Paleo vegan berry crisp bars

It’s been a while since I posted here, which is never my intention, but life gets busy. It’s spring here, we are emerging from the winter that was covid, and my 3 girls want more and more time outside. All good things, but my attention has been elsewhere. Here in Australia spring means many of my favourite things come into fruition (literally and figuratively), but most prominently is fresh, locally grown blueberries. Peak blueberry season has many perks, of which baking up a storm has to be at the top. As always, I a try to create recipes that fit the nuanced areas of eating- recipes that the whole family can enjoy despite their eating differences and these Paleo vegan berry crisp bars are the perfect fit.

Fresh, Australian blueberries are one of the original superfoods

I’ve never understood the need to import açai all the way from South America when we have an equally impressive berry grown right here on our doorstep: Australian grown blueberries. Blueberries are affordabl, versatile, fresh, local (less travel miles) and phenomenally high in antioxidants: in fact, the word vaccine originates from the latin binomial for blueberry, Vaccinium myrtillus, paying homage to how eating blueberries has a positive effect on our immune system.

The impressive antioxidant potential of blueberries have been linked to many health benefits, including improved memory, improved blood pressure status, reducing prevalence of macular degeneration and cognitive benefits in children. The list is certainly not exhaustive, and many, many other studies highlight the benefits of eating this simply berry.

Best of all? Blueberries are super delicious, especially in thesePaleo vegan berry crisp bars !

Heres what you’ll need to make the Paleo vegan berry crisp bars

Buckwheat grouts. Despite the name, buckwheat has no relation to wheat (it is more closely related to rhubarb), is entirely gluten free as is intact a seed. It is available in most major supermarkets and should be very affordable (look elsewhere if its not!)
Almonds. You can use raw, roasted or activated (my personal preference), and if possible you should try to source Aussie grown almonds, too! Our local farmers work hard to produce local almonds, so where possible, lets support them.
Coconut flour. Please don’t substitute this. Coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, and there isn’t a good substitute. You can buy it, or easily make your own.
Dates. The fresh, juicy type work best but if you only have dried dates then use etc equivalent (in cup measurements) and pre-soak them in warm water for 15 minutes. Excess what will make the base soggy, so really squeeze out all the excess water you can before adding them to the recipe.
Maple syrup, or agave, rice malt syrup or honey. Whatever you prefer.
Coconut oil. I prefer virgin, but you can use refined coconut oil if you prefer.
Blueberries, of course!
Chia seeds. Tiny little seeds that have been used since Incan times, chia seeds are great for helping a recipe stick (and we use them in the jam layer). Nutritionally, they are a great source of plant based omegas, and for us Aussies are another food that we can purchase locally grown.
Shredded coconut. Texture, flavour and sweetness all in one.
Coconut sugar, or brown sugar. This adds sweetness to the crumble layer but also helps the topping to set so its best not substituted with a liquid sweetener. You can, but expect a more crumbly/messy (yet equally delicious) finish.
Lemon juice, cinnamon, salt. For flavour.

If you want some other grain free, vegan recipes then you might like:

Well, I hope you enjoy these Grain free vegan berry crisp bars and if you do i’d love for you to leave a review below. Your comments and ratings help others and this recipe, and help me do what I do!