Soft & chewy pumpkin granola bars – with wholesome ingredients you can actually pronounce.
No-Bake • Gluten-Free • Vegan
These wholesome pumpkin granola bars are the perfect snack for lunch boxes or after school, and they freeze well too.
You can easily double the recipe and make up a big batch to freeze and have on hand any time an afternoon craving hits.
I added mini chocolate chips to the batter, but you can customize the bars to make different flavors by substituting dried cranberries, shredded coconut, raisins, flaxmeal or chia seeds, etc.
With half a can of leftover pumpkin needing to be used up yesterday afternoon, I initially wanted to make my favorite Creamy Pumpkin Vegan Risotto.
But then I saw the line at Trader Joes – it began at the front door and wound all the way around the store, with people doing their shopping while moving along in the line.
Was something going on yesterday that I don’t know about?
I haven’t seen the lines so bad since the day before a snowstorm back in January. It was like they were giving away Trader Joes!
I walked into the store, saw the line, and walked right back out.
To make the homemade pumpkin granola bars, simply stir the dry ingredients together, add the wet ingredients, and press as firmly as you can into an 8×8 pan.
If you’re doing the no-bake version, just chill until firm, and enjoy!
For baked granola bars, cook them on the oven’s center rack for 18 minutes (at 350 F), let cool, and slice into bars.
Pumpkin Granola Bars
Adapted from Chewy Healthy Granola Bars
Clean Eating Pumpkin Granola Bars
Print This Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup rice crispies (brown, white, or gluten-free)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp oat flour, or process oats in a blender to make your own (55g)
- 2 tbsp melted coconut or vegetable oil, or 2 tbsp nut butter of choice (22g)
- 1/4 cup raw agave or honey
- 2 tbsp brown sugar OR 1/16 tsp uncut stevia
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, optional (or sub dried fruit of choice)
Instructions
Line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Stir together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. (Make sure they are well-stirred – you don’t want any strong metallic taste from a clump of baking soda when you take a bite!) Whisk liquid ingredients together in a separate bowl, then stir dry into wet. Keep stirring until all of the batter is moist. Transfer to the prepared pan. Press down firmly, using a second sheet of parchment or wax paper. Press down as hard as you can. Chill until firm. (They are firmer if you use coconut oil.) For baked granola bars, cook on the center rack 18 minutes at 350 F, then press down firmly again. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.
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Kim says
This looks yummy! In fact, all of your recipes look yummy. I’ve tried many of your recipes and they’ve all been successful. …but I wish you’d reconsider your use of the word “clean.”
While one’s intentions may be good, the term “clean” encourages the idea that some foods are dirty, and it adds an unnecessary layer of guilt into trying to eat a balanced diet, which is already hard enough for most people. If I eat a store-bought granola bar, I don’t want to feel dirty or shameful because I didn’t make my own “clean” granola bar. For most people, eating most things in moderation will help them to keep a balanced and nutritious diet.
Sorry to sound like a downer; I really do like your blog. Keep up the great work!!!
Liz says
Well to be fair, some foods ARE unhealthy and “unclean”. Such as trans fats, partially hydrogenated oils, dyes, chemicals, sucralose, etc. “Clean” means a recipe or product has none of these unhealthy ingredients. (See “The Eat Clean Diet” for more on their way of life. It is not about introducing guilt, rather about choosing healthy foods over processed ones.)
Nikki Davison says
Trans fats are partially hydrogenated oils. They are the same thing. And everything is made of chemicals. Water is a chemical. So making something free of chemicals is impossible. I agree, it’s 10x more important to teach moderation. If all you ate were these granola bars you wouldn’t be eating healthy. Clean eating is nice (assuming there’s a real definition for it), but it should come secondary to emphasizing moderation.
Jenna says
I love your use of straw person! What an excellent example of an argumentative fallacy… haha.
By saying that everything is made of chemicals is just stating a fact and isn’t really doing anything… What they were more obviously trying to say was that ‘clean’ eating is about cutting out artificial additives and preservatives which have been shown to have a negative affect on your health. And it’s not as if this blog post is telling everyone the healthiest way to live, it simply is stating that the recipe fits into the authors dietary choices. You can teach your friends/family/whoever will listen whatever you want though, be it moderation or clean living.
Lisa L says
To Kim,
Why some people take everything has to be thier way?
You can think anything you want. And not necessarily to tell the person who provide you a good time.
Clean Eating Pumpkin Granola Bars, the title leads me to here.
Because I’d like to have non sticky granola instead sticky messy one.
It works for me.
Nicole Underwood Gonzalez says
These look yummy. I think my teens would like them. I think I’ll give it a go! I’m a little leery of Stevia, do you just use that for a sweetener?
Julie Dove says
Yes, you can absolutely use the brown sugar instead of the stevia here, and it will turn out just as good! 🙂
Elizabeth says
Hi Katie! Love your blog, have been reading for over a year! I have made many delicious desserts :). Quick question – can I sub the oat flour for white whole wheat flour or no? I want to make them today and don’t have enough rolled oats.
Julie Dove says
You can definitely experiment. Be sure to report back for other commenters if you do try it!
Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says
I can pronounce all of these and already have all the ingredients in my house!! A win-win if you ask me!! 🙂
Liz says
These look delicious, and I love all the pumpkin recipes. I can never get tired of pumpkin recipes!
Caitlin says
This looks incredible! I’ve been wanting to make my own granola bars for a while now and your pumpkin recipe looks like the absolute perfect one to try!
laura says
these look wonderful. I was wondering 2 things, 1- what is the difference between the baked vs the “raw” version, are the baked softer? 2-Can they be kept out of the fridge and freezer?? i want to give to a friend in a nursing home… thanks love your recipes
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Hmmm it is hard to describe the different textures and tastes… kind of like the difference between eating a no-bake cookie vs. a baked cookie. The no-bake version is chewier, if that makes sense.
You can definitely keep them out for a day or two! (Either version.)
Megan says
Are the granola bars in your picture baked or unbaked? And would the oats expand when you baked them? Kind of like an oatmeal cookie or baked oatmeal right
Samantha Kellgren says
LOVE me some pumpkin! These look great for breakfast on the go but also an afternoon energy pick me up. On my list now of fall treats, thanks!!
Ashley says
The mini chocolate chips in here are calling to me. Nom.
Nina says
Oh my, I can’t wait to make these this weekend. I love the idea of using pumpkin. These look so delicious.
Siggy says
For baked granola bars, what temperature for the oven?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
350. Sorry about that. Adding it in now. Fahrenheit.
Suzicat says
If I make these RAW, would I still need to add baking soda? Isnt that just to make things rise in the oven? Thanks 🙂
Chocolate Covered Katie says
It’s actually for flavor. I know that sounds strange, but it gives no-bake recipes a bit of a salty “cookie dough” flavor.
Sanna says
Thanks for all the great recipes!!! I made these today and I took the sweeteners out, but kept the choclate chips, soo good!!! and then I made them with cranberries, chia seeds and shredded coconut, also without sweeteners, really good too, salty and nice! I baked them but I think I will try the next batch without baking, I like the chewy bars aswell:)
Erin says
Will they turn out the same if I don’t put the rice crispies in?
Amanda Collins says
As with everything else I’ve made from this site, these are delicious! The first round, they didn’t set firmly enough, but the second time, I froze the batch and then cut and refroze individually. They’re perfect alone and great crumbled in with some Greek yogurt.
Cassie Autumn Tran says
UGH, the line from Trader Joe’s was HORRENDOUS before Thanksgiving! I can imagine what it’s going to be like for Christmas! :\ anyways, these pumpkin granola bars seem to die for! I love my granola bars clean and chocolatey too!
Susan Alexy says
I’ve been following this blog for a while and finally had the opportunity to make something.
I chose to bake these. The only items I altered was subbing sweet potato puree for the pumpkin puree and coconut sugar + molasses instead of the brown sugar.
I added, along with the chocolate chips, dried cherries & dried blueberries.
The result was a bar that looked great but were very very dry (choking dry).
Tomorrow morning I’m dipping them in chocolate (that seems to solve all problems!)
Did I do something wrong???
Jason Sanford says
Hi, sweet potato is much higher in starch and therefore drier than pumpkin.
June E Siegel-Hill says
I just made this recipe. It was really tasty but came out very dry. I did add dried cherries and soaked dates, but it was still dry. What do you think I can add to make them moister? And I did bake it. Thank you. I’d like to try it again.
Judy says
I’m noticing that the ingredients are almost identical to the ‘Chewy Healthy Granola Bars’, except that this recipe calls for only one cup of oats. Is this correct? I just put these in the oven and they seem very wet and loose to me.
Jason Sanford says
Hi! Yes I’ve made these and the liquid will cook down/ evaporate in the oven 🙂
Andrea says
There is one big problem with these granola bars: they are so delicious that my kids roar through them at high speeds and I am on my third batch this weekend! I added another few tablespoons of almond butter to hold it together better, but overall this is a marvelous base recipe, very adaptable — date paste for the honey/agave, etc.