Pumpkin Pie Bites are brownie-sized servings of vegan pumpkin pie, made with a fat-free, gluten-free crust and topped with crystalized ginger.
My daughter and I go kind of pumpkin crazy this time of year. It starts when we see the first small pie pumpkins in the grocery store and she convinces me that we just have to have one. She takes it home, decorates it with permanent markers, and then refuses to let me cook her work of art. (Since it’s now covered in toxic ink, I’m not too eager to cook with it anyway.) She then demands that we buy more pumpkins so that we’ll have something to make pies with. So I hide the markers and buy more pumpkins.
My pumpkin-buying mania extends to canned pumpkin. In October and November, I find so many ways to add pumpkin to my meals that I’m convinced that I will want to cook with it all year long, and driven by the fear that it will disappear from the stores after the winter holidays, I buy can after can. Naturally, I never get around to using it all. The pumpkin dishes that seem so appealing in the Fall lose their allure by April, when there are asparagus to play with. As a result, before I can go on my canned pumpkin frenzy and buy more this year, I needed to use up last year’s stock, so I sat down to plan out a new recipe.
While my daughter was envisioning pumpkin pie, for some reason I just kept seeing bars. Specifically, oatmeal bars. Obviously, a compromise was in order, so I designed these bites to appeal to both of our cravings. The gluten-free crust is made up mostly of oatmeal, while the filling is sweet, spicy pumpkin. Each one is like a two-bite pumpkin pie, but I doubt you’ll be able to eat just one.
Now I know that some of you are going to wonder why I didn’t use fresh pumpkin in these bars. One thing that canned pumpkin has going for it is that its moisture content is consistent. When I tell you to use 15 ounces of canned pumpkin, whether you live in Seattle or Asheville you’ll be able to cook the recipe with results that are pretty much like mine.
Working with fresh pumpkin is a little trickier; once you’ve gotten it cooked, it may be more or less watery than the pumpkin I use, and your pumpkin pie bites might need more thickener to get them to set. So while I encourage you to use fresh ingredients whenever possible, I made the recipe using canned pumpkin so that it will work for most people. If you’re using fresh pumpkin, just make sure you drain it well after it’s cooked so that its consistency is close to canned.
One more thing: I made these using sorghum flour so that they’d be gluten-free. (I don’t need to eat gluten-free, but a lot of my readers do, so I like to make it easier for them to make my recipes.) The fat-free, sorghum crust is a little dry right at first, but I found that it softened overnight, so if you can, make these bites the day before, or use a softer type of flour, such as whole wheat pastry flour.
Bonus cat photo for those of you who read this far:
This is what happens when you photograph your food in a house with a fearless and incorrigible kitten in it. While I was trying to get one final shot of the bites, our newest family member took a fancy to them. He actually managed to grab a small piece. Though he seemed to like it, I’m not recommending you share these treats with your pets!
More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes
Be sure to check out all of my delicious pumpkin and winter squash recipes.
Pumpkin Pie Bites
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups quick or rolled oats* divided
- 1 cup sorghum or other whole grain flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup apple sauce or apple butter
- 2 tablespoons water
Filling
- 15 ounces pumpkin canned or cooked and water pressed out
- 12 ounces extra-firm silken tofu lite preferred
- 1/2 cup turbinado sugar or regular sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon rum extract optional
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar or other liquid sweetener
- 1 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1/4 cup quick or rolled oats*
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup walnuts roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line the bottom of a 9×13-inch nonstick baking pan with parchment paper.
- Crust: Place 1/2 cup of the oats in a blender and crush them to a fine powder. Pour the oat flour into a medium mixing bowl and add the remaining oatmeal and the other dry crust ingredients. Add the apple sauce and water and stir until well-moistened. If necessary, add additional water a teaspoon at a time until all flour is moist. Pour it into the prepared pan and press it into the pan until the bottom is evenly covered.
- Filling: Place all the filling ingredients into a blender or food processor. Process until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour filling on top of crust and smooth with a spatula.
- Topping and Baking: Mix the topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top of the filling. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until pumpkin is set in the middle. Remove from oven and run a non-metal knife or spatula around the edges. Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into 48 squares.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
KathyF
The pumpkin bites look delicious, but the photo of the cat–priceless!
You need to enter it in a contest!
Lauren
These sound great! I am quite a pumpkin fiend myself, so this recipe is going on my to-make list. I love the kitty photograph!
Kim
Can't wait to try these, look easy to assemble. Your kitty is cute, looks like my cat.
Abigail
These look great. I think I will make them for the annual Thanksgiving With the Turkeys potluck at the animal sanctuary. I'll bet the turkeys will enjoy them, too!
Sophia
I have a fairly serious pumpkin obsession too! Pumpkins are awesome, and the fact they are only out once a year makes us love them even more.
Those pumpkin bites look very very good. I could really go for one right now.
http://whatyourmommadidntknow.blogspot.com/
The Ordinary Vegetarian
These are very unique, and sound supremely delicious!
That is a super cute kitty pic, and totally something that my brown tabby would do (including running off with a bite!)
Renai
YUM! I have been looking for something other than pumpkin bread to make this year, and these look wonderful.
The cat picture killed me… he looks just like ours and she behaves the same way! I was eating a toasted PBJ last night and she walked right up into my lap and took a bite out of the bottom of it! Apparently she liked my lavender plum jam…
Lauren
Looks great! One question… what do you think would work to sub for the silken tofu here? Wondering if bananas would be ok, or vegan mayo… just want to save myself a trip to the shops before payday. 🙂
Jenn
Great recipe Susan, thanks!
-Hello Veggie
Janet
Thank you! These look delicious, and I look forward to sharing them with my family on Thanksgiving.
Fantastic feline photo! 🙂
jennyfurlynn
that is the cutest cup & saucer set! and the cat picture rocks. 🙂
issa
yum! i'm also pumpkin-obsessed. thank you for this recipe! i think i'll be making these tonight and adding them to the thanksgiving menu 🙂
Earth Fare
These sound wonderful! I'm a pumpkin freak myself. I can't wait to try them.
Clea
These look great! Just wondering, since I know you've used stevia in a few recipes, would that be possible in the filling or crust here?
moonwatcher
Susan,
These look scrumptious, and thanks for the gluten free crust! I will definitely try these. My son and his girlfriend are coming home for Thanksgiving, and now she is eating gluten free, too, so it will be appreciated, truly. I am pumpkin obsessed, as well, and can relate to squirreling away both canned pumpkin and whole pumpkins or other sweet squash–I have a stash under my bed where it's coo, right now:) (Impromptu root cellar lol)
I laughed out loud at the photo of your kitten, and also that he took a bite. . .this weekend I made an oil free version of Karina's gluten free pumpkin bundt cake–as I was slicing it up to take to a potluck, a few bits dropped on the floor–and low and behold, my new dog apparently loves pumpkin desserts, too. . . . 🙂
xo
moonwatcher
Jessica Tinkler
Hi Susan
I just wanted to tell you what a fan I am of your blog! I'm not even vegan or vegetarian! What I am is a health and fitness nut! But when I first started blogging, it was this blog that inspired me! Feel free to come for a visit any time! http://www.blog.intofit.com. If there is ever something in particular you want me to post about- feel free to comment and let me know! hopefully you'll find my blog as useful as I find yours!
Barbara
The pumpkin bite recipe looks so awesome, I'm adding the ingredients to my TJ's list right now. I'm going to make them for my carnivorous children as part of my contribution for Thanksgiving. I'm also going to make something scrumptuously vegan to entice them onto the V path.
The kitty is so cute it makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time! I just made the photo my screen saver and wish I could make it full page size. Any advice about that?
Thanks so much, Barbara in Northern California
kbinbk
These sound delicious…I love all things pumpkin! I might be making these bars this week, as a little change-up to my pumpkin muffins that I've been making every few days (as our supply gets eaten).
Your cat is just like mine … although my cat is getting on in years, he still thinks that the kitchen (and everywhere else) is his domain. He jumps up on the countertop and table when my daughter and I are cooking or baking, and has been known to try to get at whatever we're putting in the oven. Sometimes I catch him watching the baking through the glass window with my almost-3-year-old!
Thanks for this recipe!
Kristie
tripflip.blogspot.com
.
Great website! I work at Pembroke College Cambridge and are dedicated to serving great vegan cuisine. We introduced a vegan tapas bar in Jan 08, we offer 12 hot vegan options at lunch and dinner every day! I wrote a short blog entry about our tapas bar earlier today @
http://thepembrokekitchen.blogspot.com/
I know this is a bit off topic but I think any young college age readers will be suprised to see the great work Pembroke is doing.
Keep up the great work,
David Harwood
Catering Manager
Pembroke College
University of Cambridge
Vegan Society Approved
SusanV
Barbara, here's a link to a larger photo of the cat. I hope this works as a full-page screen saver: Larger-Size Cat Photo
Jelli Bean
Love the kitty picture! Oh, how I wish apartment living was pet friendly.
doglover
what a pretty kitty
and those treats look delicious
candice
I'm going to eat my screen! Those look like the perfect autumn treat. 😀 I wonder if it would taste good with other types of squash too? Maybe even sweet potato puree?
Johanna
that kitty photo is hilarious – and those pumpkin bits look delicious – I love the idea of pumpkin pie but would never make it – these little bites look more my sort of thing
veggievixen
ummm, awesome!!! perfect for the season. actually, i would eat these all year round. but mostly i want to eat them now. glad to see your cat likes them too 🙂
Ms. Veggie
I'm going to make these pumpkin bites SOON; they look fabulous! I spent most of October blogging about pumpkin. Feel free to come over to my blog and see what I found (http://msveggiesreview.blogspot.com). Your posts are always great 🙂
julie hasson
These look fabulous Susan! I'm going to bake up a batch this week. Thanks for sharing!
Gina
Haha, I'm always surprised at the things my cat decides she wants to try. Her new favorite is licking my cereal bowl, I think she is actually fond of soymilk.
Rachel
You've outdone yourself, again! I'm going to make these using brown rice flour and link back to your blog this week when I do. (I hope that is okay, if not, just let me know and I can send people to your blog instead.) Thanks for sharing another delicious looking recipe.
Kim
Any recommendations for substituting the tofu? I'm allergic to soy, and it is always tricky to substitute tofu in things like this – I suppose I could just use white beans – it would be thicker, but might to the trick. I'd love your suggestions!
L2baker
You are amazing! I am so excited to make another one of your fabulous recipes!
Josiane
These bars clearly are as fabulous as you made them sound when you mentioned them on Twitter a few days ago! I have a dinner with friends later this week, and I'm the one who has to bring dessert – now, I have one more recipe on my shortlist; it keeps getting harder to decide what I'll bake! Seriously, though, your recipe is very close to the top of the list; thank you for sharing it.
Veg is Sexy
I can't wait to make these for Thanksgiving!
taleoftwovegans
Those look, and sound, delicious! I am now even more dissapointed I couldn't find canned pumpkin on my travels today- I would have had all the ingredients to make them up right away! 😉
LOVE the cat photo too! Pets do make everything so much more interesting and entertaining!
-K
Anonymous
Hi Susan
Did you use Libby's canned pumpkin that says ' 100% Pure Pumpkin? '
Is it same that you/many recipes refer to pumpkin puree and not the pumpkin pie mix?
SusanV
I don't use the Libby's brand, but I do use 100% pure pumpkin–NOT pumpkin pie mix, which already has spices added. All my recipes use either pure canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin puree (check individual recipes).
Ricki
How many ways can one say "MMMMM!"? They look spectacular–and GF, too! 🙂
Love the kitty photo!
Ricki
How many ways can one say "MMMMM!"? They look spectacular–and GF, too! 🙂
Love the kitty photo!
Laina
Susan, what a delicious looking dessert. I'm also a pumpkin lover and will be trying these soon. Where does one find the crystallized ginger?
Thanks for another recipe to try!
Laina 🙂
PS Mrs. V you have a lovely kitten.
Alisa - frugal foodie
Those pumpkin bites look awesome, as usual … but the kitty photo, too cute!