Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (2024)

These gluten-free Pumpkin Bars are the ultimate fall treat without the guilt. Tender and packed full of flavor–no one will know that they are lightened up.

Is it cake? Blondies? Breakfast bars? I guess these Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars are pretty much all of those things in one. They are somehow moist and tender like traditional cake, but they also have a dense fudge-like quality to them. I guess it doesn’t really matter what we call them as long as they’re delicious, right?

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I’m not much of a baker. So on the rare occasion that I share something baked, you know that I absolutely LOVE it. I’m thinking of you, Banana Walnut Crumble Muffins.

Something about the fall and cooler weather does give me more inspiration than usual to whip up something sweet. Plus, I had some canned pumpkin puree sitting in my pantry, so why not experiment? Well, it took me about 6 times to make these before I got it right, and now I can’t STOP making them. Perfectly spiced and not overly pumpkin-y, if you know what I mean. Jeff says it tastes like a hybrid of Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Cake. Yuuuum! Last night, as he pulled the last bar from the refrigerator, he said, “We need to have these around at all times.” I got the hint and made another batch today. 🙂

Because I like to make these for a variety of different purposes, I’ll provide you with some options for serving sizes, both with and without frosting. I mean, I won’t judge you if you eat them with the frosting for breakfast, but that’s a little too sweet for me in the morning. I actually like to make a batch and cover half in frosting and half without–some for breakfast, some for dessert in the same pan. But you do you!

WHy Gluten Free?

Well, there are multiple reasons for that. The first is that the almond flour and peanut butter powder give it a moister texture. I also love that you can taste tiny bits of almond throughout the bars.

A few years back, I gave up gluten for about a year and felt fantastic. I’ve been so bad about it lately, but I do want to get back to that way of eating some day. Or at least cut back on my gluten intake where I can. So here we go!

Choosing the right Ingredients

• Make sure you’re buying canned pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling, which has a lot of sugar in it. Regular pumpkin puree is 0 SP, so we definitely want that one instead.
• After experimenting a lot, I find that organic pumpkin puree is the way to go. It is a bit thicker than non-organic ones I’ve tried (not sure why). Of course, go with what you have around, but non-organic purees might make your bars a bit more wet (not a bad thing!).
• I buy Almond Meal from Trader Joe’s because I like that it still has some texture to it. Some almond flours are very finely ground. That’s not a problem, but you might get a slightly different texture.

I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there!