These Pumpkin Protein Bars are healthy homemade protein bars flavored with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spices. These Fall protein bars are also vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free, packed with 8 grams of plant-based protein.
I love making homemade protein bar recipes, like my Gluten-Free Protein Bars, Cookie Dough Protein Bars or Protein Cereal Bars. They are so much tastier, cheaper and you can create an amazing range of flavors.
Here’s my Fall protein bar version, a pumpkin protein bar made with pumpkin puree and delicious pumpkin pie spices. Let’s see how you can make these delicious vegan protein bars at home.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
They are naturally:
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- No-bake protein bars
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need to make homemade pumpkin protein bars this fall are:
- Peanut Butter – Fresh, natural peanut butter without added sugar or added vegetable oil works best. You can also use natural almond butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option.
- Pumpkin Puree – I am using pure canned pumpkin puree. It’s a bit less wet than homemade pumpkin puree, so if you don’t have canned pumpkin puree, you can dry our homemade puree on a piece of absorbent paper to prevent too much liquid in the recipe.
- Maple Syrup or any liquid sweetener you love, including sugar-free monk fruit sweetener, agave syrup, or coconut nectar.
- Oat Flour or almond flour.
- Vanilla Protein Powder – I am using peanut protein powder or pea protein powder for this recipe. Depending on the source of protein, your bar may be softer or dryer.
- Coconut Flour
- Vanilla Extract – Use only if your protein powder is unflavored or the vanilla flavor can be overpowering.
- Pumpkin Pie Spices – I made my own by stirring ground cinnamon, allspice, and ginger.
How To Make Pumpkin Protein Bars
This homemade protein bar recipe is the easiest ever.
- In a mixing bowl, stir pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and peanut butter until smooth.
- Stir in dry ingredients: oat flour, coconut flour, and protein powder. Stir until the dough comes together into a bowl. If too wet, add more coconut flour. Coconut flour is highly absorbent and firms up protein bars well. Note that you should add extra coconut flour, only one teaspoon at a time to avoid the bar drying out too fast.
- Stir between each addition and stop when the dough is soft, a bit sticky but holds together.
- Line a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some parts hanging out so you can easily pull out the protein bar later.
- Slightly oil the parchment paper with coconut oil or oil spray.
- Press the pumpkin spice protein bar dough into the loaf pan. Use the back of a spoon or of a measuring cup to flatten the top.
- I like the combination of pumpkin and white chocolate for the top of the bar. I am using a combination of vegan white chocolate chips and melted coconut oil. Melt these two ingredients in a bowl in the microwave in 30-second bursts.
- Pour over the protein bars and spread the topping evenly.
- Freeze the bar for 10 to 12 minutes to set the chocolate shell quickly. You can also pop the loaf pan in the fridge and wait a few hours.
- When the chocolate shell has hardened, warm the blade of a long sharp knife under a flame to make cutting the hard chocolate shell easier.
- Cut into 10 protein bars and add a pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spices on top of each bar.
Storage Instructions
These pumpkin protein bars store very well in an airtight box in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days. You can also freeze the bars for later and thaw in the fridge the day before. If it’s hot where you live, don’t keep them too long at room temperature or they soften very fast.
Allergy Swaps
Below are some swap ideas to make this recipe, even if you have food allergies to the ingredients used in this homemade pumpkin bar recipe.
- Gluten-Free – Pick a certified oat flour or use almond flour instead.
- Sugar-Free – The recipe works with sugar-free maple syrup made of monk fruit. Don’t use sugar-free pancake syrup that is made of water and won’t firm up the bars. Also, keep in mind that sugar-free syrups are high in fiber and give a different texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the answers to your most frequent questions about this recipe:
Follow my tutorial on how to make oat flour for this recipe.
It’s a very simple process made of rolled oats or quick oats, blended in a blender for 30 seconds.
Yes, you can skip it but the bars will be very soft.
You can also use any vegan chocolate you like including dark chocolate or vegan milk chocolate chips.
Also, if you can’t find vegan white chocolate chips in store, use my vegan white chocolate recipe to cover the bar.
Yes, you can make your own pumpkin puree for this recipe but often, it’s a bit more wet.
So you may like to pat dry the puree in absorbent paper before using in this protein bar recipe.
More Pumpkin Recipes
You may like to try some of the vegan pumpkin recipes below:
More Protein Recipes
Below are some more protein bar recipes for you to try:
Did You Like This Recipe?
Leave a comment below or head to our Facebook page for tips, our Instagram page for inspiration, our Pinterest for saving recipes, and Flipboard to get all the new ones!
Pumpkin Protein Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup Peanut Butter (Unsalted) - fresh drippy, no added sugar, no added oil (note 1)
- ⅓ cup Pumpkin Puree
- 4 tablespoons Maple Syrup - (note 2)
- ½ cup Plant-based Vanilla Protein Powder - (note 3)
- ⅓ cup Oat Flour - (note 4)
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice
- 2-3 tablespoons Coconut Flour - (note 5)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract - (note 6)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt - optional if peanut butter is unsalted
Coating
- ½ cup Vegan White Chocolate Chips - adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Coconut oil
Instructions
- Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper lightly oiled with coconut oil. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients: protein powder, oat flour, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, salt, and coconut flour. Set aside.
- In another bowl, stir peanut butter, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth and consistent.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and use a silicone spatula to form a dough ball. If too sticky or wet, add a few teaspoons of coconut flour, stir and wait a few minutes before adding more, as it takes time for the coconut flour fiber to bind with the liquid. You can also taste the dough and add more cinnamon or all spices to increase the pumpkin flavor.
- When the dough, is soft and easy to handle – not too sticky- press the dough into the loaf pan and smoothen the top with a spatula.
- In a small bowl, microwave white chocolate chips and coconut oil. Pour over the bar.
- Refrigerate the loaf pan for 1 hour to set the bar chocolate shell or, freeze for 10-12 minutes to set them fast.
- Warm the blade of a sharp knife under a flame to easily cut them into 10 bars.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze and thaw for 1 hour at room temperature before eating.
Delicious! A big hit.
Thank you
Soooo delicious and easy to make! Thank you!
Hi there- silly simple question-how much salt? It’s not listed in ingredients but says to add in instructions. Thanks!
I updated the post for you, salt is optional too.