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.
Made them yesterday. Love them! The only changes I made were I cut down the sugar in the frosting by one cup and i didn’t spice the frosting. Really good texture and the pumpkin pie flavor is great. Also, super easy. Will definitely make them again.
Hi Sally!
Your recipes continue to amaze me. Thank you for sharing them with all of us.
For someone trying to make these bars a little lighter, how would you recommend cutting out the oil entirely? I saw the suggestion for 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup oil, but would you increase to 1 full cup of applesauce? Or, would you add more pumpkin? I understand that these bars will truly shine with the oil, but I appreciate any advice on how I can make them a little more diet friendly for my intended baking audience.
Hi Deanna! I have a lightened-up pumpkin bars recipe if you’re interested in trying that instead. I don’t recommend completely leaving out the oil in either recipe.
These were fantastic. I really prefer these to the more dry cakey recipes. I didn’t realize I was out of maple syrup until the last minute, so I substituted with molasses. Because my husband loves raisins, I added one cup to the batter. These are delicious, and a definite keeper recipe. I plan to take these to the next church pot luck.
These are in the oven right now! Bringing them to a family get together. They smell divine!
I made these yesterday and oh my, they are delicious! I did not have a 10×15 pan and had to improvise with some math but the results were still fantastic. I used a 9×13 and baked off the rest of the batter in a tiny Pyrex. My entire family loved them. Thank you for the delicious recipe!! Added to my Fall baking must haves
I made these for a Friendsgiving this weekend and they were an absolute hit. Easy to make and delightful. They are a bit crumbly! So your advice to use a plate is spot on. I followed the recipe exactly for the bars and icing. These are a staple of my fall baking. I baked mine for about 27/28 mins because I’m realizing my oven runs hot.
Just made these for my family (and myself!) in honor of my fall break. My adult daughter thought the kitchen smelled amazing, and my 18-month old grandson was obsessed with the frosting. They were easy to make, and VERY delicious with a cup of coffee. Exactly the treat I needed as I enjoyed my day-off. I will definitely be making these again, and love the fact that they contain a whole can of pure pumpkin. Thank you so much for a recipe that celebrates all of the smells and tastes of Fall!
I want to make these as mini bundt cakes – anyone try that yet?
That would be so cute! I haven’t tried it with this recipe but please let me know if you do!
Wow! These are fantastic and so easy. Thank you for the great, instructions. This is a hit!
As always, thank you!
Cheryl
These bars are delicious!! My only suggestion is to cut the frosting to 1/3 of the recipe in order for the bars to shine. I put the full batch of frosting on and had to take most off, otherwise the frosting overpowered the bars. (The good news is, frosting is ready for the next batch! 😉
I did swap the veggie oil for 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 cup coconut oil, which worked wonderfully!
We totally loved these …. thanks for the recipe. My kitchen smelled soooo delicious – just like fall!
How can I cut them cleanly for a dessert tray? Thank you.
Hi Sue, for nice even cuts, I recommend chilling the in the refrigerator bars for 30 minutes after frosting, then cutting with a very sharp knife. Wipe the knife clean between cuts.
HI Sally
Those look AMZING. If you make them will they taste the same without the frosting?
I love PUMKIN I love everything about PUMKIN with all the spice and all of the flavor.
DELICIOUS.
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH SALLY
Hi Zoe, You can keep these pumpkin bars totally plain or even dust with a little confectioners’ sugar. They’re still great!
Hi Sally
These look great! Is there a sub in for the maple syrup?? Not a fan of maple
Thanks so much!!
Hi Michele, You can leave it out completely. No need to replace with anything, though you could replace with brown sugar if desired.
Just made these today for the first time, no maple syrup in house so I used Mrs. Butterworth, batter tastes great, bars are in the oven now.
Would a 9×13 work making slightly thicker? Baking time would be longer I know. Thinking of using maple icing that was on your maple cookies.
Hi Cheryl! Yes, the bars will be more like a thick pumpkin cake if baked in a smaller pan.
Made these yesterday, what a great recipe! Replaced the cream cheese frosting with a different marscapone frosting recipe (since I don’t like cream cheese).
Your recipes and instructions are always spot on and the final product is delicious, thank you!
Can nuts be added? What kind is best? What about diced crystallized ginger or cinnamon chips? Or dried cranberries or yellow raisins? Or some rum or bourbon?
Hi Lee, you can add chopped pecans, walnuts, diced crystallized ginger, cinnamon chips, dried cranberries, or raisins to this batter. I recommend anywhere between 3/4 – 1.5 cups total add-ins. I’m unsure about rum or bourbon.
Made these for dessert after dinner with our Priests….What a hit!
Will keep making these for sure, we have a Pumpkin Carving party coming up and these will be perfect! Wish could attach a picture…
These were a huge hit at a work carry in! Mine came out more cake-like than I was expecting, but I think it might be because my pumpkin puree had been frozen and there seemed to be a lot of excess moisture when I thawed it out. Also, my batter didnt seem as thick as how the photos look. BUT it didn’t matter, they were delightful in taste and texture!
Yes! Or you can leave it out completely. (No need to replace with anything, though you could replace with brown sugar if desired.)
These were great and easy to make! I do wish they were a little bit sturdier, but didn’t have a problem eating them as bar. I only put cinnamon in the cream cheese frosting but wish I would have put all the pumpkin pie spices in it as called for, it needed that little bit of extra flavor to bring it altogether.
I’ve made two pumpkin recipes this fall and they both have been yours! Your best ever pumpkin bread was my first of course! It’s my favorite but since I had already made that I thought I would try these and they are SO good! Mine turned out to the bar consistency you talked about but I had the 10×15 pan so that probably helped. The frosting is amazing too! Cannot wait to make more recipes this fall. Will probably be making your pumpkin chocolate chip cookies next. Those are a fav as well! Thank you for all your amazing recipes!
This was fantastic!!! Tasted great and was still nice and soft the second day. I agree with you that I liked that we needed a whole can of pumpkin as I always hated throwing away that leftover pumpkin when I didn’t use it up after a few days. And the spice was perfect and loved it in the frosting as well! Hubby said it was the best cake I’ve made so far! THANK YOU!
Made these for a potluck tonight and everyone wanted extras! I had none left over definitely a hit! I will be making these again for sure!
Yours is my go-to blog. I love your recipes and tutorials. Don’t get me wrong, these were delicious; however, it was NOT a bar but a dense layer of cake with frosting. I will make them again but will serve them always with a fork and plate and call it a pumpkin “short” cake!
Hey these look delicious! Would
They work ok in a 9×13 pan?
The size pan is essential to their texture, but you can bake in a 9×13 inch cake pan for more cake-like bars.
I made your pumpkin spice snickerdoodle recipe at the beginning of this week, which were warm, delicious and chewy, but since the recipe only used a small amount of pumpkin I was left with a lot of extra (I had a large can). This only gave me another reason to bake more pumpkin-y treats and I’m glad I did because I love these bars! I really like the texture and the spiced flavor. I’m not a fan of cream cheese frosting, so I decided to drizzle the bars with maple icing! I omitted the maple syrup in the batter, though, to avoid them being overly sweet. I’ll definitely be making these again and maybe even toss in some toasted pecans for a little crunch. Thanks, Sally!
Since I don’t care for pumpkin, can I substitute sweet potato?
Sweet potato puree should be just fine. Enjoy!
These look amazing. I love that they are non-dairy until you frost them, although I think they need the frosting. It is wonderful that you have links to so many of the products that you used. (Why link to the glass bowls? I did not see your suggestion of when they’ll be needed.) These will definitely be one of my fall baking projects, especially for the upcoming High Holidays. I love pumpkin. Thank you, Sally.
Oh my goodness, it’s like a brownie but in pumpkin form WITH frosting, and I am SO about it!! Love those cute little decorations too! These are beautiful, Sally!
Hi, would you say this is more like a pumpkin-blondie? Like a little bit chewy? Have a good weekend
Hi Iram! No, these are soft like cake, but a little more sturdy than cake. Not chewy. 🙂