These Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars are such a comforting dessert: a "buttery" base with a creamy, warmly spiced pumpkin pie filling and nutty crumble topping. They're the perfect sweet treat for Thanksgiving and Christmas and an excellent alternative to Pumpkin Pie! They're also gluten-free and refined sugar free.

Three vegan pumpkin pie bars with crumble topping

Why does this recipe use brown rice flour?

You can use white rice flour, but I found the texture was much better with brown rice flour. If you can't find brown rice flour in your local supermarket, you'll be able to find it in local health stores or online.

What plant-based milk should you use to make the pumpkin pie filling?

You can use any type of plant-based milk, though results do vary depending on which you choose: cashew, oat or coconut milk make a super thick and creamy filling, whilst almond, rice or soya milk will be less creamy.

Why you'll love these Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars:

they're undetectably vegan and gluten-free
they have a "buttery" base and crumble topping
they're filled with a creamy pumpkin filling
they're warmly spiced and fragrant
they're easy to make
they're refined sugar free
they're an excellent make-ahead dessert
they're perfect for sharing
they're great for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

How to make these Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars

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

Mix together the ingredients for the dough in a glass mixing bowl.

Transfer one half into a square baking tin.

Tip: Line the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove the bars after.

Use your fingers to push the mixture all the way to the edges, then use a spatula to press down on it until the surface is completely even.

Raw pastry dough spread along the bottom of a square baking tin

Bake in oven for 10 minutes - you'll be baking this again so you don't want to over-bake at this stage!

Cooked pastry dough along the bottom of a square baking tin

Add the oats for the crumble topping to the remaining half of the dough and mix well.
Place in fridge while you make the rest - this will help it firm up and make it easier to crumble over the top after.

Raw pastry dough with oats in a glass mixing bowl

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan - use a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.

Pumpkin purée, coconut sugar, spices and cashew milk in a silver pan

Stir well - I'd recommend using a balloon whisk.

Tip: Ensure the cornflour (cornstarch) has dissolved completely.

Once the mixture is mixed well, cook on a medium heat, stirring continuously, until thickened and gently bubbling - you might want to use a balloon whisk to make this easier, though a spoon and some elbow grease should do the trick.

Tip: Depending on the consistency and texture of your pumpkin purée, it may not properly mix into your milk - if this is the case you can transfer the mixture into a food processor or blender to blend until completely smooth.

Pour the pumpkin pie filling over the cooked base until it’s completely evenly covered and make sure the surface is smooth.

Tip: Tap the dish gently on the counter a few times to get rid of the air bubbles.

Pumpkin pie filling spread across the bottom of a square baking tin

Use your fingers to crumble the rest of the dough mixture over the top until it is all used up and the pumpkin pie filling is completely covered.

Crumble and oats on top of pumpkin pie filling in a square baking tin

Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Baked pumpkin pie bars in a square baking tin

Keep in the fridge for at least 6 hours until the pumpkin pie filling has completely firmed up before cutting.

Baked pumpkin pie bars but into 16 pieces in a square baking tin

How long do these Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars keep for?

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

Substitutions you can make to this recipe:

you can substitute the coconut oil with coconut butter
you can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc
the ground almonds (almond meal) can be substituted with ground walnuts
for a nut-free version, use ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds and use a nut-free plant-based milk
you can use store-bought pumpkin purée or make your own
the cornflour (cornstarch) can be replaced with arrowroot
you can replace the brown rice flour with plain flour if you’re not gluten-free.

Substitutions to be careful of:

you can use white rice flour but the texture is much better with brown rice flour
I would recommend making the pumpkin pie filling with cashew milk, coconut milk or oat milk - see recipe notes for details.

A vegan pumpkin pie bar with crumble topping against a brown background

More vegan dessert recipes:

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.

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Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars (Gluten-Free)