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Being gluten-free, refined sugar-free and dairy-free, these easy pumpkin pecan bars are the perfect healthy dessert for Thanksgiving or anytime during the holidays!
Pecan bars or Pumpkin bars?! Why choose when you can have both with these healthy pumpkin pecan bars!
A delicious crust, a perfect layer of pumpkin goodness and a gooey pecan topping... if this doesn't get you excited for Thanksgiving and the holidays, I don't know what will!
If you want to treat yourself this holiday season without reaching for the sugar loaded not-so-healthy desserts, this recipe for healthy pumpkin pecan bars is for you!
No dairy, no refined sugar, no gluten, only wholesome ingredients.
Oat & Almond flour crust + fresh pumpkin filling + caramelized pecan topping = the perfect fall dessert!
With a crust made from oats and almond flour (or almond meal, whichever you call it!), and without any traditional flour, these healthy pecan bars are 100% gluten-free and more nutritious than classic bars – not to mention super delicious!
The filling itself is pretty straightforward with pumpkin puree, maple syrup, pumpkin spice for these perfect Holiday feels and two eggs to bind everything together.
But my favorite part is really the pecan topping! With the coconut sugar, the pecans kind of caramelize and I had to watch myself not to pick and steal the topping before these bars had a chance to get photographed while still whole????
You'll probably want to dig in ASAP but make sure you do let your pumpkin pecan bars sit in the fridge for 2 hours before serving them otherwise they won't be firm enough and it'll get messy.
Enjoy!
If you tried these Healthy Pumpkin Pecan Bars, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
5 from 2 votes
Healthy Pumpkin Pecan Bars {Gluten-free + Refined Sugar Free + Dairy-free}
Being gluten-free, refined sugar-free and dairy-free, these easy pumpkin pecan bars are the perfect healthy dessert for Thanksgiving or anytime during the holidays!
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Keyworddessert, pecan bars, pumpkin bars
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Resting time 2 hours
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 12 bars
Calories 365 kcal
Author Marie
Ingredients
crust
- 1cupoats
- 1 ½cupsalmond flour
- ½teaspoonsea salt
- 2tablespoonscoconut sugar
- 5tablespoonscoconut oil or ghee
- 2tablespoonsmaple syrup
Filling:
- 2cups pumpkin puree, unsweetened(or one 15oz. can)
- ¼cupmaple syrup
- ⅓cupalmond milkor cashew
- 2large eggs
- ¼cupcoconut sugar
- 2teaspoonspumpkin spice
- ¾teaspoonsea salt
Topping:
- 1 ½cupspecansroughly chopped
- ⅓cupoat floursee notes to make your own oat flour easily!
- ¼cupcoconut sugar
- ½teaspoonsea salt
- 2tablespoonsmaple syrup
- 2tablespoonscoconut oil or ghee
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F/176C degrees.
In a food processor, add oats and process the mixture until it reaches a sandy texture, but not as fine as flour. Then, add the remaining crust ingredients and pulse until dough comes away from the edge.
Add dough to a 9x9 baking dish, using your hands to press it into one even layer. Parbake crust for 20 minutes or until browned and dry to the touch.
In the meantime, whisk together all filling ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Stir until smooth, then pour onto the parbaked crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until filling is firm but still a bit jiggly in the center.
In the meantime, make topping: toss pecans together with oat flour, coconut sugar and salt with your hands. Mix in maple syrup and coconut oil/ghee until mixture comes together.
After pumpkin filling has baked, sprinkle topping in one even layer over top. Bake another 8-10 minutes or until filling no longer jiggles when you shake it. Set aside until completely cooled, then chill for 2 hours before serving.
Recipe Notes
To make oat flour, simply process rolled oats in your food processor until it's a fine powder.
Nutrition Facts
Healthy Pumpkin Pecan Bars {Gluten-free + Refined Sugar Free + Dairy-free}
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 365Calories from Fat 225
% Daily Value*
Fat 25g38%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 27mg9%
Sodium 380mg17%
Potassium 211mg6%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 16g18%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 6400IU128%
Vitamin C 1.9mg2%
Calcium 83mg8%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
« Easy Holiday Roasted Vegetables with Pecans and Cranberries
Gluten Free Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Stuffing {Vegetarian} »
Reader Interactions
Comments
Tara
Oh yum! I love that topping. It is the best of both worlds. Such a delicious and healthy treat for the holidays.
Marie
It's my favorite part ???? Thanks Tara!
Ginny
Love the look of those layers. They wold make so many people happy at Thanksgiving.
Marie
I bet they would! ????
rika
This recipe is great! I love healthy snacks/desserts, the pumpkin and pecan = the perfect combo!
Marie
Thanks so much Rika! Love this combo too ????
Cindy @ The Sweet Nerd
These look incredible!! I'm so going to put this on my short list of recipes for the season. I love that it's no dairy, no refined sugar, no gluten, only wholesome ingredients. Seriously awesome.
Marie
Thanks so much Cindy! I hope you try them and love them ????
Deanna
These look amazing!!! YUM!
Marie
I'm loving them!! Thanks Deanna!
Julia
Love the crust! Gotta try it 🙂
Marie
Me too! 🙂 Thanks Julia!
Lisa
Is there a sub for oats and oat flour?
Marie
You could try with regular plain or GF flour but I haven't tested myself so I can't be positive. Let me know if you try it!
Sue
How long do these keep in the fridge? Can they be frozen?
Marie
They keep for about 5 days in the fridge (but the crust will start to get softer the longer you keep them). I haven't tried but I think they would freeze perfectly. Freeze them in portions for easier thawing and thaw them overnight in the fridge when needed.
40A.
WOW, I cannot get over that caramelized pecan topping! These bars are absolutely perfect for Thanksgiving!
Ashley
This recipe is delicious! I actually substituted hazelnut flour for the almond, coconut cream for the milk, and flax for the eggs. It was a bit healthier tasting with the flax, but with all the other crunchy ingredients the flax was mostly hidden.
I have now made the topping from this for all of my tarts and will be using apples as a filling next. This is a very versatile and scrumptious recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Marie
So glad you loved this recipe Ashley! And thanks for sharing your substitutions, I'm sure it'll be helpful to others 🙂
Rose Mary George
This looks delicious!
