Grain-Free Pumpkin Bars with Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

The Best Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Bars with a Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting  ( No added sugar & lower carb)

Anyone else ready for all things pumpkin? Me! Me! I love kicking off fall with pumpkin bars. They remind me of being a kid and going to my aunt’s house, who ALWAYS made the best pumpkin bars. I decided to make up a lighter recipe for pumpkin bars this weekend. The flavors and textures are so on point that you’d have no idea that they are lower in carbs, made without added sugars, gluten- free, grain-free, and dairy-free! I’ll include plenty of substitutions for the ingredients as well. 
Even though it’s been scorching hot here and only 10% of the trees have started changing, I’ve been in the fall spirit. I’ve already made several seasonal recipes, created some Fall DIY home decor posts (coming soon), and have some Fall trips planned!

I used to make my whole wheat pumpkin bars all the time, and they are still one of the most viewed pages on my blog! I thought I’d add a new version with some swaps. Even though the old recipe is amazing, I have to admit that I like these better! They are light, dense, and made with all the right spices.
Pumpkin bars are a quintessential Fall dessert, but not all of them are made equally! These pumpkin bars will NOT disappoint.

If you’ve been looking for a dairy-free cream cheese frosting, this one is almost identical to the real deal. So grab your pumpkin spiced latte, and get to baking! 
I’m always an “extra” person. I want things to POP and stand out, so getting the spices right in this recipe was important to me. I think the spices can make or break your pumpkin bars.

These bars have the perfect mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and sea salt. 
I decided to finally try Monk fruit sweetener after hearing awesome reviews, and it did not disappoint. It tasted identical to sugar and didn’t have any weird aftertastes. I will for sure be using this again. It’s a 1:1 sugar replacement, gluten-free, zero glycemic, zero calories, vegan, zero additives, and non-GMO.

If you don’t want to use monk fruit sweetener, no worries! You can replace it with your choice of sweetener. 
I used unsweetened almond milk for my milk, but almond, cashew, cow’s milk, or any type of milk will work as a replacement. I haven’t tried making these with an egg replacement yet, but it’s on my list of things to do! You could try using the flaxseeds as a replacement, but I don’t know how they’ll turn out just yet. I’ll keep you all posted. (If you end up making these without the eggs, let me know how they turn out!)
I baked these bars for 43 minutes at 385 degrees. Just note that all ovens cook differently, so pay attention to the bars. Use the toothpick method to determine if they are done. The edges will be golden, and the middle should be firm. 
This is the BEST dairy-free cream cheese frosting I’ve ever had.

I used unsweetened coconut milk yogurt (SoDelicious), vanilla, almond milk plain cream cheese (Kite Hill), (Swerve) powdered sugar, and coconut flour. You can play around with the frosting and add more of each ingredient to get your perfect consistency/flavor.

And you can make replacements too! If you’d like to use real cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and real powdered sugar, those will all work!

I could have eaten this by the spoonful! 
After the bars have completely cooled, spread the frosting evenly on top with a spoon.
I had a lot of the frosting leftover! I put it in a jar and saved it for my next batch.
You’ll want to store these in the refrigerator or freezer.

I kept mine in the freezer and microwave for 35 seconds when I want one! They taste sooooo good (not going to lie, I had to have one while editing these photos because I couldn’t resist!)This recipe makes 18 bars! And just like all dessert, it’s served best with a cappuccino! 
Nutrition Per Bar: (they are actually a bit less because I didn’t use all the frosting, but did calculate it in)
165 Calories, 14g carbs, 10g fat, 8g protein, 3g sugar, and 3g fiber.

5 from 5 votes Print

The Best Grain-Free Pumpkin Bars with a Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting (No added sugar & lower carb)

Course Dessert Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Total Time 1 hour Servings 18 Author Taralynn

Ingredients

Batter Ingredients

• 2 Cups Almond Flour
• 1 Cup Coconut Flour
• 2 Tsps Baking Soda
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Cup Monkfruit Sweetener (or your choice of sweetener)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp Cloves
• 1 Tbsp Nutmeg
• 1 Tsp Sea Salt
• 2 Tsp Ground Ginger
• 3 Large Eggs
• 3 Tsps Vanilla
• 15 Oz Pumpkin Puree
• 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (or your choice of milk)

Dairy Free Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• 8 Ounces Cream Cheese (I used Kite Hill Dairy Free)
• 2 Tsp Vanilla
• 1/3 Cup Monkfruit Sweetener (or your choice of sweetener)
• 2 Tbsps Coconut Flour
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened plain coconut yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
• 1/2 Cup (Swerve) “Confectioner Sugar” (or traditional powdered sugar)

Instructions

Batter

1. Preheat oven to 385-degrees, and grease a baking pan. 

   (I used a 7x 11 sized pan)

2. Mix the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and monk fruit sweetener together in a large mixing bowl. 

3. Mix the vanilla and eggs together, and add it to the bowl with the dry ingredients. 

4. Mix in the pumpkin and unsweetened almond milk. 

5. Add the batter into the baking pan and spread evenly. 

6. Bake for 45-minutes, or until done. 

   Set aside and let it cool completely before frosting. 

Dairy Free Frosting Instructions

1. Add cream cheese, vanilla, swerve confectioners, monk fruit, yogurt, and coconut flour together in a large mixing bowl. 

   Taste test to see if it needs more sweetener, or coconut flour to thicken it up. 

2. Once the bars are cool, spread the frosting over the bars.

   I added pecans and cinnamon on top for decorations. 

3. Slice into 18 bars