These tender keto pumpkin bars have an oatmeal-like texture for a satisfying breakfast treat. Full of healthy fats and 10g of protein, they are perfect for busy weekday mornings. This post is sponsored by ChocZero.
Life gets really hectic for me in the fall. The kids have multiple activities and their birthdays are all within a few weeks of each other. I am also busy creating delicious keto holiday recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
So I try to have some easy breakfast treats on the go at all times. And in the spirit of all things pumpkin spice, I made these Keto Pumpkin Breakfast Bars again recently. This time with a high protein twist!
Now I’ve got a new low carb high protein recipe to add to my growing collection. I love grabbing one of these bars before I drive kids to school or head to the gym.
Why you must try this recipe
If you ask people what their favorite season is, a large proportion of them will say fall. There is so much to love about it. Cozy sweaters, fires in the fireplace, and hearty soups simmering on the stove. And pumpkin spice EVERYTHING!
These keto pumpkin bars are everything you want them to be. They have a texture similar to my keto oatmeal, but they hold together better so you don’t have to scoop them into a bowl to eat them.
They have just the right balance of pumpkin and spices, and the keto chocolate chips make them super tasty and visually appealing. I used ChocZero dark chocolate chips for my bars but they would be delicious with the milk or white chips as well. Rumor has it that they are coming out with some butterscotch chips soon, too!
These bars also have excellent macros for a healthy keto diet. 10 grams of protein per bar gives you a boost of energy to face a busy day or a tough workout. And they freeze well, so you can make them ahead and have them ready when you need them!
People who love recipes like Keto Pumpkin Muffins and Keto Pumpkin Pancakes are sure to love these easy breakfast bars.
Reader reviews
“OMG! These are so good! I made the pumpkin waffles the other day, so I still had the rest of the cam left over. It was perfect to make this recipe. I had to substitute pecans for the pumpkin seeds but it didn’t make much difference. Be sure to try this” — Tyra
“These have become a favorite! I do use a little Sukrin brown sugar substitute and use a little less swerve. It gives it even more flavor. Definitely a great and portable breakfast. It also freezes really well.” — Debra
“These were amazing. Very satisfying. Completely gave me that oatmeal feel and texture. Very easy to make.” — Jen S.
Ingredients you need
- Nuts and seeds: I used pumpkin seeds (shelled raw pumpkin seeds), flaked coconut, and sliced almonds. If you don’t like coconut, you can replace that with more sliced almonds in the same amount.
- Almond flour: Use a finely ground, blanched almond flour to help the bars hold together a little better.
- Sweetener: I like Brown Swerve in these bars, as the brown sugar flavor goes perfectly with pumpkin spice. See the Expert Tips section for more sweetener options.
- Collagen protein: Collagen protein powder (aka collagen peptides) adds texture and nutrition to these breakfast bars. It also helps them hold together better.
- Pumpkin pie spice: I usually use pre-made pumpkin pie spice, but you can also make your own.
- Pumpkin puree: Make sure your pumpkin puree isn’t too watery, as it will make the bars very soft. If it’s not nice, thick puree, strain it to remove some of the excess moisture.
- Sugar-free chocolate chips: I like the addition of dark chocolate chip with the pumpkin but you can use chopped nuts instead.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, butter, baking powder, vanilla extract, salt.
Step-by-step directions
1. Grind the nuts and seeds: In a food processor, combine the coconut, almonds and pumpkin seeds. Pulse until the mixture resembles oat flakes. You want them fairly well ground up, but some larger pieces are okay.
2. Add the dry ingredients: Transfer to a large bowl. Add the almond flour, sweetener, collagen, baking powder, pie spice, and salt and mix well.
3. Stir in the wet ingredients: Stir in the pumpkin puree, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir in 6 tablespoons of the chocolate chips.
4. Bake: Spread the batter in a greased 9×9 inch metal baking pan and top with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake at 350ºF for 25 to 35 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the top is firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely before cutting into bars.
Expert tips
Make sure you blend up the nuts, seeds, and coconut until they resemble raw oats. They should be relatively small, with some larger pieces. If you leave them too coarse, the bars will be more crumbly.
You can use other brown sugar replacements or granular sweeteners in this recipe. But remember that allulose based sweeteners will make the bars brown much faster. I recommend dropping the temp to 325ºF if you use allulose. (The new Swerve Brown does not contain enough allulose to be a real issue here).
You cannot use other protein powders in place of the collagen. Whey and egg white protein will make the bars more cake-like. Collagen provides moisture and some chewiness to the bars.
The baking time listed is for a 9×9 inch metal pan. Glass and ceramic pans don’t conduct heat as efficiently and may take quite a bit longer to bake through properly. You can also use an 8×8 pan but that will also take longer to bake properly since the bars will be thicker.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s easy to make a dairy-free version of these bars. Use melted coconut oil or avocado oil in place of the butter.
This keto breakfast bar recipe has 7.1g of carbs and 4.2g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.9g net carbs per bar.
You can store leftover bars on the counter at room temperature for a couple of days or in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for several months. Bring the bars to room temperature before serving.
More delicious fall breakfast ideas
Keto Pumpkin Breakfast Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds
- ¾ cup flaked coconut
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener
- ⅓ cup collagen protein powder (plain or flavored)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips, sugar-free divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 9×9 inch metal baking pan.
- Place the pumpkin seeds, coconut, and sliced almonds in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles oat flakes. You want them fairly well ground up, but some larger pieces are okay.
- Transfer to a large bowl. Add the almond flour, sweetener, collagen, baking powder, pie spice, and salt and mix well.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir in 6 tablespoons of the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan and top with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the top is firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely before cutting into bars.
Leslie says
This is a favorite (of many on this site)! I followed recipe exactly, and it turned out perfectly moist and delicious! The combo of nuts, coconut, and pumpkin makes for a hearty treat for breakfast, or anytime! I wonder if these could be made into muffins as written. Thank you for another of your tasty keto recipes!
Jessica Grubb says
These look amazing. So this might be an unrelated question but I’m trying to get more ground flax into my diet for hormonal purposes. Do you think you could add flax to this recipe or do you have any recipes that use ground flax?
Jana Gallaghe says
If I wanted to double this, do you think a 9 by 13 pan would work?
Carolyn says
It should.
Meg Peifer says
Wasn’t as tasty as I’d hoped. Expensive to purchase the nuts and collegen. Not difficult to assemble or bake, but disappointing. Probably won’t make again.😟
Cindy Laughlin says
These keto Pumpkin Breakfast bars are fantastic. Do you think these could be baked in a muffin tin as well? Thank you.
Carolyn says
Absolutely!
Sunni Jeffers says
Made this today. I like the consistency and flavor, however the pumpkin flavor isn’t very strong. The pumpkin pie spice comes through, but not the pumpkin. It’s filling, which is great. Not sure how to increase the pumpkin.
Fran says
I made these this morning, they are delicious and so easy to make. Thanks Carolyn
Pamela says
I could not see how large each bar is for using the nutrition facts sheet. 9×9 pan cut into how many bars?
Carolyn says
16 servings = 16 bars.
Hibber says
These are amazing and perfect! They taste better the next day, cold. Though, I would like more pumpkin flavor. You can’t taste the pumpkin pie spice that much, let alone the pumpkin. I substituted 2 flax eggs for the 2 eggs, and used <1/3 cup erythritol instead of 1/2 cup, and it was perfectly sweet for me.
Terri says
Came out very crumbly and without any pumpkin flavor. It’s missing something.