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Sugar Cookie Vegan Pumpkin Bars

Sugar cookie vegan pumpkin bars with a buttery, shortbread-like crust and a smooth pumpkin spice filling baked until set. Finished with dairy-free cream cheese frosting for a swirl-topped, bar dessert that’s sliceable and chilled.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 290
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Sugar cookie base
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.75 cup vegan butter, cold and cubed
  • 2 tbsp plant milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Vegan pumpkin filling
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
  • 1 can (14 oz) full-fat coconut milk
  • 0.5 cup maple syrup or sugar
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Vegan frosting
  • 4 oz vegan cream cheese
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp plant milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 9x13 baking pan

Method
 

Prep and pre-bake crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9x13 pan with parchment with an overhang for easy lifting.
  2. In a bowl, combine all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt, then cut in cold vegan butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
  3. Add plant milk and vanilla and mix just until a dough forms, then press the dough evenly into the lined pan.
  4. Bake for 12 minutes, until the crust looks set and lightly golden.
Bake pumpkin filling
  1. Whisk pumpkin puree, full-fat coconut milk, maple syrup or sugar, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and vanilla until completely smooth.
  2. Pour the pumpkin filling over the warm crust, spreading it evenly to the edges.
  3. Bake 20-22 more minutes at 350F until the filling is set, then cool completely.
  4. Refrigerate for 2 hours to fully chill and firm the bars before frosting.
Make frosting and finish
  1. Beat vegan cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth, then mix in plant milk and vanilla until spreadable.
  2. Spread the frosting over the chilled bars, then slice and serve.

Notes

Pro tip: cooling completely before chilling prevents the filling from tearing when you lift and slice. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days; freeze frosted bars up to 2 months (best texture when thawed in the fridge overnight). For a lighter option, use reduced-fat vegan cream cheese instead of full-fat vegan cream cheese if available.