Healthy Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Last Updated on May 5, 2023 by Rachel

This Healthy Pumpkin Bars recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting is made from canned pumpkin and just a few healthy, natural ingredients. Just 10 minutes prep time! Paired with a mug of pumpkin spice latte they are the perfect afternoon treat.

Anyone else OBSESSED with pumpkin during Fall? I seriously can not get enough of it! Pumpkin Bars with cream cheese frosting are one of my favorite Fall treats but they are typically really high in calories, fat, and carbs.

These low-fat pumpkin bars are moist, delicious, and taste just like cake but without any butter or refined sugar. The macros for this pumpkin bars recipe are 87 calories, 12 carb, 3 fat, and 3 protein.

These scrumptious pumpkin bars are topped with silky smooth cream cheese frosting which is sugar and butter-free which makes this sweet treat a perfect guilt-free dessert great for Holidays. You will never guess this recipe is so healthy.

What makes this recipe so healthy?

These pumpkin bars are much healthier than your average pumpkin dessert bars because of a few reasons:

1. We are using a mixture of whole wheat flour and almond flour instead of the refined all-purpose flour.
2. The pumpkin bars and cream cheese frosting are 100% refined sugar-free. We are using a little bit of maple syrup, and Swerve sweetener to sweeten up these bars while keeping them low in carbs.
3. They are completely oil-free too. The apple sauce acts as a great substitution for the oil.
4. The cream cheese frosting is made partly with vanilla yogurt which gives the frosting a nice flavor while upping the protein and keeping the fats and carbs at a minimum.

Healthy Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

You will need:

• Whole wheat flour
• Almond flour
• Eggs
• Egg whites
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Brown sugar Swerve
• Swerve sweetener
• Maple syrup
• Almond milk
• Canned raw pumpkin
• Cinnamon
• Pumpkin spice
• Nutmeg
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Vanilla extract
• Cream cheese
• Siggi’s Vanilla Greek Yogurt
• Confectioners Swerve

Ingredient Note:

You can use any brand of vanilla Greek Yogurt – however I prefer Siggi’s because it is high in protein and low in sugar. If you have an Aldi’s near you….the Skyr brand is bascilly their version of Siggi’s and a great option as well.

How do you make Pumpkin Bars from scratch?

1. In a large bowl mix together the whole wheat flour, almond flour, sweeteners, apple sauce, spices, eggs, almond milk, canned pumpkin, and baking soda and powder.
2. Then spread the ready mixture into a 9×13″ baking pan.
3. Bake the bars in the oven at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make your cream cheese frosting; in a bowl mix together the whipped cream cheese, vanilla extract, sweetener, and vanilla yogurt.
5. You can spread the frosting on your pumpkin bars after they have cooled down completely. Dust them with a little bit of pumpkin spice for a flavor kick.

The bars themself are not super sweet so you can add more of the swerve sweetener – however – the frosting adds a lot of the sweetness to the bars. In my opinion, the combination of cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and nutmeg make up for lack of sweetness.

Variations:

Gluten free – you can substitute the whole wheat flour with gluten free flour.

FAQ

How do I store the pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting?

These pumpkin bars should always be kept refrigerated due to the cream cheese frosting. These bars will keep well tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Do pumpkin bars freeze well?

Yes, they do! Just place them in an airtight container in the freezer. To thaw them, pull out as many pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting you wish to have and let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

How to thicken cream cheese frosting?

If your cream cheese frosting is too soft, just refrigerate it for 5-10 minutes. You can even add more confectioners sweetener that will help the frosting to thicken a bit more.

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