The first leaves have fallen. That means it’s time to bust out the boots, throw on a scarf, and whip up a batch of Healthy Pumpkin Bars.
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Maybe I’ve been sitting too close to a lit pumpkin spice candle, but I felt the air change this week.
Instead of flip-flops and short-sleeved tees, I found myself subconsciously reaching for slippers and scarves.
I’m also dumping cinnamon on everything (plus baking Cinnamon Blondies), and debating how to use my first purchased can of precious pumpkin.
While Pumpkin Coffee Cake or Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies would be tasty choices, I think these healthy pumpkin bars may just edge them out of contention.
5 Star Review
“YESSSSSS!!!!! These are fantastic.”
— Tracy —
Packed with pumpkin flavor and warm spices, these healthy pumpkin bars are everything I love about fall (and dessert) in a single recipe.
- They’re ultra moist, pleasantly chewy, and incredibly filling.
- Loaded with taste-good, feel-good ingredients like cranberries, ginger, and dark chocolate (like these Trail Mix Peanut Butter Granola Bars).
- Thanks to pumpkin and peanut butter, these oatmeal breakfast bars contain no butter or no oil so they’re low in fat.
- Contain zero processed sugar. Instead, they’re naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup (like this Vegan Pumpkin Bread).
- A “dessert” that’s also socially acceptable for breakfast (like these Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins).
I was a bit worried about how the pumpkin and peanut butter would go together, but the combo turned out to be perfect.
How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Bars
Similar to my Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars but with the addition of pumpkin, these healthy baked pumpkin oatmeal bars are moist, flavorful, and ultra-versatile.
The Ingredients
- Oats. Add texture and a little chew to these pumpkin bars.
- Oat Flour. A wholesome, nutty flour choice that also has the added bonus of being gluten free (reminder: always check your labels).
- Peanut Butter. Makes the bars moist, but its flavor is subtle.
- Pumpkin. Packed with fiber, vitamin A, and antioxidants, pumpkin is the true star of these healthy bars. Make sure you don’t accidentally use pumpkin pie filling!
- Ginger. I went a little heavy on the ginger because I love the way it tastes paired with the pumpkin.
- Maple Syrup. No sugar required. These healthy pumpkin bars are naturally sweetened with nature’s best.
Pumpkin Bar Mix-Ins
Add 1/2 cup of your favorite nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, dried fruit, or even toasted coconut flakes. Here are a few of my favorite combos:
- Dark Chocolate Chips + Cranberries
- Pumpkin Seeds + Coconut Flakes
- Dried Apricots + Pecans
- Walnuts + Raisins
I’ve been making these bars on repeat for weeks, yet the versatile mix-ins make them a little different every time.
The Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Then stir together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and then fold in any desired mix-ins.
- Transfer to a baking pan and bake until golden.
- Let cool, remove from pan, and slice. ENJOY!
How to Store Healthy Pumpkin Bars
- To Store. Leftover pumpkin oatmeal bars can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 week or at room temperature for 3 days.
- To Freeze. Individually wrap the bars, and freeze them in a ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight (or on the counter for a few hours if you are in a hurry!).
Never mind that the forecast is 69 degrees; fall is here. My boots, scarf, and stash of healthy pumpkin bars are (finally) ready!
Frequently Asked Questions
I have not tried making this recipe with wheat-based flour so it would be an experiment. If you wish to swap the oat flour for regular flour, I would suggest using an equal amount of white whole wheat flour. Note that the texture of the bars will likely turn out different and they will no longer be gluten free.
Yes. You may swap the canned pumpkin for an equal amount of pureed fresh pumpkin.
I have not tried adapting this recipe to be vegan in my kitchen. If you’d like to experiment, you can try swapping the egg for a flax egg and the milk for your favorite non-dairy milk of choice. Let me know your results if you attempt in the comments. Or try this Vegan Pumpkin Pie or these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins.
Healthy Pumpkin Bars
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Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups old fashioned rolled oats or quick oats; do not use instant oatmeal
- ½ cup oat flour*
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder (I recommend aluminum-free)
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup pure pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin filling
- 1 cup milk of choice (skim, almond, soy, etc.)
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup (I like Grade B)
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter almond butter, or other nut butter of choice
- ½ cup desired mix-ins: chopped nuts dried cranberries, chocolate chips, diced apricots, coconut (I used 1/4 cup cranberries and 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8×8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, egg, maple syrup, and peanut butter until smooth. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients, then gently stir by hand, just until combined. Fold in any desired mix-ins.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until golden and set on top, dry at the edges, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan completely, then slice into bars.
Notes
- *To make your own oat flour, grind regular rolled oats in a food processor for 1-2 minutes, until they are pulverized to a flour-like consistency. You’ll need just over 1/2 cup rolled oats to yield 1/2 cup oat flour, but be sure to measure before adding it to the recipe!
- TO STORE: Leftover pumpkin oatmeal bars can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 week or at room temperature for 3 days.
- TO FREEZE: Pumpkin bars may be individually wrapped and frozen in a ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight (or on the counter for a few hours if you are in a hurry!).
Nutrition
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I made this over the weekend and they are an AWESOME breakfast or snack, and my kids love them too. Thanks for the great recipe!
I am SO SO SOOOO excited to hear this Kelly. Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know how it turned out for you!
Your oatmeal breakfast bars are on my recipe “to do” list, but this pumpkin variation was that catalyst I needed to finally bake them last night! My afternoon snack today was like a delicious bowl of oatmeal in a portable bar, both fulfilling and nutritious. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and almond butter. My mix-ins were raisins and toasted walnuts. I noticed that your oatmeal breakfast bars include unsweetened applesauce, so I added 1/2 cup while omitting the maple syrup. I did bake 30 minutes to account for the extra moisture. These bars may be a weekly creation in my kitchen now, and I am excited to try other variations too!
Any, I’m so glad to hear that you liked these bars, and I bet the raisins and walnuts were absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and for letting me know how it turned out for you. I truly appreciate it!
This recipe is so versatile: made these with Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk as the milk ingredient, and then used coconut and Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed as the add-ins.
Chocolate almond milk sounds dreamy Lisa! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know how it turned out for you. Love the flaxseed too. Enjoy every bite!
HI, can these be frozen? if not, how long will they stay fresh?
Hi! These can be tightly wrapped and frozen for 2 months or stored in the refrigerator for a few days.
Can you use quick oats for this recipe….it’s all I have on hand as I seem to digest that form of oats better than the traditional rolled. I would love to have this as a prerun snack during the week to grab and go.
Hi Tracy! I have never baked these bars with quick oats, but I think that they will work just fine. Since quick oats are more ground than rolled, the bars may have a softer texture, but they’ll still taste great. I hope you enjoy them!
YESSSSSS!!!!! These are fantastic. I made some modifications to fit my dietary needs like adding a scoop of vanilla protein powder and I find that anything baked needs chia seeds. I loooooooove baked oatmeal and for my running mornings this is so much easier than actually cooking oatmeal. I’m going to make up a batch of these and send them to my brother and his kids……we are a family that loves ANYTHING with pumpkin & peanut butter and don’t even get me started on the combination.
They held together quite nicely ……
YAY!!!!! I’m so happy to hear this Tracy! Pumpkin and peanut butter is one of my favorite combinations too, and the chia seeds are a great addition. Thanks for leaving this lovely review.
Hi, Tracy! When adding a scoop of protein powder did it change the texture at all? Does the liquid need to be upped at all to balance that? Also scoop as in the scoop that comes with the bag of protein powder? Thanks for your help! I try to add extra protein where I can. Usually in my shakes, so this would be a nice change!
Hi Kelly…I used whey which isn’t a starchy powder so it doesn’t absorb much liquid buto I did add 2 egg whites just for good measure….according to my fitness pal ad I entered the ingredients it came out to 18 grams of protein per bar….but I cut mine into 6 bats as I use them on mornings I do long runs and need the calories…they are only about 370 calories how I made them…
Oh i have also made them without the peanut butter as I feel I may have a sensitivity to it and they were great that way too ….
Is it possible to substitute another flour? I usually buy white whole wheat flour.
Hi Annie! You could try swapping wheat flour for the oat flour, but I’ve only tested the recipe with oat flour so far. Fortunately, if you have oats on hand, you can easily make oat flour! Please see recipe notes for directions.
I saw that, but I don’t have a food processor. Would a blender work to make oat flour? Thanks! :)
Hi Annie! You will probably need to stop and stir more often or work in small batches, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work!
Yay! Thank you so much for being so helpful. I can’t wait to make these! I make recipes from your blog all the time and they’ve always been incredible, so I’m sure these will be too!
Annie, this totally makes my day! Thank you, and I hope you love the bars<3
Loved this recipe! I did tweak it according to what I had available…almond cashew milk, raisins and pecans. I also cut the maple syrup in half. Shredded coconut on top…just because. Great way to start the day. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you!!
Linda, thank you so much for giving the recipe a try and reporting back! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Hi Erin, is there a difference between using a glass pan or regular pan for this recipe? I used an 8×8 glass pan and had to cook for 40 mins before the knife came out mostly clean. I followed your exact recipe. I’m worried I over cooked and wondering if I should have used a regular pan vs. glass? The bars are still cooling and smell delicious so hopefully I didn’t mess them up too much!!! :)
Hi Tracy, I’m not sure, as I’ve never used a glass pan for this recipe. I hope you enjoy the bars! :)
Hi again! I forgot to mention that glass *does* affect baking times and temperatures—next time, I’d suggest decreasing the oven temp by 25 degrees or using a metal pan. Metal might help with getting more consistent results!
My result is like ‘cake’ I used an 8×8 glass pan. Didn’t sub any ingredients….So excited for my first ‘bar’ recipe ever! but it ended up like a ‘cake’ Not sure what happened Erin? The ingredients are amazing and guilt free…but eating a cake is not what I was hoping for );
I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with the recipe. The amounts, flavorings and timing have worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would have been a hit for you too! I know it can be so disappointing to try a new recipe and it does not turn out for you.
Hello Erin! I baked the bars last night. As I was getting ready to put my baby to sleep, we were tasting the bars as it finished cooling down. She wanted to keep on eating the bars, but we had to stop so we can go to bed. They are moist and yummy. My son also took some with him for his school snack versus a store bought snack. I am happy about that. Thank you again for a recipe keeper.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Doll! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
These turned out yummy. I used dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds as my add-ins. I love all things cooked with pumpkin and was not disappointed. I had to cook it longer than called for like one of the other commenters said (mine was a metal pan with parchment paper). I was expecting more of a bar (harder) and it is more of a soft muffin-type texture, which is fine. I will likely add a little more salt next time.
Hi Rae! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I am a type 2 diabetic- I have a sweet tooth and would like to try your healthy pumpkin bars. How can I reduce the carbs and sugar from your recipe ? Thanks,Joann
Hi Joann! I’ve only tested the recipe as written so I’m not sure how to do that. You could probably play around with using less maple syrup using whatever substitute you normally use in baked goods. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Love the ingredients in this recipe but would like to use almond butter & almond flour. Do you think that would work or would adjustments need to be made! Love your recipes.
Hi Annette! You can use any kind of nut butter that you’d like in this recipe. I have not tested it with almond flour so it would be hard to say for sure. I believe they can be interchanged fairly easily. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Do you think I can make these with coconut flour instead of oat flour? I’m dying to try these bars!
Hi Connie, they would not be a 1:1 substitute. Coconut flour is highly absorbent so you’ll have to add some additional liquid. Also a good rule of thumb is : 1/4 to 1/3 cup of coconut flour for 1 cup of oat flour. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!