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These small batch pumpkin bars are soft, moist, and warm with cinnamon, under a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. A from-scratch fall dessert for one or two, made in a small baking dish.
Featured Comment
“This a perfect recipe for sure!! The frosting is amazing!!!…”
– Patty
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Equipment: 5×5-inch baking dish
- Cook Method: Oven
- Servings: 4 bars (for one or two)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Flavor Profile: Warm cinnamon-spiced pumpkin cake with sweet, tangy cream cheese frosting.
These easy small batch pumpkin bars are tender and moist with a layer of tangy cream cheese frosting, baked in a small dish just for yourself or to split with a friend.
Why You’ll Love This Small Batch Pumpkin Bars Recipe
These pumpkin bars are the frosted fall dessert I reach for the minute cans of pumpkin start showing up at the store. A pan of pumpkin bars usually makes two dozen, which is a lot to keep around when it’s just you, so I developed this recipe as a small batch, a few bars with the same soft cake and thick cream cheese frosting. They’re moist and tender, and the tangy frosting on top makes them feel a little special.
I make the batter with oil, which is what keeps these bars so moist. They stay soft and tender even cold from the fridge, right under the frosting. There’s no butter to soften and no creaming, so the batter comes together in minutes, and everything is made from scratch.
For more small desserts with cream cheese frosting, try my mini carrot cake, mini red velvet cake, or mini hummingbird cake. And for another pumpkin favorite, make my mini pumpkin dump cake.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what goes into these pumpkin bars, and a few notes on the ingredients. If you have anything left over, our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder will help you use it up.
For the Bars
Egg: One large egg binds the batter and gives the bars their soft, cake-like structure.
Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the bars and helps keep them moist.
Oil: Oil keeps the bars moist and soft, even cold from the fridge. Vegetable, canola, or avocado oil all work.
Pumpkin Purée: Use pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which comes pre-sweetened and spiced. You can make these into fresh pumpkin bars with homemade purée, but drain it well first, since fresh pumpkin holds more water than canned and can make the batter loose. Save the rest of the can for pumpkin pie for one, small batch pumpkin spice muffins, or pumpkin cheesecake for one.
Flour: All-purpose flour gives the bars structure. For gluten-free bars, a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend works.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Both leaven the batter so the bars bake up light instead of dense. If yours have been open a while, test them first. To test baking powder, add ¼ teaspoon to ½ cup of hot water; if it bubbles, it’s fresh. To test baking soda, mix ¼ teaspoon of vinegar into ½ cup of hot water, then add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda; if it fizzes, it’s good.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is the only spice these bars need. It carries the warm fall flavor on its own, so there’s no long spice list to measure out.
Salt: A little salt balances the sweetness and brings out the pumpkin and cinnamon.
For the Frosting
Cream Cheese: Full-fat cream cheese makes the frosting thick and tangy. Let it soften at room temperature first so it beats smooth without lumps. Use the rest in a small cheesecake or single serving peanut butter pie.
Butter: Softened butter smooths the frosting and gives it body. Let it come to room temperature so it blends without lumps.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar sweetens the frosting and thickens it to a spreadable consistency.
Vanilla: Vanilla rounds out the frosting and adds a little warmth against the tang of the cream cheese.
How To Store Leftover Pumpkin Purée
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days.
- Freeze in labeled zip-top bags for up to 3 months.
- For small amounts, freeze 1-tablespoon portions in an ice cube tray, then move them to a bag.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few ways to change up these pumpkin bars, from skipping the frosting to swapping in a different one.
Pumpkin Bars No Frosting
Leave the cream cheese frosting off and enjoy the bars plain. They bake up soft and lightly spiced on their own, so they work as a simpler snack or a lunchbox treat.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Swap the vanilla in the frosting for the same amount of maple extract. It gives the frosting a deeper, maple flavor that goes well with the pumpkin.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Use cinnamon-infused cream cheese in the frosting, or beat ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon into the frosting with the powdered sugar. It adds a little more warm spice on top.
Add Nuts
Fold ¼ cup of chopped toasted walnuts or pecans into the batter before baking, for a little crunch in each bar.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars
Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour.
How To Make Pumpkin Bars
These step-by-step photos show how to make an easy small batch of pumpkin bars from scratch. The recipe makes 4 bars in a 5-inch square dish, enough for one or two. See the recipe card below for exact amounts and the full method.
Make the Bars
- Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly butter your baking dish. Use a 4×6-inch dish (24 square inches), a 5×5-inch dish (25 square inches), or a 6×6-inch dish for thinner bars that bake a little faster.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg, sugar, oil, and pumpkin purée with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix on low speed just until the flour disappears.
- Pour the batter into the buttered dish and spread it level.
- Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until the top springs back and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the bars completely in the dish on a wire rack.
Make the Frosting
- In a small bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until creamy.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled bars, then cut into squares.
Expert Tips
Measure the flour correctly. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife, rather than scooping straight from the bag. Scooping packs in too much flour, which dries the bars out.
Mix just until the flour disappears. Once you add the dry ingredients, mix on low only until you no longer see streaks of flour. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and makes the bars tough instead of soft.
Soften the cream cheese and butter first. Let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before you make the frosting. Softened cream cheese and butter beat together smooth, so the frosting spreads without lumps.
Cool the bars completely before frosting. Let the bars cool all the way in the dish before you spread on the frosting. Frosting a warm cake melts it into the surface instead of sitting on top.
Check your oven temperature. Home ovens are often off by 25 degrees or more, so an oven thermometer helps the bars bake evenly and come out on time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, these pumpkin bars need to be refrigerated because the cream cheese frosting is made with dairy. Keep them covered in the fridge, and don’t leave frosted bars at room temperature for more than about 2 hours.
Store frosted pumpkin bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Keep them in an airtight container so they stay moist.
Yes, freeze the bars unfrosted for up to 2 months. Wrap them well, thaw in the refrigerator, then add the cream cheese frosting before serving.
Yes, pumpkin bars are a good make-ahead dessert. Bake and frost them a day or two ahead, then keep them covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
Dense, gummy bars usually come from overmixing the batter or using too much flour. Spoon and level the flour when you measure, and stir only until the flour disappears. If the center is gummy, they likely needed a few more minutes to bake.
Runny frosting usually means too little powdered sugar or dairy that got too warm. Beat in more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it thickens to a spreadable consistency. If the cream cheese or butter was warm to begin with, chill the frosting for about 20 minutes and beat it again.
Yes, double all the ingredients and bake in either two 5×5-inch dishes, one 6.5×6.5-inch dish, or one 6×8-inch dish. Add about 5 minutes to the baking time, and check for doneness with a toothpick.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
Made these pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting? I’d love to know how they turned out. Leave a star rating and a comment below to tell me, and it helps other readers too.
If you took a photo, tag us on (@onedishkitchen). I love seeing what you make.
Small Batch Pumpkin Bars
Equipment
- 5-inch baking dish or a 4×6-inch baking dish
Ingredients
For the bars
- 1 large egg
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or canola oil or avocado oil
- 3 ounces canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the frosting
- 2 ounces cream cheese – softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons salted butter – softened to room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly butter a 5×5-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg, sugar, oil, and pumpkin purée with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix on low speed just until the flour disappears.
- Pour the batter into the buttered dish and spread it level.
- Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until the top springs back and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the bars completely in the dish on a wire rack before frosting.
Make the frosting
- In a small bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until creamy.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled bars, then cut into 4 squares.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
How much is 3 ounces of pumpkin puree?
It is about 1/3 cup.
Easy and very moist and delicious! I added a dash of clove & some fresh grated nutmeg. Next time, I’ll take up your suggestion to add toasted walnuts or pecans. This is a winner!
I really love all of your recipes. I make dinner from them almost every night. The pumpkin bars turned out great! Thanks for your wonderful recipes at just the right size.
Thank you so much. I’m so glad you are enjoying our recipes!
You made my Thanksgiving better for me. Love your recipes.
Great recipe.
Made these bars last night and they are wonderful!! Thanks so much!
These bars were so very good! I could eat them even without the frosting. Thank you for your recipes. Everything I’ve made so far from your site has turned out excellent. The only thing was, unless I missed it in the instructions, I had to look up how many tablespoons were in 3 oz not really a big deal though. Thank you again Joanie!
This a perfect recipe for sure!! The frosting is amazing!!! Love the recipe for two as it’s just my husband and I. Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the bars. Thank you so much for your feedback.
I love this recipe! I used a little 6 inch silicone bundt pan! Came out perfect! I doubled the ingredients for the frosting so I would have plenty to cover the whole cake. It was perfect!! Thank you for developing such wonderful recipes for my husband and me! I just have a little request….could you come up with a recipe for 2 for taco soup?? Thank you again!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Bridgette. Thanks so much for your feedback. I LOVE the idea of a taco soup. We’ll add it to our list of recipes to possibly work on – stay tuned.
These bars are excellent!! Also swapped maple extract for the vanilla in the frosting and it was good too Just thought you would like to know.
Oooh! I love the idea of using maple syrup. Thank you for sharing that tip. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Joanie
Made these gluten free using an all,purpose GF flour! Came out great.
Love the small size as there are only two,in our household.
Used a 6-in. round baking dish and it was fine. 🍁
Wonderful, Betty! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for letting me know!
These sweet little pumpkin bars totally hit the spot!
Pumpkin Bars are my favorite fall dessert! I love the smaller batch recipe – otherwise I would so eat the entire pan!
The frosting is also AWESOME made with the Philadelphia-brand tub cream cheese that is cinnamon infused! I can never have too much cinnamon, and of course, it works perfectly with pumpkin 🙂
I love the idea of using cinnamon infused cream cheese! Great suggestion.
This is the perfect size for gift giving! It’s the perfect amount!
This is perfect! Not just for one…. but for those who don’t need to temptation to eat more than they should!