These Gluten Free Raspberry Blondies are soft, chewy, and packed with juicy bursts of fresh raspberries. Made dairy free and refined sugar free, this healthy raspberry blondies recipe gives you that classic gooey blondie texture without the sugar overload or white chocolate.
A delicious gluten free vanilla blondie base is packed with pops of raspberry flavor and topped with a sweet glaze for light and chewy blondies that taste indulgent. Their soft centers melt in your mouth while the raspberries provide bursts of flavor with every bite.
Why You’ll Love These Healthy Raspberry Blondies
- Allergy friendly: these easy blondies are gluten free, dairy free, nut free, corn free, and refined sugar free. You wouldn't even know it though with how delicious they are!
- Lower sugar and healthier: most traditional blondies recipes use 1-2 cups of white sugar! This recipe uses just a ⅓ cup of maple syrup, an unrefined sweetener. So, you can enjoy these homemade blondies without the sugar crash and actually feel good about eating them!
- Easy recipe: these gluten free blondies mix up quickly and bake in under 20 minutes, leaving you with fudgy blondies in no time. This is a great recipe for summer get togethers, brunch, or a fun weekend bake.
What Makes These Gluten Free Blondies Different
- No white chocolate: you may be used to seeing white chocolate in raspberry blondie recipes, but I leave it out to keep this recipe allergy friendly and more environmentally friendly. These gluten-free blondies are still gooey and delicious even without the addition of chocolate and I provide ways to add them in if desired.
- Not overly sweet: these refined sugar free blondies are naturally sweetened with maple syrup and rely on tart raspberries for balance, giving you a dessert that’s indulgent without being overly sweet.
- Made with real raspberries: real, tart raspberries provide a burst of natural fruity flavor to highlight fresh summer berries!
Blondies vs Brownies
Although they have similar textures, brownies are made from chocolate and cocoa powder while blondies are made from a buttery vanilla base without cocoa. Blonde brownies, if you will. These dairy free blondies omit the butter and instead use olive oil for a healthier blondie that is still light and chewy.
Gluten Free Raspberry Blondies Ingredients
- Gluten free flour: use 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour containing xanthan gum for structure.
- Tigernut flour: this is a nut free alternative to almond flour which provides some natural sweetness. Mixing gluten free flours results in the best texture.
- Olive oil: this dairy free fat option keeps the blondies light.
- Maple syrup: you may be surprised we aren't using brown sugar (or coconut sugar), but I find that maple syrup works best in this recipe. Be sure to use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
- Eggs: 2 large eggs.
- Baking powder, salt, vanilla extract: be sure to use an aluminum free and corn free baking powder (like the one I have linked) to keep this recipe allergy friendly along with pure vanilla extract.
- Raspberries: opt for sweet, juicy raspberries for the ultimate blondies! We fold the raspberries in whole, no need to tear them into smaller pieces.
- Powdered sugar: this is for the glaze on top. Make your own homemade powdered sugar at home with coconut sugar to keep this recipe refined sugar free.
- Pink powder: You'll need a pink powder to dye the glaze on top. For a natural option, use beet powder or finely ground dried raspberries or strawberries.
- Milk: just a splash of dairy free milk for the glaze.
How to Make Easy Raspberry Blondies
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together all the wet ingredients, except for the raspberries, in a large bowl until well combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until you have a few streaks of flour remaining.
- Gently fold in the raspberries into the batter.
- Pour the blondie batter into the prepared baking pan and use a rubber spatula to spread the top of the batter out evenly to the sides of the pan.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out just clean and edges are golden brown.
- Let the blondies cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes, before using the parchment paper to remove them to a wire rack to cool fully.
- Once blondies are cool, whisk together the ingredients for the glaze. Drizzle glaze over the top then slice into blondie bars.
Substitutions and Variations
- Tigernut flour: if you tolerate nuts, you can use almond flour instead.
- Olive oil: I have not tested any other fat options, but I think melted coconut oil or melted butter would work. Just make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
- Raspberries: not a raspberry fan or want to switch it up? Try making strawberry blondies or even blackberry ones!
- Variations: add ½ cup white chocolate chips or even dark chocolate chips to these gluten free blondies! If you're a citrus fan, skip the chocolate and include some lemon zest and squeeze of lemon juice to the batter then use lemon juice instead of milk for a lemon glaze.
How to Keep Raspberries from Sinking
Fruit often sinks in baked goods because it is denser and heavier than the batter. The best way to combat this is to toss the raspberries in 1 tablespoon of flour so they are evenly coated before adding them to the batter. Then fold the raspberries in gently. The flour helps hold the berries in the batter.
Serving and Storage
Serve these gluten free raspberry blondies as is, slightly warmed up for a gooey texture, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped coconut cream.
Store leftover raspberry blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. These also freeze well (preferably without the glaze) for up to 3 months. Just slice and place in a freezer safe bag or container.
Tips for the Best Raspberry Blondies
- Measure correctly: to get the most accurate measurement of flour, scoop flour into the measuring cup then level it off with a knife. This way you don't over pack the flour and end up with a dry, crumbly result.
- Don't over mix the batter: this is so important with gluten free baked goods. If you over mix the batter, you end up with a dense or gummy texture instead of a light, chewy texture.
- Don't over bake the blondies: be sure to pull them out of the oven when a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it, even if the center doesn't look quite done on top. They will cook a bit more as they cool.
FAQ
Yes. No need to defrost them, just replace the fresh raspberries with frozen ones.
I find that a metal pan works best. If you only have a glass baking dish, that's okay, you may just need to adjust the baking time by baking them a little longer.
An 8x8 pan is the best. 9x9 will result in slightly thinner blondies and will bake in less time, so be sure to check them 3-5 minutes sooner.
I have not tested a vegan raspberry blondies variation. If you try using an egg replacer, let us know how it went in the comments.
I have not tested any other sweetener in this recipe. Since maple syrup is a liquid sweetener, I would only suggest substituting it with a different liquid sweetener, like agave syrup or honey (although I don't suggest honey for baking).
The most likely culprit for crumbly blondies is using too much flour or over baking. See Tips for the Best Raspberry Blondies above for troubleshooting.
Of course! You can double it and make it in the same pan for thicker blondies or use a larger 9x13 inch pan.
More Berry-Filled Summer Dessert Recipes
Gluten Free Strawberry Raspberry Cake
Easy Gluten Free Berry Crumble Cake
Gluten Free Blueberry Crumble Cookies
Gluten Free Raspberry Crumble Scones
If you try this recipe, leave a star rating and review below. Be sure to tag me on social media too!
Gluten Free Raspberry Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup 1:1 gluten free flour
- ½ cup tigernut flour or almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil*
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup raspberries
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar**
- 1 teaspoon pink powder***
- 1-2 teaspoon dairy free milk of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together all the wet ingredients, except for the raspberries, in a large bowl until well combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until you have a few streaks of flour remaining.
- Gently fold the raspberries into the batter.
- Pour the blondie batter into the prepared pan and use a rubber spatula to spread the batter out evenly to the sides of the pan.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out just clean and edges are golden brown. Let the blondies cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes, before using the parchment paper to remove them to a wire rack to cool fully.
- Once blondies are cool, whisk together the ingredients for the glaze. Drizzle glaze over the top then slice into bars.
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