Softest Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

What sets these gluten-free pumpkin bars apart:

This recipe has been a long time in the making. Last December I finally landed on the one I’m sharing below, but I felt like it was too late in pumpkin season to post. Well, I’m done gatekeeping because you need these in your life every single fall from here on out!

I have yet to find one person who doesn’t love these perfectly moist, slightly dense, soft, and flavorful gluten-free pumpkin bars. (And nobody can tell they’re a gluten-free dessert.) They’re like biting into a heavenly, pumpkin pillow! And when I say they’re easy to make, I mean E A S Y; mixed in a bowl and into the oven in 15 minutes. Each piece can be picked up and eaten from your hand, a must for it to be called a bar.

The cream cheese frosting is substantial and not cloyingly sweet, balanced with butter and a pinch of salt. The creaminess is such a perfect match for the warmly spiced bars beneath. You won’t find any pumpkin pie spice in the recipe; I find it too overwhelming. Cinnamon and cardamom are the subtle stars (I use this combination in my Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins, too), their scents filling your home with fall as the bars bake.

Main Ingredients for Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars

• Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten-Free Flour
• Pumpkin Puree
• White & Brown Sugar
• Butter & Oil
• Eggs
• Cinnamon & Cardamom
• Cream Cheese

How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars

1. In a large bowl, whisk together wet ingredients until smooth.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients and stir until no lumps are found.
3. Pour batter into a greased 9×9 inch baking pan. Use spoon to spread the batter evenly. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
4. Remove cake from oven and let fully cool on cooling rack. Meanwhile beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat again until light, smooth, and whipped. Frost pumpkin bars and enjoy.

Storing Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars

I personally love these bars cold from the fridge. You’ll know what I mean once you try one this way! Cold bars are much easier to cut as well, with far less crumbs and sharper edges.

You can certainly leave the bars on the counter the day you make them, but store them in the fridge from then on, always covered so they don’t dry out. They’ll last at least 4 days in the refrigerator.

More Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes:

• Tall & Moist Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
• Soft, Chewy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies
• Homemade Maple Pumpkin Latte

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Softest Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars (and so easy!)

These perfectly soft and slightly dense gluten-free pumpkin bars are a fall dream! The cinnamon and cardamom add to their wonderful flavor. And they are incredibly easy to make; just a bowl and whisk. The cream cheese frosting is substantial and not too sweet, balanced with butter and a little salt.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Salt

Keyword cardamom, cream cheese, pumpkin

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 16 bars

Author Amanda Paa

Equipment

• 9×9 inch square pan

Ingredients

• 225 grams pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 55 grams (4 tablespoons) neutral oil (I use organic sunflower oil)
• 55 grams (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 80 grams brown sugar
• 80 grams granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 125 grams Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 170 grams (6 ounces) softened cream cheese
• 55 grams (4 tablespoons) softened butter
• 110 grams powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch of fine salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, oil, butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
• In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Add dry mix to wet ingredients and stir until no lumps are found. (You can't overmix because there is no gluten, so it won't get tough.)
• Pour batter into a greased or parchment lined 9×9 inch baking pan. Use spoon to spread the batter evenly. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. Remove cake from oven and let fully cool on cooling rack.
• Meanwhile beat cream cheese and butter until smooth (I use a hand mixer). Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat again until light, smooth, and whipped. Once bars are fully cool, frost and enjoy. Store them covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.