Vegan Pumpkin Protein Bars
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Published Sep 10, 2021, Updated Sep 15, 2023
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These pumpkin protein bars are vegan, gluten-free and oil-free. They make for a perfect pre or post-workout snack or grab-and-go breakfast. Each bar has less than 80 calories, 7 grams of protein and only 4 grams of sugar!
I have another pumpkin recipe for ya (shocker, I know!). Today we’re making pumpkin protein bars!
With oats and protein powder as the base, these bars are gluten-free and vegan as long as you use vegan protein powder. They’re also oil-free and low in sugar! The entire batch is sweetened with just 1/4 cup of maple syrup and some dairy-free dark chocolate chips on top because chocolate makes everything better, am I right?!
These bars have the perfect amount of pumpkin pie flavor and a good protein to carb ratio — perfect for munching on before or after your workout or as a grab-and-go breakfast bar. I hope you love them as much as I do. Seriously, they are so good!
PUMPKIN PROTEIN BARS VIDEO
Here’s What You Need
- rolled or quick oats – oats are naturally gluten-free but are often cross-contaminated during processing. If you need these bars to be gluten-free, make sure you look for oats that say “gluten-free” on the package! I like to use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Rolled Oats.
- vanilla protein powder – You can use your favorite protein powder, but if you want to keep these bars vegan, make sure you use vegan protein powder. My go-to brand is Nuzest (use the code eatingbirdfood for 15% off your order). If you’re not a protein powder fan, I recommend making these healthy pumpkin bars instead.
- baking powder + baking soda – to help these bars rise.
- salt – to bring all of the flavors together!
- pumpkin pie spice – use store-bought or make homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- maple syrup – for just a touch of sweetness! Feel free to sub in your favorite liquid sweetener like honey, agave or stevia.
- pumpkin puree – either canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree works. If you’re using store-bought, make sure you pick up canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie mix has added sugar!
- unsweetened vanilla almond milk – I like to use unsweetened almond milk so I can control the amount of sweetness I add to the recipe. If you don’t have almond milk, feel free to use your favorite milk instead.
- chocolate chips – I like dark chocolate chips, but any type of chocolate chip works. For a low-sugar version, use Lily’s stevia-sweetened chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark chocolate). For a vegan version, use Enjoy Life’s dairy-free chocolate chips.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Protein Bars
Start by mixing together your dry ingredients: oats, protein powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a separate large bowl, mix together your wet ingredients: maple syrup, pumpkin puree and almond milk.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
Pour the batter evenly into a prepared dish with parchment paper or oil and sprinkle a few dark chocolate chips on top. Bake in a preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bars cool completely before attempting to remove from the dish. Once cooled, cut and enjoy!
Storing Pumpkin Protein Bars
After letting your bars cool completely, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. They can be stored at room temp for up to three days, but they do keep best if stored in the fridge. You can also store them in the freezer for up to three months!
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups
- Pumpkin Brownies
- No Bake Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Pumpkin Bread
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars
Popular Protein-Packed Recipes
- Protein Balls
- Protein Cookie Dough
- Protein Oatmeal
- Double Chocolate Protein Muffins
- Oatmeal Raisin Protein Cookies
Be sure to check out the full collection of pumpkin recipes and all my snack bar recipes here on EBF.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Pumpkin Protein Bars (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats, or quick oats
- 1 cup vanilla protein powder, vegan if needed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
- ½ cup almond milk, or other non-dairy milk
- 1-2 Tablespoons dairy-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper.
- Stir together the dry ingredients including oats, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
- In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients including the maple syrup, pumpkin and almond milk.
- Gently add the dry mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Spread batter evenly into the prepared dish, sprinkle on a few dark chocolate chips and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean. Let bars cool, cut into 16 bars and enjoy.
- Store bars in the refrigerator for up to one week or freezer for up to three months.
Video
Notes
- Maple syrup: Feel free to sub in your favorite liquid sweetener like honey, agave or stevia.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! What would you recommend as a sub for oats? Sadly I need to eliminate grains from my diet and this looks amazing!
Hey Mary! I haven’t tried this recipe with anything except oats, but you could probably swap the oats out for AP or AP gluten-free flour.
Hey Mary! I haven’t tried making this recipe with anything other than oats, but it will probably work just fine to swap the oats for AP flour or AP gluten-free flour. I’m just not sure how they’ll turn out since I haven’t tried it yet. Another option would be to make these other pumpkin bars of mine. They don’t have oats in them. Definitely let me know if you end up making them with the flour instead of oats and how they turn out! 🙂
Made this tonight after doing a google search for protein powder pumpkin bread. I had whey protein powder and white sugar on hand so I used those and it was still very very good. I had to bake it for closer to 40 minutes. I would describe the texture as very dense bread, and is perfect for on-the-go breakfast this week. thanks for posting your recipe, its a keeper!
I’m so glad that you found and tried this recipe. And happy to hear that it turned out well for you with the whey protein powder and white sugar. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, Waverly. It means the world to me. <3
For those of us who don’t like chocolate or maple syrup, how might we use banana as a substitute?
Hi Sarah! I haven’t tried using banana to sweeten these protein bars. The chocolate can easily be left out as it’s not necessary for the recipe, just an add-in. Maybe try raisins instead. If you don’t like maple syrup you can easily sub it for another liquid sweetener like honey or agave. You could certainly try replacing the 1/4 cup of maple syrup with 1/4 cup of mashed banana, but it definitely won’t be as sweet and I’m not sure how it will affect the texture of the bars. Let me know if you decide to experiment.
could you make these as muffins?
I’m pretty sure that they will work as muffins, I’m just not sure how you should adjust the baking time because I haven’t tired them as muffins (yet). Let me know how they turn out if you decide to try it.
If you only have unflavored protein powder, do you think adding some vanilla extract would work as a substitute?
Hi Caitlin. I think adding vanilla is a great idea. You might also want to add a little more maple syrup (maybe 1-2 Tablespoons more) because most vanilla protein are sweetened.
This may be my new favorite recipe! I just made these and I can’t wait to make it again and play with the recipe more.
I did modify it slightly. I always do. I used whey protein, a mix of fresh baked and pureed 3/4 cup pie pumpkin and 1/4 sweet dumpling squash. Molasses (equal amount) instead of syrup and a splash of maple extract.
I wanted to see how it would cook as a mug cake so i popped a little batter in a mug and microwaved it. So good, but it did flatten a bit.
I can hardly wait to try this as a waffle batter! I bet it will make some lovely crisp, fluffy waffles.
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating, Megan. I so appreciate it and I love how much you experimented with the recipe. I can’t wait to hear how the batter works as waffles. You’ll have to let me know when you try that.
I love your website and am always looking for gluten free recipes. With this recipe, can I replace the protein powder with something else. I am not a fan of the taste of protein powder. Thanks!
I haven’t ever tested the recipe with something to replace the protein powder. I think using 1 cup of oat flour to replace the protein powder should work, but I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure they will turn out the same. One option would be to try these pumpkin bars instead. You’d need to use oat flour or gluten-free flour instead of the whole wheat pastry flour. 🙂
Just made these and they’re soo good my fam loves them! Question: are you supposed to store them in the fridge after baking?
You don’t necessarily have to store them in the fridge but I like to and they will last longer stored in fridge. So glad you are enjoying them!
I made this with orange juice instead of milk—turned out great!
Oh! I love the idea of using orange juice instead of milk! So glad you liked the bars. 🙂
What size can of pumpkin do you use?
Hi Lauren. 15 oz can, but you only need 1 cup of the canned pumpkin! 🙂