These Amish pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are the best pumpkin bars ever! I also love pumpkin pie bars, but this recipe is for pumpkin cake bars. They are delightfully moist and fluffy, and seriously addicting!
These Pumpkin Bars are the perfect fall treat, with a moist, flavorful pumpkin base topped with a creamy, sweet frosting. Packed with warm spices and a hint of cinnamon, they're irresistibly delicious and easy to make-ideal for any autumn gathering or just a cozy snack at home.
Jump to:
How to Make Pumpkin Bars
- Mix Wet Ingredients:
- In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin until creamy.
- Mix Dry Ingredients:
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. (If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own with the spices you have.)
- Combine Mixtures:
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture, mixing until combined.
- Bake:
- Spread the batter into a greased 10" x 15" baking pan (jelly roll size).
- Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a couple of crumbs.
- Let the bars cool completely.
Frosting:
- Beat Cream Cheese and Butter:
- In a mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the softened butter and beat until creamy.
- Add Remaining Ingredients:
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and a pinch of salt.
- Beat on high speed until light and creamy, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Frost the Bars:
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled bars.
- Serve:
- Cut into squares and serve.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for later use.
Enjoy your delicious homemade pumpkin bars!
What Kind of Pumpkin Should I Use?
Truth be told, I can't tell the difference in taste between bars that were made with fresh pumpkin or a can that I bought from the store.
So, if you don't feel like going through the trouble of cooking and pureeing fresh pumpkin, feel free to buy a can. That's what I often do. (Note: do not use pumpkin pie mix, just plain pumpkin puree.)
However, sometimes the shelf is empty, and it's hard to find canned pumpkin at the supermarkets over pumpkin season. So it's nice to have an alternative, and I cook a fresh pumpkin.
My Amish mom always planted butternut squash and used those to make pumpkin pie, etc. They work well, and I planted some this year. So I will be cooking my butternut squash and freezing the puree to use in my pumpkin recipes.
I also love using the little pie pumpkins. They make great pumpkin puree. But I do not recommend using the giant jack o' lantern pumpkins. Honestly, I've never actually tried them, but I've been told that they aren't very good.
Roasting pumpkins seems to be an easy and popular method to make the puree. But you can do whatever works for you.
My mom always peeled hers and cooked them in a big pot with a bit of water until they were soft. Then she pureed the pumpkin in a blender and canned it.
However, when using fresh pumpkin, make sure it's not too wet. If it's runny, you will need to drain or squeeze out some of the liquid.
This post contains affiliate links...
Sheet Pan Pumpkin Bars
If I was living by myself, I might be looking for 9 x 9" pan recipes for bars. But since I'm baking for my family of six, I don't like recipes that make only a small pan full because they'll be gone within a couple of hours.
I look for recipes that make a big sheet pan full of bars, such as this Amish oatmeal chocolate chip bars recipe, oat fudge bars, or coffee brownies.
And thankfully, this Amish pumpkin bars recipe makes a (jelly roll size) sheet pan of bars. So I cut them into about twenty-four squares and put some in the freezer to keep them fresh for later.
I understand that one person will not get a sheet pan of bars eaten within a week. So you may be thinking that this recipe makes too much.
The good news is these pumpkin bars freeze well. So you can cut them into squares and place them into an airtight container. They will be good for up to a couple of months.
Now you have some handy treats in the freezer for whenever you get a craving. Remove the desired amount from the freezer and allow about a half hour for them to thaw.
Pumpkin Pecan Bars
This pumpkin bar recipe does not ask for pecans, but they are also really good with chopped pecans. Sometimes it's nice to have that extra crunch.
So if you like pecans, feel free to stir some chopped pecans into the batter before spreading it onto the baking sheet. Or you could also spread chopped pecans on top of the cream cheese frosting.
Autumn Recipe
I love all things pumpkin!! And I love fall! It's my favorite season! And guess what, it's almost that time of year again! Yay!!
I get so exhilarated when I see signs of autumn approaching again. Cool, crisp mornings are a welcome and refreshing break after Missouri's long months of oppressing humidity and heat.
And I start to get excited about baking with pumpkin, apples, and spices. The scents, crisp air, beautiful leaves, cozy sweaters, and a cup of hot cider are all so lovely!
It's still August, so I know that summer isn't over yet. But here I am baking all kinds of pumpkin goodies already because I can't wait. I love pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling, and I was craving pumpkin cream cheese bars once again.
And anyway, who is to say that we can't eat pumpkin bars all year long? There's no reason that we should wait for fall to enjoy these delicious pumpkin treats.
If you try this Amish recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe Card
Amish Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
Bars:
- 1 ½ c. sugar
- 1 c. canola or vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin (or about 2 c. fresh pumpkin puree)
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ - ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Frosting:
- 4 oz. softened cream cheese
- ¼ c. softened butter (4 Tbsp.)
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp. milk
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin until creamy.1 ½ c. sugar, 1 c. canola or vegetable oil, 4 large eggs, 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin (or about 2 c. fresh pumpkin puree)
- In a seperate bowl, mix the dry ingredients.2 c. all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, ¼ - ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the pumkin mixture and mix to combine.
- Spread the pumpkin batter into a greased 10" x 15" baking pan (jelly roll size).
- Bake at 350° for about 25 minutes ( a toothpick should come out with only a couple of crumbs).
- Cool completely then top with frosting. Cut into squares and serve.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. These bars can also be frozen for later use.
Frosting:
- In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese then add softened butter and beat until creamy.4 oz. softened cream cheese, ¼ c. softened butter (4 Tbsp.)
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat on high speed until light and creamy.2 c. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 Tbsp. milk, pinch of salt
- Spread the frosting over the top of cooled bars.
Emily S
I'm going to be honest, I'm not a baker. In fact I rarely cook, so I had to improvise a little. These still came out amazingly!
I used 2- 9" pie pans rather than the jelly pan, olive oil rather than vegetable or canola, and just mixed the wet ingredients myself rather than beating it. I ended up rotating the pans after 25 mins and cooking for another 10 so the middle would be cooked all the way. These "bars" are so soft and fluffy, and taste delicious even without the frosting, and they were so easy to make.
Anna
So glad it worked out for you!
Martin
This recipe is fantastic. I halved it and baked in a 8x8 glass dish so my "bars" were more cake depth. I added about 1/4 cup of chopped pecans. I carefully let it bake fully (toothpick tested) based on the deeper dish. With the cream cheese frosting, the finished product was delicious.
Anna
So happy that it worked for you!
Angela
Made these bars for dessert, great way to start the fall season! Perfect amount of spice, great frosting, I also doubled the frosting amount. Thank you for recipe! I’ll definitely be making these again along with trying some of your other recipes.
Anna
Thank you for taking the time to leave positive feedback! I appreciate it!
Linda paine
This was delicious, took it to a gathering and it was a hit! Next time I will double the frosting as I do have a sweet tooth 😊
Anna
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Glad it was a hit!
Anna
LOVE these!
Bethanie
I have a 9x13 and an 11×15. I was going to use the 9x13. Do you think I need to make any adjustments to time?
Anna
You may have a strange sized pan, but the standard size is 10 1/2 x 15 1/2 (most people just call it 10x15). So I'm guessing that your pan is the same size as mine. If you want thicker bars though, you can bake it in a 9x13", but it will need to be baked longer. You can use a toothpick to test it.
Nichole Chipalu
So so good! A great way to use roasted pumpkin purée. The guys gobbled them down as sounds of “mmmm” rang out in unison! Superb recipe!
Anna
Thank you for the comment. So glad you enjoyed them!
Margaret
This sounds so yummy.
Anna
They are yummy! You should try them and let me know what you think. 🙂