Best Pumpkin Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (2024)

This Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Bars recipe will become everyone’s favorite dessert. Topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting, these delicious pumpkin bars will disappear around a crowd.

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With Thanksgiving only weeks away, it is pumpkin season so I thought I would resurrect this Recipe for pumpkin bars with rich cream cheese frosting. It was 5 years ago that it was originally posted…and it is still a winner, winner. A perfect dessert for the holidays.

I’ve made it 3 times in the past 2 weeks and everyone in our neighborhood knows of Joe’s awesome classic Pumpkin Bars. They are a huge hit for this time of year.

Why Make Pumpkin Bars?

1. Because they are made with tasty, pumpkin spice ingredients.
2. A recipe makes a 12″ by 17″ sheet pan, (also known as a half sheet pan) #ad, full of the best pumpkin bars. Enough for a crowd!
3. They Bake in 20 minutes.
4. The result is super moist, fluffy pumpkin bars.
5. Cream cheese frosting.
6. Pumpkin desserts are in season! This is one of my favorite Halloween Recipes!
7. They make great treats to give to friends and neighbors.

I got this recipe years ago from a co-worker of MaryJo’s. She would make bars and bring them to work. The way MaryJo puts it, “People would be all elbowing each other to get a piece of Julie’s pumpkin bars!”

That kind of endorsem*nt convinced me that this should be shared. You too could be the hit of the party by making and serving these moist, cream cheese frosting-topped bars.

Ingredients Needed For Pumpkin Bars

If you are a person who does a lot of baking, you probably have most of these ingredients on hand.

For the bars you will need:

All-Purpose Flour. If you are on a gluten-free diet, King Arthur Gluten Free Flour would also work in this recipe. Bob’s Red Mill also has gluten-free flour.

Baking Powder

Baking Soda

Pumpkin Pie Spices.Cinnamon, ground ginger, ground allspice, and grated nutmeg.

Brown Sugar

Granulated Sugar

Large Eggs

Pure Pumpkin Puree.1 15-ounce can is all you need.

Canola Oil

Vanilla Extract

Salt

Mixing The Pumpkin Bar Ingredients Together

First, mix the dry ingredients together.

In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Use a spatula or whisk to mix these together.

For this recipe, I used ground nutmeg from Penzey’s spices. You may also use freshly grated nutmeg if you prefer.

Next, combine the wet ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, add the canned pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated white sugar, eggs, canola oil, and vanilla.

A whisk works well to combine all these ingredients. An electric mixer could also be used.

Now you just add the dry ingredients to the wet.

Start with about a cup of the flour mixture and whisk it until all the flour is wet.

Then add the remainder of the flour and whisk until a nice batter is formed.

If you have a few small lumps of flour left, that is alright because it will bake just fine.

Get Ready To Bake The Pumpkin Bars

Use a half-sheet 12-inch by 17-inch rimmed baking sheet to bake the bars in. (You can also use a 9-inch by 13-inch Cake pan. You would just need to bake the bars for another 5 minutes).

Lightly spray the baking dish with cooking oil spray. Then pour the pumpkin bar batter into the prepared pan.

Use a spatula to even out the batter. I even lift the sheet up and drop it back onto the kitchen counter to make it more even.

Place the baking sheet into your preheated 350°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes. Turn the sheet 180° after 10 minutes.

The bars will be done when there is slight browning and separation around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let the pumpkin cake bars cool. Next, mix up a batch of cream cheese Frosting.

Step-By-Step Recipe For Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients For The Frosting

You will need:

• 6 tablespoons of butter at room temperature.
• 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese at room temperature.
• 3 cups of sifted confectioners sugar, (powdered sugar).
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, (optional).

Mix the room-temperature butter with the room-temperature Cream Cheese in a large bowl until it is smooth. A hand mixer works well for this or even a stand mixer.

Next, add the pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Then add the sifted confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time and mix until smooth.

Continue to add the powdered sugar until it is all combined and smooth.

Use a spatula to incorporate the dry sugar from the edges of the bowl.

Now you are ready to frost the cooled baked pumpkin bars.

It is best to place dabs of frosting on the baked bars. Use an offset spatula to evenly spread the cream cheese frosting.

Once the cream cheese frosting is applied, it is best to refrigerate the bars for 60 minutes or more before they are cut into squares.

Storing the Pumpkin Bars

The bars need to be stored in the refrigerator. I believe that they would last 5 days, covered in the refrigerator, but I don’t think anyone has gone that long without eating them all.

They would be perfect to make a day ahead, refrigerate, and serve the next day.

To freeze the bars, put them into an Airtight Container and freeze them for up to 3 months. Defrost them by taking them out of the freezer and letting them defrost at room temperature.

That’s what makes the pumpkin bars a great treat to take to work and a sheet pan full serves 32 people, (2 1/2″ by 2 1/2″ piece).

Frequently Asked Question

This is an easy peasy recipe to put together and the result is much more than the sum of its parts.

This pumpkin bar recipe is a perfect way to satisfy your pumpkin cravings.

The full printable Recipe Card is below

Leave a comment to let me know how you liked them!

Also, check out these Dessert recipes:

• Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce
• Key Lime Pie
• 30 Minute Chewy Chocolate Cookies
• Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce