Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars

Soft and chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars are hearty, easy to make, loaded with healthy ingredients, freezer-friendly and come with gluten and nut-free options. They make a great breakfast or snack throughout the fall season.

Hello fall, and hello Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars! A seasonal spin on my very popular Healthy Breakfast Bars. These cake-y bars are an easy-to-make and super satisfying treat that is just perfect to add to your fall baking list!

Jump to:

• Ingredient notes
• How to make pumpkin oatmeal bars
• Success Tips
• Variations
• Storage & freezing
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe FAQs
• Hungry for more?
• 📖 Recipe
• Comments

Ingredient notes

Just like my healthy no-bake bars and my Banana Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins, these pumpkin oatmeal breakfast bars (or snack bars) are loaded with nutritious ingredients, come with a gluten-free and nut-free option, and taste sweet and amazing.

Here's a summary of the main players and why we're using them:

• Pumpkin puree - The official taste of fall! Canned is the easiest option but you can make your own puree if you prefer. Just don’t use pumpkin pie filling as it has added sugars and spices and could affect how the recipe turns out.
• Nut or seed butter - Any kind is fine, whether it’s peanut, cashew, almond, pumpkin seed, or sunflower seed butter. This is our fat source and is what gives the bars their lovely almost cake-y texture, and a lovely rich flavour too.
• Rolled / old fashioned oats - For texture, heartiness and nutrition. Use certified gluten-free rolled oats to make the bars gluten-free.
• Flour - Whole wheat, all-purpose (plain in the UK), spelt, oat, or all-purpose gluten-free flour will all work. Just use whatever you have available.
• Baking powder - To leaven and lighten the bars.
• Pumpkin spice - For that delicious fall flavour. Buy it or make your own, or just use ground cinnamon instead.
• Chopped nuts - For crunchy texture and nutty flavour. Walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans are my nuts of choice but feel free to use any kind you have at home or use seeds (like pumpkin or sunflower seeds) instead if you need the bars to be nut-free.
• Pitted dates - Dates are naturally sweet and mean you can get away without using any sugar. They also give the bars really divine little caramel-y chewy bits throughout once baked.
• Vanilla extract and maple syrup - For natural sweetness and flavour. Be sure to use real maple syrup and not pancake syrup.
• Vegan chocolate chips - Because chocolate is always welcome. This is optional though. The bars are still great without them. You can even use nuts or seeds instead.

How to make pumpkin oatmeal bars

My healthy oatmeal bars with pumpkin are easy to make. First up lightly grease and line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper. I line mine with two strips, one going each way like this:

Then:

1. Mix the pumpkin puree, nut or seed butter, vanilla, and maple syrup together.
2. Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl along with the dates and nuts, then add the pumpkin mixture.
3. Mix it together really well to make a very thick batter.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle over some chocolate chips or nuts then bake.

Success Tips

For the very best results when making this recipe follow these tips:

• Don't use nut butter that's dry. It should be soft and drippy or your mixture will end up too dry and the ingredients won't bind together well.
• Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.

Other than that they are pretty straightforward and you can't really go wrong!

Variations

• Make the pumpkin oatmeal bars gluten-free by using an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix, or oat flour and certified gluten-free rolled oats.
• If you have a nut allergy, swap the nut butter and chopped nuts for seed butter and pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
• Not a huge chocolate fan? Sprinkle more nuts or even some cacao nibs on top instead of the chocolate chips.
• Don't like dates? You can omit them but the bars won't be as sweet and also won't have the delicious chewy caramel-y bits throughout.
• Need more toppings? Add a handful of dried fruit like raisins, sultanas, or cranberries. You could also add a drizzle of melted chocolate or swirl through some of my Pumpkin Caramel Sauce.
• Increase the plant protein and add in 1 to 2 tablespoons of chia seeds or hemp hearts.
• Use sweet potato puree or squash puree instead of pumpkin.

Storage & freezing

To store - Place in an airtight container and store either at room temperature (if your kitchen isn’t too warm) or in the fridge. They will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature and up to 2 weeks in the fridge. 

To freeze - Place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Keep a slice of parchment paper between each layer to stop them from sticking together when frozen.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy my healthy pumpkin oatmeal bars just as they are, or top with some vegan yogurt for an extra special treat. Maybe pile on a few extra nuts or chocolate chips and some slices of banana? Or really push the boat out and turn them into pumpkin dessert bars! Warm one up in the microwave for a minute then top with dairy-free vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of date caramel for a sweet treat! 

Recipe FAQs

Hungry for more?

Love pumpkin? You might also enjoy my:

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📖 Recipe

This recipe was originally published on September 17th, 2020. I've since rewritten the post and now I am republishing it for you. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!