Keto Pumpkin Pie Bars with Cream Cheese Icing
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
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.
MyFitnessPal doesn’t automatically subtract the sugar alcohols from the Swerve you have to do that manually.
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).
Yay! That is fantastic. Thanks for letting me know.
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???
It could have. I don’t personally bake with Stevia so I’m not sure.
Do you think this will work wil almond flour? I
Almond flour and coconut flour are not a 1:1 substitution. It’s more like 1:4.
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.
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.
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!
Sure!
Do I have to use coconut oil or can I sub butter?
I’ve never made it with butter, but you could certainly try. Let me know how it turns out.
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.
Awesome!
Could I make these the day before thanksgiving? Do you store in the fridge? Thanks for all you post for us!
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!
I made these last night and the only problem is that I can taste the baking soda. I may leave it out next time.
Sounds like a plan.
Does it bake firm enough that I could use a muffin tin?
I’ve only made it as is so I’m not sure.
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!
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.
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!
Great! So glad you enjoyed them.
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
The amount would be the same. I’ve only tried them as is, but I feel like they would be fine.
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.
Thank you so very much! I don’t have one at this time.
Hello! Do you use salted butter or unsalted butter?
I usually just use salted butter in everything because I never remember to buy both at the grocery store.
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.
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing.