These are the best pumpkin bars I’ve ever had. They have incredible spiced pumpkin flavor and aren’t quite as light and cakey as most other recipes I’ve tried. Instead, they’re soft and sturdy which pairs perfectly with the spiced cream cheese frosting on top!
I’m following up the best pumpkin cake I’ve ever had with the best pumpkin bars I’ve ever had. My pumpkin bars and pumpkin cake have their differences, which I discuss below, and I’m so proud to share both of these recipes on my blog with you. If you enjoy my pumpkin cake, you will FLIP for these pumpkin bars too.
These are the Best Pumpkin Bars I’ve Ever Had
And here’s why:
- Big pumpkin flavor
- Generously spiced with pumpkin pie spices
- Sweetened with brown sugar
- Soft, yet sturdy (just like my soft pumpkin cookies)
- Super moist
- Cakey, but not as cakey as others—no fork required!
- Finished with spiced cream cheese frosting
- …and sprinkles!
Video Tutorial
Are Pumpkin Bars and Pumpkin Cake The Same?
Let’s clear this up right away! Some pumpkin bar recipes basically produce pumpkin cake. Sure, the bars are totally delicious, but they’re more like a thin and fragile piece of cake than an easy bar dessert. I set out to create something slightly different, but still maintain a favorably soft and moist texture.
I actually started with my pumpkin cake recipe because, again, it’s my favorite. Here we’ll reduce the baking powder so the bars have a little less lift. We’ll also remove 1 egg because less egg = less cakey. And, finally, reduce the granulated sugar and add a touch of maple syrup. The pure liquid sweetener adds flavor, moisture, and really gives these particular bars that little something extra. (These definitely stand out from other recipes.)
So, yes, pumpkin bars and pumpkin cake can taste the same. Follow my recipe for a little variation. By the way, if you’re craving pumpkin pie as a bar, here are my pumpkin pie bars. Or for breakfast try these simple pumpkin muffins. And if you need to feed a crowd, don’t miss my pumpkin Bundt cake. 🙂
How to Make Pumpkin Bars
- Mix dry ingredients together. You need flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. You can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here!
- Whisk wet ingredients together. You need vegetable oil or melted coconut oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pure maple syrup, 1 can pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. By the way, I love when recipes use the entire can of pumpkin. So convenient!
- Combine all the ingredients and spread into a 10×15-inch baking pan. The size of the pan is key to the texture. Anything smaller creates thick pumpkin bars, which taste almost identical to pumpkin cake. A pan larger than 10×15 inch will give you thin and flimsy bars.
- Bake for around 30 minutes. Baking times can vary, so keep an eye on yours. The bars are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool, then frost.
Good news is that you’ll get a lot of use out of this particular size pan. (I recently purchased this one and love it.) Use it again for pumpkin roll, champagne cake roll, and apple slab pie.
Baker’s Tip: A few lumps in the batter is OK.
Topping for Pumpkin Bars
You can keep these pumpkin bars totally plain or even dust with a little confectioners’ sugar. They’re still fabulous without a special garnish on top! But, alas, I never pass up an opportunity for cream cheese frosting. To give them a little extra flair, add pumpkin pie spice to the frosting, just like I do for pumpkin oatmeal cream pies. You’ll be surprised how a *little* spice can totally transform frosting, as evidenced with the frosting on these banana cupcakes and gingerbread cookie bars.
Tangy, creamy, spiced, and sweet, this cream cheese frosting is the perfect partner for our pumpkin bars. I cut back on the butter in the frosting to (1) produce less and (2) create a thicker, sturdier frosting. Perfect for these portable bars.
Let’s Garnish!
To finish them off, garnish with festive sprinkles or even pumpkin icing decorations. Aren’t they fun and festive for Halloween? I used “Ah Maize-ing Twinkle Sprinkle Medley” from Sweetapolita. I’m unable to find a link to the exact pumpkins you see in the photos, but these pumpkin decorations are also adorable. Here are our decorated Halloween cookies and Halloween cupcakes if you need additional seasonal dessert ideas!
Pumpkin bars are a total classic and I hope you turn to this recipe the next time you crave a batch. If you need more inspiration, here are my 30+ best pumpkin dessert recipes. How many votes for year-long pumpkin season?
The Best Pumpkin Bars I’ve Ever Had
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: about 24 bars
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These are the best pumpkin bars I’ve ever had. They have incredible spiced pumpkin flavor and aren’t quite as light and cakey as most other recipes I’ve tried. Instead, they’re soft and sturdy which pairs perfectly with the spiced cream cheese frosting on top!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil*
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- optional: sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 10×15-inch baking pan. Or line the pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the sides to easily lift the bars (as a whole) out.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a mixer or whisk until completely combined. Batter will be thick.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 28-35 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The bars are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the bars browning too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil.
- Remove the bars from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Cool bars completely. (After about 45 minutes of cooling, you can place the bars in the refrigerator to speed things up!)
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add an extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar. Spread the frosting on the cooled bars. To help “set” the frosting, refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing and serving. This makes cutting easier and less messy.
- Enjoy with or without a fork, but definitely grab a napkin!
- Cover leftover bars tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you skipped the frosting, cover and store plain pumpkin bars at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 4. Cover cooled bars tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. You can cut the bars and freeze in a large freezer container, too. Bring to room temperature, make the frosting, frost, and serve. Frosted bars also freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or serve cold.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 10×15-inch Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Icing Spatula
- Lining Pan: You can line the baking pan with parchment paper to easily lift out the bars as a whole. Or you can simply grease the pan. Once completely cool, you can (very carefully!!) slide a couple thin spatulas under the bars and lift out to put on a cutting board to slice. Or just slice them in the pan.
- Spices: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 3/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger and ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon each: ground cloves and ground allspice. Do not leave out the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon that is also called for in this recipe. In the frosting, use a tiny pinch of each, plus a tiny pinch of cinnamon too.
- Oil: Instead of 1 cup of oil, try 1/2 cup (90g) unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 (120ml) cup oil. The bars are just as moist. Vegetable oil is best, but melted coconut oil works too.
- Pumpkin: I strongly recommend using canned pumpkin puree over homemade in this recipe, though 2 cups of homemade would be fine in a pinch. I found the flavor better with canned. I prefer Libby’s brand.
This is one of my all time favourite recipes. Do you have a conversion for a 10 inch round cake?
Hi LPUK, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions. So glad this is a favorite for you!
Made this recipe with whole wheat flour. It’s somehow so buttery, without any butter. Delicious and soft. I made sour cream frosting with pumpkin spice and a teaspoon of espresso powder. Mmm good.
I’m going crazy looking for the lightened up version of this recipe. It was my kids’ favorite, and I keep getting redirected to this page instead. Help!
Hi Shannon, We were no longer satisfied with the outcome of that older recipe, so we unpublished it. We still have it, so send us an email and we can forward it to you. sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com
Could I get the lightened up version please. I too thought I was crazy, searching everywhere for it
Made these for my son’s birthday/First Communion party, at his request. Easy to make, delicious and moist. Cream cheese frosting was so, so good. However, mine only took 19 minutes and were perfectly baked. Will be making these again!
The pumpkin bars were wonderful! I had to substitute melted shortening for the oil which didn’t seem to alter the tenderness or the moisture . This will be my go to recipe!
I have made these pumpkin bars 3 times in 2 weeks. Why? The first time my son took them to his work. Everyone loved them so much, they asked for them again. My son told me, one co-worker said they were the best thing she had ever eaten. I made them the third time for a Friendsgiving I was invited to. They are so moist and delicious. All 3 times I made them, I cut them into little 2-3 bite sized rectangles. People like small bites. My friend suggested changing the name from The Best Pumpkin Bars I Ever Ate to Sally’s Pumpkin Spice Bites. Thank you for a recipe I will make again and again.
WOW – this is a perfect recipe. I made it at 9000 ft so it works great at high altitude too. I added a little more spices to mine. I don’t generally like anything pumpkin or pumpkin spice – I was just using leftover pumpkin from Thanksgiving. I love this cake.
Delicious ! ! I added walnuts and dried cranberries! Yum. I did not have cream cheese so I made brown butter creme frosting …..everyone loved them!
This is literally the best cake I’ve ever made/eaten in my life. So moist, perfectly sweet, and the hugest crowd pleaser. I’ve made it four times in the last month and every single person asks me for the recipe. It’s also so easy to throw together and my husband loves to make it with me!
Looks so delicious but I’m looking for an healthier version without all that sugar! Can I also use almond flour instead? I already have the Swerve regular and brown sugar. Perhaps I could try substituting? Thanks so much!
Hi Will, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. We also do not recommend swapping for almond flour here, since it has very different baking properties than all-purpose flour and isn’t always a 1:1 swap. Instead, you might be interested in these lightened up pumpkin spice bars. Let us know what you decide to try!
Great recipe! I made them into muffins and used a cup of applesauce in place of all the oil and they are super moist and delicious! Doesn’t even need the frosting thank you!
I’ve tried so many recipes for pumpkin bars and this is BY FAR the best one. Just the right amount of pumpkin flavor and delicious. My whole family loves them!
Hi Sally, thank you for answering my question on the correct pan for the pumpkin bars. Alas, mine simply didn’t rise and are way too flat. I’m thinking it’s because I’m at 4,000 ft altitude. Any ideas on adjusting the recipe?
The only cakes that come out perfectly for me here are recipes that use cake mix as a base, alas. Thank you!
Hi Susan, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Pretty good. Over spiced. Tastes like spice cake, NOT classic pumpkin bars. Next bake, I reduced the PP spice to 1/4 tsp, left the cinnamon. I also made one batch using 2 cups fresh butternut squash, which was AMAZING.
Another phenomenal sally recipe. The cake/bar was very easy to make, beginner friendly imo. Cream cheese frosting is the way to go, as always. Love this recipe and thank you, Sally!
Oh my! This is delicious and the spiced cream cheese frosting is simply divine! It has a delicate crumb, not dense like I was expecting. Freshly ground allspice and nutmeg really made the flavors pop.
Followed Sally’s recipe to the ‘T’ and they came out perfectly. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE loved them. They will definitely be more than just a Fall staple. Thanks Sally!!!
Great pumpkin cake recipe. It basically makes the most delicious, moist sheet cake (I baked it in a big cookie sheet). Great icing. I think my husband and I ate at least half the cookie sheet and I shared the rest with my parents and siblings….only because 2 adults shouldn’t eat an entire cake. Excellent recipe for a big dinners dessert.
This was totally cake. it was very light and fluffy. I actually doubled the recipe thinking it would turn out as I wanted, but this was a cake, and it didn’t have that much flavor either
This recipe tasted good but was still a super fluffy cake. I was hoping for a more dense bar
Stop looking for a pumpkin bar recipe – this is it! Absolutely delicious and received RAVE reviews!
I made if for an office party. it was a huge hit and I was asked for the recipe for a number of people
I want to make these pumpkin bars but I’m confused about the pan. You give links to a half-sheet pan but the black Wilton pan in your photos looks deeper than the usual sheet pan. Please advise, thank you! Sally’s BA is my go-to for the best recipes.
Hi Susan, the pictured pan is a little less than 1-inch deep, like the one linked. Hope this helps and that you enjoy the pumpkin bars!
These were out of this world. The texture is unbelievably moist and light, which surprised me. I used pumpkin I roasted that morning which has a higher liquid content than canned so that could have an effect on how moist they were (and I put in a little extra). The viscosity of my batter was much more fluid than the example pictured above, but I don’t think either way is a problem. I added in extra nutmeg but next time I would add more of all the spices and throw in a little bonus cloves and ginger while I’m at it, since I felt they were kind of lacking in flavor. Adding some cinnamon chips would probably kick it up a notch too. Again, using home roasted pumpkin has more of a bland taste than store bought canned, so I’m also factoring that in to why mine were more dull in flavor. I would absolutely make this again, my parents loved it.
The pumpkin bars were a big hit with my women’s club and book club! I topped the cream cheese icing with chopped toffee and pecan bits!
Made the pumpkin bars! Excellent, moist and received many compliments.
OMG, these are so delicious!!! And your homemade pumpkin pie spice is killer! My jellyroll pan has gone home with someone, so I made it in a 9×13″ pan. I just cooked it a little longer, and it wasn’t a problem. Also, we only had 1/2 cup of oil, so I used full-fat yogurt to make up the difference. I’m going to the Nordic Ware Outlet to buy a jellyroll pan.
Fabulous recipe! The spices are perfect, the bars are moist and delicious and pair perfectly with the cream cheese icing. They got rave reviews at a potluck and they truly are “The Best Pumpkin Bars I’ve Every Had”!
In Europe, we don’t have canned pumpkin. Which spices are in canned pumpkin puree please
Hi Anna, Canned pumpkin puree does not include any spices or flavoring, it’s just pure pumpkin. Other readers have reported making fresh pumpkin puree this way: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pumpkin-puree-recipe-1922629