You can quickly stir together this Healthy Pumpkin Bars recipe (with oatmeal and low added sugar) for breakfast, snack time, or even dessert. The method is so quick and easy and the result is moist and full of pumpkin goodness. Win, win!
I love baking with pumpkin in the fall and winter (or anytime I just need a house full of happy smells!) and this recipe is a great way transform a can of pumpkin puree into a delicious breakfast or snack. The bars are super moist, so are easy for little ones to chew, and they are flavorful enough for us grownups too.
These healthy pumpkin bars have more oats than flour for lots of whole grain goodness (and fiber!), a whole cup of pumpkin puree for flavor and Vitamin A, and low added sugar so they aren’t overly sweet.
Because of the nutrition profile, we have them for breakfast, snack, or dessert depending on your preference. But the overall result is moist pumpkin bars that totally satisfy.
The rolled oats in this recipe add a nice dose of complex carbohydrates, which we all need for energy, and they help to keep the batter moist and almost impossible to over-bake.
Rolled oats take longer to digest than processed flour, which makes these bars a good source of balanced energy.
(You may also like Strawberry Oatmeal Bars, Banana Oatmeal Bars, and Healthy Pumpkin Cookies.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at what you need to make these healthy pumpkin bars so you know what to have on hand and ready to go.
- Rolled oats: I like to add oatmeal to this recipe for a dose of whole grains and fiber. They soften as the bars bake.
- Whole wheat flour: I use whole wheat flour to add to the whole grain base and it works really nicely in combination with the moisture in the pumpkin to create tender and nutritious bars.
- Cinnamon, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice: A combination of these two ensure that the bars have plenty of flavor.
- Ground flaxseed: I add a small amount of flaxseed for nutrition and also to aid in the structure of the bars. You can swap in chia seeds or just omit this ingredient if you don’t have it though.
- Baking powder and baking soda: We use both of these to ensure that the cake rises nicely and bakes through properly.
- Eggs: I use large eggs in my baking, so plan to use that so the volume is correct in the mix with the other ingredients.
- Pumpkin puree: You can use canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree. Or even pumpkin baby food according to your preference.
- Maple syrup: I like to add a small amount of maple syrup to ensure the bars are sweet enough. You can use honey for kids over age 1.
- Coconut oil (or another neutral oil or melted butter)
- Mini chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped walnuts
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process involved in making this healthy pumpkin bars recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information, including the amounts and timing.
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl. (photo 1)
- Stir together. (photo 2)
- Place batter into prepared and smooth with a spatula. (photo 3)
- Bake until lightly golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out cleanly. (photo 4)
TIP: You’ll want to let the pan cool completely before you slice the bars as the bars are tender when warm out of the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just let cool and slice, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5. Serve cold or warm briefly in the microwave. You can also store in the freezer for up 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
Choose canned pumpkin puree, either canned or regular, from the baking aisle of your supermarket. If you happened to have homemade pumpkin puree that was the same thickness and consistency to canned, that would work too.
How to Store
Let cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5. Serve cold or warm briefly in the microwave. You can also store in the freezer for up 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
Best Tips for Success
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats and a gluten-free flour blend.
- Dairy-free: Use diary-free chocolate chips.
- Egg-free: Grind the oats in a food processor or blender before you add them to the batter to create more of a flour-like consistency or use purchased oat flour. And omit the eggs and add 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds and ¼ cup milk.
- You can omit the flaxseed if you don’t have it. Just be sure to let it cool fully as it will be a little more tender.
- Allow to cool fully before slicing.
- Cut into smaller pieces for your child if needed.
- To make these with less added sugar for younger toddlers, use unsweetened dried fruit (such as raisins) instead of chocolate chips.
- Top with nut butter, cream cheese, or apple butter if desired.
- You may also like Breakfast Bars with Jam, 3-Ingredient Cereal Bars, and Soft-Baked Granola Bars.
Related Recipes
I’d love to know what you think about this recipe, so please comment below to share!
Healthy Pumpkin Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup whole wheat flour (or gluten free flour blend)
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (slightly cooled)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips (or raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped walnuts)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat an 8×8 pan with nonstick spray.
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and stir together to combine thoroughly, but gently.
- Place batter into prepared and smooth with a spatula so the batter is evenly distributed in the pan.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out cleanly.
- Remove from oven, place pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.
- Serve warm, at room temp, or chilled.
Video
Notes
- Let cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5. Serve cold or warm briefly in the microwave. You can also store in the freezer for up 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats and a gluten-free flour blend.
- Dairy-free: Use diary-free chocolate chips.
- Egg-free: Grind the oats in a food processor or blender before you add them to the batter to create more of a flour-like consistency or use purchased oat flour. And omit the eggs and add 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds and ¼ cup milk.
- You can omit the flaxseed if you don’t have it. Just be sure to let it cool fully as it will be a little more tender.
- To make these with less added sugar: Use unsweetened dried fruit (such as raisins) instead of chocolate chips.
- Cut into smaller pieces for your child if needed.
- Top with nut butter, cream cheese, or apple butter if desired.
Nutrition
This post was first published September 2020.
Sadly this is one of the first recipes on the site that really didn’t hit the mark for me. I get that this is low sugar so that it is suitable for kids/babies but if I’m going to bother to bake some thing, I’d like to also think it’s yummy too. I would probably add about twice as much maple syrup or some other sweetener. It’s very bland/bitter as is.
So easy to make and absolutely delicious! I love the texture, sort of a cross between pumpkin bread and baked oatmeal. Thank you again for a great easy recipe my whole family loves.
I’m so glad!
This recipe is fantastic. Nutritious, tasty, and actually easy to make. I used butter and raw sugar and added a pinch of salt
LOVE these! Do you think they would freeze well or have any suggestions on how to freeze them?
You can wrap them in plastic wrap or foil and place into an airtight zip top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You could even wrap each one individually so you can pull them out one at a time for easy snacking!
My kids absolutely loved this ! They loved to eat the dough before baking it too ?. Thanks so much ❤️.
I used mini dark chocolate stevia chips, a little xanthan gum with my gluten-free flour blend, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and cloves because I didn’t have any pumpkin pie spice. Also a little less than 1/4 c cane sugar instead of syrup because I didn’t have any. A little salt and baked in a 9×12 pan because my 8×8 has disappeared. Oh and chopped walnuts. Also steel cut type oats I often use for baking. Sorry I had to change so much but these are yummy.
This is my go to website when I want to find a reliable healthy and tasty recipe to feed my 3 and 1.5 year old! These pumpkin bars are AMAZING. They’re healthy and just the perfect amount of sweet, I used mini dark chocolate chips in mine and after tasting them I wound up making a second pan just for myself!
I’m so glad to hear that!
I love your recipes! We made your healthy chocolate chip cookies and they were a bit. My 3.5 year old also loved these bars! Will definitely make again – thank you ?
I’m so glad!
Can I increase the quantity of Flaxseed powder in this recipe? It seems very less per serving.TIA
Sure. I’m not sure I’d go over 1/4 cup though since I think that you might start to be able to taste it and/or the texture may be impacted a lot. Let me know if you try it!
I made these bars for the second time today and love them. They are easy, and a great mix of healthy and yummy!
I made this with my 2.5 year old grandson. So easy and they came out great. I want sure if he’d like the texture of the oats, but they were soft and smooth in texture and he loved them! We’ll be making these again, thanks!
Do you think the recipe would work with spelt flour? ? Can anyone confirme this? Thanks in advance. ?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure but I think it would work. Be sure to let the bars fully cool before slicing since they may be a little more tender.
Hi! I saw you say you can replace chia seeds with the ground flaxseed. I was wondering if that means you can replace the ground flax for whole chia seeds? Or would you have to ground the chia seeds in a blender first?
These look great!
You can add them whole!
Hello Amy. This looks great! Do you think it might work with leftover roasted acorn squash instead of pumpkin?
Yes, if it’s mashed very smooth and it’s not too watery. So if the pureed squash looks the same as canned pumpkin, it should be okay!
Is flaxseed used in the recipe to increase the nutritional value or influence the consistency of the bars?
Would substituting flax ‘eggs’ for regular eggs, in addition to the Tbsp of ground flaxseed, change the outcome?
If you want to make them egg-free, I’d recommend the egg-free option I have listed in the Notes at the bottom of the recipe since I know that works well. The flaxseed helps with the texture a bit.
In your recipe there are no eggs, so how can your note be about egg free?
There are two eggs in the ingredient list.