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This healthy Pumpkin Bars Recipe makes the best dessert for fall, quick and easy in a bowl. Moist, perfectly spiced and delicious, you will never guess these bars have no oil, no butter, and no refined sugar.
Pumpkin season means pumpkin chocolate chip bread, pumpkin oatmeal cookies, pumpkin protein muffins and, of course, pumpkin pie bars. With warm spices and a moist texture, these bars have quickly become our favorite dessert recipe for Fall. My girlfriend recommends enjoying them on day two, after they have sit in the fridge overnight!
Why you will love this recipe
- Moist and flavorful. These pumpkin pie bars are downright delicious, addictive I would say. Lightly sweet, warmly spiced, moist and oh so fluffy, they taste like the original. But without all the sugar and butter.
- Healthy and nutritious. Not only are they oil-free and refined sugar-free, this recipe can also be made gluten-free, vegan, high protein and low carb.
- Quick and easy. You will love that the squares come together in a bowl, in just 40 minutes baking included. There’s no need for mixers or food processors.
- Customizable and versatile. Whether with walnuts or chocolate chips, there are so many ways to personalize these bars. You can serve them as a healthier treat, for breakfast, or as a holiday dessert. They’re perfect for Halloween and Thanksgiving!
Ingredients and substitutes
Here is everything you need to make healthy cream cheese frosted pumpkin bars. The complete ingredient list with measurements – in both grams and cups – can be found in the recipe card, at the end of this blog post.
- Pumpkin puree. Use natural pumpkin puree made entirely from pumpkin. You can prepare it at home, or you can purchase it canned from the store. Stay away from pumpkin pie fillings, which are loaded with sugar and preservatives.
- Egg. One large egg binds the batter and adds flavor.
- Maple syrup. Pure maple syrup brings natural sweetness without the need for refined sugars. As a replacement you can use honey, agave nectar, or date syrup.
- Almond butter. The nut butter makes pumpkin bars rich and moist. Substitute it with peanut butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
- Wholewheat flour. I like baking with wholewheat flour because it is healthier and minimally processed. You can replace it with spelt flour, pastry flour or all purpose flour.
- Almond flour. Almond flour improves the texture and adds a delicious nutty flavor. Substitute it with more wholewheat flour or with oat flour, if necessary.
- Baking powder. This works as a leavening agent, helping the bars rise.
- Fall spices. The combination of vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves gives this dessert all the cozy flavors of fall. A pinch of salt balances sweetness.
You can further customize these pumpkin squares with the addition of mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, dried cranberries, raisins, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate chips. My favorite combo is walnuts with choc chips.
To make the healthy frosting, you’ll need to mix cream cheese, Greek yogurt, maple syrup and vanilla extract. I used low fat cream cheese and 5% Greek yogurt, but also full fat options work. For dairy-free pumpkin bars, replace with nondairy cream cheese and nondairy Greek yogurt.
Pumpkin bar recipe variations
- Vegan. For vegan pumpkin bars, use a flaxseed egg as egg replacement, nondairy cream cheese and nondairy yogurt.
- Gluten-free. To make gluten-free pumpkin bars, replace wholewheat flour with gluten-free pastry flour, oat flour, or almond flour. Additionally, check that your baking powder is free of gluten.
- Dairy-free. Since there is no butter in this recipe, you’ll only need to adjust the frosting. Substitute cream cheese and Greek yogurt for nondairy alternatives like coconut cream cheese and soy Greek yogurt.
- Low carb. Instead of wholewheat flour, use just almond flour. As a sweetener, choose keto maple syrup or sugar-free honey.
- High protein. Swap out 1/2 cup (50 grams) of the flour for protein powder. My suggestion is vanilla vegan protein powder or vanilla casein.
How to make pumpkin bars
- Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg with maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract and salt.
- Step 2: Using a whisk or fork, beat the egg until smooth.
- Step 3: Add the pumpkin puree and the pumpkin spice mix – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.
- Step 4: Stir well, until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency.
- Step 5: Add wholewheat flour, almond flour and baking powder.
- Step 6: Stir well until the batter reaches a smooth consistency free of lumps. But do not overmix.
- Step 7: Transfer pumpkin batter to the prepared baking pan, spreading it out evenly. Bake in hot oven at 350°F (180°C) for 30 – 35 minutes.
- Step 8: Allow pumpkin bars to cool completely before frosting. In the meanwhile, prepare the healthy frosting – add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. Top pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, then slice into bars. For me, the recipe yield was 12 bars.
Storage directions
To store: Let the pumpkin pie bars cool completely first, you can store them frosted or unfrosted. Once cool, place leftovers into an airtight food container with lid. At room temperature they will last for 1 day, in the fridge they will stay fresh for up to 4 days.
To freeze: Transfer your squares to a freezer safe container or pack individually in zipper bags, then freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, remove the desired amount from the freezer, then pop in hot oven for a couple of minutes or microwave for 30 – 40 seconds.
More healthy Fall desserts
- Pumpkin chocolate chip bread
- Pumpkin banana bread
- Healthy pumpkin muffins
- Pumpkin oatmeal cookies
- Apple bread
- Apple muffins
- Healthy banana cake
- Protein banana bread
- Banana bread muffins
Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup (180 g) pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup (105 g) maple syrup, or honey
- ⅓ cup (80 g) almond butter, or peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cup (160 g) whole-wheat flour
- ⅔ cup (65 g) almond flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ⅙ tsp salt
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅙ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅙ tsp ground ginger
- ⅙ tsp ground cloves
Healthy Frosting
- ¼ cup (60 g) cream cheese, low fat or full fat
- ¼ cup (60 g) Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp maple syrup, more for sweetener frosting
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F (180°C) and fold a 7×11 inches (15×25 cm) baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add egg, maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract and salt. Using a whisk or fork, lightly beat the egg.
- Add pumpkin puree and homemade pumpkin spice mix to the egg mixture, then stir until smoothly combined.
- Add wholewheat flour, almond flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients. Using a spatula or fork, stir well until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the wet mixture. The batter should be smooth and free of lumps.
- Transfer pumpkin batter to the prepared baking pan, spreading it out evenly.
- Bake in hot oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow pumpkin bars to cool completely before frosting. In the meanwhile, prepare the healthy frosting – add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined.
- Frost pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, then slice into 12 bars.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Use 100% pumpkin puree without added sugar or spices.
- Customize this recipe with your favorite mix-ins, such as chopped walnuts or chocolate chips.
- Do not over-mix the batter, or the bars will get dry.
- Do not over-bake the bars, or they will get dry. They are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Keep leftovers in the fridge, for a longer storage and a better flavor.
Storage Directions
- To store: Let the pumpkin pie bars cool completely first, you can store them frosted or unfrosted. Once cool, place leftovers into an airtight food container with lid. At room temperature they will last for 1 day, in the fridge they will stay fresh for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: Transfer your pumpkin squares to a freezer safe container or pack individually in zipper bags, then freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, remove the desired amount from the freezer, then pop in hot oven for a couple of minutes or microwave for 30 – 40 seconds.
Pumpkin bars an excellent source of vitamin A & fiber. Tks Matt
Pumpkin bars, my favorite! Thanks Matt for your excellent idea??
Hey Liza,
thank you sooo much! They are definitely one of my favorite Autumn desserts as well, I love anything pumpkin!
Have a great day,
Matteo