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
- 3/4 cup flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/3 cup collagen protein powder, (plain or flavored)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Could I use more of the nuts/seeds and eliminate the coconut?
Use more sliced almonds.
I bought a heavy metal pan and made these. the first batch is a little crumbly but, I love them!
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
So glad you liked them!
Definitely feel good comfort food
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??
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.
Thick, chunky and so yummy!
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.
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!!!
Made as written except included an extra egg and 2 tbsp psyllium husk to keep it from getting crumbly. Baked for 45 minutes before the edges browned and it wasn’t too wet. Let cool completely before cutting. Good!
I can’t wait to try this one… love your recipes! I want to bake them without waiting..lol but I don’t currently have any flaked coconut… just the unsweetened shredded coconut…have you ever attempted it with that?? I’m assuming it will tweak the numbers for volume and baking?
You can use that but use a little less of it and don’t grind it up, just add it in after other things have been processed.
Made these this morning and I am super happy with them…I did have to bake them for 20 minutes longer as at the 25 minute mark they were still totally wet inside. As I was meticulous in measuring and following the recipe, I will chalk that up to differences in brands used. Regardless, these bars are flavourful, filling and delicious! Will make again!
Did you use a glass or ceramic pan?
Glass pan…would metal be better? Either way there are no complaints here!! I am loving the bars and extra baking time is just fine!!
So one thing you need to understand is that glass and ceramic don’t heat up as quickly as metal… that’s why it takes longer to bake.
Delicious and satisfying! The “oatmeal” texture is a new keto experience for me. As others have stated they were less crumbly when cooled. Even when crumbly they were perfect to sit and enjoy with my coffee instead of a grab and go type of breakfast food. Thank you!
Mine turned out really crumbly also. I did half the recipe and I wonder if I should have gone ahead and put in the 2 eggs. The flavor is good except for the nuts and seeds starting to go even though the date on the if for next year! Sigh. I always put my nuts and seeds into the freezer. They will be good for breakfast tomorrow with my coffee!
* bag is for next year!
Fabulous!! Just made them and they are perfect! I did tweak the recipe a little based on the comments people mentioned theirs were falling apart so I added xanthan gum to mine and that worked great! I also baked my over 30 mins.
Kristalyn, I want to try this recipe. How much
xanthan gum did you use?
I love these bars! They are amazing. Do you know how long they will last at room temperature? Do they need to be refrigerated at all? I love the texture they have at room temperature, but I am not sure how many days they can stay fresh like that.
4 days or so is fine.
Hi i cannot find sugar free chocolate chips. Any alternative you can suggest? Do you thinj i could to cocao nibs?
Cacao nibs would be great.