Deliciously soft & chewy Pumpkin Granola Bars with drizzles of chocolate make the perfect fall snack. They are easy to make, super hearty and tasty, and keep for ages in the fridge!
These hearty Pumpkin Granola Bars are full of wholesome pumpkin, oats, flax and nuts. Speckled with pecans and drizzles of chocolate they are satisfyingly sweet, soft, chewy and crunchy.
The bottom line? They are so-super-yummy and a great fall treat. Delicious enough to be snack, breakfast or dessert and really easy to make!
Ingredients
To make Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars you will need these ingredients:
And a few ingredient notes:
- Oats - Use certified gluten-free oats to make these bars gluten-free.
- Nut/seed butter - Any such as peanut butter, almond butter, sunbutter or cashew butter will do. Use seed butter for nut-free.
- Brown rice syrup - The key for delightfully chewy bars that hold together really, really well. I use Lundberg Organic Brown Rice Syrup. Corn syrup or Golden Syrup (if in the UK) would work in the same way but will make the bars much sweeter. You can also use maple syrup or agave but they are nowhere near as thick and sticky so your bars wont be as chewy as intended.
- Molasses - This is for its rich, deep flavor 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 omit them completely if you prefer.
- Pumpkin spice - Available with the spices in most grocery stores. If you can't find it or don't want to buy it, I've included a quick recipe for it in the Recipe FAQs.
- Chocolate - I love these bars drizzled with chocolate but if you want to make them a little healthier you can omit that part.
How To Make Pumpkin Granola Bars
Such an easy process. Here's how it's done:
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir together.
- Warm the wet ingredients together in a pan until you can mix them together easily then pour into the dry ingredients. Mix together.
- Pack down into the baking pan in an even layer then bake for 20 minutes.
- Cut into bars then drizzle with melted chocolate.
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 together. Use whenever pumpkin spice is called for in a recipe.
Corn syrup or golden syrup have the same texture and will work really well but will make the bars sweeter. Maple syrup or agave syrup can also be used but the bars won't be as chewy as intended.
Yes, these bars freeze well for up to 2 months.
Hungry For More?
If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!
Recipe
Pumpkin Granola Bars
Author:Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 grams) rolled or old fashioned oats
- 3 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice , see FAQs for alternative
- ⅓ cup (40 grams) pecan nuts , chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (112 grams) pumpkin puree
- 4 tablespoons nut or seed butter , any variety
- 4 tablespoons brown rice syrup , see FAQs for alternatives
- 1 tablespoon molasses , or use an extra tablespoon brown rice syrup
For the optional chocolate drizzle
- ½ cup (90 grams) dairy-free chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons plant 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.
- Tip into your prepared pan and press down evenly all over then bake for 20 minutes.
- Leave to cool in the pan for 20 minutes then gently lift out using the parchment paper as handles, onto a cutting board. With a large sharp knife or a pizza cutter, 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.
- Place 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
NUTRITION
This recipe was originally published on October 2nd 2015. I've since updated the post and now I am republishing it for you. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
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!