Healthy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars | Easy Recipe

Gluten-free chocolate chip pumpkin bars are made with wholesome ingredients like oats, coconut flour and pure pumpkin. A very easy recipe for the perfect fall snack!

This is my fifth time posting a pumpkin recipe this fall... it's just that they're everywhere at the grocery stores and I'm discovering I like to embrace seasonal cooking. And pumpkin flavor is the taste of fall.

I promise it's my last for this pumpkin season.

It's been a good run, though! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice sauce, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin puree, and now delicious gluten-free pumpkin squares or bars. Isn't it the best when you can use a vegetable in baking?!

Perhaps you can tell... nutrients are important to me, even in treats and sweet dishes. The more I can get in me and my family, the better!

You've also probably noticed that these aren't the typical pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. These are healthy pumpkin bars: a wholesome, hearty snack or breakfast with the addition of some chocolate. They are so good, you could eat them as a dessert, but their nutrient profile is much better than a traditional pumpkin bar, which is basically cake.

Now. I'm not huge on gluten-free baking because my family members can somewhat tolerate gluten. However, we can't tolerate that much of it. Many people in our modern society have some negative reaction to eating gluten, so it can be good to avoid it where possible.

One reason I like trying gluten-free recipes (and dairy-free recipes, for that matter), is it gives me the opportunity to use ingredients I otherwise wouldn't and get more variety in my diet.

Speaking of dairy, this pumpkin treat is also dairy-free, as long as you use dairy-free chocolate.

Are Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars Healthy?

This is a sweet snack, but it is made with real ingredients that have nutrients and health benefits. For the healthiest possible version, use high-quality dark chocolate chopped into chunks instead of chocolate chips.

Pumpkin - Hello- it's a vegetable! Of course, it's good for you. (Okay, technically it's a fruit, but it's so nutritious, you could consider it on the same level with vegetables!) Pumpkin is very high in Vitamin A, and also contains good amounts of Vitamin K, copper, Vitamin E, iron and many more!

Because of its great nutrient profile, it can boost immunity and improve eye, skin and heart health. Pumpkin puree is also very easy to make from scratch by roasting pumpkins and then blending them in a food processor. Learn more here!

Sprouted oats - Oats are a very nutritious grain and are naturally gluten-free. They are high in fibre and protein, as well as many vitamins and minerals.

Oats naturally contain an anti-nutrient called phytic acid which prevents the body from absorbing some of the nutrients. The process of sprouting helps to reduce or neutralize the phytic acid, making the nutrients in the oats more available to your body. So if you can get your hands on some sprouted oats, go that route! However, regular rolled oats will work fine and still provide some nutritional value.

Coconut flour - Gluten-free and high in nutrients, including fibre, protein, healthy fats and iron!

Maple syrup - One of my favorite natural sweeteners. Maple syrup has such a delightful flavor, contains some nutrients and is all-natural (As long as you get the pure stuff. We're not talking about Aunt Jemima!) It is still sugar, so I've put as little as possible in this recipe to impart just enough sweetness.

How Do I Know When the Bars are Done?

A simple baking trick you can use to find out if something is fully baked is to insert a toothpick into the middle of it. When you pull it out, the toothpick will be completely clean if the item is cooked. If some dough comes up with the toothpick, it needs to be baked longer.

Can PUmpkin Bars Be Frozen?

Freezing is a fantastic way to keep a batch of these bars on hand for a long period of time. I like to eat one a day, so keeping them at room temperature or in the fridge won't do, because some will go bad eventually.

Freeze in a freezer bag or container. When you want to eat one, remove a bar and let it thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes before eating! If you are really hungry, you can eat it frozen, but I don't recommend it for your teeth' sake!

Tips for Making Gluten-Free PUmpkin Bars

• Grease your baking dish well. If you want to take an extra measure to ensure no sticking, cut out a square of parchment paper to place in the bottom of the pan after greasing the bottom and sides.
• You can use either homemade pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin. Just don't use canned pumpkin pie filling!
• If you are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, ensure your oats are processed in a facility without gluten. Oats are gluten free, but are often processed in the same facilities as wheat, so could contain a small amount of gluten.

Substitutions That Can Be Made

• If you have a pumpkin pie spice mixture on hand, you can use 1 teaspoon of that in place of the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, giner and allspice.
• I have not tried oat flour, almond flour, sweet rice flour, a gluten-free flour blend or any other type of flour in this recipe, so I can't advise if you can make substitutions succesfully. Let me know if you do and how it goes!
• Coconut oil can be substitued for the olive oil as long as it's softened and the eggs are at room temperature. If the eggs are cold, the coconut oil will clump up and not be evenly distributed through the batter.
• You could use a liquid sweetener such as honey or date syrup in place of the maple syrup, but don't use a granulated sweetener like coconut sugar or brown sugar.

Tools You May Need

Mixing bowls

8x8 baking pan

How to Make Gluten-Free PUmpkin Bars

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• 1½ cups sprouted rolled oats (or regular rolled oats)
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoon ground flax
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• ⅛ teaspoon allspice
• ⅛ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup chocolate chips or chunks

WET INGREDIENTS:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x8 baking dish.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, then mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Allow the bars to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before cutting into them and serving.

How to Store Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars

These pumpkin bars can be stored in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Did you try this recipe? If so, I would really appreciate a 5-star rating and your comments below! Thanks!

More PUmpkin Recipes

• PUMPKIN SPICE SAUCE
• CINNAMON AND HONEY ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
• EGGLESS PUMPKIN PIE
• HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN PUREE

More Nourishing Snacks

• HOMEMADE PROTEIN PANCAKE MIX
• HOW TO CUT CARROTS STICKS
• DEHYDRATED KALE CHIPS
• HONEY ROASTED CASHEWS
• HOW TO EAT PATE

Grab my healthy breakfast ebook for more soaked and sprouted grain recipes: