These pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting is the ultimate fall treat! Our pumpkin bar recipe creates soft and moist bars that are topped with a rich and silky-smooth homemade cream cheese frosting. This is a family recipe that I began baking for myself in college as my birthday treat. For the last 15 years or so, these bars are something I bake at least 2-3 times a season because they’re always a huge hit. Our step-by-step photos and detailed instructions will help you make the best pan of bars the first time.
My aunt Becky’s delicious pumpkin bars are a quintessential part of my childhood and to this day is still one of my favorite fall desserts. As a lifelong teacher in home economics, she would make trays upon trays of these to sell at intermission at her school’s fall plays as a fundraiser for a school home economics youth program she helped to lead. She did this for 15+ years, and her record is making 52 pans of pumpkin bars (that’s 104 dozen bars!).
We’d go every year to support her, and often helped her make the pumpkin bars. When I was about 10 years old, I had my aunt dictate this recipe to me so I could write it down and make these at home. I still have that copy, written on a piece of orange construction paper, tucked into my recipe binder that I pull out every year in the fall to make pumpkin bars for family and friends. The only change I’ve made to the original recipe that I wrote down as a kid is adding my favorite homemade cream cheese frosting in lieu of a store-bought version. And correcting a couple of spelling errors.
If you’ve been looking for the best pumpkin bar recipe, this is it. Simple. Classic. Delicious. A great recipe for the fall season! If you’re wanting more of a pie but love bars, our pumpkin pie bars are just what you need! If you are looking for more yummy pumpkin recipes to try, be sure to check out our 3-ingredient pumpkin muffins, pumpkin streusel muffins, homemade pumpkin coffee creamer, and no bake pumpkin dip recipes!
What Makes These the Best Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese
Easy to make! This pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting recipe is great for beginners! Measure and mix your ingredients as directed, spread in your prepared pan, bake, cool, and frost… you can totally make these! And you should.
Awesome fall flavors. Pumpkin is the predominant flavor of this fall dessert, as you’d expect. And the use of cinnamon in the cake adds the perfect hint of warm spices to perfectly complement the pumpkin.
Decadent cream cheese frosting. The best pumpkin bar recipes are slathered with cream cheese frosting. Our homemade cream cheese frosting is ultra creamy and silky smooth, making these the best pumpkin bars ever!
Light and fluffy texture. These fluffy pumpkin bars have a wonderfully light and airy texture that keeps you coming back for more.
What You’ll Need for Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese
- Canned Pumpkin Puree: You need one 16oz can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) to make this recipe. Check out the FAQ section for more information on why 100% pumpkin puree is the best choice for pumpkin desserts.
- Whipped Cream Cheese: Whipped cream cheese is the secret ingredient to making the best cream cheese frosting! Using this helps create the smoothest frosting. Yes, you can use regular cream cheese, but you need to work a lot harder to avoid lumps in your frosting.
- Cinnamon
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- All-Purpose Flour
- Powdered Sugar
- Canola Oil
- Large Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Salted Butter
- Salt
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously grease a 10″×15″ cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, and sugar together with a whisk.
Add in the pumpkin puree and whisk until combined.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients (cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour) into the wet ingredients.
Whisk to create a smooth batter (a few lumps are ok).
Pour the pumpkin mixture into the greased jelly roll pan.
Spread the batter into an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Once the bars have cooled, make the cream cheese frosting. Begin by beating the cream cheese and softened butter together in a large bowl until smooth.
Add in vanilla extract and confectioners sugar (½ Cup at a time) and continue to beat until smooth.
If a thicker texture is desired, add an additional ¼ Cup of confectioner’s sugar and beat until combined and smooth.
Spread the cream cheese frosting into an even layer over cooled pumpkin bars.
Cut into squares, serve, and enjoy!
Variations for Pumpkin Squares with Cream Cheese Frosting
- If desired, add a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice on top of the cream cheese frosting for an added pop of fall flavor (and a nice contrast to the white frosting for a pretty presentation). Remember, a little cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice) goes a long way. Do not heavily coat your frosting with spices as they will be overpowering.
- Use a regular block of cream cheese for the frosting. I prefer to use whipped cream cheese when making homemade cream cheese frosting because it results in the smoothest texture. But using a regular block of cream cheese frosting is totally fine if that’s easier for you to find! Just be sure that it is softened at room temperature before being whipped with your other frosting ingredients for best results.
- Use a 9×13 pan and make these into pumpkin cake bars. While the recipe calls for using a jelly roll pan, not everyone has one of these. I used to make this recipe every year in college for my birthday, but only had a 9×13 pan to work with. But I learned that this classic pumpkin bars recipe turned into a really lovely pumpkin cake too! By baking this recipe in a 9×13 pan many, many times, I learned that you just need to cook your bars a little longer (closer to 45 mins – 1 hour) due to the depth of the batter in the pan. If this is the size pan you have, you could still give this recipe a try, you’ll just end up with thicker bars.
Pumpkin Squares Recipe Tips
Do NOT use granulated sugar in your cream cheese frosting! Powdered sugar is a must when making cream cheese frosting because granulated sugar resulted in a grainy and crunchy texture.
Recipe Note: If preferred, you can definitely make this pumpkin squares recipe in your stand mixer! For steps 2 and 3, place wet ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed to combine ingredients. Slowly add in the flour mixture (or dry ingredients one at a time) at medium speed until combined. While the bars cool, wash and dry your mixer bowl and use it to make your cream cheese frosting. When making the cream cheese frosting, begin at a slow speed until most of the powdered sugar is mixed in and then increase to a medium-high speed. Beat until the frosting is smooth.
Storing Pumpkin Squares with Cream Cheese Frosting
Store leftover bars in an airtight container, or in the baking pan covered tightly with plastic wrap, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Pumpkin Squares Recipe FAQs
Canned pumpkin puree, or 100% pure pumpkin, only contains cooked and mashed pumpkin whereas pumpkin pie filling contains cooked and mashed pumpkin with added flavors, spices, and sometimes added sugars. Pumpkin puree is great for making all kinds of baked goods like pies, cakes, and muffins. It is also great for making autumnal savory items like soups. Using 100% pumpkin allows you to customize your dishes with the spices and flavors you want. For this reason, 100% pure pumpkin puree should be used in this recipe.
Of course! You will need about 2 cups of cooked and mashed pumpkin for this pumpkin bar recipe. If you have pumpkins to bake and use, please feel free to do so! My aunt will also tell you that you could use baked and mashed winter squash or even cooked and mashed carrots (there is a funny family story around this) as a substitute.
To get a true pumpkin bar, that is the best size pan to use. However, if a 9×13 pan is your only option, you can make these into pumpkin cake bars instead! To do so, you will need to cook your bars longer (closer to 45 mins – 1 hour) due to the depth of the batter in the pan.
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BEST Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bars
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Cup vegetable oil
- 2 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 , 15 ounce can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 + ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 Cup all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces whipped cream cheese
- ½ Cup salted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Cup confectioners sugar (aka powdered sugar)
- optional: pinch of salt
Instructions
Pumpkin Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously grease a 10"×15" cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Mix together ‘wet’ ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin puree until combined.
- Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until smooth. Option to mix all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl before doing this if desired.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the greased jelly roll pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.*
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla extract, and confectioners sugar (½ Cup at a time) and continue to beat until smooth. If a thicker texture is desired, add an additional ¼ Cup confectioners sugar and beat until combined and smooth.
Frost and Serve
- Spread the cream cheese frosting into an even layer over the cooled pumpkin bars.
- Cut into squares, serve, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If desired, add a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice on top of the cream cheese frosting for an added pop of fall flavor (and a nice contrast to the white frosting for a pretty presentation). Remember, a little cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice) goes a long way. Do not heavily coat your frosting with spices as they will be overpowering.
- Use a regular block of cream cheese for the frosting. Be sure that it is softened at room temperature before being whipped with your other frosting ingredients for best results.
- Use a 9×13 pan and make these into pumpkin cake bars. If a 9×13 pan is your only option, you can make these into pumpkin cake bars instead! To do so, you will need to cook your bars longer (closer to 45 mins – 1 hour) due to the depth of the batter in the pan.
Amanda says
So easy and delicious! I substitute applesauce for oil and they turned out great.
Meredith says
So happy to hear you loved these pumpkin bars, and great to know on the applesauce and oil substitution – thank you!
Meredith says
The best fall treat!
Laura says
These are INCREDIBLE. If you ever need a dessert that is sure to please a crowd, make these bars! Not too sweet, perfect pumpkin flavor, very moist. These are going in the recipe book to make every fall. They are the best.
Meredith says
I’m so, so happy to hear this Laura!!! Thank you so much for your kind words, and love that these are being added to your recipe book.
Joe says
These are seriously the BEST pumpkin bars I’ve ever had. So moist and the frosting is not overly sweet. I could eat the whole pan in one sitting and I almost did.
Meredith says
High praise, thank you Joe!!! Hope you can enjoy another bar (or pan of bars) soon!
Debbie Miller says
Easy to make with my Premium Gold Gluten Free Flour: Flax & Ancient Grains AP Flour. I made a double batch for a local auction sale that our church’s ladies aide served at. Perfect and who knew.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
I’m so happy to hear these bars worked will for you, even with the GF modifications! Thanks for trying these out Debbie 🙂
Luci says
Love the pumpkin bars….have to have cream cheese frosting! And my Mom even had a heavy Wearever sheet cake pan just like the one in your picture. Have to make these every year.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
So happy you love these too! And you really can’t beat mom’s antique pan, can you?!
Debbie says
Wow! Imagine my surprise to open this and find my exact same recipe that I’ve been making for over thirty years! I guess this recipe must have been developed by many of us❣️😁
ourlovelanguageisfood says
Glad to hear you love and make this classic bake too! Classic pumpkin bars are just the best.