The classic, irresistible flavor and taste of pumpkin pie, but in a more convenient, easy to share form…umm, yes I’m sold! These easy Pumpkin Pie Bars are rich, creamy, full of warm spices, and made with a buttery shortbread crust. It’s the perfect dessert to enjoy during the fall season at family gatherings, holiday parties, or any time during the week. The best part is you can cut these bars as big or as little as you want, to make your dollar stretch, and to make them the perfect size for sharing, because trust me…they’re worth the hype!
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What’s So Special About Pumpkin Pie Bars?
I’ll be honest, making a homemade pie crust for a traditional pumpkin pie can be a little intimidating. These pumpkin pie bars are made with a super easy, buttery, 4-ingredient shortbread crust. After testing this recipe, I fell in love with the light & airy texture of the crust combined with the smooth, custardy pie filling. One word…Heaven!
And with a traditional pie you typically get about 6-8 slices; not to mention the added pressure to cut the slices evenly 😳. But these pumpkin pie bars are unbelievably easy to cut into 9 squares or more and they’re very easy to serve. Basically, if you’re looking for a simple and stress-free dessert to make this season, it’s definitely going to be this one!
Ingredients For Pumpkin Pie Bars
Here are the ingredients you need to make this pumpkin pie bar recipe:
- All-purpose flour, Butter & Powdered Sugar – These pumpkin pie bars are made with a quick and easy shortbread crust. It’s a simple combination of flour, butter, powdered sugar and salt. It has a crumbly, crisp texture with a buttery, semi-sweet flavor. It’s the perfect foundation for this luscious pumpkin pie filling!
- Pumpkin Purée – Pumpkin purée is of course the star of the show! It gives these pie bars a beautiful color and rich flavor. And we tested these with both the Kroger store brand and the Libby’s brand. They were both equally delicious. So feel free to save some money in that area without sacrificing flavor!
- Evaporated Milk – Evaporated milk gives this custard pie filling a rich and creamy texture.
- Granulated Sugar – Granulated white sugar enhances the flavor of the pumpkin puree and provides extra sweetness to the pie filling.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – Pumpkin pie spice is a simple mix of warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. It gives these pie bars amazing flavor! Feel free to use store-bought or make your own!
- Eggs – Eggs help the custard pie filling set.
Tips For Making Pumpkin Pie Bars!
- The shortbread crust mixture will look slightly crumbly at first, but will hold together nicely once pressed into the baking dish.
- The best way to tell when your pumpkin pie bars are done is to give the dish a little shake at around 50-55 minutes. The center should be mostly set and jiggle just slightly. If the center still looks too wet, then it needs more time to bake.
- When the bars are done baking, the top of the filling will be slightly puffed up. But don’t worry, it will settle back down as it cools.
- Make sure you allow the bars to cool at room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator to chill completely for at least one hour or more.
- And definitely allow the bars to chill and set completely before cutting.
Storing Leftovers
If you’re lucky enough to have any leftovers, you can store them covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just make sure they are completely cool before refrigerating.
Pumpkin Pie Bars
Servings 9Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.14)
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar ($0.12)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened ($1.07)
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 15oz. can pumpkin purée ($2.19)
- 1 12oz. can evaporated milk ($1.50)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar ($0.25)
- 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice ($0.15)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten ($0.18)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl add the flour, powdered sugar, salt, and softened butter for the shortbread crust. Mix the ingredients together with a fork or spatula until they are well combined. The mixture should look slightly crumbly.
- Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Press the shortbread mixture into the bottom of the dish in an even layer.
- Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake the crust for 15 minutes or just until the crust is lightly golden.
- While the crust is baking, begin to make the filling. In another large bowl add the pumpkin purée, evaporated milk, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and beaten eggs.
- Blend with a hand mixer or whisk the pie filling ingredients together until smooth.
- When the crust is finished baking, pour the pumpkin pie filling into the baking dish on top of the crust, then transfer it back to the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the filling is set and the center jiggles just slightly when you shake the baking dish.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the pie bars to cool for about 30 minutes, then transfer the dish to the refrigerator to chill completely for at least 2 hours.
- Once the pumpkin pie bars are completely chilled, remove them from the baking dish and slice into 9 bars. Top with some fresh whipped cream (optional) and enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Looking for more pie recipes? Try my Sweet Potato Pie recipe or the Maple Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie next!
How to Make Pumpkin Pie Bars – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl add 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup (1 stick) of softened butter for the shortbread crust. Mix the ingredients together with a fork or spatula until they are well combined. The mixture should look slightly crumbly.
Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Press the shortbread mixture into the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake the crust for 15 minutes or just until the crust is lightly golden.
While the crust is baking, begin to make the pie filling. In another large bowl add 1-15oz. can of pumpkin purée, 1-12oz. can of evaporated milk, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 large beaten eggs. Blend with a hand mixer or whisk the pie filling ingredients together until smooth.
When the crust is finished baking, pour the pumpkin pie filling into the baking dish on top of the crust, then transfer it back to the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the filling is set and the center jiggles just slightly when you shake the baking dish.
Remove the baking dish from the oven. The top of the pie filling will look slightly puffed when it comes out of the oven, but it will settle as it cools. Allow the pie bars to cool for about 30 minutes, then transfer the dish to the refrigerator to chill completely for at least 2 hours.
Once the pumpkin pie bars are completely chilled, remove them from the baking dish and slice them into 9 bars.
Top with some fresh whipped cream (optional) and enjoy!
The crust was a bit too rich for me. I think I would have preferred something with less butter.
But overall can’t complain due to how easy the bars were! Also the apartment smelled divine while they were baking. It was worth it to make these homemade.
I used brown sugar instead of powdered sugar for the crust (bc I was out) and they turned out delicious! Some pieces of the brown sugar didn’t fully incorporate in the shortbread dough and turned all carmel-y and delicious. I made the bars again for Thanksgiving dinner and added a layer of brown sugar over the bottom of my baking dish before pressing the shortbread in. Amazing!
Love this recipe! It’s easier than making a pie but just as good. My only issue is that my crust came out quite soggy.
this was quite bad honestly, it tasted way to egg-y and savory
Could you substitute coconut milk in this?!
Unfortunately, we haven’t tested a dairy free option so I’d hate to give a firm yes or no. However, one reader did comment that they’ve made pumpkin pies in the past with canned coconut milk, and it worked beautifully! If you try it let us know!
Turned out beautifully- thanks for the recipe!
I made these for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! The crust is perfect for the pumpkin filling! Making these again for Christmas!
I made these for Thanksgiving because a pie seemed like too much work, and I am never going back. I accidentally used a smaller pan, so the custard layer took almost two hours to cook and the bottom got a little harder than it probably should have, and they were still at least as good as any pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten.
I used a non-dairy butter in the shortbread, and in the custard I used evaporated oat milk, a little extra spice, and a splash of vanilla. A++, will make these again at every possible opportunity.
These are awesome! I don’t know what else to say other than these were a huge hit with our family this Thanksgiving.
Really easy and delicious. I prefer it to pumpkin pie!
Only problem: The parchment prevented sticking to the pan, but in chilling it became wet, and tore when I tried to use it to lift the bars out of the pan. I may try lining first with aluminum foil, then parchment, next time to prevent this problem.
It was beautiful, easy, and delicious. You should make it!
These took forever to bake and taste like baby food. Had to send my husband out to the store to scramble together something for thanksgiving dessert :(
This recipe is great! A nice alternative to traditional pumpkin pie. I followed the recipe without any substitutions and it was wonderful :) Thanks Marsha!
These pumpkin bars are delicious…they’re even better a day or two later! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
I’m thinking of trying this recipe to make little tartlets in a mini muffin tin lined with paper liners. Do you think it would work? Anything I should do differently in the recipe?
I’m not sure how the shortbread crust would work with that method, but we DO have a mini pumpkin pie recipe that is made in a muffin tin with a really simple crust that is kind of similar to shortbread and doesn’t need paper liners. It’s SO GOOD. Definitely check that one out!
Do you think you could use the filling from the maple brown butter pie for these bars? I love that recipe but would also love to not make a traditional crust :)
Yes, that should work well. :)
Can sweetened condensed milk be substituted for evaporated and the sugar & is this whole evaporated milk or would evaporated skim milk work maybe with some added milkfat butter?? That’s what I have.
I love your recipes Marsha. Thank you.
Whole evaporated milk is definitely going to give the best flavor and texture for the pie. We haven’t tested using skim + butter to know how differently that would turn out compared to the whole milk, or evaporated milk + sugar, unfortunately.
Fantastic recipe! Was a winner with the whole family.
Hello…is there a dairy free option? I love pumpkin pie but the milk doesn’t love me (and I’m sure I would eat more than I should and regret it later).
Unfortunately, we haven’t tested a dairy free option. This recipe relies heavily on dairy, so swapping out the dairy ingredients would require substantial changes.
Hi, I’ve made pumpkin pies in the past with canned coconut milk, and it worked beautifully!
Looks great! Could I substitute regular full fat milk for the evaporated milk?
I don’t suggest using regular milk because the water content is so much higher than evaporated milk and that will affect the custard’s texture.
I made these recently and they were a hit. My question is – Can you double the recipe for a 9×13 pan to make more? Has anyone tried that?
I bet it would work, but you may need to bake it longer. But without testing it, it’s hard to say for sure!
Made this recipe because I love shortbread and it is a WINNER! One little thing I did was reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup for the pumpkin filling, and also reduced the pumpkin pie spice to 1/2 teaspoon so that the pumpkin flavor really shines through without being too sweet or spicy. Sooooo good! This one is going to be a regular holiday recipe! Thank you!!!!!
Wow. This was good. Tastes just like pumpkin pie, but easier to make and serve! I think I’ll make this for Thanksgiving instead of my traditional pumpkin pie recipe.
Yum! So delicious, easy, and affordable. I love that we’re getting a little pop of vitamins and minerals in every bite. Thanks for a great recipe, Marsha!
😋 delicious! I just made this recipe. Fast and easy recipe. Thank you! Satisfied my sweet tooth, thankfully not so sweet just perfect.
How about a gluten feee option for bottom ?
Since the gluten in the flour isn’t needed for shortbread, you could probably do this with a GF flour blend with no problems. :) I can’t say the same for something like almond flour, though. That would need to be tested.
These are great and tasty recipes thank you
They taste great
Can these be frozen?
We haven’t tried freezing these, but generally speaking custards tend to separate after freezing and thawing.
I’m not really a huge fan of pumpkin pie but made this and LOVED it. So much less fuss and I really prefer the texture of this crust to a pie crust. Delicious.
That’s what I was thinking. Feel like if enjoy this crust much better then they typical pumpkin pie crust.
These look amazing, I want to make them for Thanksgiving. I love, love , love, short bread so this will be so fun to indulge. Thank you for this switch up. Happy Holidays.
This is a great idea because the blind baking This crust seems so much easier than pastry dough. Do you think the sugar in the crust is essential to texture or anything else? I’ve always liked the flavor of regular crust with pumpkin so I wonder if you might have tested unsweetened and rejected it for any reason.
The sugar will help the crust bind a little, yes.
Oh my gosh! I can’t WAIT to make these!!
Hi…sounds great !! No sugar info on nutrition list !! Is there a reason u didn’t add it ?? Please let your viewer’s know this fact !!! SUGAR ty
The database we use to calculate nutrition facts does not offer sugar as one of the stats.
The calculation for sugar is always listed in the total for carbohydrates, as is starch.
Carbs are composed of sugars, in all forms, starch, and fiber, the former a simple carb, the latter 2 complex carbs, although fiber is the only one with a separate breakdown in nutritional lists.
Hope this helps!
My family doesn’t care for pumpkin, would roasted sweet potatoes work?
Hi Carolyn, Although we haven’t tested it, I bet you could swap the pumpkin for roasted mashed sweet potatoes without any issues. p.s. my husband doesn’t care for pumpkin either, but after trying these for the first time he absolutely loved them! Hope you enjoy!