These Gluten-free and Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie Bars deserve a spot on your Thanksgiving dessert table!
Heads up! This recipe was originally published in 2011, with this post updated in 2014. I’m republishing in 2020 with a minor change to the recipe to reflect changes I’ve made over the years. The text of the post is from 2014. Enjoy!
You guys. It’s November 6th. The first week of November is practically over. You know what that means, right? Thanksgiving is three weeks away. And you know what that means. I’m not even going to mention the C word, because I haven’t started to prepare one bit. The year I was pregnant with Luke was the only year I was on the ball. Apparently I need to be pregnant to be uber organized.
Speaking of the year I was pregnant with Luke, that was the year I first made these pumpkin pie bars. Let me tell you, these bars are 100% worthy of this Look Again series.
Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Bars Ingredients
The filling is a classic pumpkin pie filling, but without the dairy. Coconut milk stands in beautifully where you’d normally find cream or sweetened condensed milk. We ditch the gluten crust in favor of a delicious walnut, date, and oat crust that is a perfect match. Then we bake it all into perfect little, portion-controlled bars. Unless you eat seven when you are snapping pictures, like I did. So much for self control.
Pumpkin pie is my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving. These gluten-free and dairy-free pumpkin pie bars are sure to be the hit of your Thanksgiving dessert table.
I tweaked the original recipe ever so slightly. I first made these in a smaller dish. Since making them a few times in different size pans, I’ve found the best crust-to-filling ratio comes with a 13 x 9 inch pan, so I recommend that this time. I also adjusted the baking temperature and time accordingly. The essence of the original recipe is the same, and I have to say, it’s fabulous!
If you’re looking for more Thanksgiving recipes, check out this Stress-Free Thanksgiving menu! You might also love these Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. Need another holiday dessert that’s super easy? You’ll love this Crustless Cranberry Pie!
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Gluten-free and Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Total Time: 70 minutes
- Yield: 32 bars 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
With an easy to make, nutty crust, these Gluten-free and Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie Bars are healthy and delicious.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 1/3 cups walnuts
- 2 cups pitted dates (soaked first if they are especially hard/not moist)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup rolled oats (for GF, make sure to get certified Gluten-free oats)
For the Filling
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk (both lite and full-fat work)
- 1/2 cup Sucanat * or organic sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- First, prepare the crust. In a food processor, process the walnuts, dates, agave nectar, and vanilla until the walnuts and dates are well broken down and you have a sticky mixture. Add the rolled oats and pulse until they are incorporated.
- Lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish and then press the mixture into the bottom. Use your fingers to make sure the pan crust is evenly distributed.
- Next, prepare the filling. In a medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin, coconut milk, Sucanat, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix very well. Pour the mixture over the crust. Alternatively, I like to rinse out the food processor and mix the filling right in the food processor. No need to dirty another bowl, right?!
- Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is set, about 40-50 minutes. Allow to cool fully at room temperature before cutting into bars and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
*affiliate link
I updated the crust recipe in 2020 to make a thicker crust with more flavor. It’s even better than the original!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 106
- Sugar: 7.8g
- Sodium: 24.3mg
- Fat: 6.7g
- Carbohydrates: 11.5g
- Protein: 2.1g
Keywords: pumkin bars
If you make this Gluten-free and Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie Bars recipe, or any Happy Healthy Mama recipe, I would LOVE to see it! Please take a pic and share it on Instagram or the Happy Healthy Mama Facebook page and tag me @happyhealthymama and use the hashtag #happyhealthymamarecipes
Also, if you try it, would you mind rating the recipe? It’s VERY helpful for me and other readers if the recipes have ratings and reviews. I appreciate you!
I’d like to make your recipe for Thanksgiving.
However when look for the canned pumpkin and coconut milk they are not 15 ounce cans
Coconut milk is 13.5 oz
Pumpkin can is
There is also an evaporated coconut milk also 13.5.
How do I make the adjustments without have to buy another can of each
I’m so sorry–the coconut milk measurement is a typo. I use a standard coconut milk can, which you’re right, is 13.5 ounces. I will fix that now. I also use a standard pumpkin can, which is 15 ounces so that one is correct.
Have you made this with a standard pie crust? My son has a nut allergy. Just wondering if you change your bake times at all or how the final product compares. Also, what can I substitute for Sucanat and still have the right taste?
Can you recommend a substitute for the nuts or make this without the nuts? We have a tree nut allergy in our house.
These bars are fabulous! Just what I was looking for. I’ve been craving pumpkin bars for a couple of weeks now. I’m allergic to wheat and dairy, so this was perfect. I love the suggestion for just rinsing out the blender after making the crust, and making the filing in the same blender. Much less clean up. The hardest part was waiting for the bars to cool, but totally worth the wait. Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, Laura!
I know this is a long shot… but are these possible to make without ANY added sweetener?? My current diet omits all sugar and I can’t add stevia, honey, maple syrup, etc… I know it won’t taste the same, but if I omit the sweetener, do the other measurements have to change? Or will I still get the same consistency?
If you omit the sweetener here, I think the consistency will be okay, but with no sweetness I’m not sure about the taste. If you’re okay with that, I’d give it a try!
Maryea, I know this is probably a long shot since most pumpkin pie-type desserts contain eggs, but do you think a replacement for the eggs would work in this recipe? My 4 year old has an egg allergy but is pumpkin-obsessed! I’ve had good luck in the past with applesauce, flax eggs, and Neat Egg, but have never tried replacing eggs in a custard type filling such as these bars. Thanks in advance 🙂
Kristin, I’ve never tried replacing eggs in a recipe like this. I feel like a chia egg could possible work here. I will let you know if I get a chance to try it!
Thanks so much! I’ll report back if I try it as well!
I made these this week and I am in love! I especially love the crust! I plan to make these for Thanksgiving as well. The same evening I made your Quinoa Pizza Pie. Another score! It was delicious. I definitely will make again too.
Thanks for coming up with so much goodness!
Your comment just made my morning, Kathy! Thanks for coming back to let me know. 🙂
Question! I don’t have Sucanat or Agave. Do you have a replacement suggestion for either? Thanks!
Instead of agave, you could use maple syrup or honey. For the sucanat, regular white sugar will work if you have that. Coconut sugar would be a nice option, as well. I hope that helps!
Hey there Maryea!
Love the recipe! I admit, I’m not usually a fan of pumpkin desserts, but looking through the ingredients, there’s so much of what I love in it! Definitely going to give this a try before December, for sure. Thanks so much for sharing this. 🙂
In your opinion, do you think adding more cinnamon into the mix might alter the intended taste too much? Cause I love cinnamon! But wouldn’t want to compromise the original flavor too much.
Love from Melbourne!
P.S. On a site note, and being the silly goose geek I am, you might want to check your theme settings & featured images on your front page. The coding seems to be drawing out a thumbnail size and attempting to stretch it too large! But your original images are beautifully high-res.
P.P.S. I’ve bookmarked your page, cause there’s just so much to love here.
I have actually made these with extra cinnamon and love it! I didn’t write the recipe that way because I know that wouldn’t be for everyone, but I love cinnamon, too.
So THAT’S what’s going on with my top images! I have been scratching my head trying to figure it out. I am clearly not a techie and need all the help I can get–so thanks for the heads up. I am going to check my settings right now and see if I have the featured image set as a thumbnail.
How long do you think these will last? I am thinking of giving them a go for Thanksgiving, and would love to make them in advance. Thanks!
You can definitely make them a few days ahead of time and keep them in the fridge. It makes such a big pan that this takes our family a while to eat them all and they still look and taste great after 3-4 days.
Thanks!
Im cutting our huuuugggee pumpkin today so Im sure a pumpkin pie will be coming soon from me…I like your first photo sophistcated, rich and yummy. And i love tbe crust.Great job
Yummy! Can’t wait to make these.
These look amazing! A great alternative to pumpkin pie. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe again!
Thanks, Kelli!
Man oh man, these will totally be making an appearance at my house! I love that you can use coconut milk instead of condensed milk. Stunning pictures once again!
You can’t even taste the coconut milk, either. Totally tastes like authentic pumpkin pie. 🙂 Oh, this photo shoot was a rough one. I must have taken 50 shots. I guess I was bound to have a few decent ones. 😉 Thank you!
Been following your blog for a long time, I love it! Just had to pop in and tell you how impressed I’ve been with your food photography lately! Gorgeous photos!
Thank you so much, Kristin. I’ve been working hard on it, so I really appreciate you noticing. 🙂
I agree with Kristin. Such nice photos! Could you please tell us if you took any photography classes or read any books on photographing food? Please share with us your tips!
I am going to make these bars as they look wonderful! Thank you, Maryea.
Thank you, Alice! A few years ago I purchased Plate to Pixel, a book on digital food photography. I learned some basics and reference that one often. Other than that, I got a new macro lens this summer which really was a game changer for me. My old lens didn’t let me get close to the food at all, so it was very limiting. Since then, I’ve been studying food photos I like and just practicing a lot to hone my skills. I take a lot more time on photo shoots than I used to and am more mindful of styling and composition. So although I do read about food photography, what’s helped the most has been the time and effort I’ve put in. Nothing helps more than practice! 🙂
Thank you, Maryea for your reply!
What about props? Did you buy any special ones?