These pumpkin spice bars feature a soft, cake-like texture, lots of pumpkin spice goodness, and a silky cream cheese frosting on top.
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I brought pumpkin bars to celebrate the unofficial start to fall!
Hard to believe, but here we are again with a new pumpkin season upon us and another meeting of Pumpkin Lovers Anonymous has come to order. Glorious orange-filled days stretch ahead.
Kicking things off with a batch of the best pumpkin bars in all the land only felt fitting. Frosted to utter perfection with a luxurious cream cheese frosting of course, because that’s just how we roll.
For those of you that have tried my pumpkin sheet cake, these bars are similar in flavor, but actually a completely different texture! The cake has a light and fluffy texture while these bars have a bit of a tighter, cakier crumb.
Both great recipes in their own way, but honestly, my heart is completely obsessed with these bars right now.
These Pumpkin Bars Feature…
- A dense, cakey bar texture
- Creamy pumpkin and lots of warming spices
- A silky cream cheese frosting
Making the Pumpkin Bars
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Pumpkin puree
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- 2% or skim milk
Tips for Perfect Pumpkin Bars
- Squeeze liquid out of pumpkin – this will keep excess water out of the batter which gives these bars a tight, cakey crumb.
- Measure flour correctly – I use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife. For the most accurate level of precision you can also weigh your flour in grams.
- Gently fold batter – use a light hand when mixing batter and gently fold so as not to overmix.
- Use a toothpick to test bars – insert a toothpick in the center of bars to test for doneness.
- Allow bars to cool before frosting – the frosting will melt off if you try to frost them while the bars are still warm.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on these bars.
- Add chocolate – fold 1/2 cup semisweet, dark, or white chocolate chips into the batter.
- Add nuts – fold 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter.
- Use a different frosting – try a vanilla buttercream, chocolate frosting, or caramel sauce.
Storing and Freezing Bars
Due to the cream cheese frosting these bars must be stored in refrigerator. Store bars in refrigerator up to 4 days and bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
If you would like to freeze these bars, allow to cool completely and do not frost. Wrap well and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw bars completely at room temperature and top with frosting before serving.
Try these other pumpkin favorites next!
Save this recipe for later using the ‘save to recipe box’ button. If you make it, please let me know by leaving a comment + star rating below the recipe card. This only takes moments and helps support my website so much!
Pumpkin Spice Bars
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Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Bars
- 1/2 cup (130g) pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice plus extra for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 cups (180g) powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons 2% or skim milk
Instructions
Pumpkin Spice Bars
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place pumpkin puree in the middle of a kitchen towel. Gather up edges of kitchen towel and gently squeeze pumpkin over a sink or bowl until all the liquid is squeezed out.
- In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold flour mixture into liquid mixture until batter is just combined.
- Spread batter in an even layer in prepared baking pan. Bake bars at 350F 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center of bars comes out clean. Cool bars completely on a wire cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place cream cheese and butter in a large bowl (or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment) and use an electric mixer to beat on medium speed until 2-3 minutes until creamy.
- Add vanilla and powdered sugar to cream cheese mixture and beat an additional 2-3 minutes until frosting is completely smooth and creamy. Beat in 1-2 teaspoons milk and more as needed to thin frosting.
- Spread frosting over cooled bars and sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie spice. Cut bars into squares and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 10/15/26.
Tina says
I just made this and it’s delicious! I doubled the recipe and put it in a 9×13 pan. Subbed the vegetable oil for olive oil, buttermilk for yogurt, used real pumpkin, and added butter to the frosting. Everyone in my family loved it, which never happens. Thank you for the recipe!
Sarah says
Thanks for reporting back, Tina! I’m SO happy to hear that your family loved this cake! Enjoy the rest of it. 🙂