Pumpkin Creme Bars (Vegan and Gluten Free)

Melissa King Healthy Brownies and Bars, Recipes

Pumpkin Creme Bars.  OMG!  These pumpkin creme bars are amazing!  Since it’s technically September, it’s okay to start rolling out the pumpkin recipes.

One can never have too many pumpkin recipes right?  Especially when they are healthy pumpkin recipes.

Since it’s still in the 100’s here in Texas, I thought my first pumpkin recipe of the season should be a frozen treat.  So I am starting with these pumpkin creme bars.  These bars are so easy to make and the recipe only contains 9 ingredients!

 

pumpkin creme bars

 

These pumpkin creme bars are vegan, gluten free, dairy free and even paleo friendly.  If you needed a nut free option, I suppose you could use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds in place of the pecans.   I love everything about this recipe.

Starting with the cinnamon pecan crust, then the creamy pumpkin center and it’s topped with creamy chocolate.  If you are a lover of all things pumpkin, you may also enjoy this post.

I used vegan chocolate chips for my chocolate topping, but you can also probably use my 3 ingredient chocolate bar recipe.

Here is a quick video on how to make the 3 ingredient chocolate. For more videos, you can subscribe to my You Tube Channel.

Looking for more pumpkin recipes?

Pumpkin Creme Bars

Pumpkin Creme Bars

print shopping list
Prep Time 30 min Serves 9 medium sized squares     adjust servings

A creamy chocolate and pumpkin dessert!

Ingredients

    For the crust

    For the filling

    For the chocolate topping

    Instructions

    1. In a food processor , mix the nuts and cinnamon for a minute. When you see the mixture start to get moist, add the dates and process until a loose dough starts to form.
    2. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. Gently press the dough into the bottom of the baking pan. Stick in the the freezer while you make the creme filling.
    3. Make sure your can of coconut milk has been refrigerated overnight. Open the can and scoop the solid white part into your mixing bowl. You can save the remaining water for smoothies.
    4. Using the whipping attachment on your mixer , whip the coconut milk into a cream. While that is whipping, mix the remaining filling ingredients in the food processor .
    5. Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the coconut cream.
    6. Once everything is incorporated, spread the mixture on top of the crust in the baking dish and place it back in the freezer.
    7. To make the chocolate topping, fill a saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Place a glass bowl on top of the sauce pan. Put the chocolate chips and almond milk into the glass bowl and gently melt the mixture. You will need to keep a close watch and stir constantly.
    8. Once the chocolate is melted, spread it over the creme layer in the baking dish and place it back in the freezer to set.

    by

    Recipe Notes

    For best results, let the bars sit in the freezer overnight before cutting into squares. When you pull the baking dish out of the freezer, it will need to sit on the counter for about 5 minutes before it is soft enough to cut. These should last quite some time in the freezer. Enjoy!

    Subscribe
    Join more than 35,000 subscribers and start gettiing free recipes direct to your inbox!

    You may also like

    Lemon Zucchini Muffins
    Chocolate Coconut Tarts (Vegan)
    Vegan Sweetened Condensed Milk
    Paleo Apple Cobbler (Vegan and Gluten Free)

    77 thoughts to “Pumpkin Creme Bars (Vegan and Gluten Free)”

    1. I have every single one of these ingredients at home. You better believe I'm saving this to make. Holy chocolate covered pumpkin goodness. I'm pretty sure I'll be addicted to these so thanks for the recipe. Keep the pumpkin coming!!
      Reply
    3. Oh my goodness these look fantastic! We're surprisingly enjoying (what I imagine is) the last bit of summer still in England but I could still crack open a can of pumpkin. These would be perfect for Halloween of course ;) Pinned!
      Reply
    6. Is there a substitute I could use for the dates? I have all the ingredients otherwise and these sound so good I can't wait to try them!
      Reply
      1. Do you have another kind of dried fruit to use instead? Apricots or raisins might work too. The dates not only add a sweetness, but they also help with the binding.
        Reply
    8. I have whipping cream, but not coconut milk. Since I don't know how much of the fat would come out of the coconut can, can you say about much whipping cream would I use instead?
      Reply
    10. These look delicious, I love pumpkin and it's so good for you!! It is already starting to cool down here in Iowa. My husband's family is in Texas and they have been complaining about the heat!! Thanks for the great recipe!!
      Reply
    13. I am printing the recipe now and just added pecans to my grocery list, thank you! One question - I don't have a whipping attachment to my generic little mixer. Do you think it will turn out if I just mix it?
      Reply
          1. The verdict is in: DELICIOUS!! I do not have a whipping attachment so I used my hand held immersion blender. I erred on the side of caution and didn't blend it too much and it turned out great. My oldest daughter loves the Pumpkin Creme Bars too. My other kids are punks (lol, kidding!) and won't try it because they aren't pumpkin fans. Their loss. Soooo... I feel like you might be able to make an amazing chocolate eclair, based on this recipe. Any future plans for that? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. :) Thanks for the great recipe! :)
            Reply
    16. Do the pecans need to be soaked first, soaked and dehydrated, or just out of the bag? I would think these different options would change the outcome considerably, so I'm asking ahead of time. ;)
      Reply
    17. Have any of the nut-tree folks tried the sunflower seed substitute? Wondering if it still tastes good eventhough it's 2c of pecans we are replacing.
      Reply
    18. I made these last night. My whole foods full fat coconut milk was homogeneous and did not yeald any solids after 2 days in the fridge, which was suprising because there are always solids in the full fat coconut milk even in room temperature and I always have to mix it well before use. That didn't stop me though, I just got about 1 cup of it and creamed it. I had issues with the crust and the chocolate topping as well; the crust was too crumbly which I think is due to not enough processing and the chocolate topping became too hard to spread easily due to over heating... Despite all the cook's errors I froze it last night and tasted it this morning and it came out delicious. I can only imagine how much better it would taste if I can make them correctly. Thanks for the recipe.
      Reply
    20. Having a problem with the full fat coconut milk. Don't understand I put can in fridge but does turn solid. How much cocobutter do I need?
      Reply
      1. What brand are you using? I find it works best with Thai Organic. It should turn solid. If you use coconut butter, keep in mind it will be harder in the center and you can probably store these in the fridge. I am going to guess you need about 1 1/2 cups coconut butter.
        Reply

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *