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Sugar Cookie Vegan Pumpkin Bars

Sugar cookie vegan pumpkin bars with a golden baked sugar cookie base and a smooth pumpkin spice filling topped with dairy-free cream cheese frosting. The bars bake until the filling is set, then chill for easy slicing and neat swirls.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
hours 2 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 12 minutes
Servings: 16 bars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 330
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

Method
 

Prep and bake the sugar cookie crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9x13 pan with parchment so the bars lift out cleanly.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt, then cut in the cold vegan butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
  3. Add plant milk and vanilla and mix until a dough forms, then press the dough evenly into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake for 12 minutes at 350F, until the crust looks set and lightly golden.
Make and bake the pumpkin filling
  1. In a bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, full-fat coconut milk, maple syrup or sugar, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth.
  2. Pour the pumpkin filling over the warm crust, spreading gently to an even layer.
  3. Bake 20-22 more minutes at 350F until the filling is set, then cool completely.
  4. Refrigerate the bars for 2 hours to fully firm up before frosting.
Frost and finish
  1. Beat vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, plant milk, and vanilla until smooth, then spread the frosting over the chilled bars.

Notes

For the cleanest slices, cool the bars completely before chilling, and refrigerate the full 2 hours so the filling firms up. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze unfrosted bars for up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge) and frost after thawing. If you prefer less sweetness, reduce maple syrup or sugar by 2–4 tbsp without changing the cornstarch amount.