Packed with the fall flavors of pumpkin spice and warm cinnamon, these keto pumpkin bars are a delightful treat that will satisfy your cravings.
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Keto Pumpkin Bars
These moist and flavorful keto pumpkin bars provide a guilt-free indulgence for anyone following a low carb or keto diet. You don’t have to skip out on treats when they can be made in a healthier way!
Pumpkin always brings fall to mind—changing leaves, crisp air, and shorter days—but we love these keto pumpkin bars all year long. Why limit the delicious taste of pumpkin to just one season?
My whole family enjoyed these low carb, gluten free pumpkin bars, and now yours can too!
Now, if you like individual pumpkin desserts, be sure to check out this keto pumpkin cheesecake and these keto pumpkin pie bites. YUM!!!
How to Make Keto Pumpkin Bars
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a regular size (18×13) baking sheet. The sheet size can be a little flexible if you monitor baking time.
Cake layer
In a large bowl, add eggs, olive oil, monkfruit and pumpkin puree. Beat with a hand beater until well combined.
In a medium bowl, mix almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt (and optional pumpkin pie spice). Combine well.
Add dry mixture to egg mixture and continue beating with a hand beater.
Pour evenly onto the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Frosting
Mix all ingredients (except almond milk) in a medium bowl and beat with clean hand beaters.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of almond milk (IF NEEDED) to get a slightly more spreadable consistency.
Frost a WARM cake. Put small globs all over the cake and spread with a frosting spreader or butter knife. A spatula does not work very well.
Put as much or as little frosting as you want and then keep refrigerated.
Kitchen Essentials for Baking Keto Pumpkin Bars
Baking Sheet – yes, you will be baking this on a baking sheet! Make sure it is a nice one and not one that your hubby uses for raw meat and then scratches up by cutting things on it. Oh wait, maybe that’s just at my house.
I get these colored ceramic ones so he KNOWS not to touch them!
Hand Beaters – simple hand beaters will do! I do recommend them as it is much easier than trying to do the mixing by hand!
How to Store Keto Pumpkin Bars
These definitely need to be refrigerated. It is best to put them in a deep, glass container with a lid to keep them fresh. Another option is to put toothpicks in the bars and wrap them with plastic wrap on a plate. This does not keep as well as a closed container, however.
Best Sweetener for Keto Pumpkin Bars
I chose to use the Besti brand allulose and monk fruit sweetener to make the best keto pumpkin bar. Brown sugar is hard to replace. I considered trying to make my own and then quickly gave up that thought. Then I ran across the WholesomeYumFoods Besti brand and realized I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel! It is my favorite sweetener.
You can try it out with code TRINA10 to save 10%. Buy it here!
I actually use it in quite a few recipes such as Keto Cinnamon Rolls and Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies. Both of which happen to be very popular. Coincidence? I think not!
Then we have pumpkin puree of course! It is nature’s natural sweetener! Pumpkin puree is often used in place of other sweeteners because it is not crazy high in carbs and tastes amazing!
Is Pumpkin Keto Friendly?
Yes, pumpkin is keto friendly! For example, the pumpkin puree used in these bars contains about 10 total carbs and 4 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup, resulting in 6 net carbs. Since this recipe uses 1 cup of pumpkin puree, that amounts to 12 net carbs total.
While that might sound like a lot, it’s spread across 36 bars, so the pumpkin contributes only about 0.3 net carbs per bar. That makes pumpkin—and these delicious keto pumpkin bars—completely keto friendly!
Can I Substitute Olive Oil For Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
Yes, you can substitute olive oil for extra virgin olive oil. While there are some differences, they can generally be used interchangeably in recipes.
I personally prefer extra virgin olive oil due to its added health benefits. It’s less processed and contains more antioxidants compared to regular olive oil, which is why it’s my go-to!
Notes on Frosting
Frosting can be tricky if you rush or wait too long. Let the cake cool for a few minutes, but while it’s still slightly warm, begin frosting. Since the cake is delicate, gently spread the frosting. I recommend placing small globs of frosting on the cake and allowing them to warm up before spreading.
I found that using a butter knife works best!
Here’s a helpful trick: After taking the cake out of the oven, place your frosting in an oven-safe bowl. Put the bowl in the oven (turned off but still warm) for 2-3 minutes to soften the frosting—just be sure not to forget about it in there!
Other Keto Pumpkin Dessert Recipes
Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse
Keto Pumpkin Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake Layer
- 5 eggs beaten
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup low carb brown sweetener
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Pink Himalayan sea salt
- optional 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice – I’ve heard many people like to add pumpkin spice for a little extra pumpkin kick!
- optional dash of cinnamon
- Greasing agent of choice
Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 cup low carb powdered sweetener
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 10 drops liquid stevia
- 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease regular size (18×13) baking sheet. The sheet size can be a little flexible if you monitor baking time.
Cake layer
- In a large bowl, add eggs, olive oil, monkfruit and pumpkin puree. Beat with hand beater until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, mix almond flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt (and optional pumpkin pie spice). Combine well.
- Add dry mixture to egg mixture and continue beating with hand beater.
- Pour evenly in baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Frosting
- Mix all ingredients (except almond milk) in a medium bowl and beat with clean hand beaters.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of almond milk (IF NEEDED) to get a slightly more spreadable consistency.
- Frost a WARM cake. Put small globs all over cake and spread with frosting spreader or butter knife. A spatula does not work very well.
- Put as much or as little frosting as you want!
- Keep refrigerated.
Nutrition
Trina Krug is a Holistic Nutritionist, Integrative Health Coach and host of the Carbless Conversations Podcast. With a Master’s Degree in Complementary and Alternative Medicine, her single mission in life is to facilitate self-healing in herself and those around her through awareness, lifestyle shifts and low-carb eating. As a current Doctor of Science student, she continues her studies in functional nutrition.
This was delicious, lovely texture. I used half butter, half coconut oil.
What is considered dimension wise ‘ normal sheet pan” size pls?
I finally updated the post with that because I get asked all the time and keep forgetting to update! 18×13 (ish) works the best but as long as you monitor baking time, that size can be flexible.
This was the best ever!! And so easy to make.
What are the net carbs for the pumpkin loaf?? Nutritional Value please
The nutritional card has been added! It is about 2 net carbs per slice!
Soooo good! I used a slightly smaller cake pan and probably didn’t bake for long enough and the bars seemed a little soggy. Either that or too much oil. Flavor was amazing though. Just need to fixture texture of the actual bar.
I cut the oil in half and only used half the frosting. Cutting the oil in half gave it a more cake texture and I liked it much better.
where can I find pumpkin puree?
Most grocery stores have it! It is normally on the baking aisle. It is a common ingredient for pumpkin pies, etc.. It could be called canned pumpkin as well!
Can these be frozen?
You could freeze the bars before frosting them. I have not tried to freeze these particular bars, but I would imagine if you wait until they are completely cooled and get all the air out they would probably freeze just fine!
Have you ever made this with coconut flour?
No, I have not. If you were to use coconut flour, it would almost need to be a new recipe because it is so different. It is WAY more dense than almond flour for starters so it will soak up a lot more. My kiddos are not overly fond of coconut flour so I minimize the use.
Very delicious. Only thing is that personally I think the recipe makes too much frosting for cake but others may like that
What happened to the old recipe? This new one is completely different.
It is better 🙂 I’ve updated a few recipes this past week and this is one of them!
Can you make the cake ahead, and frost it later? If so, would you refrigerate it?
I have made them the night before and then frosted them the next day. I made sure to keep the bars tightly covered and in the refrigerator.
Can you substitute the almond flour with anything else? I have severe allergy to almonds
I know that coconut flour would greatly change the recipe, so I wouldn’t try that. I will be looking into creating more desserts and baked goods WITHOUT almond flour, so stay tuned! I will also be experimenting with existing recipes to offer alternatives.
I used cashew flour and it was very amazing!
I bet it was good with cashew flour!
How big of a baking sheet are you using?
It’s the standard half sheet size! 18 x 13
I am allergic to eggs. Do you think this recipe would work with egg substitute?
Thanks
Unfortunately, I’ve never worked with egg substitutes so I am not sure! I’m sorry!
I looked for Lakanto brown monk fruit and all I find is Lakanto golden monk fruit. Is it the same?
YES! So sorry! I will fix the wording. On occasion, I say brown on accident, but what I mean is GOLDEN!
Can i use swerve instead of monk fruit?
You absolutely can!
Great Pumpkin Bar recipe. My wife has to have her deserts. She loves this one. I didn’t have the liquid Stevia for the frosting and so I used the small packet of Stevia. Big mistake the frosting has small crystals in it. Still very good. I’m still leaning.
Way to go!! We all learn as we go, but the important thing is that you try! Nice job!
I’m not familiar with the monk fruit sweetener. Is this something that can be replaced with Swerve perhaps?
Yes, you can substitute swerve!
Can you use stevia instead?
Most likely, but I’m not sure of what the proper amount would be! I haven’t tried it!
This is so good but I need to scale it down to an 8×8. Can you give me some guidance on the approximate ratios? Thanks.
You should be able to cut it in half and have it still work out!
Can I use a jelly roll pan for this recipe
If it is a similar size, I don’t see why not!
I just took mine out of the oven. Smells great! I added pumpkin pie spice. Only made half the frosting as I’m going to try a freeze half. Do you know if it freezes well?
Fantastic! I have not tried to freeze this one, but often if you can vacuum seal it, things freeze pretty well!
How much pumpkin pie spice did you use?
For the frosting, is it supposed to be powered white monkfruit? Not powdered golden? I cant find powdered golden! 🙁
Most definitely!
I don’t have almond milk on hand, would subbing heavy whipping cream work?
Since it is a minimal amount, it should be ok! Give it a try and let me know!
This was delicious! I also added pumpkin spice and a little cylon cinnamon. Thank you for sharing!
So glad to hear it!!
Is thete a way to use something different than the liquid stevia,everything I have is either granulated or powdered
You can leave it out if you want. Or taste it and add a touch more powdered/granular sweetener. I like to pair liquid stevia with other types as they balance each other out. But you can certainly replace it or leave it out!
I’ve been baking low carb for almost two years and this is my favorite dessert to date! I made only very minor substitutions due to using my preferred brands/ingredients— including using avocado oil, brown swerve, and adding 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves. My family found the frosting to be the perfect amount. In it I used vanilla creme flavored stevia drops, powdered swerve, and heavy whipping cream instead of almond milk. Trina, thank you so much for this amazing recipe. I know my family will be asking for this all fall. Who am I kidding?! They’ll be asking for this one year round!
Yeah!! That is fantastic!
Can you please confirm that this uses an entire cup of olive oil? That seems like an awful lot for one pan of pumpkin bars. Thank you.
Yep! It does seem like a lot, right? BUT it is correct and totally worth it!
Can you use classic lakanto instead of brown lakanto? If so how much? Thanks.
You sure can! Slightly different taste, but will still taste good!
Is is really “golden” sweetener in the frosting? The flavor doesn’t seem quite right. And it has a brown tint to it that I don’t notice in your pictures.
I go back and forth and use whatever I have on hand. Both will work. Many people prefer the golden, but if you prefer the more traditional cream cheese frosting, then you can use a regular sweetener vs the golden! I personally like it both ways.
I made the Keto Pumpkin Bars and included the pumpkin spice. What a great flavour and so moist! Thank you! I just made 1/3 the recipe using orange extract and orange zest and put it into a 8×8 pan. Oh my word! Wonderful!! Thank you for the recipe.
You are most welcome! So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe turned out amazing!! I’ve made keto desserts in the past and some just don’t turn out right. I hate experimenting with keto ingredients because they are expensive lol!
These pumpkin bars are super yummy! My non keto friends loved it so much, they had seconds.
I only had avocado oil so I used it instead of olive, it turned out just fine! I feel guilty eating them lol! They don’t taste healthy whatsoever.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for sharing!
Do you store these in the fridge since they have cream cheese frosting? Just finished making mine… about to try!!!
Yes, I store mine in an airtight container in the fridge. When they last that long!
I don’t have Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. Are there any good substitutes or can I leave the salt out entirely?
You don’t have to use pink Himalayan sea salt. That is just what I prefer! You can use regular sea salt. Or if you don’t have sea salt at all, then decrease the amount a bit for regular salt as it is not as coarse as sea salt.
Why a sheet pan? Can you use a 9×13 dish or is the batter easier on sheet tray? Going to make this, it sounds yummy!! Thanks.
THE cooking time would definitely vary if you use a 9×13 pan as it would make the thickness of a cake vs a bar! I use a sheet pan so that they are bars thickness!
What happens if you skip the stevia in the frosting? If there is still swerve it should be sweet right?
Absolutely! I just like the combo. I have made it without the stevia and it tastes just as good!
Can you use cassava flour and Xylitol?
I’ve never used either of these, so I cannot answer that, unfortunately!
Do you have to use golden or brown sugar replacement? Can I use the classic Lakanto monkfruit?
You can use classic. It will be a slightly different flavor, but still good!
I made the cake first. I didn’t have the m/fruit confectioners sugar, but it was ordered. However, it smelled soooooo goooood I couldn’t stop salivating, so I tried a piece. The cake is now half gone. Damn the bad luck. So, it looks like I’ll be doing some more baking next weekend. Absolutely D-lish!
Ha! Sounds like something I would do!
This is soooo good. I did not have the powder monkfruit sweetener so I just blended the golden monk fruit I had. And I don’t like almond milk so I just use him heavy cream and I left out the liquid stevia because I thought it was sweet enough. This has got to be one of the best Keto desserts I have tried.
Awesome! Yes, it is a very versatile recipe that is easy to make substitutions!
I’ve never made anything like this before but I’m now pre pre-diabetic (thanks dad genetics and PCOS) and I have to get my blood sugar under control. This was my first whirl even tasting stevia or monk fruit sweetener. So I don’t know what I was expecting- but this was actually good. The cake is moist and the frosting was decent- I didn’t use the stevia drops because have you ever tasted stevia? Horrific. I threw the brand new bottle straight in the garbage. My husband even liked them after he made a crack at the fact that the were gf and sf.
SO glad you like them. I generally don’t use stevia by itself. But when *combined* with other sweeteners it often removes the “cooling” effect that some people find with erythritol based sweeteners! Not everyone experiences the cooling effect, though.