These High-Protein Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Bars are light in calories but high in protein. They’re full of the fall flavors you love: pumpkin, chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, almond butter, and even squash.
About This Recipe
Autumn will be here in a heartbeat, with all its back-to-school excitement, gorgeous changing leaves, and finally, the chance to wear your favorite sweater. But mainly, autumn is all about enjoying the kind of harvest foods and seasonal flavors you first came to love in childhood.
These Extra Light High-Protein Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Bars have it all: pumpkin, chocolate, squash, almond butter, and the power trio of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You will save yourself so much stress if you have these on hand on one of those busy Monday mornings when no one can seem to find their backpack. You will love these, your kids will love these, and they can be enjoyed any time of day. And they are healthy.
And if it’s Fall time, and you’re craving all things pumpkin, try my Pumpkin Pie Baked Protein Oat Bars, Healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Snack Cake, Protein Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars, or Overnight Pumpkin Protein Chia Pudding.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Eggs: You’ll need 4 large eggs.
- Pumpkin: Make sure to use 100% pure pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie mix.
- Almond butter: I think the almond butter compliments the pumpkin flavor better but you could also use peanut butter.
- Squash: You can use zucchini or yellow summer squash. It really doesn’t make a difference!
- Almond extract: You can also use vanilla extract.
- Protein powder: I’m using Active Stacks Vanilla Protein Powder (a non-dairy, beef protein powder). I haven’t tried this recipe with any other protein powder brands yet. Use code LILLIE for a discount.
- Oat flour: You can certainly buy it or simply blend old-fashioned oats in a blender or food processor. I use gluten-free oats to keep these pumpkin pie breakfast bars gluten-free.
- Baking essentials: Baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
- Liquid stevia: Add some liquid stevia or sweetener of choice, making sure it’s one you like! Don’t throw a bunch of dry stevia in there, as it can leave a weird, bitter aftertaste. If you like your breakfast bars on the sweeter side, you might want to add up to ¼ cup of maple syrup or sugar! We like our bars just slightly sweet (how the recipe is written). I like to judge by tasting the batter.
- Chocolate chips: Top with your favorite semi-sweet, milk or dark chocolate chips!
- Flake salt: Optional for sprinkling on top.
Dietary Adaptations
Yes! Just make sure that you’re using gluten-free oats, dairy-free chocolate chips, and a dairy-free protein powder like Active Stacks Vanilla Protein Powder!
How to Make
- Whisk your eggs in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the pumpkin purée, almond butter, puréed zucchini or yellow squash, and almond extract. Mix well.
- Add all dry ingredients listed above, beginning with the protein powder and stopping with nutmeg. Mix until combined.
- Add some liquid stevia or sweetener of choice, making sure it’s one you like! Don’t use dry stevia. It can leave a weird, bitter aftertaste. If you like your breakfast bars on the sweeter side, add up to ¼ cup of maple syrup or sugar.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and pour your mix into a parchment-lined 9×13 pan.
- Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes.
- Let them cool for a bit before cutting. Sprinkle them with flake salt and serve them warm or cold.
Serving Suggestions
Although these pumpkin pie bars are wonderful served warm, we love ours chilled and topped with some almond milk reddi whip for a quick treat. Of course, you could also serve them in a bowl and cover them with fruit and a drizzle of nut butter!
More Delicious Recipes
- Pumpkin Pie Baked Protein Oat Bars
- Protein Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Brownie Baked Squash Oats
- Dairy-Free Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Oats
- Snickerdoodle Zucchini Baked Oats
- The Best Baked Oats
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Extra Light High-Protein Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup almond butter 60g
- 2 small zucchini or yellow squash 400g, pureed
- 1 Tbsp. almond extract 15g, or vanilla
- 4 servings vanilla protein powder 120g
- 2 cups oat flour 215g
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. cloves
- 2 tsp. nutmeg
- 2-3 tsp. liquid stevia or favorite sweetener 10-15g
- 6 Tbsp. chocolate chips 90g
- Optional flake salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Whisk your eggs in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the pumpkin purée, almond butter, puréed zucchini or yellow squash, and almond extract. Mix well.
- Add all dry ingredients listed above, beginning with the protein powder and stopping with nutmeg. Mix until combined.
- Add some liquid stevia or sweetener of choice, making sure it’s one you like! Don’t use dry stevia. It can leave a weird, bitter aftertaste. If you like your breakfast bars on the sweeter side, add up to ¼ cup of maple syrup or sugar.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and pour your mix into a parchment-lined 9×13 pan.
- Bake at 350℉ for about 40 minutes.
- Let them cool for a bit before cutting. Sprinkle them with flake salt and serve them warm or cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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If I were to sub pumpkin spice protein powder for the vanilla protein powder would you cut down on the cinnamon, nutmeg etc? I’ve got a huge bag of pumpkin spice protein powder I need to use up.
Really savoury – didn’t add extra maple syrup because I worried it’d be too sweet. But they actually ended up not tasting sweet in the slightest. They tasted good still, and very much like fall, but didn’t feel like breakfast.
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I absolutely love these bars. They are great tasting and very filling.
Ok what happened please? – I made these and day 1 they were awesome…but by day 3 there is just something about the flavor and smell that I can’t put my finger on and now they don’t taste good anymore. It’s like something spoiled but I can’t figure out what happened – does anyone have any ideas??
Did you store them in the fridge?
Not until the next morning – could they have spoiled that fast? And what in it would have spoiled like that? I’ve left other baked goods out and didn’t have this happen. I’m so sad. Might have to make a new batch.
Yeah weird! I wouldn’t think a day on the counter would hurt! I always store these kinds of things in the fridge because they’re full of all that zucchini. It’s not like your average baked good. But i don’t know about just one day! So sorry… ☹️
Do you cook the squash first?
Just tried this! I used chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla and it is delicious!
How do you store it? In a fridge?
These are delicious. I didn’t have enough zucchini so subbed in an puréed apple to get the right grams. Really good and because they were so healthy, I ate 4!
Love these!! I did 1/4c maple syrup and they were whole family approved! Thanks for another great recipe.
Can I use peanut butter in place of almond butter? Would it change the flavor a lot?
Sure! I haven’t but I’m sure it would be great!
These are so fun and I love that I can sneak some veggies into my picky eaters!
I added an additional tsp of pumpkin pie spice and a few more handfuls of chocolate chips :). I’ve been eating them for breakfast and dessert!
WOW!! So impressed with this recipe! My whole family loves it. Easy and delicious way to get protein and veggies into my teen daughter’s breakfast, plus super way to fuel runs and workouts for my husband and me.
Any recommendations for a protein powder that won’t affect the other flavors too much? The Stevia in most protein powders is so overwhelming. Will want to try this again with another one.
I will use just plain collagen powder, then add my own sweetener like maple syrup to taste. Sometimes I’ll even do 2 scoops protein powder, 2 scoops plain collagen with a touch of sugar. It keeps the stevia flavor down, but the protein up.
If you want a good protein, Be Well by Kelly Vanilla Bean and Just Ingredients Vanilla Bean all have low fake sugar flavors imo.
Could one use almond flour in place of the oat flour? Thank you!
Delish! I used the 1/4c maple syrup and they were to die for! Definitely a keeper!