Homemade Pumpkin Granola Bars Recipe – A Healthy Snack

Pumpkin season is here, and what better way to celebrate than with a nourishing pumpkin snack? These homemade pumpkin granola bars are made from real food ingredients like oats, dates, maple syrup and real pumpkin. They have a delicious maple cream cheese icing on top that adds a touch of sweetness without overloading on sugar. They’re perfect for a quick snack on the go, packing lunches or a sweet treat. A bonus is that they contain no refined sugars or oils! 

I’ve loved these pumpkin bars as an alternative to store-bought granola bars for my kids. They are much healthier and my kids absolutely love them! 

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Why You Will Love This Recipe

One bite and what’s not to love! But I’ll give you a few more reasons to add this recipe to your snack rotation:

The Perfect Amount of Pumpkin – Just the right amount of pumpkin flavor without being too much. These bars are also not too sweet.

A Nutritious Snack Option Your Kids Actually Want – We actually go through these bars so fast that I have to double the recipe! It’s always encouraging when your kids actually want your homemade snacks… you know?

A Great Texture That Doesn’t Fall Apart – I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried many homemade granola bars that just do not hold their shape. They make a mess, and aren’t convenient to take anywhere. These soft and chewy bars have a great texture that holds it’s shape and won’t fall apart when you eat it. 

Ingredients in Homemade Pumpkin Granola Bars

For The Bars

• 2 Cups Organic Oats – I like to use old fashioned oats or rolled oats in this recipe, but quick oats work too. Buying organic oatmeal will ensure that you are avoiding glyphosate, a dangerous chemical that is used as a pesticide on non-organic oats. 
• 1/2 Cup Pitted Medjool Dates – About 5 large dates equals 1/2 cup. Make sure you buy pitted dates or take the pits out yourself. I learned this lesson the hard way once! 
• 1/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1/4 Cup Real Maple Syrup
• 1/3 cup Filtered Water
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tb Melted Coconut oil 
• 1/8 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

For The Maple Cream Cheese Icing

• 2 Tb cream cheese
• 1 tsp real maple syrup
• 1-2 Tb Milk (as needed for consistency)
• 1 tsp coconut oil (helps to prevent the icing from being too sticky when it dries)

Other Supplies You Will Need

For the best success with this recipe, I recommend these other kitchen items:

• Food Processor or Blender
• Unbleached Parchment Paper
• Cookie Sheet or Baking Sheet
• Silicone Spatula
• Pizza Cutter or Sharp Knife (to cut the bars)

How To Make Homemade Pumpkin Granola Bars

This pumpkin granola bar recipe comes together really easily! Here’s how to make them:

Step 1: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 350.

Step 2: Combine 1 cup of the oats, and the remaining bar ingredients in your food processor or blender. Blend everything until smooth.

Step 3: Add the remaining cup of oats to the bar mixture, and blend until smooth. 

Step 4: Spread the pumpkin granola bar dough onto your prepared pan and parchment paper. You can use a silicone spatula to spread it out – wet the spatula often to prevent sticking. Make a large rectangle that is about 1/3″ thick. 

Step 5: Bake the pumpkin bars for 20 minutes.

Step 6: Allow the bars to cool for 10 minutes or so, while you prepare the maple cream cheese icing. 

Step 7: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the cream cheese, maple syrup, coconut oil, and 1 Tb of milk. Stir continually and add more milk if the mixture is too thick. 

Step 8: Cut the bars into 12 equal pieces, and drizzle the icing over them with a spoon. 

Step 9: Once completely cool, store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week. 

How To Store Homemade Pumpkin Granola Bars

These homemade granola bars will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about a week. Or, you could freeze them for up to 3 months. To freeze, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and put them in a freezer safe bag or airtight container. 

Pumpkin Granola Bar Variations

A few variations that would be delicious:

• Drizzle the pumpkin granola bars with dark chocolate instead of the maple cream cheese
• Mix in mini chocolate chips before baking for pumpkin chocolate chip granola bars. White chocolate chips would be good too! 
• Make these bars gluten free by using gluten free oats

These pumpkin bars make the perfect snack for fall! But really, whether it’s the fall season or the pumpkin craving is hitting, these bars hit the spot without all of the unnecessary ingredients in the pumpkin snacks from the store. If you like these bars, you have to try my healthy chocolate snack bars!

I hope your whole family enjoys this healthy recipe! If you like it, i would so appreciate it if you would leave me a review.