Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Name: Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar; 1/4 cup granulated white sugar; 3 eggs; 2 egg yolks; 1 cup pumpkin puree; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice; 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour; 12 oz cream cheese; 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are a rich and deliciously sweet fall dessert or snack. This Pumpkin Bar recipe comes together in one bowl for easy clean up, too!

A close up of a slice of easy pumpkin bars on a spatula being lifted out of a dish

Table of Contents

The chilly autumn weather is a great time to bake every pumpkin and apple dessert that you can get your hands on!

This frosted bar dessert is the perfect little treat to serve with a warm drink like coffee, apple cider or pumpkin spice latte.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

It's an easy dessert recipe to make for parties and potlucks.
An unforgettable fall aroma. As the pumpkin bars bake in the oven, it will make your house smell like pumpkin pie spice!
The cream cheese frosting adds a rich, upscaled flavor.
They are freezable. Get a jump on your holiday baking by making these a few weeks before Halloween or Thanksgiving.

a gold fork taking a bite out of easy pumpkin bars on a speckled plate

Ingredients

There is a list of ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️

To make this easy pumpkin bar recipe, you'll need:

vegetable oil
light brown sugar
granulated white sugar
baking powder
pumpkin pie spice
3 large eggs and 2 egg yolks - You'll need a total of 5 eggs to make the bars, but you'll only be using 3 whole eggs.

You can throw out the extra egg whites, or use them to make meringue cookies! (The recipe is in this post of 80+ Favorite Christmas Cookies Ideas)
pumpkin puree - Be sure to use 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
all-purpose flour

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

full fat cream cheese - To create a rich, full-flavored frosting, avoid using light and non-fat varieties.
powdered sugar

Labeled ingredients in bowls and measuring cups for a pumpkin bar recipe.

Substitutions and Recipe Variations

Vegetable Oil: You can use any type of cooking oil in this recipe. Canola oil, olive oil, melted coconut oil, and avocado oil will all work. I haven't tested the recipe using melted butter or ghee, but they might also work!
Eggs - Egg yolks are an important ingredient in this pumpkin bars recipe, so it isn't a great idea to substitute them. If you want to do some recipe testing, feel free! For tips and suggestions, read my article on Egg Substitutions for Baking.
White Sugar: To cut down on the calories of your pumpkin dessert, feel free to use a cup-for-cup granulated sugar substitute. Monkfruit sugar is a good option.
Light Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar will work, but it will add a more pronounced molasses flavor.
All-Purpose Flour: If you'd like to make gluten free pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, substitute with a cup-for-cup gluten free all purpose flour. Popular brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.

a close up of pumpkin spice bars on a white dish on a grey background

📖Tasty Time-Saving Tip

You don't need to run to the grocery store to buy brown sugar. Just make your own!

To make light brown sugar from white sugar, stir 1 tablespoon of molasses into 1 cup of white sugar.
To make dark brown sugar, use 3 tablespoons of molasses instead of one.

How to Make Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️

a close up of ingredients for pumpkin bars being mixed together.

Combine wet ingredients.

pumpkin bar wet ingredients mixed together in a white bowl

Incorporate the dry ingredients.

a close up of easy pumpkin bar batter in a glass jar on a grey background

Pour the batter into a greased and floured baking dish.

a close up of pumpkin bars fresh out of the oven

Bake in preheated 350°F. oven. It takes about 30 minutes for the bars to finish baking.

Cream cheese frosting in a white mixing bowl.

Make the cream cheese frosting for pumpkin bars. The best time to do this is while the dessert bars are cooling.

Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting in a 9x12-inch baking dish.

Frost, slice, and serve!

Liz's Tips for the Best Pumpkin Bars

Be sure to use real pumpkin puree and full fat cream cheese.
Avoid overmixing the batter. Use a light hand when you stir in the flour. Otherwise, instead of a moist and light consistency, you'll end up with bars that are dry and dense.

a fork taking a bite out of Easy Pumpkin Bars Recipe

Storage

Storing pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting - You can store unfrosted pumpkin bars for up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature. If you added frosting to the bars, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Freezing pumpkin bars - You can freeze unfrosted bars for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Make sure to tightly wrap in them in plastic wrap. Thaw completely before spreading the cream cheese frosting onto the dessert.

Once you are ready to eat them, you can pop them quickly in the toaster or the oven and have pumpkin bars that taste just as if they were freshly baked.

Pumpkin Bar Recipe FAQ

How long can pumpkin bars sit out?

Because cream cheese is a dairy product, pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting shouldn't sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

What's the difference between pumpkin bars and pumpkin cake?

This recipe for pumpkin bars creates a dessert with a consistency that's similar to fudgy brownies. In comparison, a cake is usually airy, moist, and not as dense.

How many calories in a pumpkin bar?

There is about 480 calories in one of these pumpkin bars.

Do you love pumpkin desserts? If you want a fudgy and decadent sweet treat, try these Pumpkin Brownies! For a lighter dessert, make my recipe for Crustless Pumpkin Pie!

More Fall Desserts You'll Love