These Keto Pumpkin Pie Bars are a deliciously healthy dessert you’ll love, especially during the holiday season! They are 100% keto-friendly but not lacking in pumpkin flavor! I used canned pumpkin puree and a sugar-free sweetener to keep these pumpkin bars low carb but packed with flavor!
How to Make Keto Pumpkin Pie Bars Recipe
I just love pumpkin! They are a sign that fall is here, and coziness is among us! These low carb pumpkin pie bars are everything you want from a fall treat. If you love low carb pumpkin desserts as much as me, you need to try my Pumpkin Bread and my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. Both recipes are keto-friendly and made without sugar.
This recipe is based on Paula Deen’s pumpkin bars. Her recipes are simply amazing. But since her recipe is not for the keto dieter, I swapped out some of the ingredients that weren’t so keto-friendly like the white flour and sugar for coconut flour and a sugar-free sweetener. I was amazed at how easy it was to alter the ingredients to change up a recipe to make it both keto and low carb. These bars are the perfect marriage of pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread, and they are gluten-free (although I always suggest double-checking the labels of the exact ingredients you use.
Pumpkin bars usually have a cream cheese frosting, which adds more sweetness to an already sweet dessert. So in an attempt to keep the sweetness balanced, I like to add just a dollop of the cream cheese icing instead of spreading it over the entire bar. You could, of course, omit the frosting entirely if you wanted or smother it on whatever YOUR taste buds prefer! Either way, your pumpkin bars will be super moist, decadent, and perfect for the keto diet.
Keto Pumpkin Bar Ingredients:
For the Pumpkin Bars:
- Pumpkin puree– This adds all your pumpkin flavor and keeps your bars moist.
- Lakanto Monkfruit – I used this sugar-free sweetener for this recipe. I use the granulated version for the pumpkin bars and the powdered for the icing. You could also use Swerve or Besti Monkfruit with Allulose.
- Coconut flour- This helps to bind the bars together without adding gluten or grains.
- Eggs– Also, help to hold your bars together while adding healthy fats and protein.
- Pumpkin pie spices– Spices are what bring the flavor and warmness to all pumpkin desserts. Included are spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, and ginger.
For the Cream Cheese Icing:
- Cream cheese, butter– This forms the base of your frosting and makes your frosting smooth and creamy.
- Lakanto Monkfruit Powdered – The powdered version is ideal for frostings.
- Vanilla extract– Adds delicious vanilla flavor.
Steps to making this keto pumpkin bars recipe:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: In a bowl, combine eggs, Lakanto Monkfruit Classic, melted coconut oil, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until combined.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, combine coconut flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to all other ingredients and mix well. You can use almond flour, but you will need four times as much as the coconut flour. The conversion is 1/4 cup coconut flour equals 1 cup almond flour.
Step 4: Pour puree into a greased 9 x 9″ baking dish. Bake for 28 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. This recipe makes an 8 x 8 pan, but you could double it and use a 9 X 13 casserole dish.
Step 5: Mix the cream cheese frosting ingredients, and when your pumpkin bars are fully cooled, add a dollop of the frosting to each square.
Sweetener options for your keto pumpkin bars
Believe it or not, pumpkin puree is not very sweet at all. Keep in mind, if you purchase “pumpkin pie filling,” it is pre-sweetened with sugar and spices, which is NOT what we want. Make sure you purchase plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling!
To sweeten these low carb pumpkin bars, I have used both Swerve and Monk Fruit interchangeably. Recently, I’ve been using Besti Monkfruit with Allulose Blend and like it, too. So feel free to use whichever one you prefer. Both brands offer granulated, confectioners, and a brown sugar keto-friendly sweetener.
Your cream cheese frosting
As I mention in my recipe, I prefer to use Lakanto Monkfruit Powdered. This is a powdered sugar that is ideal for frostings and icings. Using granulated sugar will be tough to dissolve and may make your icing taste grainy.
My cream cheese icing is only enough for a dollop on each bar. If you want to ice your entire pumpkin bar, I recommend doubling the recipe so it will be enough to coat the entire surface.
Other keto pumpkin recipes you may like:
Keto Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Swirl
Best Keto Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Keto Pumpkin Cake with a Crunchy Streusel Topping
Mini Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
How to Make Low Carb Pumpkin Pie Bars:
Keto Pumpkin Pie Bars w/ Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Bars:
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon Monkfruit Classic
- ½ cup coconut oil melted
- 8 oz pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
For the Icing:
- 2 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons of butter softened
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons Lakanto Monkfruit Powdered
- ½ tsp vanilla flavoring
Instructions
For the Bars:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a bowl, combine eggs, Lakanto Monkfruit Classic, melted coconut oil, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice.
- With a mixer, beat until the ingredients are combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine coconut flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Add flour mixture to all other ingredients and mix well.
- Pour into a greased 9X9 baking pan.
- Bake for 28 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
For the Icing:
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a mixer until combined.
- Once the pumpkin bars have cooled, cut into squares, and add a dollop of cream cheese icing to each.
- Optional - To frost the entire pan of pumpkin bars, you would need to double the icing recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Darlene Stephens says
I transferred this recipe to MyFitnessPal and it broke the nutrition value down. It is showing 10 grams of carbs and one gram of fiber per serving.
Kasey says
MyFitnessPal doesn’t automatically subtract the sugar alcohols from the Swerve you have to do that manually.
Amanda Collins says
My mom used to make pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting when I was growing up, and these evoke the memory perfectly! I tripled the frosting recipe and spread a thick layer across all of the bars. They are even better after being chilled. As a bonus, my family loved them as well (and they aren’t big fans of my low-carb baking).
Kasey says
Yay! That is fantastic. Thanks for letting me know.
Alex says
So after adding the Swerve it was just a tad under my likeness for sweet so I added some Stevia, don’t know why I did that other than I was just trying to conserve the Swerve since it’s so expensive. I had it in the oven for 10 minutes more than recipe states and it’s still raw. I guess the Stevia affected the baking somehow???
Kasey says
It could have. I don’t personally bake with Stevia so I’m not sure.
Anna says
Do you think this will work wil almond flour? I
Kasey says
Almond flour and coconut flour are not a 1:1 substitution. It’s more like 1:4.
Nikki says
Coconut flour is more absorbent than almond flour, so if you substitute almond for coconut, does your response mean that you only need 1/4 the amount of coconut flour? Also, can ghee or butter be substituted for coconut oil? We have coconut allergies in our family.
.Kasey says
I use coconut flour because of my daughter’s nut allergies. You’re right. 1/2 the amount of coconut flour. You can sub ghee or butter for coconut oil.
Kim says
Wow! The Paula Deen recipe was actually my go-to with a couple of tweaks for the holiday season. I have been wondering how to ketofy it and you have done it! Thanks!
Kasey says
Sure!
Kimberly says
Do I have to use coconut oil or can I sub butter?
Kasey says
I’ve never made it with butter, but you could certainly try. Let me know how it turns out.
Vicki says
I have only done it with butter and it turns out great. It went over so well at Thanksgiving that it was requested again for Christmas.
Kasey says
Awesome!
Andrea says
Could I make these the day before thanksgiving? Do you store in the fridge? Thanks for all you post for us!
Kasey says
Hi Andrea,
You could make these the day before Thanksgiving. I did store in my fridge in an airtight container. Thanks so much for your kind words!
Carol says
I made these last night and the only problem is that I can taste the baking soda. I may leave it out next time.
Kasey says
Sounds like a plan.
Brooke says
Does it bake firm enough that I could use a muffin tin?
Kasey says
I’ve only made it as is so I’m not sure.
Jamie says
Hello! I made these last night and while the taste is great, I think I did something wrong as they are too soft/mushy. I definitely can’t cut a slice and remove it as a perfect square, do you have any suggestions? Also, should the batter be somewhat of a liquid? It says to pour into the baking dish but mine was more of a scoop lol. I attribute it to the order I which I mixed ingredients but figured I’d ask anyway. In any event, the outcome itself it very tasty! I frosted the whole thing but wish I hadn’t because it is quite sweet, but still good!
Kasey says
Without being there and watching you make them I really am not sure. You may have needed to cook them longer. I’m glad you enjoyed the taste.
Lorri says
Made your bars today..YUM! First time using coconut flour instead of almond flour and I must say I think I like it better for cake type recipes, definitely lighter like white flour. Thank you!
Kasey says
Great! So glad you enjoyed them.
Mary says
So I started this recipe and realized that I have Swerve confectioners not granulated. Will using the confectioners make a difference? Do I need to change the amount if I use confectioners?
Thank you
Kasey says
The amount would be the same. I’ve only tried them as is, but I feel like they would be fine.
Samantha says
I have made several of your recipes and have loved them all. Can’t wait to make these. Do you have any pumpkin pancake recipe? I have found several online but wanted to try a source I’ve used before and know is good.
Kasey says
Thank you so very much! I don’t have one at this time.
Melynda says
Hello! Do you use salted butter or unsalted butter?
Kasey says
I usually just use salted butter in everything because I never remember to buy both at the grocery store.
Kate says
A friend on Keto mentioned wishing for Pumpkin Bars and during our conversation also mentioned she uses Swerve. I forwarded this recipe to her a d she’s thrilled to try it this coming weekend.
Kasey says
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing.
Alexandra says
I don’t have a 9×9 pan just 11×9 will that work?
Kasey says
It might work, but they will be flatter and will cook faster.
Tera says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Mine were soft still, and I baked them for practically an hour – not sure why, but I do know they were delicious. My daughter who turned up her nose at the mention of pumpkin loved them too. Really great recipe!!
Kasey says
While all ovens cook differently, these bars are supposed to be soft. They aren’t the same consistency as some non-keto bars. I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Mariah says
These were amazing! I’m going to make them for Thanksgiving too! I didn’t have coconut flour so I used one cup of almond flour and added an extra egg and the texture was great. They were spongy and moist and held their shape. My husband doesn’t usually like my keto desserts and he ate 3 lol.
Kasey says
Awesome! I’m so glad you loved them and made tweaks that worked for you.
Hope says
Is there a way to make this keto friendly for someone allergic to all tree nuts, coconut and peanuts and soybeans? Thanks!
Kasey says
We use coconut flour since my daughter is allergic to tree nuts and peanuts. I am not familiar with any other options.
Michelle says
These are fantastic! Served with whipped cream. Wondering how they would hold up if frozen to have on hand for quick sweet treat. Have you tried freezing?
Kasey says
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed!
Kathy says
In the picture it looks like you used swerve brown sugar. Would a combination of granular and brown make the consistency the same?
.Kasey says
I would think it would work but, because I’ve never combined the two sugars before, I’m not sure.
Deb J. says
Wow! Excellent recipe – made it exactly as you listed it. Being able to use up a can of pumpkin was why I tried this recipe but now it’s gonna be added to my favorites file!! ♥️
Suzanne says
Do you bake the crust first or just put the filling on top and then bake? Thanks so much!
.Kasey says
This recipe doesn’t have a crust.
Teresa says
I’m wanting to try these for Thanksgiving. But I don’t like the flavor of Monk. Would I use the same quantity if I use erythritol?
.Kasey says
Yes