Emily walked into the kitchen last Tuesday morning and immediately asked, "Mom, can we make something that actually tastes like fall?" I was honestly caught off guard because we'd just finished making regular chocolate chip cookies the night before. But you know what? She was totally right - we needed pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.
These turned out to be exactly what our kitchen needed. The bars come out incredibly moist and perfectly spiced, while the cream cheese frosting adds just the right amount of sweetness without being overwhelming. Plus, they're way easier to make than individual cupcakes when you're feeding a crowd.
What really surprised me was how the Greek yogurt in this recipe keeps everything so tender. I started adding it last fall when I ran out of extra oil, and now I wouldn't make them any other way. Speaking of fall treats, these pair perfectly with my pumpkin spice waffles for a complete autumn breakfast spread.
Why You'll Love This Pumpkin Bars Recipe
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Pumpkin Bars Recipe
- Ingredients For Perfect Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
- How To Make The Best Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Storage Tips For Your Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Creative Variations For Your Pumpkin Bars Recipe
- Frequently Asked Questions About Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Recipes You May Like
- Final Thoughts On These Amazing Pumpkin Bars
- Pumpkin Bars w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
These pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting check all the boxes for the perfect fall dessert:
- Quick prep time - Just 10 minutes to get everything mixed and in the pan
- One-bowl mixing - Less cleanup means more time enjoying your treats
- Perfectly spiced - The pumpkin pie spice blend gives you all those cozy fall flavors
- Super moist texture - Thanks to the Greek yogurt and pumpkin puree combination
- Crowd-pleasing size - One pan serves 12 people easily
- Make-ahead friendly - These actually taste better the next day
Ingredients For Perfect Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
For The Pumpkin Bars:
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Greek Yogurt, plain or vanilla
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Vegetable Oil
- 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
- 150 grams (¾ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 8oz (1 Cup) Pure Pumpkin Puree
- 125 grams (1 Cup) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 Teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
For The Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4oz Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature
- 250-313 grams (2-2½ Cups) Confectioners Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
How To Make The Best Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
Preparing Your Pumpkin Bars
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease an 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking pan thoroughly.
- Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl using an electric mixer or whisk. Mix the oil, Greek yogurt, eggs, sugar, and pumpkin puree until everything looks evenly combined.
- Whisk dry ingredients together in a separate small bowl. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until well distributed.
- Mix everything together by adding the dry ingredients to the wet batter. Stir just until fully combined - don't overmix or your bars might turn out tough.
- Pour and bake the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean with no wet batter.
- Cool completely on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before frosting. This step is crucial - trust me on this one!
Making The Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat cream cheese and butter in an electric mixer bowl until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Make sure both ingredients are at room temperature for the smoothest frosting.
- Add remaining ingredients including sifted powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until the sugar incorporates, then increase to high speed.
- Beat until fluffy for another 3-5 minutes until the frosting becomes very light and spreadable.
- Spread over cooled bars using an angled spatula for the smoothest finish.
Here's something I learned the hard way - when I put the bars in the oven, I immediately take my cream cheese and butter out to soften. By the time the bars are done baking and cooling, everything's perfectly ready for frosting!
Storage Tips For Your Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
Keep your frosted pumpkin bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The cream cheese frosting needs that cool temperature to stay fresh and maintain its texture.
If you're making these ahead for a party, you can bake the bars up to 2 days early and store them unfrosted at room temperature. Just make the frosting fresh on the day you plan to serve them.
For longer storage, wrap unfrosted bars tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. I don't recommend freezing the frosted version because the texture gets a bit weird when it thaws.
Creative Variations For Your Pumpkin Bars Recipe
Spice Things Up: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to your pumpkin pie spice for a subtle kick that really makes the flavors pop.
Chocolate Lovers: Fold in ½ cup of mini chocolate chips to the batter before baking. Emily's friends go crazy for this version.
Nutty Twist: Sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts on top of the frosting for extra texture and flavor.
Lighter Version: You can substitute the oil with additional Greek yogurt, but the texture will be slightly less rich.
Gluten-Free Option: Replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
Yes, these pumpkin bars are delicious on their own or with a light dusting of powdered sugar instead of cream cheese frosting.
Store frosted pumpkin bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Unfrosted bars can be stored at room temperature for 3 days.
Yes, you can replace Greek yogurt with an equal amount of sour cream, applesauce, or additional vegetable oil for similar results.
An 8x8 or 9x9 inch square baking pan works perfectly for this recipe. The 8x8 will give you thicker bars, while 9x9 creates slightly thinner bars.
Recipes You May Like
- Pumpkin Spice Brownies - Another fall favorite that's rich and fudgy
- Pumpkin Custard Pie - Perfect when you want something a bit more elegant
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies - Because sometimes you need a classic alongside your fall treats
Final Thoughts On These Amazing Pumpkin Bars
These pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting have become our go-to fall dessert for good reason. They're simple enough for a weeknight treat but special enough for holiday gatherings. The combination of warm spices, moist texture, and creamy frosting hits all the right notes.
What I love most is how forgiving this recipe is. Even if you're new to baking, these bars are almost impossible to mess up. Give them a try this fall - I promise your kitchen will smell absolutely amazing!
Don't forget to save this recipe to Pinterest so you can find it again when pumpkin season rolls around next year!
Pumpkin Bars w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 8-inch square baking pan
- Electric Mixer
- Wire Rack
- Angled Spatula
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bars
- 2 oz Greek Yogurt plain or vanilla (¼ Cup)
- 2 oz Vegetable Oil ¼ Cup
- 2 Large Eggs at room temperature
- 150 grams Granulated Sugar ¾ Cup
- 8 oz Pure Pumpkin Puree 1 Cup
- 125 grams All-Purpose Flour 1 Cup
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz Cream Cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 oz Unsalted Butter softened to room temperature (¼ Cup)
- 250-313 grams Confectioners Sugar 2-2½ Cups
- 1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease an 8X8 or 9X9 baking pan.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or whisk combine the oil, greek yogurt, eggs, sugar, and pumpkin puree, mixing until evenly combined.
- In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Mix dry ingredients into the wet batter just until fully combined.
- Pour into pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (no wet batter). Let cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes.
- Once the bars are completely cooled begin making the frosting.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer combine cream cheese, butter, and pumpkin pie spice until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Add in sifted powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Beat on low until powdered sugar is combined then turn the speed up to high and beat for another 3-5 minutes, until very light and fluffy.
- Use an angled spatula spread the frosting over cooled bars. Store bars in the fridge for up to 5 days.
