttery crust...what more could a person ask for?
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Vegan Peach Crumble Bars Ingredients
This recipe has two individual elements - the crust and the filling. What I love about this particular recipe is that the crust used on top is the same crumble you see sprinkled on top. This saves a tremendous amount of time in prep. Your grocery list and ingredient descriptions can be found below.
Crust Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour: Plain old all purpose works best for these bars. Keeping with the light, summery theme, this flour will pair well with your peaches and crumble beautifully when baked.
- Sugar: White, granulated sugar is great for crust. It provides a good level of moisture without making the final product too soggy. Do not swap out for a more "natural" sweetener.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is important here as it will give the topping a slight lift when baked. This will help keep the topping light and crumbly.
- Sea Salt: As vegan butter contains salt only a tiny amount of additional sea salt is needed here. Salt will tick up the flavor an extra notch.
- Vegan Butter: Vegan butter is simply butter made without dairy. You can find it in the grocery store with traditional butter. The flavors are nearly identical. In this recipe the vegan butter will serve as the fat in the crust. It will help with binding and with texture.
Peach Filling Ingredients
- Peaches: If it is peach season I would highly recommend using fresh peaches here. Absolutely nothing beats their sweetness and their juiciness. I know peeling can be a pain but I promise it is so worth it. Contrarily, if you don't have access to fresh you can use frozen. Just be sure to purchase peeled and sliced peaches. Allow them to thaw slightly before use.
- Lemon Juice: Here we are using lemon juice for two reasons. The first is to maintain freshness while we prepare our other ingredients. By and large, no one wants brown peaches. The second is to provide an extra zing of fresh flavor. Don't worry, your peaches won't taste like lemons.
- Sugar: You only need a small amount of sugar here. This is due to the fact that fresh peaches are pretty sweet already. Sugar will also help congeal the filling.
- All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour is a great thickening agent. When combined with the peaches and sugar, it will form a paste. This will keep your peach bars from getting soggy.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon pairs really well with peaches ESPECIALLY if there is crust/crumble topping involved. Do not doubt me!
- Sea Salt: A pinch of sea salt will balance the flavor of the bars and ensure the filling is not overly sweet.
Tips for Making Vegan Peach Crumble Bars
- If you would like to get ahead, making the crust/crumble in advance is the best way to do so. Make the crust as directed in the recipe. In short, press half of it into prepared square pan, cover and place in the fridge. Cover the bowl with the remaining crust and place it in the fridge as well. This will keep your butter nice and cold which will allow the melting to take place while it bakes. Not totally necessary here but it will make the end result extra crumbly.
- I know it sounds enticing but do not peel and slice your peaches in advance. Believe me, I have made this mistake. I know it can be tedious but the peeling/slicing of the peaches should be done the day you plan to put them in the oven. If left overnight (even if covered and doused in lemon juice), they are sure to start browning.
- If it isn't peach season and you would still like to make this recipe fear not! Surprisingly frozen peaches can work here. Just be sure to purchase peeled AND sliced peaches at the store. Allow the peaches to thaw slightly before mixing them with the other filling ingredients.
How to Serve Vegan Peach Crumble Bars
My favorite way to serve these incredible bars is with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sometimes I'll even heat them up for a few seconds in the microwave before plopping on a scoop. Absolute heaven.
One of the best things about these bars is that they can actually travel if you'd like to take them on the go. Unlike a pie, crisp or cobbler, these Vegan Peach Crumble Bars can be there for you whenever the sweet tooth hits.
How to Store Vegan Peach Crumble Bars
These lovely peach bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or can be frozen for up to 1 month. If you choose to freeze them be sure to slice them into squares in advance. Trust me, you don't want to be doing this when they are frozen. Crust shards everywhere!
PrintVegan Peach Crumble Bars
Fresh, sweet peaches sandwiched between two layers of crumbly, buttery, dairy-free crust. This recipe should be a staple for everyone during peach season!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 2-inch Bars 1x
- Category: Brownies and Bars
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the Crust
2 c all purpose flour
⅔ c sugar
½ tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp sea salt
⅔ c vegan butter, cold
For the Filling
3 c peaches, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ c sugar
¼ c all purpose flour
¼ tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the Crumble: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with parchment paper. Set aside. To make the crust, add all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large bowl. Whisk together. Cut in cold vegan butter using a pastry cutter and work mixture until texture is fine and pebbly.
- Prepare Filling and Assemble: In a separate bowl, combine peaches, lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt and gently stir together. Stir until all dry ingredients are wet. Pat half of the crust mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan. Press down firmly with your hands so that your bars will have a solid base. Cover bottom crust evenly with the prepared peaches and sprinkle the remainder of the crust over the top.
- Bake: Place pan on center rack of preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top of the crust is crisp and golden brown. Remove from oven and allow bars to cool for at least 1 hour before cutting in. Serve with nondairy vanilla ice cream if you would like.
Notes
*Bars will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or can be frozen for up to 1 month.
*If you would like to use frozen peaches, be sure to purchase peaches that are sliced AND peeled. Allow peaches to thaw slightly before mixing with the other filling ingredients.
*Recipe adapted from Peach Crumb Bars by Brown Eyed Baker
If you make this recipe be sure to tag @censoredbaker on Instagram!
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