Pumpkin Bars

A low FODMAP pumpkin bar with canned pumpkin, gluten-free flour, eggs, oil, and pumpkin pie spice under a cream cheese frosting.

Prep 20 min

Cook 25 min

Serves 24

Gluten-freeVegetarian

Ingredients

Bars

• 2 cups (300g) gluten-free 1:1 flour blend (with xanthan gum, or add 1 tsp)
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 can (15 oz / 425g) pure pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups (300g) white sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup (180ml) neutral oil

Cream cheese frosting

• 6 oz (170g) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Cut into 24 bars. Each bar has about 18g of canned pumpkin and 7g of cream cheese, both well inside Monash's low FODMAP serves.

Instructions

Bake the bars

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 13x18-inch rimmed half-sheet pan or line it with parchment.
2. Whisk the flour blend, spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, and oil until smooth, then stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.
4. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, checking at 18 minutes, until the center springs back and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour.

Frost

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth.
2. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until fluffy.
3. Spread over the cooled bars and cut into 24 pieces.

Tips & Substitutions

• Use a half-sheet pan. A 9x13 pan makes thick cake-like bars that need 35 to 40 minutes; check with a toothpick.
• Lactose-free cream cheese. Use it if you want extra room on dairy; regular cream cheese is low FODMAP at a normal spread.
• Dairy-free frosting. Use a plant-based cream cheese with no cashews, inulin, chicory root, or FOS on the label, beaten with plant butter; or skip the frosting and dust with powdered sugar.
• Frost cold bars only. Warm bars melt the frosting into a glaze.
• Add pecans. Scatter 1/2 cup chopped pecans over the frosting; that is only a few grams per bar.

Why This Works

• Many small portions. One can of pumpkin across 24 bars keeps the per-bar amount small.
• Cream cheese in a thin layer. Cream cheese is low in lactose to begin with, and the frosting spreads it thin.
• Oil-based batter. Oil keeps gluten-free bars moist for several days.

Storage

Keep frosted bars covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze unfrosted bars, wrapped, for up to 3 months, and frost after thawing. Let chilled bars sit out 15 minutes before serving.