Vegan Pumpkin Cake Bars
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
Vegan Pumpkin Cake Bars are made of fluffy, moist pumpkin sheet cake and topped with a “cream cheese” icing. A Fall tradition!
My mother-in-law used to make the most delicious Pumpkin Bars at Thanksgiving, and they were one of my favorite desserts ever.
They were made in a large sheet pan, and the cake was moist, fluffy and full of pumpkin spice flavors. Of course, they were topped with a cream cheese frosting. Yum, yum.
I have been wanting to re-create that recipe the best I can and veganize it for a while now, so I finally got to work! The results are seriously incredible.
I borrowed the frosting recipe from my Vegan Pumpkin Cookies recipe because it has gotten such rave reviews, and it’s just perfect on top of these moist vegan pumpkin cake bars.
How to make Vegan Pumpkin Cake Bars, Step by Step:
First, mix the ground flaxseeds and water in a small bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a jelly roll pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, coconut oil, sugar and flax eggs until smooth.
Dump in the flour, then sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt on top of the flour. Mix until just combined. Don’t you just love 1 bowl baking?
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool while you make the frosting.
The most delicious, easy frosting:
This frosting tastes like cream cheese frosting without any cream cheese (vegan or otherwise). The trick? A tiny bit of apple cider vinegar!
Ingredients for the frosting: Softened vegan butter, powdered sugar, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and non-dairy milk.
Use a hand mixer and mix the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Only add as much non-dairy milk as you need to get it creamy. If it’s too runny because you added too much milk, just add more powdered sugar.
Once the cake has cooled completely, frost, cut into bars and serve!
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS:
- I used refined coconut oil, but you can use canola oil, avocado oil or melted vegan butter. You could probably use 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup oil to cut down on the fat if you wanted, but it will affect the flavor and texture of the cake.
- For gluten free, use a quality gluten free flour mix. Almond or coconut flour will not work as a substitution here.
- The recipe makes a lot! If you don’t want so many cake bars, cut the ingredients in half and make it in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
- Store leftover bars covered at room temperature for 2-3 days, or the refrigerator for 4-5 days. They also freeze well, with or without the frosting.
Want more vegan pumpkin recipes?
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Scones
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
Vegan Pumpkin Cake Bars
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 5 tablespoons water
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup melted coconut oil*
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) vegan butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons non-dairy milk, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a jelly roll pan (15 x 10 inches). Set aside.
- Mix the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside to make your flax eggs.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, coconut oil, sugar and flax eggs until smooth.
- Now add the flour to the wet ingredients. Sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt on top of the flour and mix with a large spoon until just combined.
- Pour into the prepared pan and smooth out evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- Make the Frosting: Using a hand mixer, beat the softened vegan butter for about 2 minutes until creamy, then add the powdered sugar, apple cider vinegar and vanilla and beat everything together until smooth and creamy, adding a tablespoon of non-dairy milk at a time as needed. If you add too much milk and it gets runny, you will need to add more powdered sugar.
- Once the cake is cooled completely, frost the cake, cut into bars and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use refined coconut oil if you don't want a coconut taste. May also substitute canola oil, avocado oil or melted vegan butter. You could probably use 1/2 applesauce and 1/2 oil to cut down on the fat but it will affect the overall flavor and taste of the cake.
- I haven't made these gluten free, but like most of my cake recipes a quality Gluten Free Flour Mix would likely work just fine.
- This recipe makes a lot of bars (20) so if you want less feel free to cut the ingredients in half and make it in a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.
- Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting so it doesn't melt. You can speed up the process by placing the cake in the refrigerator.
- Store leftover cake bars on the counter for 2-3 days, covered, or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. They can also be frozen with or without the frosting.
Nutrition
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Read my full disclosure here
125 Comments on “Vegan Pumpkin Cake Bars”
My whole family absolutely loves these! They never last long lol
Completely agree that the 9×13 dimension was far too thin (alas) and feel like it would be perfect doubled.
Omg- YUM!!! The frosting alone is to die for! But the whole combo-
AMAZING!!
This is one of my favorites! I agree with you! Thank you for sharing your fantastic review and comments!
Cant wait to try this recipe! Instead of apple cider vinegar in the frosting I’ll use fresh squeezed orange juice & orange zest. Like my mom used to make. Orange & pumpkin go wonderful together. Thank you for creating a vegan version for us! 🧡
Sounds delicious! You are welcome! I love creating these recipes! Enjoy, and happy holiday cooking!
I did a test run first according to the recipe. I found that the finished product albeit delicious was too thin. So I doubled the recipe and used a larger sheet pan, perfect. They were a hit with the Trick or Treater’s of all ages.
Delicious! I don’t normally rate recipes but having a daughter will egg, dairy and peanut allergies, good desserts are hard to find. These nailed it!!! They will definitely be on the list for Thanksgiving!
Hi Chelsea. These are definitely one of my favorite dessert treats! I’m glad that you loved them, and that your daughter can enjoy them as well! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review! Happy holiday cooking!
Perfect recipe!! Thank you so much!
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
THE BEST PUMPKIN BARS EVER!
i am dairy and egg free because my daughter has food allergies.
It is fluffy and light and moist. I will be making this again for Thanksgiving .
I used canola oil and baked the whole recipe in a 9×13 pyrex but baked it a little longer and made half the icing. Perfect!
I am thrilled that you loved the pumpkin bars! They are wonderful for Thanksgiving and holidays! I appreciate you taking time to share your wonderful review and comments! Thank you!
Yum!!! I was a little nervous taking it out of the oven because it was light in color, but toothpick came out clean. Turned out excellent. So delicious, the entire family loved it. I substituted with veg oil and no issues.
I’m so glad you guys loved the cake bars! They are just so perfect this time of year! Thanks for taking time to share your wonderful review and comments!
Is this cake texture supposed to be really wet after baked
?i baked for 30mins,toothpick test came out clean ,but the cake taste overly wet and doughy,is the next day already,can i second bake it?
No, it should be just like cake, not wet. Moist and fluffy. It sounds like something went wrong, did you make any substitutions? Make sure to follow the recipe exactly for best results.
absolutely delicious!! and easy to follow directions.
I’m so glad you found them easy and delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful review!
I didn’t add the baking soda I only saw the powder oops
I AM A HORRIBLE BAKER! I have never in my life baked a cake, let alone a vegan cake, that I felt fully satisfied with! This cake came out so perfect, I feel like making another one tomorrow. Just WOW! Even the icing… I was highly skeptical of it actually tasting like cream cheese, but it came out just like real cream cheese icing! No more buying tons of expensive vegan cream cheese for icing! This is life changing! Thank you!
Thank you, Jessica, for your kind and heartfelt comments and words! I’m so thrilled that you loved the cake bars and they turned out perfect and delicious for you! These pumpkin bars are definitely one of my favorites! I appreciate you taking your time to share your wonderful review!
My family isn’t big on pumpkin dessert and they loved these. The only problem is we can’t stop eating them. The icing is the perfect pairing. You make the best desserts, Nora.
Thank you so much, Lauren! I appreciate your kind words! I’m thrilled the pumpkin bars are a hit with your family! I appreciate you taking your time to share your wonderful review and comments!
Delicious!! The perfect amount of sweet.
I’m so glad you love it! Thank you for sharing your review!
This is a delicious. I bake it in a 9×13 as more of a cake. Comes out great every time.
Thank you for sharing your comments! I’m glad you are loving the cake bars!