Last Thanksgiving I was in charge of making gravy, salad and pie. Heck, if I could make the entire Thanksgiving spread I totally would. As exhausting and overwhelming as it would be, I feel as though bringing everyone together though food I made would be completely worth it. In fact, one of my favorite parts about being a cook and baker is seeing the reaction of people’s faces once they taste a dish I’ve made. Cooking for others always feels like it’s my way of letting them know that I truly care and appreciate them; there’s just something magical about it. In a sense, it’s actual gift giving; cooking and baking require thought, love and time.
I have no doubt that some of you feel the same, especially those of you who LOVE to bake.
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I also know that sometimes it can be fairly difficult to cater to those with special dietary needs. If you don’t have a diet restriction yourself it’s hard to know where to begin, if the ratios make sense, how it will taste, etc. While I’m not gluten free, I do love to experiment while baking (as you probably know).
After collecting your responses from my reader survey, I was surprised that many of you are indeed gluten free and/or dairy free. Thank you so much for taking the time to fill that out; referencing the survey has been very helpful for me as I continue to grow AK and think about the possibility of a cookbook. I promise to try and include more gluten free options for you in the future, like these super delish pumpkin pie bars.
These bars are just wonderful. They’re dairy free and gluten free and I’m quite certain they could perhaps be vegan, too. The crust is made with oat flour (you’ll make your own), rolled oats, brown sugar, vanilla, coconut oil and pecans. The filling with Go Veggie! Plain Cream Cheese, pumpkin, a few spices and an egg to hold it all together. Then the filling is topped with a little bit more oats and brown sugar which essentially bakes right into the pumpkin.
I loved using the Go Veggie! Cream Cheese as it made the filling super creamy. It won’t taste like cream cheese once you add the spices, but instead a velvety, smooth filling. Best of all the cream cheese is actually dairy free, gluten free and vegan!
So if you’re ready to whip up a gluten free dessert for Thanksgiving, look no further. Please note that these will need to be made at least 2-4 hours ahead of time in order to set properly. I tried them cold, but I’m sure they’d also be delicious warmed up with ice cream on top (omg would that taste like pumpkin crisp?!).
Enjoy! xo
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Pumpkin Pie Bars with Brown Sugar Oatmeal Crust (gluten free & dairy free!)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free oat flour
- 1 cup gluten free oats
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
- For the filling:
- 4 oz Go Veggie! Plain Cream Cheese
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper so that you're able to easily remove the bars after.
- In a large bowl, combine oat flour, oats, baking soda, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
- Stir in melted coconut oil until the mixture is crumbly and toss in pecans. Measure out a cup of the mixture and set aside in a small bowl.
- Press the remaining mixture into the prepared pan; you'll need to press hard to ensure that all of the mixture will stick together well. Bake for 10 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, prepare filling by combining cream cheese, pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla, egg and spices. Pour over crust then evenly sprinkle remaining topping over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until top is set and toothpick inserted into middle comes out fairly clean. Makes 16 bars.
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post is part of a partnership I have with Go Veggie! Foods. All opinions are my own, thanks for continuing to support AK!
Hello,
If you don’t have GF oat flour can you use GF flour instead,
Thanks,
I’m afraid the texture will be different!
These are so delicious!! I will definitely be making them again!!
Yum, such a good one. SO glad you are enjoying this recipe ❤️🙂
Hi, Can I swap all purpose flour for the oat flour?
This recipe looks amazing & I’d love to try it wo purchasing oat flour. Thanks
Hi! Because you’ll be using oats in the crust itself, follow this tutorial to learn how to make your own oat flour from oats 🙂
There filling didn’t make much of an impact maybe needs to be doubled. The blueberry version is a five star.
Thanks for your review, James! This is an older recipe that we might just have to update soon 🙂
Just updating my comment from 10/18/2020….
After much thought, I decided that this was yummy, but I felt like the pumpkin got overshadowed by the pecan…and I LOVE pumpkin. So when I made this for Thanksgiving, I made the crust as written but only held back 3/4c. Then I DOUBLED the pumpkin filling. That’s it. Dessert nirvana for me. Absolute perfection.
THANK YOU!
Amazing! I’m glad that swap worked out well 🙂
I make these every year at least once and often twice. They are always a huge hit and a couple years ago someone requested I bring them to an event because they loved them so much. The only thing I change is I double the filling because I like that filling-crust ratio better. Otherwise I don’t get as much pumpkin flavor. So they need to bake 10-20 minutes longer.
Oops, I do use regular cream cheese most of the time, but I have made it with several kinds of non dairy cream cheeses and it has always come out perfect.
Perfect! So glad these are a hit!
I’ve been looking for a really good pumpkin dessert for the fall. Since I have Celiac, GF is a must. I found this recipe and decided it sounded too good to pass up. I used dairy butter and dairy cream cheese. I decided to go with Ceylon cinnamon rather than Vietnamese just because I thought it would complement the other ingredients better. Otherwise, followed the instructions exactly. Found it came together quickly and easily with ingredients I usually have on hand. Took it to dinner with the family and everyone LOVED it! Definitely the blue ribbon winner in my search. Thanks for sharing!
I’m just wondering how to store these. I just made them but we won’t be eating them until tomorrow. Room temp? Fridge? Freezer? Thanks in advance!
Hi! I’d recommend storing them in the fridge 🙂 enjoy!
FABULOUS!
Friend made these for a girls lunch today. YUM!!!! She used Trader Joes Vegan Cream Cheese.
Love it!!
I tried your recipe today. I used almond flour instead of oat flour and butter instead of coconut oil. It is so delicious! So glad I was in a baking mood today!
Glad those swaps worked out for you! Perfect fall treat 🙂
These were so delicious!!! I didn’t have/didn’t feel like making oat flour, so I used almond flour instead. I subbed coconut sugar instead of brown sugar in the crust and used maple syrup instead of sugar in the filling. I can’t get over how amazing they are!! Thank you for a great recipe!
Great! I’m glad those swaps worked out for you. Perfect fall dessert!
Excited to try this recipe, but wondering if the crust should cool before pouring the filling on top and baking again?
Hi Elizabeth! You’ll just need to cool the crust for a little bit (doesn’t have to be completely cooled) and then you should be good to go!
They’re in the oven now for Thanksgiving tomorrow!
I hope you loved them!
I made these with dairy and gluten and they were really good
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
I made these with dairy and they were really good
I would like to make these vegan…do you see any problem with omitting the egg? There is a link next to the egg, but it doesn’t seem to provide me with an alternative. Sometimes I’ve used a banana in its place, though.
Hi! My son has been recently diagnosed with an extensive list of allergies: wheat, eggs, milk, soy and peanut butter. Your recipes have made a big difference in my day-to-day breakfast and snack planning. Love your blog!
Made these today and they are AMAZING! Wow. Used regular reduced fat cream cheese (because I had it on hand), but will try Go Veggie brand next time…will definitely be making these again. Thank you!!
I was looking forward to making these pumpkin bars. They turned out badly. The baking soda was in every bite of the crust and topping. The crust never came together and was a bunch of oats under the pumpkin. The crust tasted terrible. What a waste!
Wow! I’m so sorry you didn’t like them. Are you sure you measured the baking soda correctly?
These are amazing. So, incredibly delicious. Quick question, do they have to be refrigerated?
Yes, they should be kept refrigerated.
These look amazing! Is there a lower saturated fat option to the coconut oil? I have seen applesauce used in recipes. Do you think that will work?
No I don’t think applesauce would work at all. You could replace with butter or a vegan butter stick.
I made a “test batch” of these to make sure they were delicious enough for Thanksgiving….um….they are amazing! I will definitely be making these again. I really appreciate the updates you’re making to your recipes to keep them gf and df! I highly recommend these. 🙂
Oh good! I’m glad you liked them and are enjoying my DF, GF recipes. 🙂
These look fabulous!!!
Oh wow! These look fantastic!!!
I would like to make these today but are wondering if I can replace the gluten free oats for old fashion rolled oats? Also can I use reg creamcheese
Yes you can use regular oats and regular cream cheese, but I LOVE Go Veggie!
These look fantastic, thanks Monique! One question–you have baking soda listed in the ingredients, but not in the instructions. Does it go in the crust? (makes the most sense, but wanted to check before I made them!) Thanks again!
Yes, so sorry! Fixed!
That brown sugar oatmeal crust is calling to me!! Omg. Total deliciousness.
Yumm! Your photos are amazing, I feel like I can see just how soft and crispy they are all the way from my cubicle! haha I love the gluten-free approach!
Ohh girl these look amazzzzing!!
oh my lawd these look amazing! you are a wizard in the kitchen.
Oh my goodness, stop. You’re making me hungry. These pumpkin bars look insanely good. I’ve never seen that Go Veggie cream cheese before – it looks promisingly delicious! Pinning this!