Healthy Pumpkin Pie Bars

Healthy pumpkin pie bars with a creamy pumpkin filling on a soft, “buttery” almond flour shortbread crust. All the holiday flavors of your favorite pumpkin pie but still paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, low carb, and without any refined sugars.

Loaded with pumpkin-y goodness, these delicious and easy pumpkin pie bars are the perfect addition to any Thanksgiving or Christmas spread.

If your family is anything like mine, pumpkin pie is a staple at every Thanksgiving dinner.

These pumpkin pie bars have a healthy twist on top of the traditional pumpkin pie so you can enjoy your turkey dinner with all the fixings.

AND not to feel guilty about having some dessert.

You can have your cake and eat it too (well, pumpkin pie in this case).

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Ingredients for Healthy Pumpkin Pie Bars

For the pumpkin pie filling:

• pumpkin puree – make sure you use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. You can also make your own using my Homemade Pumpkin Puree Recipe.
• eggs – room-temperatured
• coconut sugar – If you do not have coconut sugar in hand, you can also use brown sugar which will not be paleo compliant. They both give this pumpkin pie bar recipe a hint of caramel flavor.
• maple syrup – helps add sweetness to the pumpkin filling without using refined sugars.
• coconut milk – you can use any dairy-free milk of your choice here. My other favorite kinds are almond and cashew milk
• tapioca flour – helps bind gluten-free recipes, improves texture.
• pumpkin spice – because you can’t have pumpkin pie bars without pumpkin spice!

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For the paleo almond flour crust:

• almond flour – gluten-free, low carb flour option. Make sure you are using finely grounded almond flour, not almond meal. Almond meal has the skins of the almonds creating a coarser, more crumbly texture.
• eggs
• coconut oil or ghee – used in place of butter in a traditional crust recipe. You can also use butter here which will not be paleo compliant (but dayum delicious)
• coconut sugar

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Bars with Almond Flour Crust

These pumpkin pie bars need a little time to set before enjoying, so I recommend making them the night before for best results.

First, preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare (line with parchment paper or grease) an 8×8 baking dish and set aside.

Prepare the Almond Flour Crust:

Second, in a food processor or high-speed blender, add coconut oil or ghee, eggs and coconut sugar. Blend for 20-30 seconds until thoroughly combined.

Next, add almond flour and blend until dough forms. Allow dough to rest for about 5 minutes.

Place dough in prepared baking dish and spread evenly, covering the entire bottom of the pan. You can use your hands or a spatula for this step, whatever is easiest for you.

Then bake in the oven for 8 minutes.

Prepare the pumpkin pie filling.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, coconut sugar, maple syrup, coconut milk, tapioca flour and pumpkin spice seasoning until well combined and smooth.

Pour pumpkin mixture over almond flour crust and gently tap dish on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until pumpkin filling is set (no longer jiggles).

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Then, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, overnight if possible for best results.

Once completely chilled, remove from fridge and cut into 9 – 12 equal sized squares.

How to Serve Pumpkin Pie Bars

I love to serve these pumpkin pie bars with a little dairy-free whip cream on top, a dash of cinnamon, maybe add a pecan or two.

If you are feeling fancy and want to make your own coconut whipped cream, try out this recipe from Minimalist Baker.

Powdered sugar is another great option as toppings if you’re not paleo.

You can actually make your own “powdered sugar” from any granulated sugar if you have a high-speed blender or food processor.

Place the sugar in your blender or processor and blitz until a powder is formed.

Homemade powdered sugar inspired by Kate.

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Tips for the Best Pumpkin Pie Bars

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1. Make sure you use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which has additional flavors or sweetener added.
2. If you can, use butter flavored coconut oil. It’s still dairy-free but adds a buttery flavor. If you don’t have access to it, you can use ghee.
3. Make your pumpkin pie bars ahead of time and allow them to chill overnight for best results.
4. Although you can use any non-dairy milk in this recipe, coconut milk will produce a smoother and creamier texture than other kinds of milk.

How to Store Pumpkin squares

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Store your paleo pumpkin pie bars in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, enjoy within 1-2 days.

Can You Freeze these Pumpkin squares

Just like traditional pumpkin pie, the answer is yes!  Wrap individual bars in air tight containers and freeze for up to 1 month. Allow to defrost in the fridge overnight before serving.

What’s your favorite way to eat pumpkin pie bars. Leave a comment below!

I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR CREATIONS! YOU CAN USE “TRIED IT” ON PINTEREST OR SHARE ON INSTAGRAM BY TAGGING #SHUANGYSEATS

You may Also love these other Pumpkin Dessert Recipes:

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1. Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

2. Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Cashew Glaze

3. Healthy Pumpkin Bread (Paleo, Gluten Free) – Video