Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Crumb Bars
When I start to see big displays of canned pumpkin adorning the endcaps of supermarket aisles, my heart skips a beat. While I really enjoy baking with pumpkin, it’s also a sign that my favorite time of year is here. Yes, I love the beautiful, changing leaves (they are a million different colors right now!), the crisp air, cozy sweatshirts, and nightly mugs of hot chocolate.
However, those displays also signal that the holidays are right around the corner. I love all holidays, but Thanksgiving has always been extra special to me. While Christmas is usually dominated by shopping and gifts, Thanksgiving is allowed to bask in the glory of amazing food, great wine, and a day spent just being with friends and family. I think that’s why pumpkin tugs at my heartstrings so much.
Never one to settle for plain pumpkin pie, I love experimenting with different pumpkin recipes. This combination of an oatmeal crumb bar and pumpkin pie filling is so unique, that I didn’t wait long to try it.
This is the first time I tried a combination of oats and pumpkin. What took me so long?! The flavors are such a natural complement to each other, and the texture contrast between the oat crumb and the silky smooth pumpkin pie filling is fantastic. The top is nice and crunchy, then you get to the creamy pie layer, followed by the firm crust.
These bars have got me in the mood to plan a Thanksgiving menu! Do you have any pumpkin recipe requests for this fall?
More Pumpkin Bar Desserts:
- Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Pumpkin Blondies
- Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Crumb Bars
Ingredients
For the Oatmeal Crumb:
- 1¼ cups (156.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups (101.25 g) quick oats
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground ginger
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups (306.25 g) canned pumpkin
- â…“ cup (85.33 ml) evaporated milk
Instructions
- Make the Oatmeal Crumb: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and adjust oven racks to center and upper-middle positions. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang over the sides; set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda and salt to combine. Add both the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until no clumps remain. Add the melted butter and vanilla extract, then stir with a fork until the mixture is evenly moistened. Press half of the mixture into the prepared pan and bake on the center rack for 15 minutes.
- Make the Pumpkin Pie Filling: Meanwhile, in another medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Finally, whisk in the pumpkin, and then the evaporated milk until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined.
- When the crust has finished baking, pour the pumpkin pie filling over the bottom crust and return it to the center rack of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven, pinch the remaining oatmeal crumb mixture into small pieces and sprinkle over the top of the pumpkin pie filling. Return the pan to the oven, placing it on the upper-middle rack, and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until it is golden on top and the center only jiggles slightly.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, at least 1 to 2 hours. Then, transfer the pan to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours. Cut into squares and serve. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
One of our absolute favorites!
These bars were fantastic! Â
I deal with the same baking dilemma every Thanksgiving. While I love pumpkin pie filling, I am just not a fan of pie crust (fighting words, I know). Â This recipe was the perfect solution: delicious pumpkin pie filling sandwiched in a yummy oatmeal cookie.Â
Thanks for this great recipe, Michelle!
Hello
Can these be eaten as hand food?
If you were taking these to a buffet, how would you package them other than in a baking pan?
Thank you
What substitutions would you recommend to make this recipe non-dairy? i.e. canola oil or margarine for the butter, coconut milk or almond milk for the evaporated milk?
Hi Bianca, Those substitutions might work, but I couldn’t say for sure, as I haven’t tested a non-dairy version of these bars. Stop back and let me know how they work!
Hi, my mother is gluten free and I was wondering if you have any suggestions for the AP substitution. I am thinking of just getting some GF flour but maybe almond or coconut would work better…
Hi Gretchen, I’ve not used gluten-free flour or other alternatives, so I can’t say for sure how they would react in the recipe, but I would probably start with a standard gluten-free flour.
Just love this recipe. I doubled it and it turned out fantastic. I just love all of your recipes and I love making them!
Is it possible to do this as a pie pie, instead of a pie bar? Do you think it will have the same effect if I use the crumble as the crust of the pie and still follow all instructions?
Thanks, btw I love your site and how you are always so interactive. Great job.
Hi Maggie, Thank you! I’m not sure how this would work in a pie pan, size-wise. You could certainly give it a try, though!
I’m so ready to make these. I don’t use quick oats. How would regular rolled oats work? Any special prep to make them work?
(Currently, I’m gazing at my pumpkin scones with spiced frosting–will be devouring them shortly!)
Hi Adrian, I would pulse the regular rolled oats in a food processor blender just to make them a little more fine.
Oh my gosh. The pumpkin pie crumb bars are not only delicious, but so easy to make. Thank you!
These things are made of awesome. I made them for the second time yesterday to take over to a friend’s place for a get together and they were highly praised as delicious. the host even made a point of saying that I need to save this recipe. I did make it from freshly roasted pumpkin instead of canned (and used all of the 2 cups of pumpkin that I roasted).
Thank you once again for a great recipe.
after you put them in the fridge—how do you re-serve them? warm? cold? room temp? thanks
Hi Jessica, You could serve them chilled or room temperature.
This looks amazing!!
Thank you so much!!! Finally a dessert bar that doesn’t have a cake mix in it! Thank you! I’m kind of obsessed with pumpkin right now lol :). Have an awesome day!
If you’re a pumpkin fan (and heck, even if you’re not!) RUN, don’t walk, to make these. Yes, they really ARE that good. My daughter and I made them a few weeks ago. The only changes we made was to increase the spices and add a couple of dashes of cayenne to create some warmth. The result was unanimous raves. The texture is perfection, and the flavor is just outstanding. Thanks for another winner, Michelle!
I’ve already made these bars twice and plan on making them over and over! They came out SOOO good… thanks for a fabulous recipe!
It’s been a couple of weeks since this was posted, but it is now unquestionably cold in Chicago, meaning it’s time to bake. Just made these this afternoon and of course I started picking at the crumb topping as soon as it came out of the oven. That was so good I could barely wait until this cooled enough to eat without burning my mouth. Shut the front door! This is really tasty and is going to get a bookmark so I can make it again and again. Thinking about using the oatmeal crumb with an apple pie or peach filling. The possibilities are endless…
LOVE these! I love playing around with pumpkin too. These might just me my favorite thing ever!
Can u substitute pumkin pie spice for the spices in the pie part? If.yes how much?
Hi Cyndi, I think you could without too many issues. I would start with 1½ teaspoons.
I made these tonight (photos to come tomorrow, at the above URL), and they were delicious! Love the crunch of the oats with the pie-like texture.
I’ve been looking for a pumpkin recipe for the Fall, not the usual pie recipe, and this looks delicious. Could I freeze the rest of the can of evaporated milk?
Hi Shawn, I don’t think it would freeze well. I would refrigerate what’s left in an airtight container and use within a week or so.
I saw these too and can’t wait to try them. It’s always good to have some new and exciting pumpkin recipes to try!
What do you think about adding pecans to the crumb mixture?
I think that would be delicious!
I love this recipe, however it had such a soggy bottom! Is the cookie bottom layer supposed to be nice and crisp (that is what I was hoping) or soft like the pumpkin layer? Thanks!
This recipe is excellent–I just made it yesterday for company. It could only be improved upon by adding cinnamon to the oatmeal crust. Thanks for posting!
Would you consider doing a recipe for mustard? I have tried and tried to perfect a recipe for one, but I can’t seem to find one that works.
Hi Jimmy, I’m glad you enjoyed these bars! Thank you for the mustard recommendation, I am adding it to my list!
Made some of these yesterday. They are soo delicious! Like pumpkin pie inbetween two oatmeal cookies. Add a dollop of whipcream and its super yummy!
Absolutely loved the Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Crumb Bars. I made a double batch so maybe I’ll share with family and friends. Also love your dogs
Pumpkin anything is the best! I haven’t yet had the inaugural Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks–still hasn’t been cold enough down here for me to go for it–but I’m looking forward to it and all things pumpkin. These are yet another thing I’ll have to try soon!
I can’t wait to try the pumpkin oat combination. It sounds brilliant.
These look delicious! Do you think I could use almond milk instead of the evaporated milk?
Hi Kimberly, I’m not sure if it would affect the final texture, but if that’s all you use, then it’s worth giving it a shot. Let me know how it turns out!
I baked them yesterday with the almond milk and I also substituted the butter with coconut butter because that’s all I had and and they were great! Not as fluffy as yours but very yummy:) Love your site!
That crumb topping looks like perfection!
I like it !
If all I have is sweetened condensed milk, can I still make these if I omit the sugar? Or sugars?
Hi Char, I probably wouldn’t play around with the sugars too much (or omit them!); if you don’t have evaporated milk and can’t get it, then I would substitute whole milk or half and half.
Woah these look so good! :D
they look yummy!
I love the idea of a pumpkin pie in a bar! Pumpkin pie is my favorite and I’ll take it anyway I can get it. Also, I just made your peanut butter nanaimo bars – AMAZING! Thanks for always posting such reliable, fantastic recipes!
These look great!
I’d love to make these – Is it possible to substitute the evaporated milk with some other ingredient? I don’t usually have it at home and don’t feel like buying it for just one pastry recipe. Thank you!
Love pumpking. These oatmeal bars look sooo yummy. Do you know how many calories are in them please?
Hi Mandy, I have no idea how many calories are in them, sorry!
I have only one word for these… YUM!!!
Oh my gosh, I need these in my life! The combination of flavors sounds so heavenly. I’m so glad pumpkin baking season is here :)
This sounds fabulous! How would I convert the recipe to fit a 9 X 13 pan?
Hi Joan, You would double the recipe, and you may find that you’ll need to increase the baking time slightly.
Could this be doubled and put in a 9 x 13 pan?
Yes, I think you could do that without a problem.
Oh, this sounds yummy! And I’ve now got four pumpkins’ worth of puree available to use :-) (Last batch is draining in the fridge and is almost ready to use.)
Thanks!
Made these last week and they are fantastic!!
I love pumpkin as well. Will try this weekend, thanks!
These look fantastic — I just love the pumpkin oat combination! I need to make some pumpkin bars very soon!
These look amazing, and a crumb topping is so much less fussy than pie crust. Definitely excited to try these out this fall. Thanks for sharing!
LOve this time of year. Pumpkins everywhere!!! Can’t wait to try this !
I looked at your archives, and it seems like you’ve done it all already where pumpkin is concerned – candy, cookies, bread, muffins, pie . . .. The only thing I didn’t see was pumpkin pancakes. Oh, and maybe a pumpkin smoothie? Have you ever made the gingerbread and pumpkin trifle? That is a real winner – I usually make it for my work holiday party.
Or you could try something more savory like a pumpkin sage sauce for pasta? That seems to be popular in the restaurants these days. I’d love to see a BEB version of it, because then I’d know it was worth my making it :-)
I’ve never tried oat and pumpkin together, but they make so much sense once you say it! These would make awesome afterschool snacks for my boys-I can’t wait to try them!
This recipe is sooooo Fall! And, I, too, tell everyone about your blog!
This is my favorite season of the year so I welcome the pumpkin with big arms! These crumb bars look delicious!
Such a perfect bar!! Crunch and creamy and such awesome fall flavors! I love it!
Michelle – It is times like these that remind me why you are my favorite blog! Your name came up at my neice’s wedding. I was seated next to my SIL’s sister and she love to cook. I naturally had to invite her to pop over to your place. I love that your blog is constantly coming up with great recipes I can really use. Thanks so much.
Yummy!
I love crumb bars!! This recipe is awesome!
Request – a healthy pumpkin soup, please, from home made pumpkin puree. No rosemary, but maybe with leeks?
I have a pumpkin soup recipe here, if you are interested: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/10/18/pumpkin-soup-recipe/
Crunchy and creamy, all in one, yes that is why I love oats and pumpkin together. And in bar format – the best, fastest, and easiest :)
yummy!