Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars (Gluten-Free)

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.

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.

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

• 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.

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

• 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.

• 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.

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

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

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.

More vegan dessert recipes:

• Chocolate Lava Cake
• Apple Crumble Bars
• Coconut Macaroons
• Lemon Bars
• Strawberry Trifle
• Sugar Cookies
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Apple Pie Bars
• Pecan Pie Bars
• Pumpkin Bars

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.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars (Gluten-Free)

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.

4 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: vegan pumpkin dessert, vegan pumpkin pie, vegan thanksgiving recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 16 bars

Calories: 182kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the base:

• ▢ 30 g (⅛ cup) coconut oil  (or sub coconut butter)
• ▢ 10 tablespoons maple syrup  (or sub any other similar sweetener)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk or any other plant-based milk
• ▢ 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
• ▢ 150 g (1 cup) brown rice flour ** (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• ▢ Pinch salt

For the crumble topping:

• ▢ 25 g (¼ cup) rolled oats (ensure gluten-free if necessary)

For the pumpkin pie filling:

• ▢ 675 g (3 cups) pumpkin purée (store-bought or make your own)
• ▢ 300 ml (1 ¼ cup) unsweetened cashew milk (or sub unsweetened coconut or oat milk)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice to taste (or sub a mixture of ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, or mixed spice)
• ▢ 100 g (⅔ cup) coconut sugar
• ▢ 3 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch) (or sub arrowroot)

Instructions

For the base:

• 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
• Add the maple syrup, milk, ground almonds, brown rice flour and salt and mix well – add an extra splash of milk if it’s looking too dry to combine
• Divide the dough in half
• Transfer one half of the dough into a square or rectangular baking tin lined with greased baking paper – I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin
• 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
• Bake in oven for 10 minutes – you'll be baking this again so you don't want to over-bake at this stage!
• 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)

For the pumpkin pie filling:

• Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir well, ensuring the cornflour (cornstarch) has dissolved completely – I'd recommend using a whisk to do this
• Once the mixture is mixed well, cook on a medium heat, stirring continuously, until thickened and gently bubbling

• 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 to a food processor or blender

To assemble:

• Pour the pumpkin pie filling over the cooked base until it’s completely evenly covered and make sure the surface is smooth
• Tap the dish gently on the counter a few times to get rid of the air bubbles
• 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
• Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, or until golden brown
• Keep in the fridge for at least 6 hours until the pumpkin pie filling has completely firmed up before cutting
• Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days

Notes

*You can alternatively use almond flour

**You can use white rice flour but the texture is much better with brown rice flour.

***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.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars (Gluten-Free)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 182 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 2g10%

Sodium 30mg1%

Potassium 148mg4%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 6566IU131%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 48mg5%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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