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.
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 🙂
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.
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 🙂
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!
My go-to recipe every year! Perfect. I even shared in my newsletter.
Thank you so much for sharing!!
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.
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!
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!
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!! 🙂
Can this recipe be frozen?
That should work yes!
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!
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 🙂
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!
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!
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 🙂