These allergy friendly pumpkin bars are a Thanksgiving tradition at our house! This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens but these bars are so good you won't even know they're egg, dairy, and wheat/gluten free!
Most Thanksgiving menus include dessert, right?! While pumpkin pie is a traditional Thanksgiving dessert, we choose to make these allergy friendly pumpkin bars instead.
Allergy friendly ingredients
This yummy dessert was inspired by my mom's pumpkin bar recipe which called for eggs and wheat flour. I used some allergy friendly substitutes to replace those ingredients.
Flax "eggs"
The original recipe called for four eggs so I was a little unsure if they would turn out with an egg substitute. It turns out that you can still make delicious pumpkin bars with flax "eggs" instead of eggs!
To make the flax eggs, combine ground flaxseed with warm water and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes until it is thickened.
Gluten free flour
I have used my own DIY all-purpose gluten free flour for this recipe. I've also used an all-purpose gluten free flour blend which works really well, too.
If your blend doesn't have xanthan gum in it, I would recommend ½ teaspoon for this recipe. Xanthan gum works as a binder in gluten free baking. You can omit it but it might result in a more crumbly bar.
Recipe tips
Pick a pan
You can bake these pumpkin bars in a cake pan or a jelly roll pan. A jelly roll pan is the size of a cookie sheet but it has sides that are about 1 inch tall. A cake pan is a 9 by 13-inch pan with taller sides.
When I first started making these bars, I always used a cake pan because I didn't really know what a jelly roll pan was (or that I had one!)
Using a cake pan yields a thicker and denser cake-like bar. These are more eat-with-a-fork kind of bars.
As you might have guessed, baking the bars in a jelly roll pan yields a less-cakey, thinner bar that you can eat with your hands. You also get more servings this way.
Whether they eat them with a fork (like cake) or with our fingers (like bars), my kids love them either way!
Allergy Friendly Frosting
I frost the pumpkin bars with dairy free cream cheese frosting. Look in the baking aisle for "safe" options. Otherwise, you can make your own vanilla frosting (try this easy recipe)
When I frost the bars, I put blobs of frosting on top in several places. Then I just "connect the dots". This seems to make the process easier without getting the top of the bars sticking to the frosting and getting spread right along with it.
If you don't have frosting, these bars are plenty sweet without it. You can just serve them plain or even dust them with some powdered sugar. They will still be delicious!
Whether they're part of your Thanksgiving feast or your coffee break, I hope you enjoy the pumpkin bars!
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📖 Recipe
Allergy Friendly Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons flax seed meal
- 6 tablespoons warm water
- 1 (15) ounce can of pumpkin puree
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup cooking oil vegetable, soy, grapeseed, etc
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour mix
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- "Safe" cream cheese or vanilla frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom of a jelly roll pan or cake pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed meal and warm water. Set aside for a few minutes until the mixture thickens. In a mixing bowl, cream together the pumpkin puree, applesauce, oil, flax seed and water mixture and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and beat with mixer until well blended.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
- If using a cake pan, bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
- If using a jelly roll pan, bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
When cooled, frost with your favorite "safe" frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
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Elizabeth says
I've been making these bars for years- they are a family favorite!
Kristi says
I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing!
Dana L Bridge says
I've been making this recipe since my kids were little and it is a requested Thanksgiving staple among both my kids now freshman in college and junior in high school. They LOVE it!!! I have the old recipe using Xanthan Gum and no apple sauce but looked to see if you updated it and you have!! Can't wait to try the update.. I'm sure the new one is just as delicious. Happy Thanksgiving and stay safe in this crazy 2020 world!!!
Kristi Winkels, RDN, LD says
Hi Dana,
Thank you for your note! It makes me so happy to know that you've found a family favorite here! Yes, I updated the recipe to include all-purpose flour which usually includes xanthan gum so it does not need to be added separately. If you mix your own flour (like I used to do), you can add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum to your flour blend. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your crew!!
Anonymous says
I meant the applesauce. Its not in the directions. Do you use aplesauce & oil? I am mid combining I hope to get a quick rely.
Kristi says
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for pointing this out! The applesauce should be added with the pumpkin, oil, flax seed/water mixture. I updated the recipe to include that. Sorry for the confusion. I hope you enjoy them!
Anonymous says
The eggs aren’t listed in the directions at all. When do you add them?
Samantha says
Is there a flax alternative? I unfortunately am allergic to flax and my son is allergic to pretty much everything.
Kristi says
Hi Samantha,
Can you have chia seeds? You could try substituting the same amount of ground chia seeds. I haven't tried it myself but I know chia and flax are similar. You could also try 6 tablespoons of aquafaba (the liquid from a can of beans). Again, I haven't tried this myself but it might just work! If you try either of these, let me know how it turns out!
Kara says
Thanks sooo much!!! I appreciate your reply and can’t it to try these tonight for our girls night in!!
kara ranieri says
I'm excited and in the middle of trying this yummy looking recipe. I got all the ingredients yesterday and as i'm starting to prep I noticed it calls for xanthan gum in the steps but isn't listed in the ingredients. Unfortunately, I don't have any on hand. Is there something I can use to substitute or is it absolutely necessary for the success of the bars? Also, for future, how much xanthan gum is used in the recipe so i can add to the steps as I'll add to my pantry. hoping for help as i've already begun the recipe. : / THanks so much
Kristi says
Hi Kara,
If you are using a gluten free all purpose flour, it probably already has xanthan gum in it so you can omit it. Xanthan gum works as a binder to prevent cakes and breads from being crumbly. I have made recipes without it and they still turn out ok, maybe just a little more crumbly. This recipe is super moist so it probably wouldn’t make as much of a difference if you omit it.
I hope that helps!
Kristi