These pumpkin pie bars use a box of yellow cake mix plus a few simple ingredients to make the most delicious pumpkin pie bar recipe. Perfect for Thanksgiving dessert or any other occasion.
Hi friends!
A few years ago I shared a post called 20 Easy Pumpkin Dessert Recipes {That Are Not Pumpkin Pie} and today I’ve got a new recipe to add to that list.
My mom has been making these Pumpkin Pie Bars for years and I will take them over pumpkin pie every time. She originally got the recipe from our neighborhood cookbook while I was growing up and I’ve made some tweaks and changes over the years to turn them into what I consider to be the perfect recipe.
The best thing about these pumpkin pie squares is the topping. The reason I don’t like pumpkin pie is because it’s too much pumpkin filling and not enough crust. These bars solve that problem by making a bit of a thicker crust and then adding a delicious top layer that pairs perfectly with the pumpkin pie filling in the middle.
Pumpkin Pie Bars Recipe Ingredients
The nice thing about this recipe is that the base of it is a box of yellow cake mix! Beyond that you just need a few simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Boxed yellow cake mix – use whatever brand you want. I use King Arthur Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix to make these gluten-free
- Eggs
- Butter – you’ll need 1.5 sticks
- Canned pumpkin – yes this recipe uses the whole can!
- Sugar – both brown and white sugar
- Evaporated milk – yes evaporated, NOT sweetened condensed milk
- Cinnamon
- Pecans – buy them chopped or chop them yourself. You could sub walnuts if you prefer
How To Make Pumpkin Pie Bars
There are three layers to these bars but they come together pretty quickly.
To start you’ll put your box of cake mix in a bowl, reserving one cup to set aside for the topping. Add some melted butter and an egg and then press the dough into a 9×13 pan lined with parchment paper.
Then, you can use the same bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, evaporated milk and cinnamon. Mix it up and spread it on top of the crust.
Finally, mix the cup of reserved cake mix with sugar, nuts and softened butter and sprinkle on top.
Bake and let cool before cutting! You can serve these room temperature but my favorite way is to make them a day early, put them in an airtight container in the fridge overnight and then eat them cold. So good.
Pumpkin Pie Squares
Have these little squares of deliciousness grabbed your attention yet? Here’s the exact recipe:
PrintPumpkin Pie Bars Recipe
These pumpkin pie bars use a box of yellow cake mix plus a few simple ingredients to make the most delicious pumpkin pie bar recipe. Perfect for Thanksgiving dessert or any other occasion.
- Yield: 9x13 pan 1x
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix (any brand)
- 3 eggs
- 1.5 sticks butter
- 1 (15oz) can pumpkin
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Reserve one cup of the cake mix and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine remaining cake mix with one stick of melted butter and one egg.
- Stir until well combined, then press into the bottom of a 9×13 pan lined with parchment paper.
- In a bowl combine pumpkin, 2 eggs, brown sugar, evaporated milk and cinnamon. Stir until well combined.
- Spread in an even layer over the crust.
- In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup softened butter with remaining 1 cup cake mix, 1/3 cup white sugar and chopped pecans. Mix with a fork until crumbly. (It might look a little dry, that’s ok)
- Spread the topping evenly over the pumpkin pie filling layer in the pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
- Let cool completely before cutting.
- Serve room temperature or refrigerate overnight and serve cold.
- Store in the fridge.
Easy Pumpkin Pie Bars FAQs
Are these gluten-free pumpkin pie bars?
If you use a gluten-free yellow cake mix, these bars will be gluten-free.
Can I substitute pumpkin pie filling for 100% canned pumpkin?
No, I would not recommend using pumpkin pie filling as it’s sweeter than canned pumpkin and might make this recipe overly sweet.
What’s the difference between canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree?
It’s the same. Canned pumpkin is pumpkin that has been pureed and canned.
Can I use sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk?
No, I wouldn’t recommend it. Evaporated milk is just milk that has been heated to remove some of the water so it’s more concentrated. Sweetened condensed milk has sugar added to it and again it might make this dessert too sweet.
How to store pumpkin pie bars?
These bars should be stored in the refrigerator when they’re not being eaten.
Pumpkin pie bars warm or cold?
The temperature you eat these is your preference but I would recommend room temperature or cold – straight from the fridge is my favorite!
More Pumpkin Recipes
Need more pumpkin recipes? Try these:
Easy Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips
This Easy Pumpkin Bread requires just one bowl and a few simple ingredients. It will quickly become your go-to fall recipe.
Pumpkin Energy Balls
These Pumpkin Energy Balls are packed with fiber, protein and healthy fats for energy. The perfect addition to a quick lunch or to serve for an afternoon snack.
Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins
These Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins are packed with ginger flavor and full of the nutritional benefits of pumpkin and white whole wheat flour.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Yogurt Bars
This recipe for Gluten-Free Pumpkin Yogurt Bars makes a quick, healthy breakfast or snack. They’re kid-friendly and easy to customize
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bean Bread
This Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bean Bread will definitely become your go-to snack. It’s packed with fiber and protein and kid-friendly too. The whole family will love it!
Pumpkin Yogurt Dip
This Pumpkin Yogurt Dip recipe is made with just a few simple ingredients and is the perfect afternoon snack! Try it paired with cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips or graham crackers.
Or check out these 30 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes for even more ideas!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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What size can of pumpkin?? This looks delicious 🙂
15 oz can!
This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try them. I’m in Canada & we have different size cans of pumpkin. What size do you use? Thanks so much!
Made these today! Turned out so good! Can’t wait to stick them in the fridge and try them cold! Easy to make and they turned out amazing!!
Have you tried freezing these? Wondering how they taste after being defrosted. They look delish!
yep! They freeze really well!
These are so tasty! I had to use a french vanilla cake mix as I couldn’t find yellow cake mix and it turned out so well. The three layers also look really nice. They came out perfectly at the 50 minute mark. We are off to a family Christmas tomorrow and I’ll be bringing these! Always such a fan of your wide range of recipes.