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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Can i use this recipe for cupcakes instead of pumpkin bars?
I think so! But I’ve never done that myself, so I don’t know how many they will make. Let me know if you try it!
If I only have maple-almond butter could I just cut the honey? If so how much?
This recipe is amazing. So moist and flavorful. Also made the maple topping for it. Yum.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but it’s awfully close to the flourless chocolate pumpkin cupcake recipe!…. without the cacao powder and chocolate chips. But what happened with the sugar? can I use the maple syrup instead of the honey, and add the coconut sugar?
After I had this spread out in the pan my husband asked me if I had tasted it. He said, “I think it’s not sweet enough.” Duh, I had forgotten to add the honey! I was going to scrape it back into the bowl to add it but, my husband just poured some honey on top and stirred it in.
They came out REALLY dry. I wondered if it was because I used a thicker almond butter (Maranatha) rather than a runnier one like Trader Joe’s, or because we didn’t use 1/3 cup of honey (maybe 2-3 TB.)
I made the maple glaze exactly as directed. Something tasted a little off with it. I added another TB of maple syrup, which did not change it much. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to save the pumpkin bars.
I’ll give one of your other pumpkin bar recipes a try! The ones made with almond flour look very moist.
I love your site and your creativity! One failure on my part won’t steer me away!
Can i make it into a cake? Just line the dish with parchment paper before adding the batter and bake then, you can lift it out of the dish,..then just drizzle the maple pecan glaze
I made these for someone who is GF, Dairy Free and can’t eat sugar. She COULD NOT BELIEVE what she was eating was a safe food for her. Her mind was blown! And everyone LOVED, LOVED this recipe!!!
Can I double the recipe into a 9 x 13 as I’m bringing them again this weekend to a party.
Thanks million for this amazing and healthy recipe!
I think it should double just fine– might just need a little longer to bake. Glad everyone enjoyed them!
These are delicious! I have made these a few times, can you freeze them?
Delicious and nutritious. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing recipe! Was a major hit tonight at our Friendsgiving. I did make the pecan glaze as well 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
This is my favorite pumpkin fall treat of all time. I’ve been returning to this website for years to make this because I crave it at Fall time! I use the leftover maple pecan glaze on pancakes or banana bread. Thank you so much for this delicious and nutritious Fall treat!!
My wife can’t do baking powder so I separated the eggs and beat the egg whites till white fluffy peaks. Mixed the other ingredients with the yolks till smooth. Folded in the egg whites. Then baked as directed. Came out tasty and fluffy!
This is a great hack for anything that calls for baking powder for anyone who can’t eat it or if you don’t have any in the kitchen.
Surprisingly good! Ok, I can’t follow a recipe exactly. I added a little rice and coconut flour and butter. wouldn’t it be yummy with raisins??
QUESTION. Can you double this recipe in a 9×13 pan?? Also, can you freeze the bars after they are cooked? I have company coming the end of this week.
I want to make these the night before for a playdate the following morning. are these still good if refrigerated over night? Or can I pre-make the batter and pop them in the oven early morning before I leave. Also, has anyone tried them as muffins instead of bars? Thanks!
I think these are still great if you store them in the fridge after baking!
I always make these and they are the best. Never made the maple glaze since they are good and sweet just as they are. I am wondering if I swapped out pumpkin puree for banana puree if it would turn out? A banana bar sounds really good!
These are good, although mine turned out a little dry. Next time I will knock 5 min off my cooking time.
Absolutely love this recipe so quick and easy and delicious!!! I’m obsessed!
So amazing for being gluten free! They are really moist too. I substituted natural peanut butter for the almond butter and they still tasted great. I made the maple pecan glaze too but instead I used walnuts. It was a bit more bitter but it still tasted great on the bars.
I substituted the eggs for 1/2 cup carbonated water!! I’ve been doing some research on good egg substitutes and this came up as one of the best options because it won’t alter the taste. I had to bake it about 55 mins, and it was still a bit soft (more like bread pudding consistency), but still so delicious!! Especially with your maple pecan spread. Thanks for this recipe!
Wow! You are officially a genus Megan! Can not believe there is no four in these. They taste like there is. Not sure how it happened, but I am glad you figured it out. So yummy in tummy 🙂
It’s amazing! I’ve been looking for easy, healthy, and delicious recipes! Thank you Megan for putting all this together and your effort.
I made them in mini muffin tin/pan with sunflower butter and coconut sugar. Yum I love pumpkin!
Thank you very much!
Hi! I’m so excited to try this tomorrow 🙂 I’m not a big fan of nut butters, especially in baking, could I replace the almond butter with oat flour?
Thanks!
No, I’m afraid that will turn out differently since the almond butter acts as the flour and oil in this recipe. You might want to look for a recipe that calls for oat flour, so you don’t have to make substitutions.
I’ve made this often and love it, as does everyone who tastes it. 2 questions: do you think this could work baked in a bread pan? If so, fo how long? Thanks so much for this recipe as well as your many delcious offerings.
We made this and it was easy to make and delicious. I put cream cheese icing on top. I will be making this for Thanksgiving.
These were absolutely delicious. I made 1 1/2 times the recipe and found it worked really well. I just wondered if I could use this recipe without the spices to make a pineapple upside down cake?
These turned out great, thank you for the recipe!
Have you tried freezing these? I wanted to make ahead for Thanksgiving. I think it could dry them out?
Easy & delicious! Thank you.
These bars are simply the best. Not only are they delicious, full of healthy ingredients and fast to make, they only leave me with one bowl to wash at the end. I love making these bars year round, but especially on chillier days where you want to curl up inside. They make the house smell lovely. I can’t say enough about them!
These are delicious! You would never know they are grain free. I didn’t try the glaze but I will next time. Thanks for the great recipe.
Thank you for a delicious grain free recipe. Super super easy to make – results were fab. These do taste healthy rather than indulgent, but if you are on a grain free diet anyway, these WILL be an indulgence-type of treat. A+ for simplicity and how well the recipe worked at home. Great texture – not at all dry!!
Seems like you changed the recipe a little? I don’t remember needing to add in acv.
Yes, I added 1 teaspoon of vinegar to the recipe to help you avoid any baking soda aftertaste. I’ve learned about that since posting this recipe 9 years ago, but you can skip it if you prefer!
Can I use maple syrup instead of honey?
Amazing and so easy to make. My family loved it.
Can the honey in the muffin be subbed with maple syrup? My son is 1 and pediatrician doesn’t want him to have honey yet! Thanks!
Sure, I would think so! You might want to use a 1/2 cup maple syrup in that case, since I think honey is sweeter in taste.
Made these last night and they are delicious! Turned out perfect! Thanks so much! ❤️
These are amazing! I’ve been making them every week. I didn’t do the glaze until last week and now I love them even more. I like the results better with cashew butter and I sprinkle a handful of mini chocolate chips over the top before baking. ❤❤❤❤❤
I use Agave in place of honey (measure of measure). Always turns out delicious.
Would pumpkin seed butter work?
Hmm… I’ve never tried that, but I think it’s worth a shot! Sunflower seed butter works, so I imagine pumpkin seed butter is similar. I’d love to hear if you experiment with it.
I made these bars today. They are so easy to make and turn out so light and fluffy. I will definitely make them again. Thank you!
I absolutely love all of your recipes. This is such a quick, easy and yummy one! Love it!
Did you change the recipe from maple syrup to honey?
I’ve made these a few years ago and the were much sweeter
No, I don’t think this recipe has changed, but you could definitely use a 1/2 cup of honey if you want a sweeter flavor.
These are so delicious! I can’t believe how fluffy they turned out! I’ll be making a double batch for my Thanksgiving dessert this year. (yay healthy holidays!)
Just curious though, do you know if these freeze well?
Do you think this recipe could be used for a pumpkin roll? For the cake part?
Ooh, I don’t know! But that sounds amazing so now I want to try it. Let me know if you experiment with it!
These look amazing! I don’t have any almond butter on hand so could I substitute it for peanut butter?
Yes, you can! The flavor is just a little different with peanut butter, and the results are slightly drier. But, they are still tasty!
Can you use flaxseed instead of egg
I love these bars. I make them often, people always request them and ask for the recipe. I noticed a couple slight changes to the recipe, I think they’ll be even better!
Need to comment again… I made the bars with the vinegar and just seemed to like it better without! I also made the maple pecan glaze for the first time. I put it in my food processor and it seemed to have a grainy texture from the pecans. I thought they got chopped up enough but I guess not. It also was more like a frosting! I really love the glaze and am a fan! This glaze/frosting would be good on cookies or a cake!
Hi! I’ve been following you since you published a cauliflower pizza crust recipe AGES ago! This recipe was totally proof that you are a total pro. Everyone loved it and there were so many wins about this dessert being flourless! Do you have any others like this? Thanks so much for all that you do!