Made with a graham cracker and toasty pecan crust, these creamy pumpkin pie bars are irresistible. Like pumpkin pie, but so much easier!
I’m a pumpkin purist. I prefer my pumpkin spice in basic form. Treats like pumpkin cake, pumpkin bars, pumpkin bread, pumpkin roll, pumpkin hand pies, pumpkin muffins, and… pumpkin pie bars! Specifically with a toasted pecan/graham cracker crust and a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top. Or, if I’m feeling fancy, the topping from pecan pie cheesecake is also fantastic here! These bars are smooth, pumpkin-spiced, and simply divine. They’re easy to make and easier to eat.
Before we get started, let’s clarify. These are not pumpkin bars—pumpkin bars are the bar version of pumpkin cake. This recipe is the bar version of pumpkin pie. The more you know!
Pumpkin Pie Bars vs Pumpkin Pie
These easy pumpkin pie bars taste like pumpkin pie, but let me try to convince you that they’re *even better* than pumpkin pie. (If that’s even possible!)
- These treats are handheld so they’re perfect for gatherings, parties, etc.—anytime forks and plates aren’t really convenient! (Same goes with mini pumpkin pies. I love handheld treats.)
- None of the fuss of traditional pie crust.
- Wait time is cut in half because they cool down a lot quicker than pie!
- 1 pan makes 18–24 bars, so you’ll feed more hungry tummies.
- 4-ingredient toasty pecan graham cracker crust. Enough said.
I’ve created bar versions of some of the most popular pies on my site, such as cherry pie bars, salted caramel apple pie bars, and blueberry pie bars.
There are two components to pumpkin pie bars: the crust and the filling. Both come together in a matter of minutes with basic baking ingredients.
Upgraded Graham Cracker Crust
This isn’t your typical graham cracker crust. Today’s pumpkin pie bars feature a delicious from-scratch crust made with pecans, graham crackers, a little sugar, and melted butter. Process the nuts + graham crackers together to break down the nuts, then add the sugar + butter to combine. A food processor makes all this a breeze. Press tightly into a lined 9×13-inch pan—lining the pan (just like I do for rice krispie treats) makes it easier to remove and slice the bars. Then pre-bake for a few minutes. Under direct heat, the pecans take on an incredible toasty flavor. I guarantee you’ll only want pumpkin pie with this crust from now on. That’s a bold statement!
A Biscoff pie crust would make an equally delicious alternatitive.
Make the Easy Filling
The filling comes together quickly and is similar to the filling in my great pumpkin pie recipe. It’s sweetened with brown sugar for superior flavor and thickened with heavy cream and a touch of cornstarch. Eggs help the filling set and the rest of the filling ingredients are for flavor… spices, vanilla, pumpkin! You can absolutely use homemade pumpkin pie spice here.
Pour the filling right into the pre-baked crust. No need to wait for it to cool.
My Pumpkin Pie Bars Secret Ingredient
If you’ve tried my pumpkin pie, you’re familiar with my 1 secret ingredient: black pepper. It’s bizarre, but totally works. I got this tip from the genius kitchen crew over at King Arthur Baking. And I’m forever grateful!! A pinch of black pepper turns your pumpkin pie (or, in this case, pumpkin pie bars) into the BEST pumpkin pie (bars). And no one will know it’s there! They’ll all go nuts for the deeply spiced flavor, and that spiced flavor, my friends, comes from black pepper.
Trust me.
More Fall Grab-and-Go Treats
If you’re looking for a few other convenient fall desserts, I’ve got you covered. These are some of my very favorite treats to bring to football parties, girls’ nights, friendsgiving, and to any other fall events where simplicity is crucial:
- Pumpkin Spice Truffles
- Apple Blondies
- Mini Pumpkin Pies
- Pumpkin Spice Toffee
- Apple Pie Bars (with Salted Caramel, of course)
- Pecan Pie Bars
When it comes to pumpkin, keep it simple! These bars or any of the above recipes would also be a welcome addition to your lineup of Thanksgiving pies. Although I love a hearty slice of apple pie or pecan pie, I know full pies can be time consuming and we can all use an easy alternative now and then!
Print
Easy Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 18-24 bars
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Like pumpkin pie, but so much easier! Made with a graham cracker and toasty pecan crust, these easy creamy pumpkin bars are irresistible.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full-sheet graham crackers)
- 1/2 cup (62g) chopped pecans
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 1 can (15-ounce; 425g) pure pumpkin
- 1 cup (200g) light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- optional for topping: whipped cream and chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the sides to easily remove the bars from the pan. Set aside.
- Make the crust: Using a food processor, pulse the graham crackers (or crumbs) and pecans together into crumbs. A few larger pieces of nuts is OK. Add the sugar and melted butter and pulse until combined. Press tightly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared baking pan. Pre-bake crust for 12 minutes. Leave oven on.
- Make the filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or simply using a whisk) beat/whisk all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth. Pour into warm crust.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes or until the center is no longer jiggly. Remove from the oven, set on a wire rack, and allow to cool completely. Once cool, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. Remove chilled bars from the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into squares. Bars are best served chilled.
- Top with whipped cream and chopped pecans, if desired. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The filling can be made, covered, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before pouring into crust and baking. Cooled pie bars freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Food Processor | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) or Glass Mixing Bowl and Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Pumpkin: I prefer canned pumpkin, not fresh pumpkin puree in this recipe. I typically use Libby’s brand. Fresh will work in a pinch, but these pie bars are tastier and more firm with canned. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/2 teaspoon each: ground allspice and ground ginger AND 1/4 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg and ground cloves. This is in addition to the 1 teaspoon of cinnamon—you will still add that. If using my homemade spice blend, which includes black pepper, you can leave out the black pepper in the recipe above.
- Crust Without Pecans: You can leave out the pecans in the crust, but you will need more graham cracker crumbs and butter. Add 1/4 cup extra graham cracker crumbs (2 full sheets/30g) and 1 more Tablespoon (14g) of melted butter. Pre-bake as directed.
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 200g ground digestive biscuit crumbs (about 2 cups; 13–14 biscuits), 3 Tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar, and the same amount of pecans and butter. Pre-bake for 14-15 minutes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
can I use evaporated milk or half and half instead of heavy cream?
Hi Lorraine, we don’t recommend any subs for heavy cream – it’s a must for these bars. Half-and-half or evaporated milk wouldn’t set up the bars properly.
Can I prepare the graham cracker and pecans a few days in advance before adding in the butter and sugar?
Certainly!
I think I’d like this except I hate graham cracker crusts. I was wondering if using vanilla wafer crumbs instead would be too sweet. Thanks for any advice you can give me.
How about a Biscoff cookie crust? Here’s our Biscoff crust recipe.
I make this recipe every year! LOVE LOVE LOVE
I wanted to make this recipe with a gingersnap crust…which I found for your pumpkin streusel bars and will double. However, I noticed the difference in temperature 325 vs 350 degrees. Is it ok to bake the crust at 325 for 10 minutes and once I add the pumpkin batter increase to 350? Please advise.
Hi Amy, yes, that will definitely work.
Do these keep well overnight, or do they get soggy? I’ve had difficulty with pumpkin cookies before so want to make sure. Have you considered a pecan praline for these like your pecan praline pumpkin pie recipe?
Hi Catherine, the crust will get a little softer overnight with the moist topping, but they definitely hold their shape and taste great for a few days. We haven’t tested adding a pecan praline topping here, but would love to hear how it goes if you give it a try.
These were awesome and a big hit! For the crust, I left out the 2 Tblsp sugar and used cinnamon grahams instead.
I wonder about dairy free alternatives…
Hi Laylay, We don’t recommend any subs for heavy cream– it’s a must for these bars. We haven’t tested them with a non-dairy alternative but you can try full fat (the kind in a can) coconut milk or coconut cream (of course the flavor would be different). Let us know what you try!
Can I leave out the pecans, and just use the graham crackers, We have nut allergies in family. I don’t want to risk it.
You can use all graham crackers, Margaret! We would use our graham cracker crust recipe and make 1.5x that amount for a 9×13 dish.
Please add calories per serving to your recipes. Really, please!
We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Can I use ginger snaps instead of graham crackers and, if so, can you share the quantities? Thank you!
Hi Sandy! Yes, absolutely. You can see a gingersnap crust in this recipe.
Nice recipe, my family loved it!
This is superb! I do not care for traditional pumpkin pie but these bars are Delish and easy to make!
Can I make this with a shortbread crust instead? How would I do that?
Hi R., You can definitely use the shortbread crust from our lemon bars in this recipe. Don’t skip pre-baking. Both this recipe and the lemon bars require it. Pre-bake the shortbread crust for about 15 minutes (at 350°F (177°C)).
These were delicious! the graham cracker and pecan crust was amazing! it tasted just like pumpkin pie but much easier!
Sally and team, do you think this pumpkin filling would work with the shortbread crust from the salted caramel apple pie bars recipe?
Hi Lizzie! You can definitely use the shortbread crust from our lemon bars in this recipe. Don’t skip pre-baking. Both this recipe and the lemon bars require it. Pre-bake the shortbread crust for about 15 minutes (at 350°F (177°C)).
I made these earlier today for a sibling’s birthday. They turned out pretty well, the only problem was a giant crack appeared in the middle after I set the pan out on the counter to cool. They tasted great, even if not exactly photo-worthy, but I was just curious as to why that happened?
Hi Sean, cracks in pumpkin pie usually mean that it was slightly over baked. A slightly shorter bake time should help for next time!
Does the heavy cream for the filling need to be room temperature?
Hi Lupe, It doesn’t matter much for this recipe – cold or room temperature will both be fine!
Adding to my question- I used half ground ginger snaps and half graham cracker crumbs plus pecans in the crust. Delish!
(I have used this crust with a pumpkin ice cream pie with caramel drizzle for Thanksgiving.)
Do not use coconut cream. It takes almost 2 hours to be done.
We love these every year! But it’s just myself and my two kids. Would you suggest I halve this for an 8×8 or 9 in pie pan, or make them into a cupcake pan ?
Hi Kay, you can halve the recipe for a 9×9 pan. We’re unsure of the exact bake time. Enjoy!
I just made these instead of pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Everyone loved them! They had the perfect flavor and texture. It was super fast and easy to make. Thank you for another lovely recipe. I appreciate the detailed notes you provide in all your recipes. This website is a gem!
I made these for Thanksgiving using gluten free flour and they were a resounding success! Easier than making a pie and every bit as good if not better! Will be making these from now on based on all the positive comments I received.
This is my go to pumpkin dessert!! I did double the recipe and used two 8×8’s instead. I’m left with enough filling for a third 8×8. Is there anything else I can do with this filling? I was thinking add flour baking powder and make a cake or even cookies??
Grammar weroes in my last reply: would you recommend using honey graham crackers, or plain Nabisco graham crackers without any honey in them?
Hi Sam, either is fine. I usually use the honey ones.
Thanks!
These were soooo good and very easy to make. Better than any pumpkin pie I’ve ever had. Will make these again.
I love this! PLEASE make a French silk pie bar if possible!
Hi
Is it possible to substitute evaporated milk for the cream. If so can they still be frozen?
Hi Melody! We’ve tested evaporated milk in our pumpkin pie recipes and it just doesn’t compare to heavy cream for texture and flavor.
If I leave out the pecans in the crust, can I do it without a food processor or blender?
Hi Marie, yes, you could simply crush the graham crackers in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin instead of using a food processor. Enjoy!
Did anyone else have trouble with the crust being too thin & not adhering to pan .
Had a few holes that weren’t easy to correct or fill in before baking.