Vegan Pumpkin Cake Bars (2024)

This easy vegan pumpkin cake is extra fluffy and topped with vegan cream cheese icing. It’s baked in a large sheet pan, then cut into bars for a sweet and nicely spiced fall treat you can feed to a crowd.

When you need a crowd-pleasing dessert for the holidays, turn to these Vegan Pumpkin Cake Bars! They’re fluffy, soft, moist, and packed with delicious pumpkin spice.

As a finishing touch, the vegan pumpkin cake is decorated with the same “cream cheese” frosting used on my Vegan Pumpkin Cookies. It’s just as easy to make as vegan buttercream but contains one secret ingredient to help it taste exactly like the real thing.

This is the best vegan pumpkin spice cake because it’s:

• Incredibly fluffy and moist: The pumpkin cake bars have a light crumb, are full of warm pumpkin spice flavors, and taste deliciously moist and fluffy. This to-die-for texture is all thanks to the pumpkin puree, coconut oil, and other simple baking staples in the batter!
• Decorated with vegan cream cheese frosting: This magically sweet and tangy frosting tastes like a real cream cheese icing, but isn’t made with any vegan cream cheese. The secret? Apple cider vinegar. It’s incredible!
• A tasty fall and winter dessert: This recipe makes 20 cake bars. That’s a lot! Thankfully, this means you’ll have enough treats to bring to the Thanksgiving, Christmas, or holiday party.

Ingredients needed (with substitutions)

• Ground flaxseeds – You’ll need these to make the flax eggs, which will help bind the batter together. Chia seeds can be used as an alternative.
• Water
• Canned pumpkin puree – Make sure you buy canned pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. The latter is better suited in a pumpkin pie.
• Coconut oil – Make sure to use refined coconut oil to avoid a coconut flavor in the pumpkin cake. If you don’t have coconut oil, use canola oil, avocado oil, or melted vegan butter instead.
• Granulated sugar – White sugar, cane sugar, and coconut sugar are all great options.
• All purpose flour – I always end up with a light and fluffy cake when I use all purpose flour. I haven’t tested this recipe with a gluten free flour, but a quality Gluten Free Flour Mix should work just fine.
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Salt
• Vegan butter – This is the base of the vegan cream cheese frosting.
• Powdered sugar – Don’t leave this out. Without the powdered sugar, the cream cheese icing won’t taste sweet enough or be sturdy enough for frosting.
• Apple cider vinegar – Adding vinegar to the frosting produces that tangy flavor you’d find in a traditional cream cheese icing. Apple cider vinegar is the best option because it’s mild and pairs well with the warm spices, but lemon juice would also make a suitable substitution.
• Vanilla extract
• Non-dairy milk – Any unsweetened non-dairy milk can be used to thin out the frosting.

How to make vegan pumpkin cake

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.

Make the flax eggs by whisking the ground flaxseed and water together in a small bowl. Set it aside to thicken.

Next, whisk the pumpkin puree, coconut oil, sugar, and flax eggs together in a large bowl. Sprinkle the flour on top. Then add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until just combined.

Pour the cake batter onto a greased jelly roll pan. Spread it out to touch the edges of the pan and smooth into an even layer.

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let it cool while you make the icing.

Use a handheld or standing mixer to beat the softened vegan butter until it’s creamy and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla and beat until the icing is smooth and creamy. You can add one tablespoon of milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Once the cake is fully cool, spread the frosting on top. Cut the cake into bars, then enjoy!

Pumpkin cupcakes

I haven’t tested it but the batter should be able to be used to make pumpkin cupcakes too! Make the batter as normal and pour it into a lined regular-sized cupcake tin. Bake at 350ºF for 15 to 20 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

• What size cake pan do I need? This sheet cake is baked in a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan, which holds a lot of batter. If you don’t want to make as many cake bars, cut the recipe in half and bake the batter in a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.
• Can I make a layered cake instead? Yes. This recipe makes enough batter for two round 9-inch cake pans.
• How do you store the cake bars? The frosted pumpkin cake bars can be stored in a covered container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
• Can you freeze the cake? Yes, the cake freezes well with or without the frosting.

Want more vegan pumpkin desserts?

• Pumpkin Coffee Cake
• Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Vegan Pumpkin Roll
• Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Starbucks Copycat Vegan Pumpkin Scones