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.
Debbie says
These are delicious! A little crumbly because they are sooo moist. By next morning they held together much better. Husband isn’t a coconut fan but as fine as it is ground he had no complaints, consequently he ate two! Definitely a keeper. 🥰
KetoKid69 says
These worked out great, very delicious ! Chilling them stopped them from crumbling and reminded me of Starbucks oat bars with a pumpkin spice twist ! The crumbling could have been caused by the collagen powder I used.
Do you think pure unsweetened whey protein powder could work as a substitute for the collagen ?
Carolyn says
Whey protein will make them more cake-y. But if that’s okay by you, go for it!
Amanda says
So good, even my teenager loves it! Quick and easy to make too!
Janet says
Re: Dry and crumbling results. Carolyn mentions in many of her recipes that it’s important to weigh almond flour. 1 cup of almond flour weighs 3.39 ounces or 96 grams. You’re probably using too much almond flour
Diana says
This wasn’t my favorite, flavor was mild and texture too dry. I won’t make again, but the great part is you have many recipes I enjoy and make on many occasions.
Carolyn says
Did you use collagen? They do not come out dry if you do… in fact, they are often overly moist!
Diana says
Yes I used all ingredients posted, it just didn’t do it for me, a recipe especially dessert has to have the WOW factor for me to repeat it again, I love your keto oatmeal cookies and granola clusters and plan on trying the keto oatmeal.
Carolyn says
Okay… just can’t figure out why they would be dry. Mine were almost too moist!
Joanne says
your print recipe and your video is off on amount of ingredients..also, u used butter, recipe calls for coconut oil..coco oil can make it crumbly vs butter. the amount of salt, oumpkin spice and vanilla is different too..
which recipe is the one to use?!
Carolyn says
This recipe was in the process of being updated. It’s now perfect! 🙂
Susan says
Mine came out more of a cake consistency than a bar–fluffier and less dense. While they aren’t at all dry, they don’t really hold together. I’m not sure where I went wrong. The flavor is perfect and the texture is somewhere between cake and zucchini bread, they just fall apart when I take them out of the pan. Anyway, I still like them!
Michele says
I tried these for the second time – still just a pile of crumbs. (Tasty crumbs, but definitely not holding together.) I bought the 9×9 pan you have pictured because I thought maybe my 8×8 was part of the problem. I was careful not to overbake. I used Lakanto Brown as the sweetner, and melted butter instead of coconut oil. I measured everything very carefully. Any other ideas? I would love to be able to eat these as bars and not with a spoon!
Carolyn says
I honestly don’t know, since you can see mine come out just fine. Too much dry ingredients, not enough egg is my best guess. Are you packing your ingredients? Because you shouldn’t…
Marilyn says
I used a mix of swerve granular and brown swerve. Measured everything accurately.
Marilyn says
I made these today and it is not holding together. I have to eat with a spoon.
Not sure why, followed the recipe.
Tastes good though.
Carolyn says
Sounds like you have too much of the dry ingredients and not enough wet ingredients. But what sweetener did you use?
Marilyn says
I used a mix of swerve granular and brown swerve. Measured everything accurately.
Carolyn says
The sweetener is fine… but I still maintain that something was off in the wet to dry ratio. Sorry, not sure what else to say!
Dee says
These are really good but mine also turned out very crumbly. Is that due to possibly not grinding the seeds/coconut/nuts fine enough? Could you add possibly some oat fiber, psyllium husk or collage to help with that?
Carolyn says
I wouldn’t add anything here, except maybe collagen. Psyllium will make them awfully gummy, oat fiber will make them too dry. But I think you should grind things a bit more as well. They should hold together just fine as is. Don’t overbake them!
Virna Browne says
Can you freeze this and quickly out in microwave for breakfast each morning?
We f so how long in microwave?
Thanks
Carolyn says
I am sure you can but since I haven’t done it, I don’t know how long they will take in the microwave.
Tricia says
Could I use more of the nuts/seeds and eliminate the coconut?
Carolyn says
Use more sliced almonds.
Christi says
I bought a heavy metal pan and made these. the first batch is a little crumbly but, I love them!
Tyra says
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
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them!
Tonia says
Definitely feel good comfort food
nancy says
I only have a silicone square pan in that size. Would I be better off to use a round metal cake pan( normal sized) instead??
Carolyn says
I’d probably use the metal but keep in mind that a 9-inch circle has a smaller area than a 9×9 square so they may take longer to bake through.
Nura says
Thick, chunky and so yummy!
Chrissy says
These are perfect for breakfast! Mine turned out nice and moist, not crumbly. I think the people saying these are crumbly baked them for too long. The only substitution I made was using Lily’s Pumpkin Spice white chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate chips.
Jeannie says
These turned out amazing!! I doubled the batch added a extra egg and 1 t xanthum gum. I used disposable 8×8 aluminum pans. I had to bake an extra 15 minutes. They are perfect. I like to make extra to freeze and take camping. These were moist and not crumbled at all. Once again your recipes are amazing!!!