Healthy Pumpkin Bars are made without flour or refined sugar, and are surprisingly light and fluffy! They are one of my favorite grain-free desserts for the Fall, and once you taste them, I think you’ll fall in love with them, too.
Inspired by my Paleo Banana Snack Cake, this recipe uses almond butter instead of flour. It’s amazing how when you pair it with eggs and a little honey, it becomes quite cake-like!
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in healthy pumpkin bars?
- Almond butter
- Pumpkin puree
- Eggs
- Honey
- Pumpkin pie spice
If you don’t have almond butter on hand, cashew butter also makes a similar substitute. I’ve tested this recipe using peanut butter, and the results aren’t quite as delicious, because the peanut flavor competes with the pumpkin flavor too much.
For best results, I recommend using a “raw” or non-roasted nut butter, for the most mild flavor.
How to Make Pumpkin Bars
1. Mix. Combine the almond butter, pumpkin, honey, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, and stir until very smooth.
Once the batter is mixed, add in the vinegar and stir again. You’ll notice that lighter swirls will start to appear as you mix, and that is the reaction between the baking soda and vinegar.
This will help the bars rise even better, and will help to avoid an aftertaste from the baking soda.
2. Bake. Pour the mixture into a lined or greased 8-inch pan, and bake at 350ºF for 35 to 40 minutes.
When the pumpkin bars are done, the center should rise, without jiggling in the middle when you shake the pan.
3. Slice. Let the bars cool completely in the pan, then slice into squares and serve right away.
These pumpkin bars are lightly sweet on their own, but I like topping them with a quick maple pecan glaze for an extra-special dessert. To make it, you just need to blend a few ingredients together!
This glaze is naturally sweetened and will NOT set like one made with powdered sugar, so it’s best to drizzle it over the bars right as you serve them, with a few chopped pecans on top.
They taste so impressive this way!
Pro Tip: For an even deeper flavor, swap the water in the Maple Pecan Glaze for black coffee. The maple coffee flavor is also excellent on these healthy pumpkin bars.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I swap the sweetener? This recipe should work well with a 1/2 cup of maple syrup to replace the honey. II’ve also tested it with 2/3 cup of coconut sugar, but the texture changes slightly when you swap a liquid sweetener for a granulated one.
I don’t work with zero calorie sweeteners, so I don’t know how this will work with a sweetener like stevia.
Can I make this vegan? Try my Vegan & Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars recipe, for an egg-free recipe that is already tested for you.
Or try my Vegan Pumpkin Muffins, if you prefer to work with oat flour.
Can I make pumpkin puree from scratch? Check out my how to cook pumpkin tutorial, for the easiest way to make pumpkin puree at home!
More Pumpkin Recipes
Looking for more pumpkin inspiration? Try these!
- Pumpkin Ice Cream
- Vegan Pumpkin Donuts
- Oat Flour Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Overnight Oats
- Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Spice Latte
Healthy Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bars
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Maple Pecan Glaze
- 3/4 cup pecans , plus extra chopped for serving
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup water (or coffee)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, almond butter, honey, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda, and stir until very smooth.
- Add the vinegar into the batter, and stir again. The batter will have lighter swirls in it, from the baking soda reacting to the vinegar. This will help the bars rise and remove any baking soda flavor in the final bars, so keep stirring until the batter looks uniform. Pour into a greased 8-inch baking dish, lined with parchment paper for easy removal later.
- Bake at 350ºF for about 35 minutes, until the bars rise in the center and don't jiggle when you shake the pan. Cool completely, then slice and serve.
- To make the optional Maple Pecan Glaze, combine the pecans, maple syrup, coconut oil, water, vanilla, and salt. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the blender as needed. You can add a tablespoon of water, as needed, to help it blend. Pour the glaze over the bars, and serve right away with chopped pecans on top.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try these healthy pumpkin bars soon, please leave a star rating and comment below letting me know how you like them!
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Reader Feedback: Which Fall dessert would you like to see next?
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I made these tonight and they looked like they were going to be delicious. However, they turned GREEN! My husband tried them and said they tasted good, but what on earth would make them green? I used a brand new jar of sun butter instead of the almond butter but that was the only change. I was trying to make something for my son to take to school tomorrow for a treat. I ended up having to make the protein bars instead. They are freezing now. I hope they aren’t green too!
Thanks,
Abby
Sunflower butter has a chemical reaction with baking soda, so it will always turn your baked goods green! But, it’s totally safe to eat. 🙂
Hey I love your site, it’s great! I am currently doing a thirty day program called the whole thirty. Now technically on this program you are not supposed to replace sweets with healthier sweets, but I was having a get together so needed to make something. I made these with the following changes and they were awesome!
-organic pumpkin
-homemade organic almond butter
-organic coconut oil
-organic pecans
-organic walnuts
-organic raisins
-cinnamon
-pumpkin pie spice
-Himalayan sea salt
-chia egg
-baking soda
Then after baking them and they cooled put in the freezer and whipped up some coconut whip cream for on top.. Vegan, dairy free and fan-frigin-tastic…
Well let me say thanks 😉
I forgot I added banana too!
Thank you for giving this non-baker a successful and delicious pumpkin recipe that was so easy to make. The undeniable aroma of fall carried through my house and made two busy little girls drop what they were doing on their play date to find the source. I didn’t make the glaze, so I wasn’t expecting the kids to rate them as highly as they did. The visiting child asked me to give her mom the recipe! The only revision on my end was to add a handful of chopped, toasted pecans to the mix. Excellent! Not too sweet and the perfect texture. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
I just made these, soooo yummy!!! I added some raw cacao powder to the mix(approx. 1/4 c). I could probably eat the whole pan.
What is the calorie content on this?
Made these and they tasted great but they turned blue green over the course of the day. I found out that sun nut butter turns baked goods green because of the acid in the seeds. FYI it happens when using sunbutter :/
Can I use sunflower butter instead of almond butter?
Yes, you can but sunflower seed butter makes it green but you can use soy butter(I use a kind called wow butter. The company’s name).
i did it …………..OMG ! the glaze alone is fab! those are DELICIOSSO!! 🙂 thanks
These are so easy to make and taste amazing..I substituted agave for honey ..love this recipe!! Thank you Thank you !!!
Mind = blown. I made these yesterday and they were quite simply the easiest, moistest, fastest and tastiest pumpkin-themed fall treat I have EVER made. I used agave in stead of honey but otherwise to a tee.
I’m so glad I stumbled across your website! It has just dawned on me that grain free is the way to go. I made these grain free pumpkin bars to take to our Bible study group but also wanted some for a weekend in out motorhome. So, I increased the recipe to fit two 9 X 11 X 2 inch glass baking dishes hoping for the best. I wound up quadrupling the recipe and am very pleased with how easy it was to make these. Everyone at our Bible study loved these. They each had two generous helpings of 2 X 4 inch rectangles! One gentleman even used a clean fork to scrape the bottom of the dish and put all the crumbs on his plate! Did they know it was a grain free healthy recipe? Well, they didn’t ask so I didn’t tell. On our “camping” trip in the motorhome, my brother, daughter and son-in-law loved these as well. Thanks for all your recipes and tips. You don’t know what a blessing you are to others. May God bless you and yon family,
Sorry about the typo, I meant May God bless you and your family.
I just made these & they are fabulous! I can’t believe how light & fluffy they are. I have removed grains from my diet as well & it’s so hard to find a dessert that is good & not so dense. These hit the nail on the head. Everything I want out of a dessert. Thank you so much!
I accidentally put a whole cup of almond butter and used maple syrup in lieu of honey (I started out making the pumpkin pie cookies and then I accidentally switched to this one when I meant to just peak at your substitution for pumpkin pie spice LOL). Regardless, they were wonderful. The whole fam loved them. I used the self-ground almond butter from sprouts. Thanks for your site. I love the simplicity of your recipes.
Love these pumpkin bars! Took them to a potluck and everyone loved them. Thank you so much for making grain-free tasty and scrumptious!
can these be frozen?
These look delicious and I would love to try this recipe! But, I am confused about how these adhere to food combining principles. Will you please explain? As far as I understand, nut butters belong to the “nuts and seeds” category while eggs are “protein” and pumpkin puree is “starch.” Please enlighten me! Thanks in advance!
You’re right! These are not properly combined, so like most grain-free baked goods, they fall into what I consider the “special occasion” category. 🙂
Got it. I’ll look forward to trying them on a special occasion then 🙂 Thanks, Megan!
I am on a quest for healthful food that doesn’t taste like “health food” and you, dear Megan, have made my day!!!!
I just made this incredibly delicious recipe for the pumpkin bars, topped with your maple pecan topping…
And all I can say, is OMG!!! This was so easy, so so tasty, and such a treat! I can’t wait to dig into your other recipe goodies here on your site. (first in the queue is the cauliflower pizza, the mint chip ice cream, and the raw cheesecake)
The bars came out fluffy fluffy, light, moist, just delish! 3 of us downed about 1/2 the pan… in minutes! 😀 The maple pecan topping was not only a breeze to make, but just the right amount of decadent sweetness to add to these already fabulous bars.
This is “health food”?? I’m in, kids, I’m in!
Your recipes are ideal for me. They don’t call for 20,000 ingredients, they utilize what is easily obtainable, and they fit into a healthful lifestyle, be it food combining, or just eating wholesome foods.
My regards, cheers, respect, and thanks!!!
K~
PS. Anyone else get the taste of pancakes with these?
Posted 10/29/13
I tried this the other night and LOVED it. I baked mine in a pie tin instead, and it came out just like “crustless” pie! I was so nervous that it would be hard to find SF GF Vegan alternatives for myself for this holiday season, but I think it will be a great substitute and the perfect way to show my family that eating healthy tastes great! Thanks a lot, I love your blog and have gotten all my co-workers into it as well! Keep it up! More!! 🙂
Omg, you’re just the bestest!! I love your recipes yo!
Okay, so I’m on a very restricted diet right now. Do you think the honey is super important for the texture of these bars – or could I get away with leaving it out?
I’ve never tried it without, so please let us know if you have any success!
I used date puree. Worked great. The puree was about the consistency of peanut butter. Im going to try it with tamarind paste next.
I have made these twice now and both times they turned bright green when they cooled. Has this happened to anyone else and/or what in the world could this be??? I ate them warm and they tasted great but didn’t think I should eat spirulina-colored bars!
Are you using sunflower butter instead of almond butter? Sunflower butter has a chemical reaction with baking soda that turns baked goods green. Otherwise, I have no idea why that would happen!
I made these today and they were delicious! I didn’t have enough almond butter, so I subbed half with sunflower butter and they kept the nice orange color and were delicious! Even my bf who isn’t into pumpkin loved them 🙂
Oh my gosh were these the best moistest (is that a word) bars I’ve every made. Made one day and gone the next. And they’re so good when you put butter on them. I’m going to use this recipe as my base now for other bars minus the pumpkin pie spice. I used maple syrup instead of honey and decreased the amount a bit since maple syrup is a bit sweeter than honey in my opinion. Next time I’ll add chocolate chips, cranberries, orange zest, etc.
Thanks so much for such a great recipe.
Just tried these. Awesome! However, I substituted sunflower seed butter for almond butter and date puree for honey. Still great taste but the sunflower seed reacted with the baking soda and in the morning there were green steaks in my pumpkin bars. I had to Google it to figure out why. Weird.
Green streaks I mean lol.
Sorry, can’t seem to edit posts. This recipe gets 5 stars! Im clicking on the stars but my tablet isnt showing that its adding the stars.
Ok got it now.
This is over-the-top delicious, especially with homemade organic pumpkin pie spice, and the raw almond butter! Keep up the good work!
I am going to attempt these for Thanksgiving, so that I can have a treat as well, instead of watching others have all the fun eating. I wonder how they would taste with persimmons? I absolutely LOVE persimmon pudding…and these kinda remind me of that. What spices and amounts would you use? Thanks for all the recipes, they have made changing over to a Candida diet soooooo much easier!
These were DELICIOUS!!! My daughters and husband (he isn’t the biggest pumpkin fan) loved them. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Love the recipe! Comes out great. Definitely going to make another batch. I made the almond butter in my food processor and then just added all the other ingredients to it- so it was pretty convenient.
These are amazing !! Even better the second day, if they last that long !
I followed the recipe exactly and they were so moist and flavorful.
Love your website, your recipes are outstanding! Just copied all your
pumpkin recipes, will try them all.
I am dreaming of making this with a billion flavor cominations: peanut butter + bananas (and maybe a few chocolate chunks or cacao); coconut butter + puréed mango; pumpkin + cranberries; peanut butter + puréed strawberries (PB&J!)…oh man…
Wow, wow wow!! What a fantastic treat. Made these and they are off the charts delicious. What a fantastic treat and also, great substitute for pumpkin pie. To me, it basically tastes like a crustless pumpkin pie- tasty, moist, spicy and just overall delicious. And bonus, super easy and fast to make.
Hey Megan I just stumbled upon your site and I am really excited to try these amazing-looking recipes. I do not consume sugar and am trying to figure out the logistics of baking with stevia. Based on your posts above on the subject, I assume you recommend replacing lost liquid volume in this recipe with another liquid. But do you know of something less starchy and specialized than the Ener-G Egg Replacer? And in your recipes in general, at what liquid volume does it become necessary to add something for what you took away? For example, in your raw almond butter fudge recipe, which calls for only 1.5 tablespoons of honey, you say you can substitute with stevia but you don’t mention adding anything. I assume this is because it is such a small volume, but at what volume of sweetener does this become an issue?
In the almond butter fudge recipe, you can easily substitute the stevia because it’s not baked.
Baked goods are a chemistry experiment, so any little change can affect the results. When I developed my stevia-sweetened macaroons, it took me 5 different batches to get the consistency right, so I recommend lots of patience and experimentation when working with it! I don’t think there’s a magic formula for stevia substitutions, as all recipes will be slightly different with their ingredients and textures. Good luck with your experiments!
Made these for the third time last night and baked in muffin wrappers. Great for on the go snack or breakfast. My new favorite recipe!
I just wanted to say thanks for this recipe! I’m in graduate school for food policy and nutrition and everyone there (rightfully) has very high standards — these bars were a hit at our Thanksgiving potluck. Vegan and gluten-free AND scrumptious!
I love the way these stay soft (but not gooey). I used the maple glaze with chopped pecans on top, very professional looking and easy!
Made this last night! Freaking amazing! Thanks for all the great recipes! They are ways tasty and great for my annoying food allergies!
Love these! I make them at least once a week, to have for breakfasts. I have trouble digesting most foods in the morning, but I’m always hungry early. These are perfect – packing nutrition without being heavy. The first time I made them I was so impressed, I baked more the next day to share with ladies at my gym (we are always trading healthy recipes. I bring them for potlucks and they always go fast. Friends cannot believe they don’t have any grains or white sugars. Love that your recipes don’t require lots of special equipment or time. I can keep these ingredients on hand easily. As a busy Mom your site is so valuable.
I made these the other day and unfortunately they turned out super moist and heavy. It was less cake like and sort of in between a brownie and pie filling. Not really sure where I went wrong or if my oven is just too damn old to cook things properly anymore. Only sub i made was for canned pumpkin because i didnt have a real pumpkin lying around. Any ideas Megan? Would like to make these again, they still tasted good, but i could tell something wasnt exactly right. Thanks!!
I’d guess it was the baking soda. I left it out the first time I made mine.
Just made these, they are the real deal and without added fat or sugar. I used agave instead of honey. Love them! These will be my new go to recipe from now on! Thanks detoxinista for doing the hard part for me!
These are amazing! Not to mention, so easy! I made some whipped cream with heavy whipping cream and powdered erythritol to top these and everyone went GAGA over them. Making them for Christmas eve and Christmas day (2 separate events).
I’ve made these twice now and they are so delicious! They freeze beautifully and are even delicious straight out of the freezer. I like them plain or with the maple glaze. Just divine. My grandson who is allergic to dairy absolutely loves them. They are great for me too (I have celiac disease). This recipe is a keeper and I wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks!
These look so good I want to lick the screen 0:)…Will be making it tonight
My whole family loved these! Thank you!
i’ve been making these with 2-3 tablespoons of raw cocoa powder and sprinkling some vegan mini chocolate chips on top! yum! thanks for the inspiration Megan!
Made these on the weekend. Loved them. Husband loved them. ‘Nuff said!
This ismy new favorite recipe, though I used peanut butter instead.
AMAZING!!! I The cake is so moist and flavorful. This is a keeper. Thanks for the great recipe.
The flavor is great but when I make these they don’t come out like a cake. They are wet and do not rise. I had to add almond flour and almond milk which helped. Maybe I need to add baking powder? Thoughts?
I made these yesterday morning for breakfast because something pumpkin sounded so good even as we head into a glorious spring in the nw! I subbed the almond butter for 1/2 c almond flour and 1/2 gluten free flour mix, i also added a little bit (1/4-1/3) c of oil. They are a the perfect springy texture I was hoping for and with just honey as a sweetener – so delicious!