Classic pumpkin bars are super soft and moist and when spread with a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting, they’re positively irresistible.
Pumpkin Bars are a classic fall recipe that everyone needs on their fall baking list.
Pumpkin Bars
The bars really are super easy and basically impossible to mess up, perfect for those times where you need a quick dessert that everyone will love.
That frosting is finger-licking irresistible with its tangy-sweet cream cheese flavor.
The other great thing about this recipe is that it makes enough for any crowd. I typically slice the pan into 36 small bars.
Pumpkin Desserts
Want a few more pumpkin desserts? Check out these layered pumpkin cheesecake bars, pumpkin sheet cake with brown butter frosting or the pumpkin dump cake.
My mom’s Glazed Pumpkin Cookies need to be on your list as well, along with Caramel Pumpkin Crunch Ice Cream, and the ever-popular Classic Pumpkin Cake Roll.
All of these recipes are easy to make and perfect for all the pumpkin lovers out there. Along with Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer your solution to enjoying a PSL at home.
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 9 x 13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently stir until well combined. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting Directions
- Beat the cream cheese and butter on high until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Do not over-beat.
- Spread on top of completely cooled bars. Cut into bars.
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bar Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree, (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Pumpkin Bar Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently stir until well combined. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely.
Frosting Directions
- Beat the cream cheese and butter on high until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Do not over-beat. Spread on top of completely cooled bars. Cut into bars.
Nutrition
{originally published 9/1/15 – recipe notes and photos updated 8/23/21}
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Pumpkin Buttercream
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
These bars are so tall and sliced perfectly! Looks awesome- pinning 🙂
amanda says
LOVE these bars!
Trish says
Just made. Haven’t cut yet…looks more like a cake. Are they bar like or cake like?
Mallory says
They are definitely more cakey in texture.
JB says
Made this twice and both times the edges burnt and the middle did not finish.
Mary says
JB – I am not sure what might have been wrong but I am curious if your oven temp might be off a bit.
MrsJackson says
Mine does the same thing. Next time I am going to split it in to 2 pans and they will just be thinner, but hoping maybe that helps it bake through. Not sure what else to do! 🙁 Everyone still loved it though.
Sylvia says
I’d like to make these for Thanksgiving dessert. Is it possible to make the cake portion a day in advance and the frosting the day of to keep it from hardening? Would I be sacrificing quality at all if I do this? In other words, how would I preserve the moistness?
Mallory says
Yes, you can make the cake a day ahead and then frost the next day. However, if you frost it the same day you make it, the cream cheese frosting will not harden if you cover it tightly.
Trish Ambrogio says
Hi,
In you directions for the dry ingredients you mention baking powder, however that isn’t listed in the ingredients. Curious if it needs baking powder?
Thanks
Trish
Mallory says
It only needs baking soda. Good catch! I updated the recipe. Thanks.
Trisha says
Just made this recipe and, OMG, so good! Super moist and pumpkiny and the cream cheese frosting is so light and fluffy it’s like eating a sweet, tangy cloud. The frosting recipe is definitely going in my recipe box for use on future sweets.
Mallory says
Glad you loved them!
Cheryl Mae says
I am saving it for any recipe that calls for cream cheese frosting, too. Best ever!
Taylor says
Just put these in the oven! Pumpkin pie might be my least favorite, but pumpkin cake bars with extra spice added plus cream cheese sounds right up my alley 🙂
Mallory says
I hope you liked them Taylor!
Beverly says
Did you mean 9 x 13 pan? I have looked everywhere on-line and cannot find a 8 x 13 pan.
Thanks
Mary says
Yes! You are correct, that’s a mistake. You’ll want to make this in a 9×13 pan. Thanks for letting me know, Beverly!
Kim says
So good and so easy to make. I’m making them again this weekend but I am going to try to bake them in cupcake pans instead so the portions are neater and easier. Only because it’s for a birthday party otherwise its perfect in the 9×13 pan.
Mary says
I’m glad you’re enjoying the pumpkin bars, Kim!
Karen says
I just made the pumpkins bars and they taste scrumptious. Thanks for the recipe.
Mary says
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Karen!
Ali says
Can you use olive oil instead?
Mary says
That should work fine, Ali. Just be sure to use light flavored olive oil, not an extra virgin oil.
Kay says
Making this cake for the first time and it took around 15 minutes until the center didn’t giggle. Could this be the right cooking time?
Mary says
The cooking time should be about 30 minutes, Kay. Do you mean it took an additional 15 minutes? Did you change the pan size or otherwise alter the recipe? Definitely cook until the toothpick tests done.
Lyne says
Same here after 30 minutes wasn’t cooked at all, left it another 15 minutes and it was ok…it was fabulous.
Pauline says
I needed to bake them for an additional 15 minutes as well. Wasn’t even close at 30 minutes. Amazingly delicious though!
Mary says
I’m so glad you liked them, Pauline! I’m glad you figured out the baking time.
Katelyn says
This is THE BEST recipe ever! My family and coworkers raved about this! So yummy!!
Mary says
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the bars, Katelyn!
korbi povey says
Could I add chocolate chips to this? If so how much should I use?
Mary says
I’ve never tried adding chocolate chips.
Ashley Kaylee says
I love this recipe, and I am making it for the second time right now! My family was obsessed with the bars during Thanksgiving. The only reason why I didn’t give the recipe 5 stars is that both times now I have had to bake the bars twice as long at a higher heat to get them fully baked. It might just be my oven, but other things I regularly make have not suffered this way, so I am inclined to think that the recipe does not give an accurate bake time. Fortunately, the added time does not affect the quality of the bars at all, they still come out delicious, I would just caution to make absolutely sure the bars are baked through before turning off the oven and be willing to keep it in there for longer.
Mary says
I’m glad you were able to figure it out and that you like them. I’ll retest the recipe for the baking time soon!
Gail says
This is a recipe I definitely will be trying very soon.
I am wondering if I could make this using a cookie sheet pan instead of a cake pan to have the bars less tall, so more like a bar size. Plus it will go further to more of my neighbors. Thanks
Mary says
Gail – They will be quite thin and you might need to adjust the baking time.
Linda says
I did not rate as I have not made them yet.
I can tell from the comments these are very good, but I want to know if these could be made with gluten free flour, if so is there an adjustment or addition.
Mary says
Linda – I have not made this with GF flour but I would suggest starting with your favorite 1:1 Gluten Free Flour and adjust from there if needed.
Linda says
Thank you. I will try it and get back to you
Jaycee says
I’m making them with gluten free flour! I’ll tell ya how they are when they get done if you haven’t made them i know It’s been a year, but figured I’d comment and tell ya!!
Shelley Josephson says
I already added 1 tbs of baking soda! Will that affect the pumpkin bars?
Mary says
Shelley, Flavorwise not likely but they will just be quite fluffy.
PK says
Not bars more like cake.
Mary says
Pumpkin bars are naturally a bit more cake-like. I am sure they were tasty.
Cheryl Mae says
This was by far the tastiest pumpkin cake we’ve ever made. The frosting is absolutely delicious and I will be using it for all my recipes asking for cream cheese frosting from now on. Hubby doesn’t usually like fruity cakes and he couldn’t get enough of this!!
Mary says
Thank you, Cheryl. It is easy to see why this recipe is a pumpkin favorite for people. I am glad the hubby liked it!
Tammy Nowack says
These were so absolutely delicious! Easy and the cream C frosting compliments the pumpkin bars perfectly! I give 10 ⭐️ stars!!
Mary says
Thank you for 10 stars! We love it. These bars are always a hit at our house. Thank you, Tammy.
Amy says
I wish these had been described as “Pumpkin Cake” rather than “Pumpkin Bars”. I’m not a fan of how thick they are and wish I had baked them in a sheet pan instead of a cake pan. The recipe itself is fine, but it did take much longer than the suggested 28-30 min to get the middle cooked.
Mary says
Thank you for the feedback, Amy. Naming things is always an interesting game based on what people’s expectations are. You are correct that these are a bit more cakey than some recipes. As for the baking time, oven temps can vary so it is always good to keep an eye on things.
Diane G Pyle says
Recipe calls for 15 ounces of puree….what is the equal in cups?
Mary says
15 ounces is the size of one can of pumpkin puree you buy in the store, Diane.
Terry Lee Contreras says
8 oz. in a cup. 15 oz should be an oz. shy of 2 cups.
Maybe 1 3/4 cups.
Abby S says
I hate giving bad reviews because I own a home baking business and I know it sucks. But I made these as I’ve never pumpkin bars before, and it was definitely more of a cake. I had to cook for over 50 minutes before center came out clean on a toothpick. My internal oven thermometer was spot on too at 350. The edges definitely burned so I had to throw a lot away:( (I have my own cream cheese frosting recipe so can’t comment on that)
Mary says
I can see how some feel this is more of a cake. We have always called them bars. As for why they did not turn out for you I just made these again two weeks ago and they came out perfectly. It is so hard to troubleshoot without a look over your shoulder to help you figure out why.
Beth says
I made these pumpkin bars !! So delicious and very moist !! Sprinkled chopped walnuts on top of frosting.
Mary says
Sounds delicious, I am happy to hear they turned out for you, Beth.
Stephanie conrad says
I’ve had mine in the oven for an hour so far and they’re still not cooked.
Mary says
I’m not sure what is taking so long, but I’d give it a little while longer if it isn’t done. It sounds like it may be an oven issue, Stephanie.
Heather says
This is more of a cake than bars, but really delicious! It was too tall to use the lid for my 13×9 clear dish. I also had to cook it longer to get it done in the middle. I suppose I could try it in a sheet pan but why mess with deliciousness?!
Mary says
The bar vs. cake debate has been a hot one on this recipe. It is a varied opinion, but I tend to agree, does it matter if it tastes amazing? Thank you for the smile and I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Heather.
Kyle says
How long will these keep? I have made these a dozen or more times and usually bake them in a sheet cake pan. Haven’t had them last more than 3 days!
Mary says
Hi, Kyle! I would not recommend these bars for long term storage; they’re really only supposed to keep for a few days. The cream cheese frosting will probably start to run after a few days in the refrigerator.
Malinda Forcier says
Yummy
Sheryl Driesenga says
This recipe called for the wrong size baking pan, I made it in a 9x 13 pan and it’s didn’t bake through. It needs a 10x 15 sheet pan.
Mary says
Hi, Sheryl! This recipe is made for a 9×13 pan. Is there a chance that you substituted/omitted any ingredients and/or didn’t bake the pumpkin bars at the temperature/cooking time required?
Chris says
Still cold in the middle and burning the edge. Followed recipe to the T… should have read the reviews first
Mary says
Sorry to hear that the bars didn’t turn out well for you, Chris. Did you happen to substitute any ingredients or change the cooking time/temperature? In any case, I hope your next baking recipe turns out much more successfully.
Ria says
Can I use this recipe and make it into cupcakes?
Mary says
Hi, Ria. I haven’t tried to make cupcakes with this recipe, but if you decide to try making the recipe that way, let me know how it turns out! Happy baking.
Michele Eller says
The batter taste delicious. My oven is set to 350 in a 9×13 glass dish and after 30 mins the middle isn’t cooked only the sides. I continued to cook an additional 10 more mins. Not sure if the rack needed to be up higher in the oven. Mine was in the middle. I wish I would have read the reviews 1st. I would have passed on this recipe.
Mary says
I’m glad you figured it out and were able to cook it a little longer, Michele. Many ovens do cook at different temps and times. If your oven is consistently off, I recommend placing an oven thermometer inside for a while to test the temp.
Brenda Gibson says
These Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are INCREDIBLY easy and delicious. I sub out the regular flour with Bob’s Red Mill GF 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Also use avocado oil in place of Canola. I double the recipe to make a big sheet pan. I triple the frosting recipe – Family and friends say more frosting is always better! :0) The only slightly difficult part is frosting the bars. They bake up so soft and tender that it’s easy to rip up the top of them when spreading the frosting. Sometimes I add a tiny bit of milk to the frosting to make it a touch softer and easier to spread. But definitely don’t try to frost the bars before they are completely cooled.
My co-workers love these and nobody can tell they are GF. The flavor is perfect!
Mary says
I’m so happy to hear that you love them!