Pumpkin pie bars with almond cookie crust [vegan & paleo]
These pumpkin pie bars with almond cookie crust make a healthy Fall treat loaded with pumpkin flavour! They’re naturally vegan, paleo and gluten-free!
Pumpkin pie! Pumpkin pieeee!
I thought I was done with pumpkin recipes for the season, but nope! As soon as I saw that can of pumpkin puree at the grocery store I knew I had to get my hands on at least a couple more pumpkin recipes. Besides, with American Thanksgiving coming up what would November be without some sort of pumpkin pie related recipe?
So I was thinking of making a vegan pumpkin pie, or mini pumpkin pies, but I settled on making some pumpkin pie bars instead.
Why? Because these pumpkin pie bars with almond cookie crust are so much faster and easy to make. Plus they make the perfect little bite-size treats to serve up for Thanksgiving dinner.
They’re also great for anyone following a specific type of diet. Vegan, gluten-free, paleo, grain-free, refined-sugar free…these bars cover it all!
These pumpkin pie bars start with an almond cookie crust. Which tastes like a delicious almond cookie. So we’re already off to a delicious start here! Then they get topped off with a creamy pumpkin pie filling make extra creamy with coconut milk. SO GOOD.
A few notes on the recipe:
The recipe calls for almond flour, not almond meal, so make sure to check for the difference between the two. Almond flour will be much more finely ground. I love to use some almond extract in the cookie crust for that amazing flavour, but you can also use vanilla extract instead if that’s what you have on hand.
For the filling, you can use canned pumpkin puree if you want to be quick, or you can make your own. I like to use this recipe when making my own pumpkin puree.
You can substitute any type of plant-based milk for the coconut milk in this recipe, however
I like to top these bars off with some coconut whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. They would be delicious topped off with some pecans too!
These pumpkin pie bars with almond cookie crust are best enjoyed within 1-2 days of being prepared. Store them in an air-tight container in the fridge.
These pumpkin pie bars with almond cookie crust are:
- Vegan
- Paleo & grain-free
- Gluten-free
- Loaded with pumpkiny goodness!
Pumpkin pie bars with almond cookie crust
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Desser
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These pumpkin pie bars are paleo, vegan, gluten-free and totally delicious!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla extract)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Pumpkin pie filling:
- 2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (homemade or canned)
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (can sub organic cane sugar)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper
- Add all the crust ingredients to a food processor and pulse until combined. The dough should be sticky when you press with your fingers. (If it’s not, add a bit more coconut oil)
- Press the crust into the bottom of your pan and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Add all the pumpkin pie filling ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste the mixture and adjust if you prefer it a bit sweeter.
- Pour the filling into the pan and spread evenly.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Remove and let cool, then transfer to the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
Making homemade pumpkin puree will make these bars even better!
Optionally top with coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 429
- Sugar: 16g
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 2g
This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase through those links. I only recommend products that I know, trust and love!
Cab I use vegan butter instead of coconut oil?
Yes!
First, and most importantly, these bars are delicious! Needed a Thanksgiving pumpkin dessert that was both gluten- and dairy-free, and this was perfect! Everyone could eat it, and everyone really enjoyed it.
Notes for the recipe: My crust dough was really, really wet – there was no “pressing” it into the pan. Next time I will add a bit more almost flour. I had to bake it a bit longer, probably because it was so wet. I also ended up baking the completed recipe longer than what was given in recipe, as it was still very wet-looking after the 35 min. Other than that, I followed the recipe as written, and the taste was phenomenal!
Happy you enjoyed it Robin!
These look so good! Do you think I could sub part of the coconut cream with dairy-free cream cheese?
Hi Melody, i think that would definitely work 🙂
Can I use Monk Fruit Sweetener instead of coconut sugar?
Hi Jules, yup! though you may want to adjust the amount you use, I know monk fruit sweetener can taste pretty sweet!
This is truly an amazing pumpkin pie recipe. It’s exactly what I needed to serve to vegan and gluten-free family with us. It’s really delicious!
Thanks Marjie! Happy you loved the recipe!
hello!!! i’m going to try making these bars for thanksgiving this year and was wondering if i can use a blender instead of a food processor?
Hi Azalea, yes you can!
HI, can you freeze these bars. I made them with fresh pumpkin. They are still in the oven. Can’t wait!!
Hi Loretta, the crust may becoming a bit soggy after defrosting if you freeze these.
What can I replace with the maple syrup?
Hi Laura, you can use honey, agave or rice syrup instead
Ha! Thank you so much for answering the question I no longer need to ask! 😉
OMG!!! I’m in love!!!!!!
Thanks Lynette!
These look amazing . Would love to try them out, is there anything I can Sub for the cornstarch? Maybe arrowroot or tapioca ? ?
Hi Sara, either of those would work perfectly!
Hi, I’d love to make these but have a friend allergic to almonds, could I use another nut to make the flour?
Hi Kylie, you can use oat flour (ground up oats) in the crust instead!
I opened a jar of Coconut oil, for the first time, along with a package of Almond Flour. Even had some maple syrup heating on the stove. I couldn’t wait for these delights to cool, but a bit of heat on my tongue was forgotten, on the first taste. If you’re “social distancing”, treat yourself!
I made these and they’re sooo good! Thank you Jessica I love your recipes!
Thank you June! Happy you enjoyed these bars 🙂
I made these and these are delicious THANK YOU JESSICA
SO happy to hear you enjoyed these June! xo
These make me so happy! They are delicious and easy to make. They do need several hours in the fridge before slicing, though.
Hi Molly, thank you so much for the review, I’m so happy you like them! And yes the only downfall is the refrigeration time needed before eating them, I’d recommend making them the night before you want to enjoy them!
Hi, I am going to make these for Thanksgiving but was wondering how far in advance you think these could be made and still taste good? I am trying to prep as much as possible tomorrow to save myself stress Thursday! And I’ll be sure to let you know how they turn out! Thanks!
Hi Heidi! I’d say if you make them a day in advance they should be ok! If you leave them longer the cookie crust does get a little softer and less crunchy, but as long as you don’t mind that it should be fine!
Hi Jess!! I’m so excited to try this recipe tomorrow for Thanksgiving! I bring a different pumpkin dessert every year so I’m very excited about this. Is it ok to use honey instead of maple syrup? I totally forgot to grab it at the store today and was going to avoid going back out in the craziness but if you prefer that the maple syrup is better then I will go grab it after work tonight.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Hi Devon, you can definitely use honey instead of maple syrup! I would recommend tasting the pumpkin mixture before popping it into the oven just to be sure that it tastes sweet enough, and then you can adjust and add a bit more honey (or even a little bit of sugar) if you prefer!
Is there anything I could substitute for the coconut flour in the crust? These bars look great!
Hi Kirsti, you can simply just use more almond flour instead 🙂
They look super delicious Jess! ?
I love all kind of pumpkin pies and pumpkin cakes.
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️
Thanks so much Bianca! I’m loving pumpkin for Fall too 🙂
Oh Jess I just LOVE these little morsels of pumpkin heaven! So adorable with the piped coconut cream on top and cinnamon sprinkle. Love that you used coconut flour in the crust too, I must try this asap, desperate to find a use for my year old bag of coconut flour. <3
I love using coconut sugar in my pumpkin recipes! Adds a certain depth that you can’t get from traditional brain crashing white sugar.
Yes!! So much better than regular sugar and has such a caramel flavour!