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Classic pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are super soft and moist, the kind of dessert that melts in your mouth and makes you wonder why you ever waited until fall to start baking with pumpkin.
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
If you’ve never made these before, you’re in for a real treat. This recipe for pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting is just about foolproof. It creates a tender and moist crumb every time. Spread a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting on top, and each bite becomes pure magic.
Pumpkin bars are one of those recipes that look super fancy, but are secretly quite easy to make. I love a recipe that delivers bakery-style results without making me dirty every dish in the kitchen. These have the wow factor you’re looking for, whether it’s a church potluck or a weeknight meal.
Cream Cheese Icing for Pumpkin Bars
I will rave about this cream cheese icing for pumpkin bars to anyone who will listen. You have got to try it. Rich and tangy and sweet, I could eat it by the spoonful. In fact, I have.
The first dessert I ever tried with this combination of cream cheese and pumpkin had to be a pumpkin cake roll. Seeing (and tasting!) that beautiful spiral of white frosting in between layers of delicious pumpkin started it all.
But, there’s a reason this flavor combo continues to endure. Cream cheese gives depth to the sweetness and keeps it from being overpowering. It melds with the warmth of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Everyone loves it. My recipe for pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting joins a long, long line of desserts that stand on their delicious shoulders.
I like to slice them into tidy little bars in the pan once they’ve been chilled in the fridge. This recipe makes 36 portions, which makes it perfect for feeding a crowd or bringing to a larger event. Just make sure to have the recipe handy. You’re going to get asked to share it.
Pumpkin Desserts
There are plenty more pumpkin desserts where these bars came from! If you’ve never tried these glazed pumpkin cookies, you are missing out. They are soft and fluffy, and the glaze will satisfy any sweet tooth.
I’ve also got recipes for layered pumpkin cheesecake bars, a pumpkin sheet cake with brown butter frosting, and even a pumpkin dump cake on the site. All of them are a positively heavenly.
You could also go with an easy, no-churn pumpkin ice cream topped with a drizzle of caramel sauce. But, be warned, when I tried my first pumpkin dessert recipe, I rapidly found myself wanting to make them all.
No matter which dessert you try, you can pair it with a steaming mug of coffee with a homemade pumpkin spice creamer. Make my PSLs at home, in the comfort of my own pajamas? Yes, please!
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
- ½ teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 9/1/15 – recipe notes and photos updated 10/20/25}
I love this recipe, for cupcakes 15-18 minutes. Works great.
I’m glad you like it!
Baking time does work for a 9 by 13 pan….should be 40 or 45 minutes.
I’m glad you like them!
Came out more like a cake. But love it!!! How is everyone storing it?
I store this covered with saran wrap or a lid on a counter if it’s just going to be a day or so. If it’s longer than that, I pop it in the fridge.
Best recipe ever. I was skeptical by the 4/5 star reviews but it deserves 5 stars because it is th best dessert I’ve ever made.
Awe! I’m so happy to hear the bars are a hit!
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!
I’m so happy to hear that you love them!
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.
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.
Can I use this recipe and make it into cupcakes?
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.
Still cold in the middle and burning the edge. Followed recipe to the T… should have read the reviews first
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.