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This Pumpkin Pie Bars recipe is easier to make than pumpkin pie! If you need an easy dessert for a crowd, pumpkin pie crunch bars are easy to slice and serve. Plus, they have a buttery shortbread crust and a pecan crumble topping that goes perfectly with the filling.
Take a traditional pumpkin pie and a classic dessert bar, and you get these fantastic pumpkin pie bars! This is the best pumpkin dessert that tastes like pie but is easier to slice, serve, and eat.
BEST Recipe for Pumpkin Pie Bars
What I love best about these easy pumpkin pie bars is the crust-to-filling-to-topping ratio. The combination of these three things makes these so good.
The other thing that these bars have going for them? That they’re bars. Just like Libby’s pumpkin pie bars recipe that everyone loves.
I love pie (a lot, obvi), but you have to admit: pie bars are just easier than a whole pie.
- One, you can serve a lot of people with just one batch of these bars. You’d need to make at least three pies to get the same amount of servings.
- Two, they’re easier to neatly slice and remove from the pan.
- Three, they’re easier to give away. You can make a big batch, package them up in smaller batches and give them to all of your family and friends.
- And, four, pie bars have more crust and crumble together than filling.
Um, that’s my kind of pie, and I’m pretty sure this pumpkin slab pie will be your kind of pie, too. It’s just too good.
Table of Contents
Ingredients in Pumpkin Crumble Bars
Butter: You’ll need unsalted softened butter for the crust and the crumble.
Salt: Necessary to round out the flavor of the crust and crumble – if you use salted butter you can omit salt.
Flour: Use all purpose flour and be sure to measure it correctly.
Sugar: You’ll use granulated and brown sugar in this recipe.
Canned pumpkin puree – not pumpkin pie mix!
Evaporated Milk: This is the liquid you’ll need in the pumpkin pie filling. The evaporated milk helps to thicken the pie filling.
Eggs: Be sure to buy large eggs.
Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves are the normal pumpkin pie spices – or you can substitute jarred or homemade pumpkin pie spice.
Pecans: Coarsely chop some pecans for the crumble topping. Walnuts would be good too – or you can omit.
How to Make Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Crust: To make the crust, place softened butter, flour, and sugar in a large bowl. Mix with a stand or a hand mixer until it turns into a crumbly dough. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared 9×13” baking pan. Bake the crust at 350°F for 15 minutes.
- Topping: For the topping, mix flour, softened butter, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in the same bowl that you made the crust. Mix with a hand mixer until the topping is crumbly, and then stir in the pecans.
- Filling: Whisk the pumpkin, evaporated milk, salt, and eggs in a large bowl to make the filling. Next, whisk in brown sugar and all of the spices.
- Once the crust is done baking, take it out of the oven.
- Pour the filling over the top.
- Sprinkle the pecan crumble pie topping over the filling. Bake the pumpkin pie mix bars for 25 to 30 minutes or until the topping is set. Cool the bars at room temperature and then refrigerate them for at least two hours before slicing.
Tips
- For the crust and shortbread topping, be sure to use softened butter. Leave it out at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before you make the recipe.
- Line the baking dish with foil, so it’s easy to lift the bars out in one piece before slicing them.
- Pumpkin pie shortbread bars are a great make-ahead dessert. You can make and bake them a day in advance and then leave them overnight in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
- You can store leftover bars covered in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze them in airtight bags for one month.
FAQ
Yes. Once you’ve made this pumpkin pie crunch recipe, you can freeze the bars in a container or freeze individual bars in small freezer bags.
No, they aren’t the same thing. You should only use evaporated milk for this recipe.
Pie will keep one day at room temperature. Because of this, it’s better to store it in the refrigerator, so it lasts a few days longer.
No, they aren’t the same thing. Pumpkin pie mix has other ingredients in it, so be sure just to use plain puree.
When they are done, the bars will be lightly golden around the edges. They will also look set and only jiggle a tiny bit when you tap the pan.
Evaporated milk is a great way to add richness and a creamy texture to a filling without using heavy cream.
You can substitute an equal amount of heavy cream or half and half.
These pumpkin pie bars with crust are the perfect way to get a pumpkin fix without making a pie. I know there are many pumpkin pie fans out there, but I think these bars are even better. You can’t beat the crust and that buttery crumble topping!
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Pumpkin Pie Bars with Pecan Crumble
Ingredients
Crust:
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , softened
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (186g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50g) sugar
Filling:
- 1 15 ounce can canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 12 ounces can evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup (133g) packed brown sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Topping
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup (124g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt optional
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup (62g) coarsely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9×13” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Make the crust: add butter, flour, and sugar to a large bowl. Mix with a stand or a hand mixer until it becomes crumbly. (You may need to use your fingers to break up any larger chunks of butter.) Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the filling and topping.
- Make the filling: Whisk pumpkin, evaporated milk, salt, and eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in brown sugar and spices. Set aside.
- Make the topping: add all topping ingredients except pecans to the large bowl you used for the crust and mix with a hand mixer until crumbly, (again you may need to use your fingers to break up any large chunks of butter). The mixture will be crumbly/chunky. Stir in pecans. Set aside.
- After 15 minutes, remove crust from the oven. Whisk the filling once more, then pour over crust carefully and slowly. Sprinkle topping evenly on top of filling. Bake for an additional 35-45 minutes, until topping looks set (mine took 30 minutes).Cool at room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight before cutting into squares. Store covered in refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze in airtight bags for up to 1 month.
Recipe Notes
- You can omit the nuts if you prefer, or use walnuts
- I don’t recommend substituting for the evaporated milk but if you do, use heavy cream or half and half (equal amounts)
- If using salted butter, omit salt in the topping and crust.
Recipe Nutrition
Pumpkin Pie Bars are the mix of a traditional pumpkin pie and a classic dessert bar. They are a great fall dessert that will feed a crowd!
Hi Dorthy– in the filling you have ⅔ cup (133g) packed brown sugar but 2/3 cup does not equal anything close to 133g. which is the correct measurement?? Thanks!
Actually that is the correct measure. 1 cup packed brown sugar is 200g and 2/3 is 133 or 134, depending on how you round.
I love the bars, but I had a hard time. The crust was too buttery and I had a hard time making it work, but eventually it got done and my hands were very buttery. But the thing that I had a real problem with was the topping. It came out in one big lump. So I punched off little chunks and spread it around as best I could, but I still can see the filling in places. I followed the recipe exactly and I teach cooking.
For the topping, if it’s one big chunk it means it was mixed a bit too long – it’ll eventually come together like that. Pinching it off works just great.
Dorothy – these are amazing, especially to those of us in my family who are not big fans of traditional pumpkin pie. I used my food processor for the crust (cold butter) and it came together in about 10 pulses. I did the same for the crumble before adding the pecans. Quick prep!
Mine came out just like the photo, and I was so excited! But overall it’s not sweet enough for me. I think I need to add more brown and white sugar to the topping, and definitely more salt, because I used unsalted butter. The spices are mild, which is ok, but I might increase the amounts, more like the old Libby pumpkin can label recipe. The bottom crust is very easy, I used an old fashioned pastry blender and had no lumps. Also used cold butter and it made a nice crumb.
Salt and spices are definitely things everyone has preferences for! If you’re someone who loves a spicier pumpkin spice flavor, by all means add more! I was going off how my mom has made our pumpkin pie for years. 🙂 And sugar, well. Add ice cream! Ha!
Hi – just wanted to let you know that I used your pie crust recipe again for the base of a pumpkin pie with a different filling (no evaporated milk, which turns out to be really bad for us with lactose intolerance. Anyway, the crust works really well in a pie pan – I just dumped the crumbled mix into the plate after lightly buttering it, then used the back of a big spoon to press the dough down and up the sides of the pan. with practice I can probably get it more even. DELICIOUS CRUST! Makes the pie perfect!
Great tip, thank you!!
Love the Pumpkin Pie Bars with Pecan Crumble!! Delicious! They are easy to make and freeze. I just have to take out a bar or 2 out of the freezer each day to have with my coffee! Fall of the year and this is the perfect treat!!
Thanks Nancy! I’m so glad you liked them!
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