Deliciously soft and chewy Pumpkin Granola Bars with drizzles of chocolate. Easy to make in 35 minutes. They keep for ages in the fridge and make the perfect hearty and wholesome fall snack!
Craving more healthy pumpkin recipes? You'll love my Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars, Pumpkin Seed Granola, and Pumpkin Smoothie!
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Let's have a little snack, shall we?
These Pumpkin Granola Bars are chewy, crunchy, perfectly sweet, full of wholesome pumpkin, oats, flax, nuts (or pumpkin seeds), and of course, copious drizzles of chocolate.
You're in for a treat because they make the best fall snack, grab-and-go breakfast, or dessert, and they are really easy to make in a little over 30 minutes, start to finish.
Mel x
🎃 WHY YOU'LL LOVE THESE PUMPKIN GRANOLA BARS
- Quick and easy - You can have these baked and ready to enjoy in about 35 minutes.
- Healthy & nutritious - They are full of wholesome ingredients, but taste like a real treat!
- Great for fall meal prep - They keep for ages in the fridge and even longer in the freezer.
- Easy to make nut-free - Switch the pecans for pumpkin seeds and use your favourite seed butter instead of nut butter!
- Perfectly chewy - They have an amazing chewy, crunchy, pleasing texture.
Ingredient Notes
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Oats - Use certified gluten-free oats if you need to make these bars gluten-free.
- Nut/seed butter - Any such as peanut butter, almond butter, sunbutter, or cashew butter. Use seed butter like Sunbutter or tahini for nut-free.
- Brown rice syrup - The key for delightfully chewy granola bars that hold together really, really well. I use Lundberg Organic Brown Rice Syrup. Corn syrup or Golden Syrup will work in the same way but will both make the bars much sweeter. You could also use maple syrup or agave, but the bars might not hold together so well and won't be as chewy.
- Molasses - This is for its rich, deep flavour that works so well with the pumpkin. Regular molasses or blackstrap is fine. Looking for a sub? Use an extra tablespoon of brown rice syrup instead.
- Pecans - Any other nut or seed can be used instead. Walnuts or pumpkin seeds work really well. You can even omit them completely.
- Pumpkin spice - It's really delicious in these granola bars and complements the pumpkin and chocolate flavours well. You can usually find it with the spices in the grocery store. If you can't find it or don't want to buy it, I've included a quick recipe for it in the FAQs.
- Chocolate - I love these bars drizzled with chocolate, but if you want to make them a little healthier, you can omit it. I usually use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you could use a bar of chocolate instead.
Recipe FAQs
Make your own pumpkin pie spice blend to keep in the pantry. Combine:
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cloves and ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg. Add to a jar, seal it and give it a good shake to mix everything. Use whenever pumpkin spice is called for in a recipe.
Corn syrup or Golden Syrup will work in the same way but will both make the bars much sweeter. You could also use maple syrup or agave, but the bars might not hold together so well and won't be as chewy.
Yes, these bars freeze well for up to 2 months.
Recipe
Pumpkin Granola Bars
Author:Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 grams) rolled or old-fashioned oats
- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice, see FAQs for alternative
- ⅓ cup (40 grams) chopped pecan nuts, or pumpkin seeds for nut-free
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (112 grams) pumpkin puree
- 4 tablespoons nut or seed butter, any variety
- 4 tablespoons brown rice syrup, or golden syrup or corn syrup, although these will make the bars sweeter.
- 1 tablespoon molasses, or use an extra tablespoon of brown rice syrup
For the optional chocolate drizzle
- ½ cup (90 grams) dairy-free chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl, add the oats, ground flax, pumpkin spice, pecans, and salt. Mix to combine.
- To a small saucepan, add the pumpkin, nut/seed butter, brown rice syrup and molasses. Warm gently until you can easily whisk them together. It should only take about 5 minutes.
- Spoon the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir together really well with a wooden spoon or firm spatula until everything is combined and you can't see any dry spots.
- Spoon into your prepared pan and press down firmly and evenly all over to compact, then place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Leave to cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes, then gently lift out using the parchment paper as handles. Place on a cutting board and cut into 10 evenly sized pieces.
- Add the milk and chocolate chips to a small bowl and melt gently over a pan of simmering water or very gently in the microwave. Give it a good stir until smooth.
- Place the cut granola bars on the parchment paper (to catch spills), then drizzle the chocolate all over the top with a spoon. Allow to set either on the counter or more quickly in the fridge.
NOTES
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Baz says
Your recipes appear delectable and nutrient dense. Thanks for the time you devote to preparing a vegetarian alternative to baking and cooking.
Joanie Lewis says
Hi Mel - always wonderful to try one of your delicious recipes. I used coconut nectar and they wanted to crumble when cutting. They stayed together but don't look as perfect as yours! All the same, they taste delicious. Thanks for all your hard work and commitment.
Annie says
These were incredibly good!