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    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Bars

    Last updated - July 11, 2021; Published - November 20, 2020 By Rhian Williams 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    A collage of two gluten-free vegan pumpkin bars photos

    These Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Bars are moist, fluffy and covered in a tangy "cream cheese" frosting. They're warmly spiced and slightly denser than pumpkin cake. They come together in one bowl and are refined sugar free too. They make a great shareable dessert for Thanksgiving!

    A square of gluten-free vegan pumpkin bars topped with frosting with a mouthful taken out of it on a blue plate

    How to make this recipe

    Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

    • Mix together all the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.

    Tip: Make sure to use a measuring jug to measure out the exact amount of plant-based milk!

    Raw gluten-free vegan pumpkin bars batter in a bowl
    • Transfer the batter into a square baking tin.

    Tip: Make sure to line the loaf tin with greased baking paper - this will make removing the bars from the tin so much easier!

    Raw gluten-free vegan pumpkin bars batter in a square baking tin lined with baking paper
    • Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
    Gluten-free vegan pumpkin bars in a square baking tin lined with baking paper
    • Leave to cool before applying the frosting.
    • Use a knife (or palette knife for frosting) to spread the frosting over the top.
    Gluten-free vegan pumpkin bars spread with frosting in a square baking tin
    • Slice into bars.

    Substitutions you can make

    • You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
    • You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
    • You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup, date syrup etc.
    • You can replace the ground almonds with ground walnuts.
    • For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds with ground sunflower seeds, use a nut-free plant-based milk and use a coconut cream-based cream cheese frosting instead.
    • You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.
    • You can use either shop-bought pumpkin purée or make our own.
    • The pumpkin purée can be replaced with sweet potato or butternut squash purée.
    • The mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice) and ginger can be omitted.

    Ingredients you can decorate them with

    • Chopped dried cranberries.
    • Chopped pecans.

    How long do these Pumpkin Bars keep for?

    These Pumpkin Bars do taste best when fresh, but keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

    A square of gluten-free vegan pumpkin bars topped with frosting with a mouthful taken out of it on a  plate with a fork

    More vegan desserts

    • Coconut Macaroons
    • Lemon Bars
    • Strawberry Trifle
    • Strawberry Shortcake
    • Lemon Pudding
    • Pumpkin Loaf Cake
    • Coffee Cake

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Watch how to make this recipe

    A square of gluten-free vegan pumpkin bars topped with frosting with a mouthful taken out of it on a blue plate

    Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Bars

    These Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Bars are moist, fluffy and covered in a tangy "cream cheese" frosting. They're warmly spiced and slightly denser than pumpkin cake.
    4.75 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: gluten-free pumpkin bars, vegan pumpkin bars, vegan thanksgiving dessert
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 16 bars
    Calories: 204kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the bars:

    • 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
    • 150 ml (⅔ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
    • 225 g (1 cup) pumpkin purée
    • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar * (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pinch salt
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • 4 teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
    • 2 teaspoons mixed spice to taste (pumpkin pie spice, or a mixture of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon)
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger

    For the frosting***:

    • 100 g (⅔ cup) raw cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
    • 6 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

    Instructions

    For the bars:

    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
    • Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if not using any other oil).
    • Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the pumpkin purée, vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds.
    • Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and ground ginger.
    • Mix well, adding a splash more milk if looking too dry
.
    • Transfer the mixture into a square baking tin lined with baking paper (I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin).
    • Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
    • Leave to cool before applying the frosting.

    For the frosting:

    • Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the maple syrup and lemon juice.
    • Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.
    • Spread frosting over the top of the cake.
    • Slice into 16 squares.
    • Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

    Video

    Notes

    *The acidity of the vinegar reacts with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to make the bread fluffy. If you can’t get hold of vinegar, substitute it with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
    **You can alternatively use almond flour.
    ***You can alternatively use this coconut cream-based cream cheese frosting.
    Nutrition Facts
    Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Bars
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 204 Calories from Fat 108
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 12g18%
    Saturated Fat 4g20%
    Sodium 33mg1%
    Potassium 213mg6%
    Carbohydrates 24g8%
    Fiber 3g12%
    Sugar 12g13%
    Protein 4g8%
    Vitamin A 2189IU44%
    Vitamin C 2mg2%
    Calcium 107mg11%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

    More Baking & Dessert Recipes

    • Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-Free)
    • Gluten-Free Vegan Churros (Baked!)
    • 35 Vegan Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes (Gluten-Free)
    • Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Upset baker

      November 20, 2022 at 4:28 am

      I’ve made this recipe twice now. We baked it for 45 minutes both times and it still turned out like goop. Something in this recipe does not result in a cake like texture. It’s more like a giant pan of mush. I even rebaked it the next day for 20 minutes and it was still goopy. Probably too much oil

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 20, 2022 at 1:19 pm

        I'm sorry to hear that happened and thank you for sharing your feedback. Did you make any substitutions and what type of gluten-free flour did you use? And did you use the correct amount of baking powder?

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    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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