If you love gooey fall desserts, you’re going to crave these gluten-free pumpkin 7-layer bars. They’re sweet, sticky, and packed with fall flavor. Warm spices, creamy pumpkin, melted chocolate, and toasted coconut all layer over a buttery graham cracker crust. This is the ultimate pumpkin twist on a classic magic bar, and it comes together in just 35 minutes.
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When I was young, magic bars were a special treat. If there were a bake sale, I would buy a seven-layer bar. The gooey coconut layer was my favorite. I would pick the coconut strands out and eat them one by one, with other toppings stuck on them.
Today, I want to switch things up and make a magic bar recipe that reminds me of fall. Fall is my favorite time of year, and pumpkin flavors are at the top of my list! You will love how easy these bars are to make; they are like a burst of fall flavors in every bite!
Creamy, chocolaty, with a graham cracker crust…you will want to make this pumpkin magic bars recipe over and over! If you love pumpkin recipes as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my delicious Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes on the blog! You may also love these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bars!
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Almond Flour – you can also use almond meal. This gives the recipe a little protein to balance out all of the sugars. I used Anthony’s Almond Flour. Omit and use more gingersnaps and graham crackers for nut-free.
- Gingersnaps – These add so much flavor to the crust! I like the Midel Gluten-Free Gingersnap brand, but their packaging is similar to regular gingersnaps, so look for the gluten-free label.
- Graham Crackers – I like Kinnickinick pre-ground graham cracker crumbs because they are easy. Pamela’s also makes delicious gluten-free graham crackers.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter. If you are dairy-free, you can use vegan butter.
- Coconut Sugar – I use coconut sugar in this recipe, but you can also use brown sugar.
- Pumpkin Puree – Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
- Shredded Coconut – I recommend unsweetened coconut and do not advise sweetening, as this recipe is too sweet.
- Chocolate Chips – if you are dairy-free, use the Enjoy Life brand
- Nuts – I like pecans, but walnuts also work well. Omit if you are nut-free.
- Condensed Milk – I use coconut condensed milk, but regular milk also works perfectly.
A Note From My Kitchen
This pumpkin bar recipe is one of the oldest recipes on my blog. I created it back in 2014, then gave it a brief update in 2018 as I perfected some of my tips. This recipe is not only popular on the blog, but it has been viral a few times on both Pinterest and Facebook over the years.
I tested this recipe multiple times, including with two types of gluten-free graham crackers, a combination of graham crackers and gingersnaps, and just graham crackers for a nut-free option. I more recently tested a dairy-free option using Earth Balance butter and coconut condensed milk. All of these tests were successful, so you can be confident that you are getting a reliable recipe. I will also say I liked the gingersnap/graham cracker combination for the crust better than all one or the other. It is probably a personal preference.
How to Make Pumpkin 7 Layer Bars (Step-By-Step)
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Step 1: Place the crackers, almond meal, and butter into a food processor and grind.
👀 Sandi Says: If you don’t have a food processor, put the crackers into a large zipper bag. Use a rolling pin to crush them into crumbs. Add them to a bowl with the almond flour and melted butter and mix.
Step 2: Press the crust mixture into a greased 8×8 baking pan. Use butter or this gluten-free baking spray to prepare the pan so the bars don’t stick. These cookie crumbs all stick together with butter or vegan butter, if you want these gluten-free bars to be dairy-free too.
Step 3: Add the canned pumpkin, coconut sugar, and spices to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the crust and use a spoon to spread it evenly.
Step 4: Sprinkle the coconut over the pumpkin mixture. I used unsweetened shredded coconut. I highly advise doing the same, as these bars are very sweet and don’t need the extra sugar.
Step 5: Spread the condensed milk over the coconut layer. Use a big spoon to spread it evenly.
Step 6: Top with the chopped nuts and chocolate chips. Gently press them down into the mixture.
Step 7: Bake the pumpkin seven-layer bars for 25 minutes at 350°F. Please note that these bars are very hot, so it is essential to let them cool before cutting or handling.
Step 8: Please note that these magic bars are gooey, which is okay. They set a lot more as they cool. Pop the cooled bars into the refrigerator. Slice when they are chilled. Chilling is important to help the bars fully set. Don’t skip this step
Flavor Variations:
- Use pecans or slivered almonds as a substitute for walnuts.
- Use white chocolate chips or the new salted caramel chips by Hershey’s. Butterscotch chips are also pretty tasty in the fall pumpkin flavors!
- As I mentioned earlier, you can use coconut condensed milk if you avoid dairy products.
If you love pumpkin, try my Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes. Make them dairy-free using plant-based butter, coconut condensed milk, and dairy-free chocolate chips.
To make this recipe nut-free, omit the almond flour and add more graham cracker crumbs. Omit the nuts on top.
These bars will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store in an airtight container.
These gluten-free pumpkin 7-layer bars freeze well! I often freeze them to have a sweet pumpkin treat anytime. Flash-freeze the bars to be more solid before adding them to a freezer storage bag.
More Delicious Gluten-Free 7 Layer Bars Recipes:
- These Gluten-Free Gingerbread 7 Layer Bars are full of gingerbread flavor and are perfect for Christmas.
- Peppermint is good all year long, and these Gluten-Free Peppermint 7 Layer Bars are so worth it.
- If you love gooey caramel, these Gluten-Free Caramel 7 Layer Bars should be made soon!
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten-Free Pumpkin 7 Layer Bars
Ingredients
- 6 gluten free graham crackers should be 1/2 cup total
- 10 gluten free gingersnaps should be 1/2 cup total
- 1 cup almond flour *see note
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter *see note
- ½ cup coconut sugar *see note
- 1 cup pureed pumpkin *see note
- 8 ounces condensed milk *see note
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup shredded coconut unsweetened
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped nuts
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Put 6 gluten free graham crackers and 10 gluten free gingersnaps in a zip-top bag. Let the air out and seal the top.
- Take a rolling pin and crush the cookies into crumbs. You can also use a food processor to grind the cookies into crumbs.
- Pour the crumbs into a small bowl and add 1 cup almond flour and whisk to blend.
- In a microwave-safe dish, melt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter for 25 seconds.
- Remove from the microwave, pour into crumbs, and mix well to distribute the melted butter evenly.
- Spray a 9×9 pan with coconut oil or non-stick gluten-free baking spray. Pour in crust and press the crust to flatten.
- In a small bowl, add 1 cup pureed pumpkin, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/2 cup coconut sugar.
- Pour this on top of the crust.
- Next, sprinkle on 1 cup shredded coconut.
- Pour 8 ounces condensed milk on top to coat the coconut.
- Lastly, sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped nuts on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- The bars will be very hot. It is important to allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. The bars will set as they chill. Don't slice until they are cool.
Notes
- If you can’t find almond flour, you can use almond meal.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute vegan butter for regular butter and use coconut condensed milk.
- I use coconut sugar because it is lower glycemic. You can also use brown sugar.
- Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
- Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze cooled bars in the freezer. I like to flash-freeze the bars so they don’t smush in the freezer bag.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post has been updated a few times from an older October 2014 post with more recipe details and photos.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Question on the condensed milk…do you mean sweetened condensed milk? It’s typically sold in 14 oz cans (by weight) which is 8 liquid ounces. So do you mean 8 liquid ounces or by weight?
Hi Lisa, I do mean sweetened condensed milk. The 14 oz can.
Okay hate to admit this but my husband and daughter do not like coconut and I wondered if you had an idea of a substitute or recipe similar to this that does not have coconut. Thank you.
Hi Cathy, If they don’t like coconut, maybe they would prefer my gluten-free pumpkin dump cake recipe? Coconut is a big part of this recipe because it absorbs moisture. I haven’t tested a replacement…but if I were, I would use rolled oats.
What brand of almond flour did you use? The link isn’t working that you posted.
Hi Danielle, I use Anthony’s, which I get on Amazon. King Arthur also makes a good gf almond flour.
I made these with chopped pecans, brown sugar and dried cranberries. After baking for 25 minutes they didn’t look done. I baked for an additional 8 minutes. I refrigerated them for 3 hours and cut one piece. The condensed milk still hadn’t set. I decided to let the bars come up to room temperature & baked them for another 20 minutes. Once again I refrigerated them for several hours. They sliced well and were firm. The flavors were tasty but I found them too sweet. If I make these again I’ll add less sugar.
Hi Pam, thank you for the feedback. What size pan did you use? I am wondering if yours was deeper and this is why it took more time for yours to bake through.
I have a graham cracker pie crust. Could I use that as a base and then add the other ingredients on top?
Hi Kristina, Yes, you could definitely use it as a base.
I made these for my brother who is gluten free and we both absolutely loved them! Thanks for a great gluten free dessert recipe 🙂
I am so glad he liked them. Thank you so much for stopping by to let me know 🙂
Thanks for your creative ideas for 7 layer bars! I made these and added an egg to the pumpkin layer to make it a little more like pumpkin pie in texture. I also added about 7 minutes to the cooking time to make sure it was cooked through. Wow! This will definitely be on my Thanksgiving table! No longer will I feel cheated when it comes to Thanksgiving dessert!
I love your ideas Vickie. I will give the added egg a try next time I make these. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
I made these this weekend using sweetened condensed coconut milk. Did I do something wrong…or are they …supposed to be very soft and kinda messy? I was picturing the 7 layer bars of my youth and those could be cut and plated and stand on their own. These seem to need to be eaten with a fork instead of picked up like a brownie or cookie bar. Did I not cook them long enough or something??
They taste great regardless…..?
Can these be frozen? I wanted to bake ahead for Christmas…..
Hi Melissa, YES! These can be frozen. I tried it and they are delicious when thawed.
Hi, I tires to make these but it seemed that the condensed milk just would not sit…do you think I needed to bake longer then 20 min? I even refrigerated overnight.
Hi Jessica, It is possible these needed to bake longer, given where you live. I have heard readers say 20-30 minutes is about average. I hope this helps. The condensed milk should seep in while it bakes.
I am from Australia and I’ve never seen a can of pumpkin at the store. What is the weight of the pumpkin and is it in pieces or mashed?
I’m looking forward trying this dish, using fresh pumpkin.
A can of pureed pumpkin is 14 ounces. I hope this helps.
I really want to make these as my daughter and I are both gluten free, & we love all things pumpkin! However, she is allergic to tree nuts, & I am allergic to coconut. Could you possibly offer some substitutions for the Almond Meal & the coconut layer?
Hi Cheri,
I am so sorry you can’t have nuts and coconut. These are fairly easy to substitute. For the crust use just gluten free graham crackers (and possibly some gluten free gingersnaps mixed in.) Use brown sugar instead of coconut sugar. The coconut on top is a little more difficult because you want something that can cook into the condensed milk. I have a couple of thoughts, one, use crushed gluten free gingersnap cookies sprinkled on top, or maybe chopped raisins. I would love to hear what you try, and how it turns out.
These look amazing! I haven’t had these since I went GF DF 5 years ago. But do you have a suggestion as a substitute for sweetened condensed milk and almond flour? Thanks!
Yes, there is a comment with a link to a dairy free condensed milk substitute. If you don’t want to use almond flour, you can just use gluten free graham crackers or gluten free gingersnaps.
Thank you!! looking forward to making these.
Please let me know how they turn out Rebecca 🙂
Is there something that can be used as a substitute for condensed milk? I have to eat dairy and gluten free
Hi Jessica,
That is a tough one. I found this link to a recipe for a substitution: http://www.godairyfree.org/dairy-substitutes/substitute-condensed-milk-buttermilk-sweetened-powder
Nature’s Charm makes a sweetened condensed coconut milk. I have purchased it through Amazon.
Hi Melissa, Thank you for letting us know. I will try to look for it next time I am at the grocery store 🙂
These sound great! Do the cinnamon and nutmeg go into the pumpkin layer?
They do Tammy 🙂 I will clarify that in the recipe for people. Thank you!
Oh my these looks heavenly! I’m going to have to whip up a batch for my mom, she’ll love them!
I hope your mom enjoys them Rebecca 🙂
These are great. Cookie bars are so easy to make.
Agreed Nicky 🙂
Thank you Jennifer 🙂
These look simply scrumptious!! Love this recipe!!
Thank you Tara 🙂