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This Pumpkin Bars recipe is the ultimate Fall dessert! A simple and tender pumpkin spice cake, topped with warm brown butter icing poured over the top of the warm cake once it comes out of the oven! It’s addicting and will become your new obsession. Whether you’re baking for a family gathering, a bake sale, or just because it’s pumpkin season, these bars will quickly become your go-to fall recipe.
Why You’ll Fall in Love with These Pumpkin Bars
Baking is what Fall is all about! If you are a pumpkin lover, you’re going to love this recipe because it’s foolproof, quick, and delivers the best pumpkin flavor in every bite. Unlike other pumpkin bar recipes that can be a little dense or overly sweet, this one strikes the perfect balance with its light, fluffy cake and slightly tangy icing. Plus, you can customize the icing with chopped nuts or leave it plain—either way, it’s a huge hit. Trust me, this is the kind of dessert that gets rave reviews and leaves everyone asking for the recipe.
If you want to try more pumpkin recipes, check out my Pumpkin Recipes archive!
Ingredients Needed for Pumpkin Bars
These classic pumpkin bars come together quickly with these ingredients below:
- Canola Oil: Keeps the bars moist without overpowering the pumpkin flavor.
- Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar: A mix for the perfect balance of sweetness and moisture.
- Large Eggs: Adds structure and richness to the cake.
- Pumpkin Puree: The star of the show! Be sure to use canned pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Plain Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream: Adds a tangy richness and keeps the bars moist.
- Baking Soda: Helps the bars rise properly.
- Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg: Warm spices that scream fall.
- Salt: Enhances all the flavors.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a touch of sweetness and depth.
- All-Purpose Flour: The base that holds everything together.
For the Icing–
- Salted Butter: Browning it adds a nutty flavor to the icing.
- Milk: Thins the icing to the perfect consistency.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the icing.
- Vanilla Extract: Complements the spices in the bars.
- Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg: Continues the warm spice theme.
- Chopped Walnuts (optional): Adds a nice crunch if you’re into that.
Variations
- Use a different oil: Substitute the canola oil with any neutral oil (like vegetable or avocado oil). Even coconut oil would be a good swap.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Fold some into the batter for an extra treat.
- Gluten-Free Option: Use almond flour or a gluten-free flour blend instead of all-purpose flour.
- Dairy-Free: Use coconut yogurt and dairy-free milk for the icing.
How to Make Pumpkin Bars
This is hands down the best pumpkin bar recipe I have found. For full recipe details including ingredient measurements, see the recipe card down below. Here is what you can expect when making these.
1. Preheat Oven + Prep Pan
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a lightly colored half sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Make the Batter
In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin, yogurt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract until mostly smooth. A few small lumps of brown sugar are fine.
3. Add Flour, Mix + Pour into Prepared Pan
Pour in flour and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top as best as you can. Bake in your preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean after being inserted.
4. Make the Browned Butter Icing
After cake has come out of the oven, make the glaze/icing: melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. As it continues to cook, it should start to foam, smell nutty and you should see little brown specks appear. Remove from heat.
Whisk in milk, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and nuts if using.
5. Pour Icing Over Warm Cake
Pour hot icing over the top of the bars and spread to smooth the top.
Let cake come to room temperature or cool at least 30 minutes on a wire rack before cutting and serving. I mean, you can totally eat this hot, but I prefer it lukewarm or at room temp.
Storage + Make Ahead Directions
Store cooled bars in an airtight container at room temperature. These will stay fresh for 5-6 days…if they aren’t gone by then, ha!
To Freeze– Good news! These freeze extremely well if you want to make them ahead or save some for later. Be sure to place parchment paper in between layers. Use a freezer-safe, airtight container or bag. These will stay fresh for 2 months in the freezer. Allow to thaw overnight.
To Make Ahead– These bars actually taste better the next day as the flavors have time to meld. Just store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Pumpkin Bars FAQ
I’ve received a few repeat questions on this pumpkin bar recipe, so I thought I would answer them here.
You can. I prefer to use canned pumpkin when baking. Fresh pumpkin puree tends to have more moisture in it, but you can always soak up some of the liquid with a tea towel before adding to the batter mixture.
You absolutely can double this recipe! Simply use a 9×13 glass baking sheet and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes to Try!
- Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler – highly rated recipe!
- Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Caramel Frosting
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake – total show stopper!
- Big Batch Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
These homemade Pumpkin Bars are an easy way to get that perfect pumpkin flavor with minimal effort. Whether you’re new to baking or a seasoned pro, this recipe is a must-try during pumpkin season. The printable recipe card is below. Be sure to save, print, bookmark, or share this recipe. Have a great week friends!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Homemade Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup canola oil or any neutral oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
for the icing-
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1/4 cup milk
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a lightly colored half sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin, yogurt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract until mostly smooth. A few small lumps of brown sugar are fine.
- Pour in flour and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared baking sheet and smooth the top as best as you can. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean after being inserted.
make the icing-
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. As it continues to cook, it should start to foam, smell nutty and you should see little brown specks appear. Remove from heat.
- Whisk in milk, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and nuts if using. Pour hot icing over warm cake and spread to smooth the top.
- Let cake come to room temperature or cool at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
What size can of pumpkin should I use?
Tess, you can buy a 15 oz can but you only need 1 cup of it for this recipe. Ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
DELISH!!!! Make these! They are super easy and fluffy and delicious. My favorite trio.
Hi Lauren, where did your scrummy pumpkin bars with the brown butter frosting go? I miss them! They were so good! 😋
Thanks for sharing.
Going to make for church.
Will double for 9 x 13 pan.
Hi Lauren!
What happened to the pumpkin bar recipe you had with The browned butter icing?!
Can you freeze this after it cools?
Seriously the best pumpkin dessert I have ever made! Thank you!
THESE ARE AMAZING and I’m not even that into pumpkin stuff but was in the mood for something “fall-ish”. I’m way more of a chocolate girl, but I inhaled like five of these things when I first ate them. I followed the recipe and they were perfect! This is the easiest recipe too. Took like 10 minutes max to mix everything. They are dense and moist, and that glaze is delicious. I was little unsure when I added the flour to the batter. The batter never really got smooth and I was worried about over mixing. But that didn’t seem to matter at all! I cooked them for 16 minutes, as soon as the toothpick came out clean. I brought the leftovers to work so that I didn’t eat 20 entire pumpkin bars and they were a huge hit! Really great recipe!!
Oh my lord I just made these and they are perfection. The browned butter icing tastes wonderful and is a nice change from cream cheese frosting.
Can this be made in a 9×13? If so, can you tell me how to modify the recipe?
I would halve the recipe to make these pumpkin bars fit into a 9×13.
Recipe says 8×8 pan. Your reply to this gal asking if it can be made in a 9×13 pan – U said Yes just halve the recipe…Dont you mean double the recipe ??
These were so delicious!! That Brown butter icing really makes them stand apart from other pumpkin bar recipies. I got so many compliments when I brought them to work. Thank you for sharing!
Leah
Recipe was super easy to use. Absolutely delightful! The pumpkin bars were moist and just right. Will definitely make them again!
This is really great cake! I made it for my daughter’s teacher’s birthday and took enough for the whole class to eat. After school, I had a parent come up and say that her daughter, who won’t eat pumpkin things, loved the cake! I dropped the oil to 3/4 c. and upped the pumpkin to 1 1/4 c. for a little more pumpkin flavor, but otherwise, I followed the directions. Oh – I used parchment paper, and I needed more milk to make the glaze pour. It is on the sweet side with the icing, so be aware. I’m making it again right now, on my kids’ snow day, and I can’t wait. Thanks for this great recipe!
[…] Pumpkin Bars […]
These are amazing! I made them last night and brought them to work. Big hit!!!
This is my new favorite recipe!! The cake was so easy to make and had such a great texture. So light and tender. And the icing was just so delicious! The brown butter made such a difference! There were rave reviews all around and requests for seconds! The perfect cake for Fall!
Lauren, I made these for Canadian Thanksgiving and they are soooo good. Everyone loved it. The icing is to die for! They were so easy to make too. Thanks for creating these bars.
These are amazing and so easy. The best part is that I already had a majority of the ingredients in my pantry. I made these for a large pot luck gathering and they were snatched up almost immediately. The nice thing is that I was able to make them the night before and cover them up since the glaze hardens a bit. They were perfection. I can’t wait to make them again, and again, and again! Thank you Lauren!!!
Lauren, I love so many of your recipes, but this one is my FAV!!! I made these for a charity bake sale and totally regretted giving away the majority of the pan. Going to make them again soon. Oh and for the record, that frsoting/icing/glaze (whatever you want to call it) is THE BEST 🙂
Gah. These are TO DIE FOR. That frosting… oh my. I may or may not have had a spoonful before I put it on the bars. I need to send these to work with my husband tomorrow or I’ll eat the whole pan!
Looks delicious 😋, can’t wait to try.
Hi.
Is there a alternative to the amount of sugar for diabetes
Yum! Thinking that this will be perfect to take for dessert to a bbq with friends this weekend. I am praying that it turns out as beautifully as yours! Do you think that I could make this a day ahead and keep it covered on the sheet pan?
Love this!! That brown butter icing looks great.
Thank you for a delicious looking way to put on more weight!! I didn’t know what a half pan was either. Thank you for clarifying that. Just a regular sheet pan around here. I’m in So.Cal. and I have a killer recipie for pumpkin bread that was sold by an order of Nuns in Hollywood. This was their main source of money for the year…so you know it’s good! Kary Perry is now trying to buy that convent. Anyhow, the recipie was published years ago in the LA Times. I’ll share if you ever want.
If you use pumpkin pie filling, I assume I just reduce the spices and sugar? Have you tried that?
You are amazing and this looks Ah-MAAAAAAAA-zing! Thank you for the beautiful tutorial as well!
What size pumpkin? What is the dimensions of the cookie sheet. Not familiar with half sheet
Can’t wait to try this
It’s 1 cup of pumpkin puree. Half sheet pan is 18x13x1.
You say to use a can of pumpkin. You didn’t mention if this is the large or small can but I am assuming you meant to say small can. Look forward to making this.
Recipe says 1 CUP, not can 🙂
I read the same thing! Thank you for the clarification! 😊
Could I use gluten free flour , just diagnosed as celiac, which, I am not gonna lie, sucks
Yes, try Pamela’s gluten free flour! It’s the best one I’ve found.