Pumpkin Pie Bars Recipe (Made with a Shortbread Crust)

Last Updated on August 6, 2022 by Kathryn Donangelo

This Pumpkin Pie Bars Recipe is the easiest and most delicious dessert to make this Fall. Made with the same flavors of a pumpkin pie but made with a shortbread crust and in a bar form!

PIN Pumpkin Pie Bars to try later!

If you love Pumpkin Pie, you will fall in love with this easy Pumpkin Pie Bars Recipe! These bars have all the same flavors of a traditional pumpkin pie but are baked in a baking pan instead of a pie pan to make bars, similar to a slab pie.

Made with real pumpkin puree, warm pumpkin spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. I love topping the bars with a swirl of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

This Shortbread Crust is so incredibly easy to make with only 5 simple ingredients. You don’t have to stress about making a pumpkin pie crust for this recipe. The shortbread crust comes together in a food processor in minutes.

If you love pumpkin pie just as much as we do, try my Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream that has pie crust pieces swirled through the ice cream!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• These easy Pumpkin Pie Bars are made with a buttery crust and homemade pumpkin pie filling.
• They make the perfect Fall dessert.
• This dessert is a crowd pleaser for any party, potluck, gathering, Halloween, or Thanksgiving. Make them and watch them go.
• Easy to prepare and can be made into different size bars! You can cut them into large or small square bars or triangles depending on how many bars you want to yield. You can also make different shapes (use a pumpkin cookie cuter to cut out the bars).

Ingredients

To make the shortbread crust

• Cold butter
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• All-purpose flour
• Ice water

To make the creamy pumpkin filling

• Pumpkin puree
• Whole large eggs
• Evaporated milk
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Ground cinnamon
• Cornstarch
• Vanilla extract
• Granulated sugar

Pumpkin Pie is one of my favorite pies and I could eat it year round! I’ve stocked up on plenty of canned pumpkin already so I’m excited to enjoy these bars for a while! Fall is my favorite time to bake because I love all things pumpkin (like these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins) and apples such as my Apple Cinnamon Crisp.

I also made these super Healthy Pumpkin Pie Bars a few years ago that are also delicious and nutritional! They are made with no refined sugars and has a date-based crust.

How To Make Pumpkin Pie Bars

To make shortbread crust:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a food processor, combine flour, butter, sugar, and salt together and pulse a few times until the mixture resembles a coarse sand. Add the water and scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula and pulse a few more times until it looks like a dough is forming.
2. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper letting some paper hang over the edge so it’s easy to pull the bars out once baked. Pour the dough into the bottom of the pan and press an even layer with your fingers.
3. Bake the shortbread crust for 15 minutes and remove from oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F.

To make pumpkin pie filling:

1. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together until well combined and smooth. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the crust and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center is set and no longer jiggly.
2. Remove from oven and let cool completely for at least an hour on a wire rack. Place in the refrigerator to cool for another hour if you prefer your pie to be chilled. When ready to cut, pull the bars out of the baking dish by holding the parchment paper and cut into squares. Top with whip cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired. Enjoy!

These Pumpkin Pie Bars Are

• Easy to make and tastes like pumpkin pie.
• Made with a buttery and slightly sweetened shortbread crust.
• Creamy, full of warm spices, and has a custard-like pumpkin pie filling.
• Perfect for Fall days and makes the best mid-day snack or dessert.

Leftovers

Since these bars contain pumpkin, eggs and milk you will have to store them in the refrigerator. I think this dessert is even better the next day!

Place them in an airtight container or cover them tightly with plastic wrap or foil. They will stay fresh for up to 5 days. Since the pumpkin maintains a lot of moisture, you may find some of the bars to be wet on the top- which is totally normal! Simply dab a paper towel on top to absorb any moisture.

Recipe Tips & Variations

• Instead of using a shortbread crust , you can use a traditional graham cracker crust or pie crust.
• Add a crunch to these bars by adding toasted pecan pieces to the pumpkin layer or sprinkle on top with whipped cream.
• If you wanted to make these bars healthier, swap the sugar for coconut sugar and all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour.
• Let the bars cool completely and then refrigerate until cold before serving for the best result.
• Make these bars into mini bars by cutting them into smaller squares.

Other Easy Pumpkin Desserts

• Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts
• Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
• Pumpkin Bars
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
• Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
• Pumpkin Spice Granola

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Pumpkin Pie Bars Recipe

These Pumpkin Pie Bars have the same flavors of a classic Pumpkin Pie except it's much easier to make and made with an easy shortbread crust!

4.52 from 25 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Servings: 12 bars

Calories: 333kcal

Author: Kathryn Donangelo

Equipment

• Food processor
• 13 x 9 inch baking pan
• Mixing bowls
• Parchment paper

Ingredients

To make a shortbread crust

• ▢ 3/4 cup butter; unsalted cut and cut into cubes
• ▢ 1/2 cup sugar
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoon ice water

To make the pumpkin pie filling

• ▢ 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
• ▢ 2 whole eggs
• ▢ 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 1 1/12 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

To make the shortbread crust

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a food processor, combine butter, sugar, salt and flour together and pulse a few times until the mixture resembles a corase sand. Add the water and scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula and pulse a few more times until it looks like a dough is forming.
• Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper letting some paper hang over the edge so it's easy to pull the bars out once baked. Pour the dough into the dish by pressing an even layer with your fingers.
• Bake the shortbread crust for 15 minutes and remove from oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F.

To make the pumpkin filling

• Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together until well combined and smooth. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the crust and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center is set and no longer jiggly.
• Remove from oven and let cool completely for at least an hour. Place in the refrigerator to cool for another hour if you prefer your pie to be chilled. When ready to cut, pull the bars out of the baking dish by holding the parchment paper and cut into squares. Top with whip cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired. Enjoy!

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Notes

1. This recipe makes 12 large bars or you can cut them into smaller squares OR triangles to make even more!
2. If you don't have a food processor to make the shortbread crust, simply use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut the butter. 
3. Leftover Pumpkin Pie Bars will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container or wrapped tightly with plastic wrap.
4. Make these the day before you want to serve them so they can be chilled in the refrigerator overnight. When ready, cut into bars and serve!

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 47.8g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14.7g | Saturated Fat: 8.9g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 191mg | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 33.3g | Iron: 1mg

This recipe was originally published on Oct. 12, 2020. It was republished on Aug. 6, 2022, to include additional information.