Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bars
Easy, Creamy and Delish!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclaimer.
So excited for you to try these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bars!
A shortbread-like cookie base topped with the yummiest pumpkin pie layer, my taste testers have been going crazy for them!
They make a perfect holiday dessert because you get a taste of pumpkin pie but in a bar form!
They taste indulgent and special, look festive, and are easier to serve and share than pie, making it easy for everyone to have “just at taste”…
Plus they are super EASY to make!
Not sure if your family is like ours, but for Thanksgiving we always have a large assortment of desserts, and following the footsteps of my grandmother who always asked for “a sliver of each”, we all want to taste them all!
Bar treats make it easy to serve, share and try!
A few years ago we transitioned from Pecan Pie to Pecan Pie Bars, last year we added Apple Crumble Bars (in addition to Apple Crisp!) and this year everyone is looking forward to these Pumpkin Pie Bars! (yes, I sent a photo to get permission to make the bars instead of a pie lol!)
So let’s take a closer look at these Gluten-free Pumpkin Pie Bars…
The recipe combines our favorite shortbread cookie base from our Raspberry Crumble Bars with a filling based on my grandmother’s crowd-pleasing Pumpkin Pie to make a real win!
The cookie base has a nice buttery flavor and perfect texture that provides just enough cookie to balance the creamy and luscious pumpkin layer.
So, so yummy!
Before I get to the ingredients…
I have a cooking video on this page, and as with all our recipes, there is a printable recipe with exact measurements at the bottom of this page.
So let’s make them!
They are made with 11 real, whole food ingredients, ones you probably have in your pantry this time of year, except maybe the evaporated milk (a bit more on that later!)
Let’s start with the shortbread cookie base.
It’s just 4 ingredients and comes together quickly.
You’ll need:
gluten-free all purpose flour (we use GF Jules, affiliate link)
cane sugar
salt
butter or dairy-free butter.
As an aside, you may have noticed that we are affiliate for GFJules. To learn more about why we love GFJules flour and why we have used it for 10 years, click here.
Bonus: at the bottom of that post is a one-time use affiliate Discount Code.
And importantly, purchasing through an affiliate link does not change your cost at all. It generates a small percentage of the sale for me, and purchasing through an affiliate link helps me fund this website and all the recipes I share, so thank you!
Back to the gluten-free Pumpkin Pie Bars…
This is one of those baking instances where order of operations matters…. mix the dry ingredients, then mix in the butter 1 piece at a time. Mix well and a dough will form.
Press into a pan and bake for 15 minutes.
While it bakes for just 15 minutes, you mix together the pumpkin pie filling.
As I mentioned, the filling is based on our amazing pumpkin pie which was my grandmother’s recipe so it’s creamy and luscious and has the best flavor!
You’ll need:
canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin puree)
sugar
salt
cinnamon
nutmeg
ground ginger
eggs
milk or coconut milk
evaporated milk or evaporated coconut milk or canned coconut milk
Just a note on evaporated milk…it comes in a can and you can usually find it in the baking aisle. It is simply a milk that’s thicker and creamier than regular whole milk, having gone through a cooking process to remove—or evaporate—over half of the water content.
The pumpkin layer comes together quickly!
You just:
- Mix together pumpkin, sugar, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
- Add eggs and both milks
When the shortbread base comes out of the oven, you simply pour the pumpkin mix on to the hot shortbread layer, rock gently if necessary to spread evenly and bake again!
Just a quick note: The oven temperature changes a few times in this recipe. It’s at 375 degrees F for the shortbread, then raises to 450 degrees for 10 minutes of the pumpkin layer, then 350 degrees for the remaining baking time. This allows the pumpkin to cook well without burning.
After it comes out of the oven, let cool completely. In fact, I’ve been chilling it in the refrigerator a bit too!
Then when ready to serve, slice and add a dollop of whipped cream for a nice festive touch!
The result is a simple, delicious gluten-free dessert that’s sure to be a hit!
For more Thanksgiving Desserts, click here.
Some favorites include:
Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pecan Bars
Apple Crisp
Pumpkin Sheet Cake with cream cheese frosting
Apple Crumble Bars
For more Pumpkin recipes, have you tried our:
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Perfect Pumpkin Bread
Fudgy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Energy Bites
PIN it!
Scroll down for recipe and leave a comment/ rating if you love it!
