Easy Pumpkin Bars
Updated Oct 24, 2025
These pumpkin bars are easy to make with pumpkin puree and a few pantry staples. Super easy to make.
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These are the best pumpkin bars!
If there’s one dessert I never skip making in the fall, it’s these pumpkin bars. They’re light, fluffy, and spiced, kind of like if pumpkin bread and cake had a baby. I usually make a big batch because they disappear fast, especially when the house smells like cinnamon and everyone suddenly remembers they “love pumpkin.”
What I like most about these pumpkin bars is how simple they are. No frosting, just mix, bake, and you’re done. It’s the kind of recipe you can throw together on a busy weeknight or make ahead for a get-together without stressing over it.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Pumpkin Bars Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree: Use canned or homemade pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Unsweetened applesauce: You can make your own applesauce or use store-bought. If you don’t have applesauce, you can use vegetable oil or coconut oil.
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Wet ingredients: Eggs, cane sugar, and dark brown sugar.
How to Make Pumpkin Bars
Pumpkin Bar Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 2/3 cup cane sugar
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Beat the eggs, sugars, pumpkin, and applesauce in another large bowl.
- Gradually pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into an ungreased 9×13-inch baking pan and bake for 25–30 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and let the pumpkin bars cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
Equipment
Notes
- My Top Tip: Use room-temperature eggs. The yolks are softer at room temperature and easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Storage: Store the pumpkin bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Warm them up in the microwave for about 20 seconds, or in the oven at 350ºF for about 5 minutes.
- Freezing: Tightly wrap the entire pan or the individual bars in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place them in a freezer-friendly storage bag or an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Add nuts. Stir a handful of walnuts, pecans, or almonds into the batter for extra texture and flavor.
- Or, fold in chocolate chips. For something sweeter, stir in some semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips before baking.
- Top them with frosting. Make a batch of my cream cheese frosting before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Use room-temperature eggs. The yolks are softer at room temperature and easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. When you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, fold gently until just combined. If you overmix the batter, the pumpkin bars can turn out dense. A few lumps are definitely okay!
- Use a different-sized pan. For thinner pumpkin bars, use a 15×10-inch pan.
Comments
They are delicious but they smell little eggy even after using pumpkin spice and cinnamon next time I will add some vanilla extract
So happy you liked them, Maya! Thanks!!
Love all your recipes Yumna! Hah I realize as I typed your name that Yum is in your name!! Sorry, I digress. I made these, followed the recipe exactly and they turned out delicious. Loved each bite! The only thing was that I did have to bake for an extra 10 mins as it looked a little soft in the middle after 30 mins. It was perfect after the extra 10 mins of baking. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for your kind words, and thanks for the note about the baking time! Different brands of pumpkin puree can contain more moisture than others so that would possibly explain the additional baking time needed.
I followed the directions, but the bars came out too wet so I had to re-pop them in the oven at a lower temperature for about 20 minutes. I think there is just too much liquid in this recipe. Otherwise, the flavour is very good.
Glad you liked them, Marsha! So sorry to hear they took a little bit longer to bake. Did you use the exact ingredient measurements and bake in a 9×13 baking pan?
Mine turned out more like a cake for thickness, I used a 9 x 13 pan. Still letting them cool. Yours looked more like a bar. I used four eggs wondering if that was correct?
Yes, that’s correct! These bars do end up having a cake-like consistency. It sounds like yours turned out great!!
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