These gluten-free pumpkin bars feature a soft, spiced pumpkin sheet cake topped with a fluffy cream cheese frosting. They make the perfect gluten-free fall dessert!
From the type of gluten-free flour to use to dairy-free substitutes, this post has all the tips and tricks you’ll need to make gluten-free pumpkin bars. They turn out soft, but sturdy and are loaded with pumpkin spice flavor.
These gluten-free pumpkin bars are everything I love about fall. They’re soft, spiced and topped with a pillowy layer of cream cheese frosting. This is an easy recipe that’s full of fall flavor – you’ll want to make it all season!
They’re one of my favorite gluten-free Thanksgiving recipes because they’re great for a crowd. One sheet pan can be sliced and served up for any holiday gathering. Be warned they disappear fast! 😉
VIDEO: How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients You’ll Need
These pumpkin bars are made with easy-to-find pantry staples. Here are a few more notes on the key ingredients. If you have any additional questions feel free to leave me a comment below!
- Gluten-free Flour: I like to use a high quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend like King Arthur Flour in my baked goods. Look for a blend that contains xanthan gum for best results. These pumpkin bars will not turn out with almond flour or coconut flour as a substitute.
- Canned Pumpkin: You’ll use the whole 15oz can of pumpkin for this recipe! Be sure to select 100% pumpkin puree rather than canned pumpkin pie filling. It’s the key ingredients in my gluten-free pumpkin recipes!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: For that classic pumpkin flavor! You can swap in 2 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice for the individual spices if you have it on hand.
- Oil: Use any kind of oil you like! I usually use vegetable oil or coconut oil.
- Sugar: White cane sugar and brown sugar help with the consistency of the batter and the structure of the final cake. Unfortunately maple syrup or coconut sugar won’t work in this recipe.
Make the Cake
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.
Tip: Set out your butter/cream cheese when you start making the cake so they can be at room temperature when it’s time to make the frosting.
- In a seperate bowl or measuring cup combine the pumpkin, milk and vanilla extract, then whisk together until smooth.
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs, white sugar and brown sugar. Mix on medium high for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy and pale in color.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly drizzle in the oil. Mix until combined.
- With the mixer running on low, add 1/2 of the the dry ingredient mixture. Mix until combined then add 1/2 of the pumpkin mixture.
- Repeat with the rest of the dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed together.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread out into an even layer using an offset spatula. Bake at 375F for about 25-30 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back when pressed lightly. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
What Pan to Use for Pumpkin Bars
It’s best to use a 10x15x1 inch jelly roll pan for pumpkin bars. If you don’t have a jelly roll pan, you can also use a 9×13 pan. The bars will need to bake for an additional 5 minutes and will be slightly thicker.
Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bars
Dairy-free option? These pumpkin bars can be made dairy-free with a few substitutions. I also love making my crustless pumpkin pie cupcakes for another gluten-free, dairy-free option!
- Almond Milk – in place of milk
- Earth Balance Buttery Sticks – or vegan butter of choice in place of butter
- Kite Hill Almond Cream Cheese – in place of cream cheese
Storage
It’s best to chill these bars for 30 minutes before slicing. These gluten-free pumpkin squares should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can take them out a few minutes before serving, but I prefer to eat them slightly cold!
More Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1½ cups (225g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
OTHER
- one 15-ounce can (425g) canned pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk of choice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (106g) brown sugar
- ⅔ cup (160ml) neutral oil
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup (113g) butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, combine the pumpkin, milk and vanilla extract, then whisk together until smooth.
- Add the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand or hand mixer. Mix on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy and pale in color. With the mixer running on low, slowly drizzle in the oil. Mix until combined.
- With the mixer running on low, add ½ of the dry ingredients. Mix until combined, then add ½ of the pumpkin mixture. Repeat with the rest of the dry ingredients and pumpkin mixture, mixing well after each addition. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well-combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
- FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and whip for 2 minutes.
- Frost the pumpkin bars. Chill for 1 hour before slicing. Store leftover pumpkin bars in the refrigerator.
I made these for a work party today and everyone was raving about how amazing they were! They’ve already requested them for the next pot luck! Nobody could believe they were gluten free and I loved having a treat I could actually eat! Thank you for another amazing recipe!!
Yay! We love to hear that the pumpkin bars were such a hit at the potluck. Thank you for sharing the good news with us, Kristi! We hope your next bake is just as enjoyable!
Can I use avocado oil or will it taste different?
Hi Julie! Yes you can use avocado oil. It shouldn’t leave a noticeable flavor. We hope you love the recipe!
I’ve stopped using recipes that don’t have a metric option. Looks good, but there are others. Metric is so much easier and less to clean up. Worth considering.
Hi Kathleen! Thank you for your feedback. We’re slowly adding metric measurements to any recipes lacking them as we make updates and improvements to the site. This recipe features the metric measurements in Let’s Bake Gluten-Free Volume 1 so we were able to quickly update the recipe card today so the online post matches our most updated recipe. We hope you enjoy the pumpkin bars!
I made these for a work party today and everyone was raving about how amazing they were! Nobody could believe they were gluten free and I loved having a treat I could actually eat! Thank you for another amazing recipe!!
Aww, we’re thrilled the pumpkin bars were such a hit at the work party! Thank you for sharing such encouraging feedback with us, Kristi. We hope your next bake is just as enjoyable!