Pumpkin pie is a staple this time of year–Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas…they all beg for creamy pumpkin pie. To mix it up a bit, I came up with these “Paleo-fied” Pumpkin Pie Bars. The crust is soft and flakey, the top is perfectly pumpkin pie.
Don’t be scared by the number of ingredients: This literally took about 5 minutes to throw together!
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Pumpkin Pie Bars mixture:
1 (15 oz) can pureed pumpkin (nothing added)
1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup
1/4 cup full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk
1 egg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
dash salt
Crust:
2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease an 8×8 pan with coconut oil. In a medium bowl, mix together all the pumpkin mixture ingredients. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all the crust ingredients. Press the crust into the greased pan and pour the pumpkin mixture on top. Bake in oven for 45-55 minutes, or until pumpkin is set. Remove and cool a bit, then place in refrigerator and chill for at least an hour, cut into squares and enjoy!
Note: For best results, store in refrigerator.
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AIXA says
Where can I purchase tapioca flour? I have not had any luck finding it.
Thanks!
radlandon says
Hi, Aixa! I got mine on Amazon, but you can use Arrowroot just the same, and I think I’ve seen that at Whole Foods?
Toni P says
OMG!! These look delicious and I have everything to make these. I know what’s being cooked tonight!! Aixa: You can find Arrowroot flour at Whole Foods or online. I get mine from Bob’s Red Mill.
Ashley says
Just put them in the oven…I’m thinking they’re gonna be great!! :-))
Ashley says
Yep, I was right! They are amazing!!
Heather@ paleo recipe says
Yummy! It’s looking so delicious and I would love to try it to present my husband.
Girl Going Country says
Ok – so I made this tonight while I was making your pumpkin spice cake – and my whole house smells so good! I had to make the cake so we’d have something to eat tonight while this one chills – but it looks so good and I can’t wait to have it for breakfast!
radlandon says
Mmmm…pumpkin pie bars for breakfast…YES.
Mary says
I just made these bars, and the house smells great! I did make the mistake of substituting “light” coconut milk for full-fat because it’s what I had in the house. I modify recipes all the time so I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I baked them an extra 15 minutes and it still didn’t set so I’m going to put them in the fridge in a few minutes and see if the cooling process does the trick! I can post an update if anyone’s interested.
radlandon says
Hi, Mary. Did it work? I don’t think the coconut milk substitution would make that much of a difference…not sure why it didn’t set? Let me know how it turned out!
Brenda Johnston says
The only problem with these bars is that over the course of one day (today), I have eaten almost half the pan by myself!
radlandon says
Ha! Glad you liked them!!
Laina says
Do you think this recipe would work in a 9×13 if doubled???
radlandon says
I think it would work just fine!
beth bryant-claxton says
We made these with coconut nectar in place of honey and they were just the BEST! droooool 🙂
radlandon says
So glad you liked them!
Jen says
Did anyone have any issues with the crust? Do you think it would be better to pre-bake the crust??
radlandon says
No one has had issues with the crust that I’m aware of. You really don’t need to pre-bake the crust–remember that these are supposed to be chilled–the coconut oil holds the crust together! Hope that helps!
learning mama says
Thanks for the yummy dessert recipe. I made it tonight and it was a hit. However, I don’t recommend doubling the recipe and baking in a 9×13. It took longer for the pumpkin mixture to cook in the middle causing the crust to overbrown. When I make this again, I will make two batches! One batch won’t be enough because of how delicious this recipe is.
Rebekah Dernbach says
I made these tonight and I didn’t have coconut milk so I used almond milk and they are setting up just fine. I haven’t tried them yet but they smell so amazing and look even better. I hope they turn out ok with my substitution 🙂
Kasey says
Would coconut flour work in lieu of almond?? 🙂
radlandon says
No, sorry! Coconut flour is it’s own entity!
Jen Bossick says
Can I sub tapioca starch or coconut flour for the tapioca flour??? I didn’t realize I forgot to buy that 1 ingredient!!!
radlandon says
Tapioca starch is the same thing as tapioca flour, so you’re good!
Maggie @ On the Tip of My Tongue says
Awesome recipe! I’m not strictly paleo, but I love finding dessert alternatives. What does the tapioca flour/arrowroot do? Are there alternatives that would give the same texture/taste?
Life Made Full says
Hi, Maggie! The tapioca flour adds some structure to almond flour–makes it hold together better. It also gives it a better texture. Hope that helps!
Aliyanna says
I would like to make these….is there a sub for the almond flour if you can’t do nuts….nor a lot of the seeds…..would sorghum or rice flour work?
Michelle G says
These sound so yummy, and I really need a GF sweet. However, I am also Diabetic. What could I substitute for the honey and syrup. I mean, I know I could use stevia, but wouldn’t I need to replace some of the moisture that the honey or syrups would have provided? Thanks,
Life Made Full says
Hi, Michelle. I’m sorry–I’m not familiar with subs like stevia. =( You could possible Google it to see if you could find a good sub though? Sorry I’m not more help!
Kate says
What a great site! So happy to have come across it! Thanks for the awesome tidbits!
Tessa@TessaDomesticDiva says
I MUST make these Shanti!! They look so darn good, featuring your recipe this week!
Life Made Full says
Thank you, Tessa! They are SOOO yummy!
Tessa says
They are amazing! So simple to throw together, and I used fresh pumpkin purĂ©e….had a bit of paleo caramel sauce to drizzle…pretty darn amazing too! Thanks shanti!
Life Made Full says
Yay! Glad you liked them!
Rachael says
These look and sound amazing but I’ve been having reactions to coconut, any recommendations for a substitute on the oil and milk?
Life Made Full says
If you can do dairy, you could do butter. If not, maybe organic palm shortening? For the milk, you could sub almond milk?
Tina B. says
Made these today for a homeschool Thanksgiving party. They were a hit…thank you!
Amy says
i just made these…the flavor a are AMAZING and will be a great substitute for pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving. However, I cooked mine for 55 minutes trying to get the middle to set up more like it did around the edges, but couldn’t quite get it to set. So took it out before the rest burned hoping for the best, but the middle definitely wasn’t as done in the end. It tastes like uncooked pumpkin pie. Any recommendations to fix this?
Shanti Landon says
Hmmm. Do you happen to live at higher altitude? If not, I suppose you could try cooking the crust for 10-15 minutes before you pour the pumpkin on and then do the remaining cooking time? Sorry I’m not more help!
SarahBeth says
Baked these for a thanksgiving potluck last week, and they were a huge hit! They did take a little longer to bake than suggested, and the crust was a tad oily for my taste – will add less coconut oil next time I make these 🙂 thanks for the recipe!!
Chrissy says
These are SO good! I made a few changes just for what I had on hand (whole milk instead of coconut milk, butter instead of coconut oil). I also added more spices to the pumpkin part since we like a spiced pumpkin flavor (ginger, cloves, nutmeg, mace). Hats off on that crust – it really tastes like a true pie crust!!! I’ll be making this recipe often! I was surprised by how quickly it was to put it together too! THANKS!
Shanti Landon says
Yay! So glad you liked them!!
Gayle Sahlin says
These are absolutely delicious – my new favorite!! I made these for a brunch and received rave reviews. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Shanti Landon says
Thanks, Gayle! So glad you enjoyed them!
Sara says
I made these once before and they came out amazing! Only problem was they stuck to the glass pan. I made them again today and added more coconut oil to grease the pan – the only difference since last time. I cooked them for 55 minutes and the top didn’t set- so cooked another 10 minutes, and another 10… Not sure why they didn’t turn out this second time? The pumpkin is just as liquidy as when I put it in! Anyone else have this problem? Any solutions??
Shanti Landon says
Hmmm…I have no idea, Sara! That is very odd, I’m sorry!
Becka says
Do yo think this recipe would work as a pie?
Shanti Landon says
Hmm. You could give it a try! The crust would be thick for a pie, but you could break it into parts and divide into two pies?
Peggy says
I’ve found canned coconut milk is MUCH thicker than boxed coconut milk. Which one does this recipe use? Looks like a yummy dessert. Can’t wait to make it! Thank you for sharing it.
Shanti Landon says
I use canned!