No Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Bars
These No Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Bars are filled with delicious ingredients like peanut butter, pumpkin, rolled oats, and puffed rice cereal all topped with a layer of dark chocolate and festive sprinkles for the perfect sweet treat!
Is there anything better than a chewy peanut butter bar? Well yes. A chewy peanut butter PUMPKIN bar all drizzled with melted dark chocolate! Seriously SO dang good and made festive for Halloween with fun sprinkles. These chocolate pumpkin bars are super simple to make and only take about 10 minutes with zero baking necessary. Simple, delicious and your kids will absolutely love them!
Why You’ll Love these Bars
- Easily made in just 10 minutes with zero baking necessary!
- Peanut butter cup meets pumpkin granola bar all packed into one delicious dessert.
- Kid (and adult) approved and your kids will have a blast making them with you.
- Perfect sweet treat for Halloween or any holiday!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Rolled oats – wholesome whole grain old fashioned oats make these bars deliciously chewy! You can also use quick-cooking oats if that’s all you have on hand, but they won’t have that great chewy texture
- Puffed rice cereal – I used puffed brown rice cereal with no added sugar (not Rice Krispies) which adds a delicious crunch to these bars
- Pumpkin – I used a 1/3 cup pumpkin puree for this, just make sure you use 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling as that is loaded with tons of sugar
- Peanut butter – I used natural creamy peanut butter with no added sugar, but any nut butter will work in these or even sunflower butter if you have a nut allergy
- Maple syrup – naturally sweetens these bars without using any refined sugar, but you could also use honey or other natural sweetener
- Pumpkin pie spice – delicious warm spice that really brings out the pumpkin flavor! You could also use cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of ground ginger if you don’t have any pumpkin spice
- Vanilla extract + salt – boosts of flavours!
- Chocolate chips – I used Lily’s dark chocolate chips which are gluten-free, vegan and sweetened with stevia making the sugar content really low and they taste delicious! You could also of course use regular chocolate chips for the chocolate layer, but the sugar content will be much higher.
- Coconut oil – I like mixing in a little coconut oil when melting chocolate because it makes the chocolate a little thicker and really helps create that perfect shell when it hardens without affecting the taste
- Sprinkles – these are optional, but makes these bars so fun and festive!
How to Make Chocolate Pumpkin Bars
- Mix ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, puffed rice cereal, chia seeds, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, pumpkin, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and mix well using a spatula until combined.
- Spread in pans. Transfer the oat mixture to an 8Ă—8 baking pan lined with parchment paper (this makes it easier to remove the bars once they are set). Firmly press down the oat mixture into the pan using a spatula in an even layer.
- Melt chocolate. Add the dark chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 15 to 30 second intervals, mixing each time, until melted. Spread the melted chocolate in an even layer over top of the pumpkin layer using a spatula and top with sprinkles, if desired.
- Let bar set. Cover and place the bars in the fridge (or freezer) for at least 2-3 hours until the chocolate has hardened and bars are set. When ready to serve, let the bars sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before slicing to avoid cracking the chocolate.
Tips for Making Chocolate Pumpkin Bars
- Make sure the peanut butter is mixed well as you want it to be nice and thick to hold the mixture together.
- Use a spatula to mix all the ingredients which prevents sticking and helps spread the mixture out in the pan. Make sure to press down firmly so that the mixture is packed and holds together when set.
- You can easily swap out the peanut butter for any type of nut butter! Some other great options are almond butter, cashew butter and even sunflower seed butter if you have a nut allergy.
- I find that using parchment paper makes it much easier to remove the treats from the pan in order to cut them evenly, but you can use nonstick spray if that’s all you have.
- I recommend letting the bars sit for about 5 minutes at room temp before cutting them with a sharp knife to prevent the chocolate from cracking.
- If you need to make a larger batch of chocolate pumpkin bars (perfect for parties!), feel free to double this recipe and use a 9Ă—13 baking dish.
Prepping and Storage
To Store: These no bake pumpkin bars can be stored in a sealed, airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. I don’t recommend storing at room temp as these bars get really soft and should be kept in a cold place.
To Freeze: These can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed, airtight container or you can individually store them in plastic wrap and take them out separately to thaw.
More No Bake Desserts You’ll Love
More Pumpkin Desserts You’ll Love
Hope you all enjoy these No Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Bars and if you love this recipe as much as we do, please leave me a five-star rating below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup puffed brown rice cereal
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Toppings:
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips, I used Lily’s
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, puffed rice cereal, chia seeds, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, pumpkin, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and mix well using a spatula until combined.
- Transfer the oat mixture to an 8Ă—8 baking pan lined with parchment paper (this makes it easier to remove the bars once they are set). Firmly press down the oat mixture into the pan using a spatula in an even layer.
- Add dark chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 15 to 30 second intervals, mixing each time, until melted. Spread the melted chocolate in an even layer over top of the pumpkin layer using a spatula and top with sprinkles, if desired.
- Cover and place the bars in the fridge (or freezer) for at least 2-3 hours until the chocolate has hardened and bars are set. When ready to serve, let the bars sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before slicing to avoid cracking the chocolate.
Nutrition Facts:
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 189
- Sugars: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 93.6 mg
- Fats: 11.6 g
- Saturated Fats: 4.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.4 g
- Fibers: 7.2 g
- Proteins: 5 g
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values ​​will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.