Super moist pumpkin cake bars topped with frosting that don’t require any cooking or baking. These pumpkin bars are just three ingredients and so easy to make. They are also a keto-friendly and low carb dessert.
These bars took me about 10 minutes to make and then into the fridge they went to set. Not only are they easy to make but they are also healthier than traditional pumpkin bars.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin Puree
- Powdered Erythritol
- Coconut Flour
These three ingredients are all you need to make the pumpkin bars. If you want the bars to taste more like pumpkin pie, I highly recommend adding pumpkin pie spice.
Texture
These cake bars taste like a very moist cake. The texture is similar to the inside of a cake pop. Cake pops are usually made by mashing together cake with frosting, creating a very moist cake ball. That is what these pumpkin bars are like, especially when you eat them with the frosting.
Frosting Options
Pumpkin bars are usually topped with cream cheese frosting. And you can definitely do that for these. But cream cheese frosting does require a little bit of work and I didn’t want a frosting that was more work than the pumpkin bars.
So I topped mine with a very easy 2-ingredient frosting that takes about two minutes to make. You can add a little cinnamon or pumpkins spice to it as well but I wanted the frosting to stay white in color so I didn’t add any spice.
More Keto Pumpkin Desserts
3 Ingredient No Bake Pumpkin Bars (Keto, low carb)
Ingredients
- 8 oz pumpkin puree
- 4 tbsp powdered erythritol
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- pumpkin pie spice optional, see notes
Frosting
- 1/2 cup powdered erythritol
- 1/4 cup heavy cream see notes for substitutions
- water as needed to thin out frosting
Instructions
- Line an 8 inch by 4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add pumpkin and powdered erythritol. Mix until evenly and completely combined. Taste and add more sweetener if desired. If using pumpkin pie spice, add it at this time also.
- Stir in cocout flour until your batter becomes very thick, like a very moist cake. You may need a little more coconut flour to reach your desired consistency. Spread batter into prepared pan, pressing down to compact the batter.
- To make the frosting, add powdered erythritol and heavy cream to a small bowl and whisk until evenly combined. Add a little water at a time until frosting reaches desired thickness.
- Spread frosting across surface of pumpkin bars. Place loaf pan into the fridge for about 1 hour or until pumpkin bars firm up enough to slice.
- Slice pumpkin bars with a sharp knife. Store any uneaten bars in the fridge.
Notes
- If you want the bars to taste like pure pumpkin, then don't add any spice. If you want them to taste like pumpkin pie bars, add 1/2-1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice or a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and ground ginger.
- I made a very basic white frosting for these bars. If you want to add more flavor to the frosting you can add a splash of vanilla or a dash of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.
- You can make the frosting with milk (soy, almond, coconut, or oat milk will also work) instead of heavy cream but I prefer the heavy cream as it makes the icing tastes richer and it makes it thicker. If you are using milk you will need less of it, so I recommend adding it in 1 tbsp at a time and mixing in between.
- Pumpkin bars are often served with cream cheese icing. If you prefer cream cheese icing, I have a low carb cream cheese icing recipe here.
- You must use powdered erythritol for the bars and the frosting. Granular sweetener will not melt into the pumpkin bars. I used Anthony's Confectioner's powdered erythritol*
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases (at no extra charge to you).
- Estimated nutrition is calculated without the frosting since not all the frosting is used.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Sorry but it tasted like pumpkin soap. Must be the coconut flour. Before throwing it away I will mix everything (incl the frosting) with cream cheese and eggs and bake it…
They definitely shouldn’t taste like soap – the coconut flavor should be really mild, too. The bars should taste like pumpkin. Maybe you measured wrong? Or, if you’re not a fan of coconut flour that could be the problem.
Did anyone even test this recipe? I’ve seen it copied all over but they taste like canned pumpkin and disappointment, and are mushy non pleasant texture. Not very flavorful even with pumpkin spice and vanilla I added.
The full 1/2c (weighed to the gram) of coconut flour made the pumpkin mixture so dry it was crumbly and hard to spread out into the pan, but upon chilling the bars were wet and mushy and fell apart very easily into mush. No way would I have gotten the bars out if I had not lined the pan with wax paper, which was so wet it was staring to fall apart after 2 hours.
I added 1 Tbsp of milk to the confectioners sugar which made it all too thin. More like a thick glaze than an icing. No way would 1/4c of cream work out. Had to mix more confectioners in to thicken it up.
Was hoping they’d firm up over night. Nope. They taste mostly like canned pumpkin. Even with the sweet and spice, it just isn’t good.
Did you use a US 1/2 cup measurement? This recipe doesn’t include a weighted measurement, so it might be that too much coconut flour was used. That would explain why the dough was dry and crumbly. It’s strange they ended up mushy since the dough was so dry. As far as the flavor, it’s meant to be a pumpkin bar so it will taste like pumpkin.
Fall is coming and I’m over here panicking on how to enjoy pumpkin yum yums…….NOT ANYMORE!!!! 🙂 Can’t wait to try these!
Let us know what you think!
can you freeze these? I plan on making them tomorrow as I have 10 15 oz bags of pumpkin i just roasted!
Sorry, but we haven’t tried freezing them.
Can you substitute powdered sugar for the powdered erythritol?
Sorry, but we haven’t tried it. They have a similar texture which should work, but the amount may need to be different. Let us know if you try it!
Can you tell me how many net carbs are in this dessert?
The net carbs per serving are 3 grams. This info is located at the bottom of the recipe card with the other nutrition info.
Can any other flour be used?
We’ve only tested them with coconut flour.
Do you think it would be possible to sweeten these with maple syrup or coconut sugar instead of Erythritol or could that ruin the texture?
For the best result, we recommend using powdered erythritol. Coconut sugar is granulated and won’t work and maple syrup doesn’t have the right texture either.
This was great!! Tasted like a crustless pumpkin pie.
Topped with coconut milk whipped cream.
Thank you for sharing this delicious and easy dessert.
We’re so happy you liked the recipe!
If I don’t have coconut flour and powdered erythritol. What else can i use instead?
Sorry, but we’ve only tested the recipe with those ingredients and don’t have a good recommendation.
Wow, made these last night and talk about FANTASTIC!! They tasted like pumpkin pie cheesecake, I’m in love! Thanks so much!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Can you add raisins and nuts?
the pumpkin bars are a bit delicate so it may not work well with adding raisings or nuts.
Oh my! This is so delicious! I’m not brave enough to try substitutions, but there was no need! Thank you so much for sharing such a fabulous dessert! ?
I’m so glad you liked them!
LOVE these!!! The consistency is perfect and they taste just like pumpkin pie and not too sweet. Paired it with a keto cream cheese frosting and even my non keto family members loved it!! Will be making these for thanksgiving for sure. Thanks for this recipe!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed them so much!
Could you substitute stevia? These look yummy!
Oops saw the same question above
Has anyone tried freezing the bars? Do they defrost well?
I have not tried freezing.
I tried the recipe, but unfortunately it turned out more like a pumpkin pudding. It simply would not set. I wound up having to bake it and it took over an hour in the oven to set. Not sure if the amount of flour just wasn’t enough or the lack of eggs. Have you had this result with your recipe? If so, what did you do?
You need to make sure you add enough coconut flour so that the batter is already quite thick before you put it into the fridge. Depending on the brand of coconut flour, you may need to add a little more as I state in the recipe.
Can I use almond flour
No because it won’t absorb the pumpkin puree like coconut flour does
If I do not have an 8×4 loaf pan handy, would it be okay to use an 8×8? I have everything else besides the loaf pan haha.
Yes but you would need to double the recipe
If you love pumpkin pie, it will be hard not to eat the whole pan!
Agreed! I had to stop myself from eating too much of it before putting it into the fridge
Can I substitute stevia?
I have not tried with Stevia. If it will dissolve into the pumpkin puree without heat or cooking then it should be okay
Waiting for daylight to get up and try it. I don’t have powdered but will put erythritol granulated in the coffee grinder. I will order powdered from your site. Will make these when it’s daylight. Thanks for the recipe. Love pumpkin. Looking forward to more. Thanks
grinding up the granular version is what I do when I am out of the powdered version. I use my blender.
Is the powdered Erythritol the same consistency as powdered sugar (like on a powdered donut)? Do you think Splenda (sucralose) would work? I’ve found it blends in nicely with fruit and desserts.
Yes powdered erythritol is the same consistency as powdered sugar. I don’t know if Splenda will work. If it will dissolve into the puree without needing heat or cooking then it should be fine.
can almond flower be swapped for coconut?
no because almond flour isn’t as absorbent as coconut flour
That erythitol is elusive and hard to find. Whats a good sub?
if you’re not on keto you can use powdered sugar. erythritol is not too hard to find. Swerve brand is sold at many grocery stores and other brands are available on Amazon
Allergic to coconut, any suggestions for a suitable substitute?
Sorry I don’t have one at this time
I think the ratio of coconut flour to almond flour is 1/4 C to 1 C. Coconut flour absorbs more than almond, but if you can use almond flour, just mix it in slowly until you get the consistency that feels about right.
That is generally the rule though it will vary depending on the recipe. I think the issue is that you would need so much almond flour in this recipe that it wouldn’t taste right.
On the three ingredient pumpkin bars, can I use almond flour instead of coconut flour?
No, it won’t work with almond flour
This looks and sounds delicious, I cannot wait to try it! Thank you for the recipe :)!
I hope you enjoy!
Powdered erythritol. Yup, there’s always that one crazy ingredient not in the pantry… And it’s not currently available on Amazon…
the one I linked to may not be available but there are many other brands of it available on Amazon. You can also find it at Whole Foods. And if you have granular erythritol you can turn it into powdered using a food processor or a blender
I use the Swerve brand erythritol & have been able to purchase from Amazon.
I used sweet potato and cinnamon and vanilla extract instead of pumpkin pure’ and pumpkin spice. Wonderful results. I hate pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices.
I’m glad you got it to work for you!
I really want to try this recipe. As a diabetic, I would prefer to use erythritol powder as the recipe calls for , but I dont know where to find it. Can I use stevia instead?
I have not tried it with stevia. If the stevia will dissolve into the puree then it should work.
I’m not so sure if we have this in our place. Any suggested alternative for erythritol powder? Frankly, I havn’t tried cooking any recipe you forwarded to me, I’m so sorry. Anyways, many many thanks to what your sent. Good day.
if you are not on a keto diet you can use powdered sugar.
11g carbs, 1g fat is the exact opposite of keto
There are 3 net carbs per bar. And while the recipe is low fat, this is meant to be a dessert, not a meal. You should be using actual meals to get the needed fat. I labeled this dessert keto-friendly because most people on a keto diet should be able to eat it without going over their carb count.
This recipe sounds delicious and I also thought about 11g carbs then remembered you subtract the fiber and erythritol to get net carbs. I’m so excited to try this recipe!
I hope you enjoy
Making a cream cheese frosting would add fat and get it closer to a better keto ratio also.