These easy pumpkin pie bars have everything you love about classic pumpkin pie, but they’re simpler to make and serve. A buttery graham cracker and toasted pecan crust holds a creamy, perfectly spiced pumpkin filling. Top each chilled bar with a dollop of whipped cream for a delicious fall dessert that’s perfect for Thanksgiving or holiday gatherings.
Love these!
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since updated it with new photos and additional success tips.
If you love pumpkin pie but want something a little easier to make and share, these bars are just the thing. Think of them as a more approachable version of classic pumpkin pie. There’s no traditional pie crust to prepare (phew!), but you still get plenty of creamy, deliciously spiced pumpkin flavor in every bite.
That’s why I’ve created bar versions of several popular pies on my site, including apple pie bars, cherry pie bars, and blueberry pie bars. You get all the familiar flavors of a homemade pie in an easier-to-make (and easier-to-serve) dessert. What could be better?!
One reader, Karla, commented: “People are still raving about these. People who ‘don’t like pumpkin’ even liked them. Highly recommend. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Liza, commented: “Made them for Thanksgiving and they were delicious. Cooked to perfection and everyone loved. The graham cracker crust with pecans is so much better than boring pie crust. ★★★★★“
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Pie Bars
- All the flavor of pumpkin pie and then some: Creamy pumpkin filling, warm spices… plus the added bonus of a buttery graham cracker pecan crust.
- Pie crust made easy: No rolling, chilling, or shaping pie crust required!
- Creamy, smooth filling: Heavy cream and eggs create a rich, custardy texture, while a little cornstarch helps the filling set.
- Perfect for sharing: The recipe makes a lot of servings, ideal for feeding a crowd. And they’re handheld so they’re perfect for serving at gatherings, parties, and holidays—anytime forks and plates aren’t really convenient… or you simply want to lighten the dishwasher’s load. (Same goes with mini pumpkin pies. I love handheld treats.)
- Make-ahead friendly: These bars need time to cool and chill, so they’re a great dessert to prepare in advance.
Pumpkin Pie Bars vs. Pumpkin Bars
These are pumpkin pie bars, not the cakey “pumpkin bars” you might be familiar with.
The distinction is in the filling: pumpkin pie bars have a smooth, custard-like pumpkin filling, just like traditional pumpkin pie. Pumpkin bars, on the other hand, are typically soft, cake-like squares topped with frosting… basically a denser, bar version of pumpkin cake.
This recipe is the bar version of pumpkin pie. So if you’re looking for a handheld version of classic pumpkin pie, you’re in the right place!
Grab These Ingredients
There are two simple components to these pumpkin pie bars: the crumb crust and the pumpkin filling. Both come together in a matter of minutes with basic baking ingredients:
Graham Cracker Crust Gets an Upgrade
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.
The pecans add a delicious toasted flavor that pairs beautifully with the creamy pumpkin filling. A Biscoff pie crust would make an equally delicious alternative. (In fact, that’s what we use for this pumpkin cheesecake pie.)
Process the nuts + graham crackers together until you have fine crumbs:
Then stir in the sugar and melted butter. Press the sandy mixture tightly into a lined 9×13-inch pan—lining the pan makes it easier to remove and slice the bars.
Then you’ll need to bake the crust.
Why prebake the crust? Giving the crust a 15-minute head start helps it set before you add the wet pumpkin filling. This keeps the crust from becoming soggy and gives the bars a sturdier base. Let the crust cool for at least 15 minutes before you add the…
Creamy Pumpkin Filling & Why It Works:
The filling is similar to my classic pumpkin pie. It’s made with canned pumpkin puree, brown sugar, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla, cornstarch, and warm spices.
Brown sugar adds a deeper flavor than granulated sugar alone, while heavy cream gives the filling its rich, smooth texture. The eggs help the filling set as it bakes, and a little cornstarch provides additional structure so the bars are easier to slice.
Simply whisk the filling ingredients together until smooth, then pour the mixture directly into the prebaked crust.
My Secret Ingredient: A Pinch of Black Pepper
If you’ve tried my pumpkin pie recipe, you will recognize this little trick! A tiny pinch of freshly ground black pepper adds subtle warmth and depth to the pumpkin spices.
You won’t taste a distinct pepper flavor. Instead, it simply enhances the overall spiced flavor of the filling. It’s an unexpected ingredient, but one that makes a noticeable difference!
After baking, these bars need time to cool completely and then chill in the refrigerator. Chilling makes the filling firmer and helps you cut neat squares.
Don’t forget the whipped cream topping! I like to add a dash of pumpkin pie spice to my homemade whipped cream to give these bars that little something extra.
These pumpkin pie bars are a delicious addition to your lineup of Thanksgiving pies—or really any fall dessert spread!—especially when you want the flavor of pumpkin pie without any of the fuss. 😉
Easy Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 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 pie 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 (15oz; 425g) pure pumpkin
- 1 cup (200g) packed 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 (see Note)
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 15 minutes.
- Cool the crust for at least 15 minutes as you prepare the filling.
- 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 the 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 the pan 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 instead of 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.
- No Graham Crackers? 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.
- Whipped Cream: In the pictured bars, I used this whipped cream and I added 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and used vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Yum!
An oops by me, I forgot the sugar in the crust. Can’t really tell, but I can’t wait to make again correctly.
I used a heavy whipping cream alternative which is dairy and lactose free. Yum! Also whipped the rest up for the topping.
Love how easy and delicious this recipe is! Thanks Sally & team!
This was fabulous. I did not want to make up a bit batch of pumpkin pie spice, so I simply followed the additions from the can of Libby’s…and then added in the extra cinnamon and black pepper.
People are still raving about these. People who “don’t like pumpkin” even liked them.
Highly recommend.
Made them for Thanksgiving and they were delicious. Followed the recipe except I did 1/4 cup less brown sugar in the pie filling and used 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. Cooked to perfection and everyone loved. The graham cracker crust with pecans is so much better than boring pie crust.
Would these bake OK in a glass baking pan, or do you only recommend metal?
Hi Emily, either works– a metal or glass pan/dish.
Hi I was wondering if it would work with real pumpkin purée instead of canned pumpkin and how would the result be? Where I live we don’t have canned ones
Hi Sophie! This should work with homemade puree. If it seems especially wet, though, you may want to strain off just a bit of excess liquid. Not too much though. Let us know how it turns out for you!
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.
I made this recipe a couple of days ago, carefully reading the recipe and notes as I am a gluten free and non dairy baker. Used gluten free graham crackers for the crust which worked fine. Used a cup of lactose free half and half and the solids from a half cup of full fat coconut cream that had been refrigerated. I took the bars out of the oven and let them sit out for an hour and realized that the custard wasn’t setting properly. The I combed through the comments which belatedly informed me that one must use heavy cream! Anyway, I decided to take a chance and rebake the bars at 350. I ended up taking them out after 20 minutes and following the cooling/chilling instructions. My husband and I are well on our way to devouring the whole pan! So at least there is a work around if you are lactose intolerant. But I sure wish the recipe or notes would have mentioned that the bars wouldn’t set without heavy cream. It took a lot of extra time out of my cooking schedule to babysit these! Still, I might try them again in the future.
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.
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!