AIP Pumpkin Pie Bars
These AIP pumpkin pie bars are the perfect Thanksgiving dessert! Serve them topped with coconut cream for a traditional seasonal treat.
Featured Comment
“Hands down amazing! Thank you!! Making these for Thanksgiving this year!” – Colleen
Pumpkin pie is such a Thanksgiving must. I ate pumpkin pie every single Thanksgiving for as far back as I can remember. After changing my diet and needing gluten-free and AIP alternatives like my paleo apple pie bars, pumpkin pie was a no-brainer to make more allergen-friendly!
These AIP pumpkin pie bars are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and absolutely perfect!
Table of contents
Why you’ll love these AIP Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Easy to make. The crust is easy to put together, and the filling is completely no-bake!
- Allergen-friendly. These bars are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and even egg free! They’re not vegan as they use gelatin, but you can even try to use a vegan gelatin to make them even more inclusive.
Recipe Ingredients
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Coconut flour. Coconut flour is the main ingredient for the crust. I haven’t tried to make this crust coconut-free.
- Arrowroot starch. You can easily swap tapioca starch for the arrowroot starch.
- Gelatin. The gelatin helps as a binder for the crust, and collagen cannot be used as a substitute. You’ll also need this for the gelatin egg in the filling.
- Pumpkin puree. You can use canned pumpkin puree, or even make your own pumpkin puree like I use in my pumpkin orzo recipe!
- Maple syrup. I prefer the maple flavor with pumpkin, but you can also try to use honey instead.
- Coconut cream. You can buy canned coconut cream, or use the cream that hardens on top of a can of coconut milk.
How to make AIP Pumpkin Pie Bars
Here are the simple steps, with photos, to make this recipe. Find full instructions in the recipe card.
Step one. Combine the ingredients for the crust in a bowl.
Step two. Add the crust ingredients to a baking pan and bake through. All to cool completely.
Step three. Combine the filling ingredients in a bowl, along with the gelatin egg.
Step four. Whisk well until fully combined.
Step five. Add the filling to the cooled crust and allow it to set in the fridge.
Step six. Once set, slice the bars and add cinnamon and coconut cream on top!
What is a gelatin egg?
A gelatin egg is an egg substitute made with water and gelatin. It can be used in baking as a binder, and in no bake recipes to help fillings set.
How do you make a gelatin egg?
- Combine the water and gelatin in a small sauce pan. Allow to rest until hardened.
- Place on the stove over low heat, allowing to come to liquid.
- Remove from the heat and whisk/froth the gelatin mixure until frothy.
- Use immediatly!
Tips & Tricks
- Use a hand frother to whisk the gelatin egg. This is one of my favorite hacks for making a gelatin egg extra frothy!
- Let it set overnight if you’re short on time. If you’re making this for the holidays, you can easily make it the night or evening before, and slice it the next day when you’re ready to serve.
Recipe FAQS
Since the filling is a no-cook recipe, you’ll still need to use a gelatin egg instead of a real egg.
The gelatin is what helps the filling set in the fridge, so collagen will not work as a swap.
More AIP Thanksgiving Recipes to Try…
AIP Pumpkin Pie Bars
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Ingredients
For the crust
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 3 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp gelatin
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
For the filling
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut cream, softened (plus additional for topping if desired)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ 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 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. 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 for 3-4 hours.
- Once fully set, remove from the baking pan and slice into 9 slices. Top with additional cinnamon and whipped coconut cream if desired.
Notes
Photos by modern food stories.
I made this for Thanksgiving and they were easy and delicious! Making it again very soon!
YAY! Thank you so much Amy!
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 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!
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 🙂
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 🙂
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 🙂
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!
How far in advance can I make this and not compromise the texture?
The night before is fine 🙂
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.
What’s the white stuff on top of the pie?
Coconut cream 🙂
Is there a substitute for the arrowroot flour?
Tapioca would work 🙂
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!
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.
Is there a vegan substitute for the gelatin that will work in this recipe?
You could use agar agar.
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 🙂