Pumpkin Pie Bars are an easy treat with the flavors of pumpkin pie you love and a tasty oatmeal crust. It’s a perfect fall dessert!
These pumpkin oatmeal dessert bars are such a wonderful fall treat. The filling is very close to pumpkin pie, but with a delicious oat crust instead of a pie crust. It’s perfect if you want an easier option than baking a pie for Thanksgiving dinner, or for bringing to a potluck or holiday party. Pumpkin pie bars are an absolute crowd-pleaser and I usually make them multiple times a year.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.

Ingredients
First off you want your pumpkin puree. This can either be canned or homemade puree, I go for the can because it’s just as good in my opinion (and I actually did a taste-test once of pies made with canned and with homemade). You do want to make sure it’s pumpkin puree though and not canned pumpkin pie filling – we’ll be adding in the spices and sugar ourselves.
Next up, you want all those classic pumpkin spice flavors! That means cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. If you have a jar of pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of that instead and it will be very close. This will get mixed in with the pumpkin, a couple eggs, and some brown sugar.
For the oatmeal crust, we’re going to use old-fashioned rolled oats, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, some baking powder and baking soda, a bit of salt, and softened butter. Let’s get baking!
How To Soften Butter Quickly
Before you get started on the filling and crust, set out your sticks of butter on the counter for half an hour to an hour to soften. You want your butter softened, not melted.
If you forgot to plan ahead (it happens to all of us!), here’s a tip. Put your sticks of butter on a plate. Then microwave a large measuring cup of water for a couple minutes, remove it from the microwave, and then quickly put your plate of butter into the microwave and close the door. The warmth from the just used microwave will soften the butter more quickly than leaving it out on the counter.
You can also put the sticks of butter into the microwave on defrost or Power Level 50% for 10 seconds at a time until softened but not melted (although if a tiny bit melts, that’s not terrible for this recipe). Note that it helps if you cut up the butter first.
The Pumpkin Filling
The filling for these bars tastes just like the filling of a pumpkin pie, and that’s for good reason because I used the filling from my recipe for Classic Pumpkin Pie, but without the milk. It therefore has a thicker texture. Since I omitted the milk, I also reduced the amount of the spices a little bit. The result is a thick and rich, spiced pumpkin flavored, custard-textured layer between two layers of oat crust.
To make this delicious filling you’ll mix together eggs, pumpkin puree, your spices, and half of the brown sugar in a large bowl. I use a whisk or a fork to make sure it’s well combined. Then set aside while you make the oat crust.
Making An Oat Crust
One of the things that I love the most about this recipe is that you make one crust mixture and that goes on both the bottom of the pan, and then on top of the filling. Interestingly, and deliciously, those two layers end up with different textures.
The bottom crust is pressed into the pan, so it’s sturdy. Then you spread the pumpkin layer on, and then sprinkle more of the oat crust on top. That top layer doesn’t get pressed and so it ends up with a lighter texture.
Here’s how you make that double crust. In a new large bowl, mix together your oats, flour, the remaining brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and a bit of salt. The next step can be a little messy, but it’s worth it. Using your fingers, rub the softened butter into your oats mixture until it’s combined and evenly moistened.
Assembling The Pumpkin Bars
To assemble the bars, scoop three-quarters of the oats into a 13×9″ baking dish. No need to grease it, the oat mixture has plenty of butter and I’ve never had a problem with sticking. Press it down firmly and evenly to cover the entire bottom and to firm it into place.
Pour the pumpkin mixture on top and use a large spoon or silicon spatula to spread it out evenly. Then sprinkle the remaining oats on top, making sure to break up any large clumps.
Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350°F until a butter knife or toothpick comes out mostly clean, indicating that the pumpkin pie filling has set. Place the pan on a wire cooling rack for at least an hour before cutting your pumpkin pie bars. They will slice well and hold their shape, but the first bar is sometimes hard to get out. Use a fork to get under that one.
Can I Make Them In Advance?
Absolutely. I’ve made these several times when I didn’t need them until the next day.
I cooled the baking pan on the rack and then covered the dish with plastic wrap and put the whole thing into the fridge. They sliced up even more easily than when at room temperature, and I actually liked the texture a bit better. It was slightly chewier. But they’re delicious the day they’re made as well!
More Dessert Recipes
Looking for some other sweet recipes? Try one of these amazing options next.
Podcast Episode: Making Pumpkin Pie Bars
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make these bars, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Pumpkin Pie Bars Recipe
Pumpkin Pie Bars are an easy treat with the flavors of pumpkin pie you love and a tasty oatmeal crust.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 24 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz.) can pure pumpkin puree (or 2 cups of homemade thick puree like this)
- 2 cups brown sugar, divided
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 tsp. salt, divided
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin, 1 cup of the brown sugar, the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt until well combined. Taste it at this point to see if you like the amount of seasoning and add more if needed. Then whisk in the eggs, just until fully mixed in.
- In another large bowl mix together oats, flour, the remaining cup of brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Add the softened butter. Mix well, using your fingers to rub the butter into the oats and flour until it is all evenly well-moistened with the butter.
- Spoon three-quarters of the oat mixture into an ungreased 13″x 9″ baking pan. Press firmly to pack into an even layer covering the bottom of the pan.
- Pour pumpkin mixture over packed oats and spread into an even layer.
- Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over pumpkin, breaking up any large clumps.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a butter knife inserted into the middle comes out nearly clean indicating that the pumpkin is set.
- Remove pan from oven, place on wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour. Cut into 8 strips along the length of the pan and 3 strips along the width yielding 24 bars. Use a fork to get under and remove the first slice, and then a metal lifter can be used for the rest.
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Notes
Note that the topping will not change color after baking but will be cooked through.

Hi Christine! Can I use the canned pumpkin pie filling (pe the pie spice mix) instead of the pumpkin puree? Otherwise, I’ll have to purchase all those spices that I never use for anything else.
If so, what adjustments would be made to to recipe.
Thanks in advance ~ ☺️
Linda, great question! I’ve never tried it but I think it will work. The pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened, so don’t add the sugar or the spices, just the eggs. If you try it, let me know how it turned out. Enjoy!