Get new recipes delivered by email and receive my 12 Most Loved Recipes eBook - for FREE! Sign up now!

Lovely Little Kitchen

Delicious Made Simple

Navigation
  • Home
  • About
    • Meet Julie
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
      • Dips
    • Bread
      • Quick Breads
      • Rolls
      • Sourdough
    • Breakfast
      • Donuts
      • Pancakes / Waffles
    • Dessert
      • Bars
      • Brownies
      • Cakes
      • Cheesecakes
      • Chocolate
      • Cookies
      • Cupcakes
      • Ice Cream
      • Pies
    • Drinks
      • Floats
      • Smoothies
    • Healthy
    • Holidays
      • Christmas
      • Easter
      • Fourth of July
      • Halloween
    • Main Dish
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Fish
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Pork
      • Sandwiches
      • Tacos
    • Salads
    • Sauces
    • Sides
      • Potatoes
    • Slow Cooker
    • Snacks
    • Soup
  • Bits & Pieces
  • Press

Pumpkin Pie Bars

November 23, 2021

Save
Overhead shot of cut Pumpkin Pie Bars on parchment paper.

I couldn’t let the Thanksgiving holiday slip by without sharing at least one pumpkin recipe with you. I’ve had my unfair share of frustrating recipe fails lately, and I’d rather share nothing at all than something not quite worthy of your attention. But just in time, these delicious Pumpkin Pie Bars rise to the top and demand to be shared.

Overhead shot of a parchment paper line baking pan with the pumpkin mixture in it, with a measuring cup of chopped pecans, a mixing bowl of the dried ingredients with a whisk in it, and a measuring cup of melted better all next to the baking pan.

If you’ve ever made a “dump cake” the technique used here is similar. You can use a box of yellow cake mix, but I’ve written the recipe from scratch using pantry staples. It’s super easy, and tastes better made a day ahead of time. Perfect for serving at your Thanksgiving gathering.

The first layer is a basic pumpkin pie custard. The cake mix (boxed or homemade) goes on top of that, followed by a drizzle of melted butter. If you like pecans, you can sprinkle them over the cake layer as well. I made half with and half without, knowing that there are a few in our family who would appreciate the plain ones. Lastly, take a fork and gently bring that layer of cake mix, butter, and pecans together just a bit.

Close up shot of a hand holding a spatula with a Pumpkin Pie Bar on it above the rest of the cut Pumpkin Pie Bars.

I loved the ratio of pumpkin pie filling to that topping. It’s not quite a crumble, not quite a cake, and not quite a crust, but lands right in the perfect center of all three. The flavor is so delicious – buttery and nutty – it almost makes a plain pie crust seem underwhelming!

Close up shot of Pumpkin Pie Bars stacked on each other.

You definitely don’t want to make this recipe the same day you serve it. It really needs to cool at room temperature for a few hours, and then chill in the fridge for another few to really firm up. So take advantage of the fact that it can be made in advance, and have dessert checked off your to do list a day or two in advance.

A Pumpkin Pie Bar served upside down on a plate with whipped cream on top, with more Pumpkin Pie Bars in the background.

If you’d like to, you can serve your Pumpkin Pie Bars upside down, more like a traditional pumpkin pie with the crust on the bottom. It makes it a little easier to get the fork through the crust without squishing the pumpkin layer. Whipped cream is a must! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I’m so very thankful for you!

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #lovelylittlekitchen

Can't get enough?

Subscribe and I'll send all my recipes right to your inbox!  You can also keep up to date by following me on Pinterest, Instagram,  Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Pumpkin Pie Bars

  • Author: Julie
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 20 bars 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

These Pumpkin Pie Bars are the perfect make ahead dessert for your holiday gathering. Creamy pumpkin pie filling and a buttery pecan topping!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup dry powdered milk
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 29 ounce can pure pumpkin puree
  • 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 by 13 inch pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside.  
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, dry powdered milk, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  
  3. In another medium sized mixing bowl, add pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.  Beat on medium speed with electric mixer until smooth and creamy.  Pour the pumpkin filling into the prepared pan. 
  4. Evenly top the pumpkin mixture with the flour mixture.  Drizzle melted butter evenly over the top.  Sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired and use a fork to gently mix that top layer together just a bit, not stirring all the way through to the pumpkin layer.  
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Cover the top loosely with a piece of foil for the last 10 minutes if the top is getting too brown.  Remove from the oven, and cool completely at room temperature.  Refrigerate at least three hours before cutting into bars and serving.  You may find it easier to serve the pieces upside down as shown in the last picture.  Don’t forget the whipped cream!

Notes

This recipe is adapted from Taste of Home.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Bar
  • Calories: 361
  • Sugar: 37g
  • Sodium: 1605mg
  • Fat: 17g
  • Saturated Fat: 8.1g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 7.6g
  • Trans Fat: 0.4g
  • Carbohydrates: 49g
  • Fiber: 2.2g
  • Protein: 6.3g
  • Cholesterol: 71mg

Keywords: pumpkin pie bars, pumpkin bars, dessert bars, pumpkin, Thanksgiving dessert

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Save

Filed Under: Bars, Dessert, Holidays, Thanksgiving

« Chicken and Stuffing Bake
Sourdough Blueberry Breakfast Cake »

Comments

  1. Pat Hecker says

    November 23, 2021 at 10:25 am

    I love your recipes and make them often. This recipe has me a little confused.

    If you use a boxed cake mix do you mix the cake mix per box directions.
    I assume then you don’t add the first 5 ingredients but start with the 6th ingredient (pumpkin) and follow directions from there.

    Reply
    • Julie says

      November 23, 2021 at 10:44 am

      Hello Pat, thank you for making my recipes and for taking the time to ask for clarification. If you would like to use a boxed mix, you do not mix the cake per the box instructions, but just use the dry mix. And you are correct, you would start the recipe with the pumpkin puree. I hope this helps!

      Reply
  2. Karen Maskasky says

    November 23, 2021 at 10:27 am

    HOW MUCH salt in the cake mix?? I see the nutrition (1605 mg sodium) was calculated on the 1/4 CUP of salt.

    Reply
    • Julie says

      November 23, 2021 at 10:43 am

      Thank you for catching my error, Karen. I have adjusted the recipe to read 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment.

      Reply
  3. Emily says

    November 25, 2021 at 5:12 am

    Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for sharing all of your lovely recipes. This one looks delicious too!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Welcome!

Hi I'm Julie, and I spend a lot of time in my lovely little kitchen. I love gathering my family around simple delicious food. This is how I do it. Learn more →

Stay Connected

Don't Miss a Recipe

Get new recipes delivered by email and receive my 12 Most Loved Recipes eBook - for FREE!

Sign Up Now!

Copyright © 2023 · Lovely Little Kitchen · Privacy Policy