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These super easy gluten-free pumpkin pie bars have an oat-based streusel crust as well as topping and are sure to be a hit at the Thanksgiving dessert table!
While I prefer pie to cake and other desserts, I don’t make pies very often because I find pie crust to be too fussy. Not only that, but I usually don’t even like the taste of pie crust and I’m more than perfectly content with just the filling. All of those problems go out the window with these pumpkin pie streusel bars! The crust couldn’t be simpler and it doubles as a streusel topping.
I sometimes find classic pumpkin pie a little boring and if given the option between it and something else, I have to admit, I normally reach for something a little more out of the ordinary. That’s why I loaded these pumpkin pie bars with streusel! Who can resist a thick layer of buttery, crisp streusel?
Just like in my last post (these gluten-free apple spice cookies), I used a mix of oats and oat flour, which makes this a great recipe to start off with if you’re new to gluten-free baking. They’re also coincidentally 100% whole grain. More importantly, nobody will be able to tell that these are gluten-free or whole grain! The texture of the streusel is just like that of one with all-purpose flour and I was also generous with the cinnamon, which covers up any whole grain taste.
You can either top these bars off with whipped cream or for even more of a treat – this salted maple caramel sauce! It’s quick, easy and there’s no candy thermometer needed. If you prefer cream, 1 cup of cream yields about 2 cups of whipped cream, which is just the right amount for these bars. I like to add a tablespoon of powdered sugar while I’m beating the cream and to briefly beat in a teaspoon of vanilla once my whipped cream has reached the soft peak stage.
Whether or not you have a gluten-free family member at Thanksgiving, these pumpkin pie streusel bars would make an awesome addition to your dessert table!
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Streusel Bars
Ingredients:
For the crust and topping:
1 1/4 cups certified gluten-free oat flour*
2 cups certified gluten-free rolled oats
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
For the filling:
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice**
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350∞F. Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Prepare the crust and topping. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oat flour, oats, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Stir in the butter until well combined.
3. Pat half of the mixture firmly onto the bottom of the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until lightly golden brown. The crust will bubble a little during baking.
5. Let the crust cool for 5-10 minutes while preparing the filling.
6. In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the filling ingredients. Pour evenly over the crust and bake for 12 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and add walnut-sized pieces of the remaining oat mixture over the filling. It will be a very thick layer and some of it will sink a little into the filling. Bake for another 30 minutes or until the filling is golden brown and firm and the middle is set.
8. Let cool for 1 hour and serve with whipped cream or maple caramel sauce.
Cool completely before covering. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes:
* To make oat flour, pulse quick or rolled oats in a food processor or coffee grinder until finely ground.
** If you don't have pumpkin pie spice on hand, make your own using 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
Recipe from TexanErin
All images and text ©Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!
These are AMAZING!
This recipe is perfect and is better than pumpkin pie- way better! I love the crust.
I get so many compliments when I share these. Thank you for a fabulous recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for stopping back and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
Thanks, Jamie & Erin, for such a delicious recipe! Although I adore pumpkin pie, I’m not crazy about the crust, so this was a perfect solution. An 8 X 8 pan holds 8 cups, and a 13 X 9 holds 12 cups, so I increased the recipe amounts by 50% to fit a 13 X 9 pan, which worked out perfectly. I served it with Erin’s Maple Caramel Sauce, and it was a huge hit. I’m already looking forward to making it again!
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Patty! Thanks so much for stopping back to leave your feedback!
-Jamie
can you substitute cream for the evaporated milk like a fresh pumpkin pie (not pumpkin from a can)? I make crustless pie this way so wondering if could use crisp recipe as crust and skip putting it on top also?
These are so good! I’ve made it twice with the yummy carmel sauce. The last time I made it, I doubled it for Thanksgiving dinner and everybody loved it. Doubling the recipe did make too much pumpkin filling for my 13×9 pan, so I just made a small amount of the streusel and baked it with the rest of the filling in a small baking dish, the perfect amount for the hubs and me!
That’s a great tip for how to double it! Thanks for sharing. I’m so happy you enjoyed the bars and the caramel sauce! Thanks a bunch for your comment.
If you use oatmeal has gluten, oats is not gluten-free, beware
Hi Vivian! Bob’s Red Mill sells certified gluten-free oats and certified gluten-free oat flour. I hope that helps!
Hi Erin. Just wanted to let you know that I made your pumpkin streusel bars for my traditional day after Thanksgiving – Thanksgiving. We do our Thanksgiving the day after so that I have more time to prepare. Anyway, your pumpkin bars were spectacular. I made the salted caramel maple sauce as well. These were delicious. We are not gluten free people but they looked so good, I had to try. I was able to find the gluten free oat flour. Oh, the one thing I will note for others, because of the crumble thing on top, it’s hard to know if the pumpkin filling is set even if you stick a knife in it. I ended up cooking the pie filling 10 minutes longer just to be sure. It came out perfect. Thank you again.
Hi Tricia! I love that you celebrate Thanksgiving the day after Thanksgiving. More time to prepare is always good. ;) I’m so happy that you enjoyed the bars and the maple sauce! Since you’re not gluten-free, if you find non-gluten-free oat flour in the future that’s cheaper than the gluten-free oat flour, you could definitely use that. It works the same! (unlike some other gluten-free flours which are not at all the same as gluten-containing flours). Thanks a ton for your feedback and for your tip concerning the topping / filling. :)
I’m disappointed in my bars. They don’t look anything like the one’s in the picture. The topping is in lumps. Any suggestions?
I’m sorry that they didn’t come out well for you! Did you make any subs or changes to the recipe? I can imagine the topping coming out lumpy if you used all-purpose flour instead of oat flour or some kind of butter sub in place of the butter. I’ve made these a few times and have never had that issue so I’m not sure what else it could be. I hope they at least taste good. :)
I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9 x 13 and while it looks and smells yummy, it is way to thick to be bars. The top of the bars are the same height as the baking dish. I think less pumpkin mixture would’ve been better.
I’m sorry that they came out too thick when doubled! I think my bars were about 1″ or maybe 1 1/4″ tall and a 9″x13″ pan has a little less than double the area of an 8″x8″ pan so I’m not really sure what could have happened to cause them to be so tall. Thanks for your feedback and I hope that they’re still enjoyable!
This sounds delicious. Is there a way to make it non-dairy?
Michele-
You might try coconut oil to substitute for the butter in the crust and maybe almond or cashew milk in the filling. I have not tried these substitutions but I think they will work. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
Hi, Michele! I use coconut oil most of the time, except in crusts and streusels. If you want to use coconut oil, you need to reduce the amount or else it’ll spread a lot be kind of greasy. So for those bars, I’m guessing 3/4 cup or 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon would be the right amount. It’s just a guess, though. Using a dairy-free butter sub would be a safer bet. And for the evaporated milk, I’d use full-fat canned coconut milk (they may give these bars some coconut flavor, but I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it). I hope that helps!
This treat looks delicious and just in time for Thanksgiving! The picture was taken very well capturing the beauty of the treat itself. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to try and make it at home. The best part is the fact that it is a gluten free treat!!! Perfect for anyone to enjoy!!!
Thank you, Mily! I’m so happy that the pictures enticed you to make the bars. I hope that you’ll enjoy them as much as I did!