Paleo Pumpkin Pie Bars (AIP)
These paleo and AIP pumpkin pie bars are the perfect Thanksgiving dessert! Serve them topped with coconut cream, and you’ve got the real deal. They’re grain free, gluten free, dairy free, egg free and refined sugar-free.
Pumpkin pie is such a Thanksgiving must. I ate pumpkin pie every single Thanksgiving for as far back as I can remember. I would put cool whip topping on it and would instantly be in heaven. My dad and I would both keep eating the pie until it was gone, and it rarely lasted more than 24 hours after Thanksgiving. So what I’m trying to say is… I really like pumpkin pie.
The first time that I didn’t have pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving was when I first went paleo and AIP. Even though I love to cook and bake, I actually really dislike using pie pans and making my own pie crust. I just focused on making everything else and had to sit one out that year… and the next year… and the next. Not this year. No sir. Not with these paleo and AIP pumpkin pie bars!
Honestly, why didn’t I think of this before? Why mess with a pie pan and form a perfectly shaped crust when you can just make bars and get all of the same flavors? It’s much easier, much faster, and it tastes just as delicious!
The Ingredients You’ll Need for the Pumpkin Pie Bars
Coconut flour, arrowroot starch, gelatin, maple syrup, coconut oil, and baking soda
These are the ingredient that you need for the crust. The coconut flour and arrowroot together help create kind of a graham cracker crust texture. It’s not too heavy like cassava flour would be, but it’s also not overly crumbly. You can likely swap arrowroot for tapioca, but overall this recipe just isn’t one that conducive to being made coconut free so I would not swap the coconut flour.
The gelatin helps as a binder, and collagen cannot be used as a substitute. I use the green can of Vital Proteins as my gelatin source. You’ll also need this for the gelatin egg in the filling.
For the sweetener, I think maple adds to the overall flavor of the pie but you can also use honey in either the crust or the filling.
Pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut cream, coconut oil, and gelatin
This makes the filling for the pumpkin pie. Make sure you use pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie! Alternatively, you can make your own homemade pumpkin puree.
The coconut cream can be purchased by itself, or you can just place a can of full-fat coconut cream in the fridge overnight and use the hardened cream on top.
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PrintPaleo Pumpkin Pie Bars (AIP)
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 3 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp gelatin
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
For the filling
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut cream, softened (plus additional for topping if desired)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp gelatin
Instructions
For the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment paper lightly greased with coconut oil.
- Mix the dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl.
- Stir in the coconut oil and maple syrup until thoroughly combined.
- Press the crust into the bottom of the baking pan, evenly dispersing it. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
For the filling
- Mix the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil, coconut cream, and cinnamon until well combined. Stir to make sure the coconut cream is softened and no clumps remain.
- Make the gelatin egg by pouring the water into a small saucepan and sprinkling the gelatin over top. Allow it to harden for 2-3 minutes. Set the pot on the stove top set to low heat for 1-2 minutes to allow the gelatin to melt and the mixture to turn back into liquid. Remove from the heat and use a whisk or a milk frother to vigorously whisk until frothy. Pour into the pumpkin mixture and combine.
- Pour the filling mixture into the baking pan over the crust and use a spoon or rubber spatula to even out the top.
- Place in the fridge to set and cool for 3-4 hours.
- Once fully set, remove from the baking pan and slice into 9 slices. Top with additional cinnamon and coconut cream if desired.
Notes
All nutritional facts are estimations and will vary.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Dessert
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 364
- Fat: 22.1g
- Carbohydrates: 40.3g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 4g
AIP
Low Carb
Paleo
Whole30
Hi: Am I missing something? You list gelatin as an ingredient for the crust, but I don’t see it used in the directions. Just curious.
Hi Kathryn! The gelatin is put in as a dry ingredient in the crust 🙂
Is there a vegan substitute for the gelatin that will work in this recipe?
You could use agar agar.
I don’t have gelatin but I can have eggs. Can I use that in the filling? If so how many eggs?
It’s more like a cheesecake filling so I don’t know if eggs would work… you would need to cook them.
What gelatin do you recommend? And is the coconut oil warmed to a liquid form?
Vital Proteins is my favorite! I don’t warm it.
Made these today for Thanksgiving tomorrow and they are so so delicious! I also made the pumpkin donut holes today and those were fantastic as well! I haven’t tried a recipe of yours yet that I don’t love. Even my 3 year old loved them! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Thank you!! I’m so glad your family is enjoying so many of my recipes!
Is there a substitute for the arrowroot flour?
Tapioca would work 🙂
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What’s the white stuff on top of the pie?
Coconut cream 🙂
Hi 🙂
Is it possible to substitute maple syrup? Will it work with applesauce? I do not want to eat so much sugar (maple syrup is just a less bad version of sugar).
All the best
You can try, but I can’t guarantee it will yield the same result… the consistencies are pretty different.
How far in advance can I make this and not compromise the texture?
The night before is fine 🙂
I can’t wait to make this today! Do you think it’s okay that I have reduced fat coconut cream from Trader Joe’s? I thought I had bought full fat. ????????♀️
The reduced fat won’t really yield as much cream, but you can try it!
These look amazing – going to make for Thanksgiving.
Storage / prep question- can they be made the night before, store in fridge? (Soggy crust?) or do you recommend “putting it together” the day of, and allowing the 3-4 hours to set up?
You can for sure make the night before 🙂
For the coconut cream, would the top section of a can of coconut milk that has been in the refrigerator work?
That works! Just make sure it’s not clumpy when it’s in the mixture 🙂
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I made these for Thanksgiving and they were fantastic. They also lasted a few days stored in the fridge just fine (no soggy crust at all). Thanks so much for such an awesome recipe – I can’t wait to make them again!
Yay! Thank you so much Kathleen! So happy you liked it 🙂
I made an AIP Thanksgiving and didn’t tell anyone. I made your Roast Turkey with gravy, Cauliflower mashed, the Pumpkin Bars listed here and Apple Crisp, + Brussels Sprouts. Everything was delicious. My first AIP Thanksgiving and it was a success. Thank you for such great recipes. I wasn’t even tempted by the non-AIP foods my friends brought.
★★★★★
LOVE THAT! Thank you so much Rikki!
Hello. can I use fish gelatin? I don’t eat pork for many reasons. Also can I sub something for the maple syrup?
★★★★★
The recipe uses beef gelatin, not pork 🙂 You can likely use fish gelatin as well! You can swap honey for maple syrup. Enjoy!
I made this for Thanksgiving and they were easy and delicious! Making it again very soon!
★★★★★
YAY! Thank you so much Amy!
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I love these so much, thanks! I am wondering how long these can sit out? I can try myself – thought I’d spare possibly wasting a batch…thanks again for your posts. I use several recipes
★★★★★
Thank you!! Generally, food safety says that perishable food doesn’t last longer than 2 hours at room temperature. Since these are dependant on being chilled, I would think they’d have a shorter life. It would be best to keep them in the fridge or use an icepack if you’re traveling 🙂
This year was my first time celebrating the holidays after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and completely changing my diet. My sister made your pumpkin pie bar recipe for Thanksgiving and they were so good! I didn’t miss “regular” pumpkin pie at all with these. My three-year-old son and one-year-old niece devoured them as well. They were so good we made them again at Christmas!
★★★★★
These are so great! Honestly you are saving my life. I was an adventurous chef and have been struggling but this website has helped me so much!
I whippped up some coconut cream, coconut milk would also work. Just put some in a blender and give it a good whirl. Refrigerate for a few hours and it becomes like a foam. I stumbled on that by accident by blending coconut milk first for smoothies and storing leftover.
Thank you so much, Julieann!! So glad it’s helpful!
You said the green can of Vital protein gelatin but that’s beef flavor.Does it have a taste ?
It’s derived from beef, but it’s not beef “flavored” it’s flavorless 🙂
Ahhhmazing!! Michell you are super talented! These taste EXACTLY like pumpkin pie. The crust is flaky and so yummy and the filling takes me right to Thanksgiving Day my husband and I are obsessed with these!
★★★★★
SO glad you liked them! Thank you, Katie!
Can this recipe be frozen?
That should work yes!
Hi, do you think using agar agar would be a good vegan substitute for the gelatin? I’m looking forward to making these for thanksgiving but want to make vegan. Thanks!!
★★★★★
I actually haven’t worked with agar agar, so not totally sure… but let me know if you try it!! 🙂
These were absolutely fantastic! I made them for non-AIP family and they thought they tasted EXACTLY like pumpkin pie- or even better! The crust was like a sugar cookie/shortbread flavor- delicious! And the filling was so creamy and set up perfectly. My only modification was that I added 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice to give it a little extra kick. Will definitely make these again!
★★★★★
Did you explain how to make the whipped cream and I missed it? Do we just whip the coconut cream? Are there any additions?
I often take a shortcut with cocowhip, but there are lots of easy recipes for homemade coconut whipped cream too!
This is the firstAIP treat I made when I first started out that was deliciously satisfying as a treat! I couldn’t tell a difference from the real thing!! The crust held together and the filling was delicious with a wonderful texture.
★★★★★
My go-to recipe every year! Perfect. I even shared in my newsletter.
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Thank you so much for sharing!!
I’m running short on coconut oil. Do you think I could swap palm shortening in the crust?
It likely would work, but I haven’t tried it myself. Let me know if you do!
it says cook time is 40 minutes and method is baked but the recipe says nothing about baking and says only to put in the fridge for 3-4 hours to set. So which one is it? Are these ‘no bake’ bars?
The crust is baked 🙂
Will it work to use a regular egg in place of the gelatin egg in the pie filling?
No, it won’t work as it is a no bake filing.
Sorry if this is a dumb question lol, I am wondering if this recipe can be baked at all? The ingredients work so well for me but I really want a warm pumpkin pie bar even though I bet these are still amazing cold. I just want that nice browned cooked pumpkin pie vibe ya know what I’m sayin
Unfortunately for this particular recipe, the filling wouldn’t stay set if it was heated. Since it’s egg-free, it relies on gelatin chilling to keep its shape. You can try this crust but with a different filling though!
That makes sense! Thank you so much for responding! That’s a great idea, I haven’t found any egg-free filling recipes that match. Oh well, I’m still excited for pumpkin pie bars either way 🙂
Hi! Can you use and egg instead of the gelatin?
So I’m back to say how DELICIOUS these are! I am so impressed with the crust too! I was almost wishing to have an entire cookie of just that crust. I might make it alone sometime just to enjoy by itself lol. 5 stars 😉
★★★★★
I never thought they would turn out so great as they did! I thought the filling would be too soupy after refrigerating for 3 hours they were perfect! Good consistency and the crust was really great!
Lastly, I never thought they would turn out at all after reading the last line “ do not use can pumpkin “
I used canned pumpkin and it was fine!
★★★★
So glad you liked the recipe!!
I was REALLY craving an AIP dessert so I attempted your Paleo Pumpkin Pie Bars and it turned out wonderfully, to my surprise. I suck at baking and I wasn’t thrilled with the time it takes to fix the crust, let it bake, then let it cool, then add the prepared topping, then let it set, etc. BUT it was worth it and wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. I did give the recipe 4 stars though for two things- too much coconut oil and not enough sweetener. Being a healthier option, I would agree that we should use less sweetener (in this case, maple syrup) but it was barely sweet at all. I even added a bit of coconut sugar after reading some of the comments and that only put a dent in it. I would suggest modifying the recipe for additional sweetener. As far as the coconut oil goes, it was so much that my body couldn’t handle it. Coconut oil in the crust and the topping- it’s just a lot. I would love an alternative to so much oil. I still give this 4 stars as it helped curb my sweet tooth and gave me pumpkin pie vibes. Love how it actual set and then was very easy to cut. If I ever make this again I would add more coconut sugar or maple syrup and find a solution to the coconut oil.
★★★★
Thanks for making it! Yes, adding more maple syrup or coconut sugar will help sweeten the recipe!
I didn’t get coconut flour in time. Can I sub with Tapioca flour or tigernut?
No, those won’t work in place of the coconut flour