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These incredible Pumpkin Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting are the most deliciously perfect, easy fall bake in the world.
These bars will make your house smell like the world’s most delectable autumn candle.
Perfect for any fall party, potluck, or gathering, terrific for Thanksgiving as a pie alternative, and even mid-summer when you’re just missing those fall vibes, these bars have got you covered.
Pumpkin Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting are a total crowd-pleaser. So much so that I can pretty much guarantee everyone will want seconds. You may need to double the recipe!
Just to put the icing on the cake (pun intended lol) they’re also super quick and easy!
Ready in under an hour, you truly can’t go wrong with these Pumpkin Bars.
How to Make Pumpkin Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting
Best Pan for Baking Pumpkin Bars
- I love this 8-inch square pan by USA Pan
- Feel free to double the recipe and use a 9 by 13-inch pan
- I don’t recommend baking these bars in a glass, ceramic, or silicone pan – learn why here!
- I also don’t recommend using a dark-colored pan. These types of pans heat too aggressively and can dry out these bars.
What Type of Pumpkin is Best for These Bars?
Make sure to use canned pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling in these bars. Also be sure to check out my Fresh vs. Canned Pumpkin article for the differences between using fresh pumpkin puree, regular canned pumpkin, and organic canned pumpkin. Just take a look at the images below to see how different each variety look, even before baking!
Brown Sugar Frosting
- This brown sugar frosting retains a little crunch to it, which sets it apart from a typical buttercream using much finer powdered sugar.
- I personally love it, and the slight crunch almost reminds me of eating raw cookie dough!
- If that doesn’t appeal to you, feel free instead use a half batch of my Best Buttercream Recipe
- You can alternatively use a batch of my Cream Cheese Frosting recipe.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to either recipe, if desired.
How to Store Pumpkin Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting
Store Pumpkin Bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can you Freeze Pumpkin Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting?
We haven’t tried freezing these bars, but it should work just fine. For best results, freeze unfrosted. Allow the bars to cool completely, then store inside an airtight container for up to a month. Allowing it to defrost at room temperature before icing and serving.
More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love:
For the bars:
-
1 1/2
cups
(190 grams) all-purpose flour
-
1
teaspoon
ground cinnamon
-
1/4
teaspoon
ground ginger
-
1/4
teaspoon
ground nutmeg
-
1/4
teaspoon
baking soda
-
1/4
teaspoon
salt
-
1
stick (113 grams) unsalted butter,
melted
-
2/3
cup
(133 grams) packed light brown sugar
-
1
large egg,
at a cool room temperature
-
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
1
cup
(212 grams) pumpkin puree
For the frosting:
-
1
stick (113 grams) unsalted butter,
at room temperature
-
1/4
cup
(50 grams) packed light brown sugar
-
1/2
teaspoon
ground cinnamon
-
1/8
teaspoon
salt
-
1 1/2
cups
(188 grams) powdered sugar,
sifted
-
1/2
teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
1
tablespoon
milk,
plus more if needed
To make the bars:
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 8 by 8-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang.
-
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
-
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and pumpkin. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
-
Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting:
-
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and smooth. Add in the cinnamon and salt. On low speed, gradually add in the powdered sugar until incorporated. Add in the vanilla and milk and increase the speed to medium-high. Beat until very light and fluffy. If the frosting becomes too runny, add more powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick, add a splash more milk. Spread the frosting evenly all over the pumpkin bars.
-
Cut into squares before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This recipe is easily doubled for a crowd in a 9x13 pan. Simply double all ingredients and add a few minutes to the bake time.
so delicious, especially the frosting!!
Glad you enjoyed!
These are the bomb! I made them twice and both times ate almost the whole pan myself! The frosting is perfect with the pumpkin.
This makes me so happy! I’m so glad you loved these bars.
Delicious! And easy to make. I cut them into squares and piped a bit of frosting onto each one. My family asked me to make them again for Thanksgiving.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! I hope these bars are a hit on Thanksgiving as well!
The bars taste great – but turned out flat and thick. I didn’t overmix, measure carefully and only cooked 23 minutes. Thoughts? The frosting is divine. I added a splash of bourbon. Saw another comment on the thread about brown butter and may try that. Thanks for the recipe. I’m def going to try my hand at it again! (Note – I do live in low altitude).
That frosting!!!I love pumpkin bars and cookies but hate cream cheese frosting, which people always seem use with pumpkin. So happy to have found what is now my favorite frosting ever! Thank you for this wonderful alternative!
Fantastic treat! These were super easy to make too. Thanks Tessa!
If I double this recipe and use a 9X13 pan, would the cooking time and baking temperature stay the same?
Best way to bake this if the recipe is doubled?
Thank you
Had fresh pumpkin puree I wanted to use, and found this recipe there’s only two of us, so it’s perfect that it’s an 8×8 pan worth, and these are freaking awesome!!!
just make them yum yum
Do you scoop/measure the powdered sugar, then sift it, or do you sift it into the measuring cup?
These are yummy! My frosting wasn’t fluffy, it was quite solid even with adding milk. Maybe I did something wrong, but it is still delicious! Can it be frozen once baked and frosted? I made a double batch and have family coming in 5 days and want it to still taste fresh.
Hi there,
can you use dark brown sugar for the icing instead of the light brown sugar? Thanks!
The Brown Sugar Frosting was terrible… I had already frosted the bars and had to scrape off the frosting. It was so grainy that it felt gritty when when I took a bite. What you call slightly crunchy does not fully describe the gritty texture. I had to refrost with another recipe.
Hi Shirley — I’m sorry to hear that however the frosting needs to be beaten with an electric mixer until smooth as per the directions. If you brown sugar is dried out that can cause a problem. If you try it again, give the frosting a taste to ensure it’s smooth before applying to the bars 🙂
These are so good! The house smells divine while they’re baking. It’s hard not to keep from cutting into them while warm, but wait until you add the frosting. I’ll definitely make these again!
This recipe worked out great! I substituted margarine for the cake portion and it turned out fine. I made this for a church social and my husband was kind enough to save me the last piece.
Will gladly use this recipe again to finish off any leftover canned pumpkin in the future. :)Thanks for sharing.
how would you make this at high altitude? i live in colorado so things don’t ever bake the same.
I am giving this recipe an overall 2 but that is actually 4 for the frosting and 0 for the bar. It is basically tasteless and after making, suggested to hubby I could rework it, adding more spices for flavor. He basically said there was no sense to wasting time trying to tweak this into being good. Will save the frosting recipe to use on maybe carrot or spice cake-we’ll see.
I hate anything pumpkin but these are the best things ive ever tasted! That frosting is amazing seriously
Amazing! I’m not a pumpkin person at all; so I made these grudgingly for the rest of the fam back in 2018. The frosting is to die for but the pumpkin bar itself is perfectly spiced and not too pumpkin-y. Just really yummy, moist and not too sweet – – in spite of the brown sugar title!
Making these again for our adults-only Halloween party. Enjoy!
These are amazing! The icing is to die for! I am going to use the icing for macarons the next time I make it. Thank you!
Can I make these the night before or is it best the day of? I’m worried that they’ll dry out overnight.
These were so delicious (the frosting was amazing)!! What a great recipe! I made the bars and put them in the fridge over night then made the frosting the next day and they turned out great! I’ll definitely be making these again!
Can this recipe be doubled and baked on a large cookie sheet/ jelly roll pan?
Everyone at the event went crazy for these and just had to have the recipe. Someone even said for Thanksgiving they will only make these and forget about the pumpkin pie. Great recipe!
Do you think the frosting would be ok if frozen? I would like to make and Frost the bars and then freeze them. Thanks
I would advise freezing the frosting separately so you can defrost and re-whip with an electric mixer. Otherwise it’ll curdle upon defrosting on the bars. Hope that helps!
Uh oh! My house smells like autumn on crack now!
Would you please convert this recipe into cupcake form for me?
What is pumpkin puree? Is it the same as canned pumpkin?
yes!
Thank you so much for responding so quickly. I look forward to making these very soon since I have all the ingredients.
Very delicious! I didn’t have any nutmeg so I added 1/8 tsp. clove to the cake batter and i added more powdered sugar and milk to increase the volume of frosting. That’s the only changes I made and my hubby really liked it (and he’s picky)! Thanks for the great recipe, I will make this again!
Made this for Christmas Eve. It is very dense. The frosting is good, but overall this is not something I’ll make again
There is an ingredient missing from this recipe; the batter was absolutely not “pourable”. Most disappointing is the lack of attention to the site and comments from professional Tessa.
I don’t have some of the spices but I do have a fresh pumpkin pie spice. If I were to swap that out, how much do you suppose I should put in? Tablespoon maybe?
Hello, can this recipe be made in a 9 inch round pan?
Looks yummy! A good alternative to pumpkin pie…actually, pies in general, and cream cheese frosting (and all things cream cheese, which seems to be on almost everything). I’m probably the only person who dislikes both. And yes, I too get caught in the internet trap. I’ll get up, get on the computer, and then look at the clock wonder where all that time went! 😉
OMG – what a great recipe! We grow our own pumpkins in our garden so I make my own puree and freeze them and take them out when I’m ready to use them. Since our new crop is almost ready, I decided to give this recipe a try with the puree still left in my freezer! WOW! What a great surprise! The texture of the bars are perfect and the frosting is to die for! I will surely keep this recipe for future use! Thank you so much! Absolutely yum!
Super tasty and easy to make! The cake is not too sweet, so the frosting really balances out the flavor. Will definitely make it again!
Can you bake the bars ahead and freeze them (sans icing of course)? I have a cup of puree to use up but just made 5.5 dozen pumpkin muffins so don’t need the bars ATM. But reallllly want to try them!! Lol
Excellent and great icing!
I made these today. The flavor is perfect and the frosting is great. However, the cake needs to bake for much longer than 25 minutes. I baked it for almost 30 and the toothpick was still coming out pretty wet, but because of the warning I decided to take it out anyway – big mistake. The only edible part was the outside edges. Disappointing after all of that effort.
Can you double the recipe for a 9by13 or a jelly roll pan?
I just made these yesterday. I accidentally broke it in half before icing, so the portion that didn’t become bars were mixed with the icing and dipped in chocolate. My husband went crazy over it! So far, Tessa, every recipe I’ve tried from you has been golden!
What a happy mistake!! I’m so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the recipes 🙂
I just made this today and I double the recipe with no problems! I baked it on a 9×13 for 27 minutes and it turned out great!!
Happy to hear that, Liz!
Has anybody doubled this recipe successfully? 🙂 I read in another comment that you can use a 9 x13 but I’m wondering if a half sheet would work ir if that would make them too thin. Also, do you bake for the same amount of time if you double it? Help! Thank you.
It looks delicious. What size pan would you use to double it? 9 × 13? Thanks!
Yep!
I made these and the texture of the cake was amazing! I didn’t make the frosting. The cake didn’t have enough spice for me, I think I will add more next time… Maybe it’s the brand I’m using. Also the cake cooked lumpy on top, I would have to smooth it out perfectly to make sure it was even and smooth. Other than that, great and easy recipe that I will make again.
I’m glad to hear that! Sometimes spices lose their intensity over time, so if they were a little older that could explain it. Or, it’s just a matter of preference 🙂
Do you think I could omit the 1 egg? Or should I maybe try replacing it with apple sauce? My son is allergic to egg & ive been looking for a pumpkin bar recipe. Most of them contain 3/4 eggs.
Can recipe be doubled to use a 9 x 13 pan?
I don’t know if you didn’t list an ingredient or I did something wrong, but these didn’t turn out for me at all. They are dense and more like a pancake texture. Trying a new recipe – sad face 🙁
Love, love, love this taste of Autumn! It’s a cross between the best pumpkin bread, pumpkin cupcake and pumpkin cake you’ve ever had. My daughter said it was the most tender and moist treat ever! (Sounds like a keeper) I’m not sure about the label of a “bar” only because if you make 9 pieces in one pan, with frosting, you may want to serve with a fork. I made two pans, and left one unfrosted and just dusted with powdered sugar. They were both a hit!
haha love it, Cindy! I agree 9 pieces = single serving lol 🙂 So happy this recipe was such a hit!
That frosting will be a must this season! And yes, I’ll tell myself I’ll just be on fb for a few seconds, but then I get sucked in and half an hour has passed!
I made these on Sunday and my hubby LOVES them. My only challenge was the frosting was a bit crunchy. Did I not beat the brown sugar and butter long enough? I will be making these again!!!!!
Ah, wonderful! I just finished baking and my colleagues will be very happy. Husband is not so happy, because geht gets nothing. Poor husband.
Haha!
I made these for church today. Had a request for the recipe and there were no leftovers! Definitely a keeper recipe. Thank you for sharing this.
Love to hear that! Thanks for your wonderful comment.
Will this pumpkin bar recipe work in cupcakes.?
And is it possible to make brown sugar frosting in Swiss buttercream style?
Cant wait to try the fall recipes….thanks.
These look absolutely delicious! And yes, I am a sucker for a good, trashy gossip magazine….it’s a vice.
haha autumn on crack! perfect description for these warm spices starting to fill our houses! these look delicious!
Tessa – What size pan would you use for a doubled recipe to keep the same thickness? I want to bring these to work and KNOW they will be inhaled instantly, as I work in a hospital unit. “Autumn on crack”, too funny! Love your site!
For some reason I’ve always liked dessert best at breakfast. It’s breakfast time now and I’m totally craving these! That frosting!!
These bars look so good! I love the use of brown sugar in the frosting, it must add such a nice flavour especially paired with the pumpkin in the bars.
Have you tried to make the bar base with browned butter instead of melted butter? I’m wondering, with all the autumnal spices, if you can still taste the difference from browning the butter instead? Either way, these bars will be happening in my kitchen tonight!
That brown sugar frosting is to die for, especially paired with the pumpkin! As for FB thankfully I tend to resist getting sucked in too often but Instagram is slowly taking over my life.
I need to make these, like, yesterday. They look so amazing! Also – a 10 minute FB suck is nothing! Ugh – it’s so bad! I’ll go on FB to look something up and 20 minutes later I don’t know what I came there for anymore!
That frosting looks so fluffy. And I am already dreaming about it’s taste. The bars sound delicious!