Pumpkin Spice Bars
These Pumpkin Bars are everything you love about pumpkin pie but easier to share! The delicious oatmeal crumb topping and pumpkin spice filling make this the must-bake dessert for fall.
After 19 years of gluten-free fall baking, I believe I can finally say that I created the perfect dessert! After nearly a dozen tests and variations, this pumpkin bar recipe has the classic pumpkin pie flavor combined with the crumbly streusel topping from my 5-star Apple Butter Bars. It’s a winner!
Can’t get enough pumpkin? Me either! Try these Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles, the adorable Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes, or our favorite Pumpkin Sugar Cookies!
Why You Will Love These Easy Pumpkin Bars
- You can make them ahead of time. These stay fresh in the fridge for about a week, so you can easily make these the weekend before a potluck or party to take some stress off.
- They don’t need to be warmed up. You don’t have to worry about getting these bars into the oven while guests are waiting, and you can even pack them in lunch boxes for a fun treat. We enjoy these cold, so they can go straight from the fridge to the table.
- The bars are allergen friendly. It is so easy to make these gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free so the whole family can enjoy!
Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Bars
- Rolled oats and Flour – For gluten-free, use cup4cup or GF Bisquick. If you are not gluten-free, all purpose flour will work instead.
- Butter, Brown Sugar, Baking Powder, and Salt – These help give the crust and crumb topping the perfect texture. I have not tried a plant-based butter, but I imagine you could use one to make this dairy-free. To lower the carbs, replace the brown sugar with your favorite substitute.
- Pumpkin Puree – This should be 100% pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling. If you use pumpkin pie filling, it will be much too sweet.
- Eggs – This helps bind the filling and crumble together for a nice texture and easy slicing. To make it egg-free, consider using a commercial egg substitute.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – Use your favorite brand! This provides a lot of flavor in the crust, filling, and topping, so you want to make sure it is one that you like.
How to Make Pumpkin Pie Bars
This easy fall dessert requires just three steps, two bowls, and an 8×8 baking dish. Here’s a step-by-step guide so you can make these perfect bars for yourself.
Mix the oat crumble mixture
While your oven is preheating, line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper or foil and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl, stir together your oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Once things are well mixed, add in the melted butter. Work it into the dry ingredients with a fork until combined, then do the same thing with your egg.
The mixture should be crumbly but easy to press together. Take half of this and press it into your lined baking dish to form a nice crust.
Make the pumpkin pie filling
In another bowl, stir together your pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and egg. Once it’s well mixed, spread it over the crust you just pressed into the pan. Smooth it over the base, then sprinkle the remaining oat crumble dough over your pumpkin filling. You want it to be evenly and lightly distributed, but don’t worry if you can see some pumpkin peeking through. Do not press it down.
Bake the pumpkin pie bars
Once the oven reaches 350 degrees F, place the pan in and bake for 30-35 minutes. When the top of the bars are nicely browned, remove from the oven. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan (using the liner) and slicing.
Easy Pumpkin Bars Tips
- Don’t skip the liner. Because these stay nice and soft, it is difficult to slice and serve these in pretty, uniform squares if they are still in the baking dish.
- If your bottom oatmeal crust layer is sticking to your hands or utensil too much, try pressing it into the pan with a piece of wax paper instead.
- Don’t bother pressing the oatmeal crumb topping into the pumpkin filling. It will naturally bake into the filling, but pressing it down can cause it to sink to the middle.
How to Serve Pumpkin Spice Bars
- For the cleanest slices, cool the full dessert in the fridge, pull it out by the liner, then use a warm knife to slice. Wipe knife off after each cut.
- Serve these cold if you want a little less mess. These stick together with a great chewy texture when cold.
- We LOVE this warm, topped with vanilla ice cream, and drizzled with a little caramel if you want to go super decadent.
- If you forget to store these properly and they have dried out a bit, crumble it up and serve on yogurt for the best fall parfaits!
Storing Pumpkin Spice Bars
Once the bars have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They should last 5-7 days, so they’re the perfect make-ahead dessert around the holidays. You can enjoy these cold (my favorite), room temperature, or warm.
If you want to try them warm, I recommend first microwaving them for 30-45 seconds to get the filling warm, then placing them in the oven (350) for a few minutes. This puts a nice crispness back into the crust and topping. I do not recommend reheating them in the oven the entire time as this will lead to them drying out.
Pumpkin Pie Bars FAQs
As long as you use certified gluten-free oats and cup4cup or GF Bisquick, yes, these are gluten-free. I have not tried these with any other gluten-free options.
No, you need 100% pumpkin puree with no additives. Pumpkin pie filling has its own sweeteners and other ingredients that will lead to these tasting far too sweet.
I have only tested this recipe with old fashioned oats (also known as rolled oats). I think instant oats would lead to a mushier texture while steel cut oats would be extremely chewy or crunchy. I don’t think either one would hold up very well, so I only recommend rolled oats.
More Fall Recipes:
Get the Recipe: Easy Pumpkin Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Oatmeal Crumb Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, cup4cup or GF Bisquick for gluten-free
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 large egg
Filling Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Stir together the oats, flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Add the melted butter to the flour mixture, and work it into the dry ingredients with a fork until combined. Add one egg and mix to combine. The mixture should be crumbly but easy to press together.
- Press half the dough into the baking pan.
- Next, make the pumpkin pie filling by combining the pumpkin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and remaining egg until smooth.
- Top the base of the bars with the pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle the remaining dough over the pumpkin and press down gently. 30-35 minutes, until the top of the bars are browned.
- Allow the bars to cool completely, then remove from the pan, slice and serve.
Why does it say add the eggS when there is only one egg in the Oatmeal Crumb Ingredients. Then in step five it says add the egg again, so does that mean we need two eggs? A little confusing…. 😣
Thank you so much for catching that error! There is an egg in the oat crumble AND an egg in the pumpkin filling. I’ve updated the “how to” section in the post and the recipe card to reflect this correction. Thanks again!