Protein Pumpkin Breakfast Bars

Protein pumpkin breakfast bars are a filling, healthy breakfast or snack, perfect for on–the-go or eating at home.

These healthy oatmeal pumpkin bars are so easy to make and are great for preparing on the weekends for a simple, delicious breakfast anytime!

These gluten free pumpkin bars are vegan, dairy free, and made with easy to find ingredients!

Ingredients

• Ground flax seed
• Dairy free milk
• Pumpkin puree
• Maple syrup
• Gluten free rolled oats
• Vegan protein powder
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Cinnamon
• Ground ginger
• Baking powder
• Dried cranberries (optional)
• Pecans (optional)

How to make pumpkin breakfast bars

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and in a large bowl, combine the ground flax and dairy free milk.
2. To the flax, milk mixture, add the pumpkin puree and maple syrup and stir well.
3. Add the gluten free oats, vegan protein powder, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, ginger and baking powder to the wet ingredients. Stir well until everything is fully incorporated.
4. Add the dried cranberries and chopped pecans and stir well.
   
   
   
5. Line a 10X10 baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal of the bars later on. Spray with non-stick spray for good measure.
6. Pour the batter into the lined baking dish and do your best to evenly distribute the batter, making sure you get into the corners.
   Optional: top with additional dried cranberries and pecans.
7. Bake for 35 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely 1-2 hours.
8. After cooling, you can cut the bars in the baking dish or remove the entire pumpkin bake using the parchment paper, and then you can slice it on a cutting board.
9. Store in the fridge in a well-sealed container for up to 5 days. These bars are best after sitting in the fridge overnight. You can reheat or serve cold.
   
   

Tips for making the best breakfast bars

These healthy pumpkin breakfast bars need some time to set up after baking. They will fall apart if you cut them too quickly (they will still taste amazing though). Because of this, it’s best if you make these and after cooling, just put the entire baking dish in the fridge overnight.

Once cooled, you can easily slice into bars and store in a glass or plastic container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

One of the worst things for me is to make an awesome recipe and have it stick to the pan. That is why I recommend taking the extra step and lining the baking pan with parchment paper. This is an extra step but will allow you to easily pull the bars out after baking without having to worry about them sticking!

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Other add-ins

The first time I made these healthy pumpkin oat bars, I actually didn’t include any add-ins and they were really great! To take them to the next level, I added dried cranberries and pecans because I love those flavors with pumpkin anything, but I have tried these bars with these add-in’s as well and loved them too:

• Chocolate chips
• Raisins (regular and golden)
• Chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
• Crystalized ginger (chopped)

How to serve protein pumpkin breakfast bars

Like I mentioned, these are best after sitting in the fridge overnight after baking (to allow them to fully set up). However, you can reheat them the next day and they are amazing hot, cold or room temperature.

I really love these bars with a drizzle of smooth almond butter (cashew butter or sunflower seed butter would be equally as nice) and if you are feeling extra fancy, just a tad of maple syrup.

These healthy pumpkin oatmeal bars bars are great for on–the–go too! They will not fall apart and are extremely sturdy, even with their soft baked texture!

Common questions

What kind of oats to use

In this recipe I would recommend using old fashioned or rolled oats. These oats give the bars the texture you need. Quick cooking oats are finely ground and may not hold up well together (if you try them let me know in the comments). Steel cut oats would not work due to their need to cook longer.

What is the best protein powder to use

This recipe uses a vegan protein powder. I like to bake with vegan protein powders because they absorb liquid just like flour does! This recipe likely would not turn out the same with whey protein or collagen protein, as these protein powders absorb liquid differently. If you don’t have a vegan protein powder, you can instead use 2/3 cup of ground oats or your favorite gluten free all-purpose flour.

I love using Nuzest Pea Protein for baking. It has minimal ingredients and the flavor is always amazing! Nuzest does have a natural low calorie sweetener added to it, so if you aren’t using a sweetened protein powder, you may want to increase the maple syrup by 2 tablespoons.

How to store protein pumpkin bars

Store the pumpkin oat bars in the fridge in a well-sealed container for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze these bars in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. To get the best texture, be sure to first store these bars in the fridge until fully cooled. Once cool, wrap in parchment paper or wax paper and then store in a freezer safe container or bag.

Defrost in the fridge overnight or in the microwave using 15 second intervals until defrosted.

If you love this recipe, you should try

Pumpkin Sunflower Butter

Pumpkin pancakes

Maple Pumpkin Butter

Carrot Cake Bake

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!

Protein Pumpkin Breakfast Bars

Protein pumpkin oatmeal breakfast bars are the perfect healthy breakfast or afternoon snack! These soft baked breakfast bars are gluten free, vegan, dairy free and so easy to make! Great for grab and go breakfast on the run!

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pumpkin breakfast bars, pumpkin oatmeal bars, pumpkin protein bars

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 35 mins

Total Time: 40 mins

Servings: 8

Author: Samantha Rowland

Ingredients

• 3 tbs ground flax
• 1 cup dairy free milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 servings vanilla vegan protein powder - see below for substitution
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries - apple juice sweetened
• 3 tbs chopped pecans

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• In a large bowl add the ground flax seeds and dairy free milk.
• Add the pumpkin puree and maple syrup and stir.
• Add the protein powder, rolled oats, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and baking powder to the wet ingredients.
• Add the dried cranberries and chopped pecans and stir well to combine thoroughly.
• Using an 10X10 pan, line with parchment paper and lightly mist with non-stick spray.
• Add the batter to the pan and press down until you have one even layer of batter.
• Optional: Add additional dried cranberries and pecans to the top
• Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes
• Take out and allow to cool completely. Cut into 8 slices

Notes

This recipe can be made in an 8X8 pan if you do not have a 10X10, no changes are required for cooking time. 

Be sure to allow the bars to cool completely (at least 1-2 hours), overnight is best, before cutting. They will be incredibly soft and feel almost underdone right after baking. 

Store these pumpkin oatmeal bars in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

This recipe uses a vegan protein powder, if you do not have vegan protein powder, use 2/3 cup oat flour and 2 tablespoons maple syrup in place of the protein powder. 

 

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Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Amount per Serving

Calories

150

Fat

 

6

g

Carbohydrates

 

19

g

Fiber

 

4

g

Sugar

 

7

g

Protein

 

8

g

Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.

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