These easy gluten-free pumpkin bars have a moist, sturdy cake-meets-bar texture with warm pumpkin spice and cream cheese frosting. The batter is naturally egg-free-no egg replacer needed-and bakes in a 9×13-inch pan in about 30 minutes.
They're soft enough to feel like cake but sturdy enough to eat by hand, making them an easy fall dessert for parties, Thanksgiving, or sharing with a crowd.
Recipe Overview: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 🕓 Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Bake Time: 25-30 minutes
- Total Time: About 35 minutes
- 👥 Yield: 24 bars
- Pan: 9×13-inch metal baking pan
- Texture: Moist and soft, but sturdy enough to eat by hand
- ✅ Diet: Gluten-free and egg-free
⚠️ Most Important Tip: Mix the wet and dry ingredients only until no dry flour remains. The recipe is forgiving, but my tests produced slightly lighter, fluffier bars when I stopped mixing as soon as the batter was combined.
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FEATURED REVIEW ★★★★★
So delicious! I like that they are sturdy enough to hold in your hand. My whole family loved them!
- Jenna
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Why This Recipe Works
- Egg-free by design. There are no eggs or egg replacers in the batter, making these an unusually simple option when you need gluten-free and egg-free pumpkin bars.
- Moist but sturdy. These have the softness of pumpkin cake but enough structure to cut into bars and eat by hand.
- One full can of pumpkin keeps things simple. The recipe uses the entire 15-ounce can, so there's no leftover pumpkin puree to store.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
This gluten-free pumpkin bars recipe uses common baking ingredients plus a thick can of pumpkin puree and Pumpkin Pie Spice.
All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
I tested this recipe with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, which already contains xanthan gum. If you use another cup-for-cup blend, choose one that contains xanthan gum or guar gum; results can vary between gluten-free flour blends.
However, if you are using a different blend, I recommend measuring GF flour by weight (grams) instead of by volume (cups). There is no standard grind size for gluten-free flours, so 1 cup of one brand can weigh notably different than another.
Pumpkin Puree
I use Libby's canned pumpkin puree because it's thick and consistent. Be sure to use 100% pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling, which already contains added sugar and spices.
If you enjoy pumpkin baking, you also may like my Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread, Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Muffins, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, and Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese frosting is my favorite topping for these pumpkin bars because its tangy flavor balances the sweet, warmly spiced cake. Regular cream cheese frosting works well, or use my Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting for a dairy-free option.
My Maple Buttercream Frosting is also a great alternative if you want a stiffer frosting and extra maple flavor.
More Ingredient Notes
- gluten-free baking powder - I use a gluten-free baking powder; Clabber Girl and Rumford are both labeled gluten-free in the U.S.
- pumpkin pie spice + cinnamon - I use both pumpkin pie spice and extra cinnamon for a warmer, more pronounced spice flavor. This spice combination was inspired by Sally's Baking Addiction pumpkin bars.
- vegetable oil - I use vegetable oil for its neutral flavor and the soft, moist texture it gives the bars.
See the recipe card for full quantities.
How To Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, add the gluten-free flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Whisk together well.
- Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until no dry flour remains. The batter will be thick.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the lined pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or wooden spoon. Bake on the middle oven rack for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.
- Cool + Frost: Allow to cool completely in the pan. Then use the parchment paper to remove the bars. Frost with cream cheese frosting and cut into bars. Enjoy!
How to Store Pumpkin Bars
Store frosted pumpkin bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For longer storage, freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
To freeze individual portions, arrange the cut bars on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag.
More Gluten-Free Fall Desserts
When you make this recipe, please leave a rating and review below. I always appreciate the feedback! ❤️
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour with xanthan gum (275 grams), I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1
- 1 ½ teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil (240 ml)
- ½ cup milk or dairy-free milk substitute
- 1 cup light brown sugar (200 grams)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (65 grams)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 batch cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, add the gluten-free flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Whisk together well.2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons gluten-free baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until no dry flour remains. The batter will be thick.1 cup vegetable oil, ½ cup milk, 1 cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Bake: Pour the batter into the lined pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or wooden spoon. Bake on the middle oven rack for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.
- Cool + Frost: Allow to cool completely in the pan. Then use the parchment paper to remove the bars. Frost with cream cheese frosting and cut into bars. Enjoy!1 batch cream cheese frosting
Jenna says
So delicious! I like that they are sturdy enough to hold in your hand. My whole family loved them!