Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Bars - Rhian's Recipes (2024)

4.80 from 5 votes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free pumpkin bars, vegan pumpkin bars, vegan thanksgiving dessert

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Author: Rhian Williams

For the bars:

• ▢ 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• ▢ 150 ml (⅔ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• ▢ 225 g (1 cup) pumpkin purée
• ▢ 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar * (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• ▢ 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ Pinch salt
• ▢ 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
• ▢ 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• ▢ 4 teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons mixed spice to taste (pumpkin pie spice, or a mixture of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground ginger

For the frosting***:

• ▢ 100 g (⅔ cup) raw cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
• ▢ 6 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons lemon juice

For the bars:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).

• Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if not using any other oil).

• Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the pumpkin purée, vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds.

• Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and ground ginger.

• Mix well, adding a splash more milk if looking too dry
.

• Transfer the mixture into a square baking tin lined with baking paper (I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin).

• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.

• Leave to cool before applying the frosting.

For the frosting:

• Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the maple syrup and lemon juice.

• Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.

• Spread frosting over the top of the cake.

• Slice into 16 squares.

• Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

*The acidity of the vinegar reacts with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to make the bread fluffy. If you can’t get hold of vinegar, substitute it with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

**You can alternatively use almond flour.

***You can alternatively use thiscoconut cream-based cream cheese frosting.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Bars

Amount Per Serving

Calories 204Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 4g20%

Sodium 33mg1%

Potassium 213mg6%

Carbohydrates 24g8%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 12g13%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 2189IU44%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 107mg11%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.