These decadent, gooey, gluten-free pumpkin 7-layer bars are full of delicious fall flavors. This easy pumpkin magic bar recipe is a wonderful variation of classic magic bars. You can enjoy this homemade dessert in about 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! If you aren’t into pumpkin, I have many different gluten free 7 layer bar recipes you can try! These bars are a creative twist on a classic dessert. I include lots of ways to vary these gluten free pumpkin magic bars. 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!
Allergen Information:
These pumpkin magic bars are gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, and oat-free. Make these yummy pumpkin 7 layer bars dairy-free by using coconut condensed milk and non-dairy butter.
Gluten-Free Crust Cookies:
- Gluten-Free Graham Crackers – A few brands make both gluten-free graham cracker crumbs and whole graham crackers that you can crush. I use Kinnickinick pre-ground graham cracker crumbs, and I like Pamela’s brand of whole graham crackers best. Pamela’s are at most grocery stores.
- Gluten-Free Gingersnaps – I like the Mi-Del brand gingersnaps, but make sure the bag you get says gluten free because they also make a non-gluten-free version, and the packaging is very similar.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Almond Alour – 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.
- 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.
- Condensed Milk – I use coconut condensed milk, but regular milk also works perfectly.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Put the crackers, almond meal, and butter into a food processor and grind.
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.
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Step 3: Add the canned pumpkin, coconut sugar, and spices to a large mixing bowl and mix well with a whisk.
Step 4: Add the gooey pumpkin and coconut sugar layer over the crust. Just wait until you taste the flavor this adds to these amazing seven-layer bars.
Step 5: My favorite coconut layer is next. I use unsweetened shredded coconut. I highly advise doing the same, as these bars are very sweet and don’t need the extra sugar.
Step 6: Spread the condensed milk over the coconut layer. Use a big spoon to spread it evenly.
Step 7: Add the final layers of chocolate chips and nuts. Here are some fun substitutions to customize this recipe:
- Use pecans or slivered almonds instead of 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 above, you can use coconut condensed milk if you avoid dairy.
Step 8: Bake these pumpkin seven-layer bars for 25 minutes at 350º F. Please note that these bars are very hot, and it is important to let them cool before cutting or handling.
🔑 Sandi says: Please note that these magic bars are gooey, which is okay. Once they cool to room temperature, you can cut them. Definitely make sure you put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cutting.
If you love pumpkin, try my Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions:
These bars will keep 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 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
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350º F degrees.
- 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 for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
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.
Nutritional 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.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
This post has been updated a few times from an older October 2014 post with more recipe details and photos.
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 🙂