These easy pumpkin bars will satisfy all your pumpkin cravings. They take just 10 minutes to prepare before going into the oven! Silky cream cheese frosting is the perfect rich finishing touch that adds a hint of tang to complement the sweet, spiced pumpkin base.
Besides being super simple and a breeze to make, this classic pumpkin bars recipe also serves a big group! It’s an ideal crowd-pleaser for a family gathering as an addition to your holiday table. Try some other easy pumpkin recipes like my chocolate chip pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancakes, or pumpkin muffins.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Leavening — you need baking soda and baking powder for the perfect rise.
Spices — cinnamon, allspice, ground ginger, and nutmeg impart your favorite fall flavors.
Eggs — eggs add richness and help bind the batter together to bake chewy pumpkin bars.
Sugar — a combination of brown sugar and white sugar (granulated sugar) adds moisture and the right amount of sweetness.
Milk — I used whole milk, but 2% milk would work as well.
Pumpkin — canned pumpkin is the best option here. Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin, not canned pumpkin pie filling.
Oil — vegetable oil adds moisture to the pumpkin bars. You can swap it for any neutral-flavored oil.
Vanilla — use high-quality store-bought or homemade vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Cream cheese frosting — you need a simple combination of unsalted butter, brick-style full-fat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to top the bars.
How To Make Pumpkin Bars
1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Sifting is optional.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, oil, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, milk, and pumpkin puree. Whisk together until smooth.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Grease a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan or line it with parchment paper. Transfer the pumpkin batter to your prepared pan and spread it out into an even layer. Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes or until the center springs back when pressed lightly.
5. Make the cream cheese frosting in the bowl of a stand mixer or by using an electric mixer. Beat room temperature cream cheese and butter together until combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed, then switch to high for about three minutes or until light and creamy.
6. Once the pumpkin bar base is cool, frost, cut, and serve it.
Recipe Variations
For the best pumpkin bars, make them your own! You can add mix-ins, swap the toppings, or add fun decorations.
- Use pumpkin spice: Swap the spices for 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
- Add mix-ins: Add up to ½ cup of chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or pumpkin seeds to the batter when it is almost ready and fold in.
- Use a different topping on top of the bars: Instead of cream cheese icing, add a generous drizzle of caramel sauce or a dusting of powdered sugar. Or, swap the type of frosting for a homemade buttercream frosting.
- Decorate the top: Place candy pumpkins on top or scatter sprinkles over the frosted pumpkin bars.
Can I Use a Different Pan Size?
You can use a greased or parchment paper-lined 9×13-inch baking pan for slightly thicker pumpkin bars. The baking time will increase slightly, about 5 minutes.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Weigh the flour: Adding too much flour to the recipe is a common mistake and leads to dry, crumbly bars. The best way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Bring your eggs, milk, butter, and cream cheese to room temperature to make them easier to incorporate.
- Use pure canned pumpkin: Only use 100% pure pumpkin, not canned pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has spices and sugar added to it, which affects how the pumpkin bars bake.
- Don’t overmix the pumpkin batter: This causes too much gluten to develop, leading to pumpkin bars that are tough or too dense.
- Let the bars cool before frosting: If the pumpkin bar base is still warm, the frosting will melt.
Frequently Asked Questions
While you can use homemade pumpkin puree, I recommend using canned pumpkin instead. Homemade pumpkin puree has varying water content–too much moisture can impact the texture of your bars.
If you decide to go the homemade route, blot moisture from the pumpkin puree by spreading it onto paper towels and letting it sit for 10 minutes.
Yes, you have to refrigerate pumpkin bars because of the cream cheese frosting. Transfer any leftover bars to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. If you do not frost them, they will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Yes, you can freeze pumpkin bars. If unfrosted, let the bars cool completely before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. If frosted, place the bars in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, and then wrap them or place them in a freezer container. Pumpkin bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this pumpkin bars recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Pumpkin Bars Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Bowls
- Whisk
- 15×10 inch baking dish
Ingredients
For the Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 240g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar 200g
- ¼ cup white sugar 50g
- ¼ cup whole milk 60mL
- 15 oz pumpkin puree one small can
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil 160mL
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 10mL
For the Frosting
- ½ cup butter 113g, room temp
- 8 oz cream cheese 226g, room temp
- 3 cups powdered sugar 340g
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 10x15x1 inch jelly roll pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl then whisk together and set aside.
- In a separate bowl combine the eggs, oil, white and brown sugar, vanilla, milk, and pumpkin puree then whisk together until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix until just combined then transfer the batter to your prepared pan and spread out into an even layer using an offset spatula. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or until the center springs back when pressed lightly.
- Make the frosting by beating room temperature cream cheese and butte together until combined then add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on low then switch to high for about three minutes or until light and creamy. scrape the bowl down and mix once more.
- Once the base is cool cover with the cream cheese frosting, cut and serve. I like to garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon but sprinkles
Notes
- Weigh the flour: Adding too much flour to the recipe is a common mistake and leads to dry, crumbly bars. The best way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Bring your eggs, milk, butter, and cream cheese to room temperature to make them easier to incorporate.
- Use pure canned pumpkin: Only use 100% pure pumpkin, not canned pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has spices and sugar added to it, which affects how the pumpkin bars bake.
- Don’t overmix the pumpkin batter: This causes too much gluten to develop, leading to pumpkin bars that are tough or too dense.
- Let the bars cool before frosting: If the pumpkin bar base is still warm, the frosting will melt.
