These Healthy Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are moist, fluffy and full of pumpkin spice flavor! Made with whole wheat flour, naturally sweetened with maple syrup and topped with a delicious maple cream cheese frosting.
These Healthy Pumpkin Bars are soft, moist and packed with warm pumpkin spice flavor! Made with whole wheat pastry flour, almond flour and naturally sweetened with maple syrup, these easy pumpkin bars have all the flavor and texture of pumpkin cake without any butter, oil or refined sugar. Top them with the creamy maple cream cheese frosting for the perfect fall dessert! If you love baking with pumpkin this time of year, make sure to try my healthy pumpkin bread or these whole wheat pumpkin muffins next!
Why You’ll Love These
- Soft and moist – these healthy pumpkin bars have a light, cake-like texture and tons of pumpkin flavor.
- Made healthier – made with whole wheat pastry flour, almond flour and no butter, oil or refined sugar.
- Naturally sweetened – maple syrup adds the perfect amount of sweetness and pairs beautifully with the warm pumpkin spices.
- Easy fall dessert – simple to make in one pan and perfect for fall gatherings, Halloween or Thanksgiving.
- Maple cream cheese frosting – creamy, tangy and naturally sweetened with maple syrup for the perfect finishing touch.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- whole wheat flour – I used whole wheat pastry flour as it has all the nutritional benefits of whole grain flour while making these pumpkin bars light and fluffy. I highly recommend using this, but if you don’t have any on hand you could use regular whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour or gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flour.
- almond flour – almond flour is a nutrient dense flour that adds additional fat (the good kind!) to these bars making them even more moist without the use of butter or oil.
- baking powder + baking soda – acts as a leavening agent to help these bars rise.
- pumpkin – I used canned pumpkin purée for this, just make sure you use 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling as that is loaded with tons of sugar.
- eggs – helps to bind all the ingredients together.
- milk – adds additional moisture to these bars and regular milk or dairy-free milk will work in this recipe.
- maple syrup – lightly sweetens these bars without using any refined sugar, you could also use honey or other natural sweetener.
- warm spices – combination of pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon and salt.
- cream cheese frosting – made with a combination of cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla extract and a little milk to thin out the frosting.
What Makes these Pumpkin Bars Healthy?
Traditional pumpkin bars are often made with refined flour, oil or butter and plenty of added sugar. These healthy pumpkin bars are made with whole wheat pastry flour and almond flour for added fiber and nutrients, while pumpkin puree keeps them naturally moist without the need for butter or oil. They’re also naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup instead of refined sugar. You still get a soft, cake-like pumpkin bar with all those cozy fall flavors, just made with simple, wholesome ingredients.
How to Make Pumpkin Bars
- Mix ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, maple syrup and pumpkin puree and stir until well-combined. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Bake the bars. Pour the pumpkin batter into a prepared 9×9-inch baking pan and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the pumpkin bars sit for 5 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make cream cheese frosting. While the bars are cooling, add cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use an electric mixer) and whip on high until smooth. Add the milk a teaspoon at a time until you have your desired creaminess. Evenly spread cream cheese frosting over the bars once they have cooled completely, top with a little extra pumpkin pie spice and cut into 16 pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can substitute all-purpose flour for the whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe. Whole wheat pastry flour adds more whole grains while still keeping the bars soft and fluffy, but all-purpose flour will give you a similarly light, cake-like texture.
Absolutely. These pumpkin bars are moist and lightly sweet on their own, so you can leave off the cream cheese frosting if you prefer. You could also simply dust the tops with a little cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice before serving.
Yes, you can substitute the whole wheat pastry flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour. Make sure the blend is designed as a direct replacement for regular flour for the best texture.
Yes. Because the frosting contains cream cheese, I recommend storing frosted pumpkin bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to one week.
Yes! These pumpkin bars freeze well for up to 3 months. You can freeze them individually so it’s easy to thaw one at a time. Let frozen bars thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before enjoying.
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More Pumpkin Recipes
- Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Donuts
- The Best Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread
- Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake
- Healthy Pumpkin Spice Smoothie
Hope you all enjoy these Healthy Pumpkin Bars and if you love this as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
Healthy Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, lightly whisked
- 1/4 cup milk of choice
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups 100% pumpkin puree
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 8 oz package 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 teaspoons milk of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, maple syrup and pumpkin puree and stir until well-combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Pour pumpkin mixture into a prepared 9×9-inch baking dish and bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the pumpkin bars sit for 5 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the bars are cooling, add cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla extract to the bowl of your stand mixer (or you can use a hand mixer) and whip on high until smooth. Add the milk a teaspoon at a time until you have your desired creaminess.
- Evenly spread cream cheese frosting over the bars once they have cooled completely, top with a little extra pumpkin pie spice and cut into 16 pieces. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I would make these again. I doubled the recipe and there was a slightly metallic taste from the leavening. I’m wondering because of the low acid in this recipe whether there should be that much, or if I should use buttermilk. I added dried cranberries. I want to make it again but am unsure what to do.
This recipe is a hit in my house. It has the perfect moist texture, all in a delicious pumpkin-flavored square. I would recommend making this as an easy, yummy dessert. You’ll have to be careful not to keep nibbling at it, though!😉
One downside that I’ve found with this recipe is that the frosting is very sweet. For me, it didn’t bother me at the first bite, but after 7 seconds, my taste buds started to find it uncomfortably sweet. This may not bother a lot of people, but I am giving out a heads-up to everybody.
These are delicious! Very moist. Will be serving these for our Thanksgiving Meal tomorrow.
Wasn’t my favorite. The ingredients were ideal for a healthier option but it was lacking pumpkin flavor and frosting tasted a bit too much of cream cheese for our liking