Vegan Pumpkin Bars

These Vegan Pumpkin Bars are soft, spiced, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious — basically, autumn in dessert form. I baked about 100 dozen of these for the holidays last year (yes, really 😅), and they were hands-down everyone’s favorite.

They’re rich and velvety like pumpkin pie, but much easier to make — no crust, no stress. Just mix, bake, and enjoy that golden pumpkin goodness.

Oh, and here’s the best part: they freeze beautifully! Just thaw for 10 minutes before serving, and they taste freshly baked again.

🍁 Ingredients

For the crust:

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (or oat flour)
¼ cup melted coconut oil or vegan butter
2 tbsp maple syrup

For the pumpkin layer:

1 ½ cups pumpkin purée
½ cup coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk
⅓ cup maple syrup or brown sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper.
Make the crust: mix crumbs, coconut oil, and maple syrup. Press firmly into the pan. Bake for 8–10 minutes.
Prepare the filling: whisk together pumpkin purée, coconut cream, maple syrup, cornstarch, vanilla, and spices until smooth.
Pour and bake: spread the filling over the crust and bake for 35–40 minutes, until the center is set but slightly jiggly.
Cool completely, then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before slicing.
Dust with powdered sugar before serving (optional but beautiful!).