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Pumpkin Pie Bars With Sweetened Condensed Milk

Pumpkin pie bars with sweetened condensed milk start with a buttery shortbread crust and bake into a silky, ultra-rich pumpkin custard filling. The center is just set, then the bars cool completely for clean, sliceable squares topped with whipped cream.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 24 bars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Shortbread crust
  • 2 cup flour
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 cup cold butter, cubed Keep butter cold.
Pumpkin pie filling
  • 15 oz pumpkin puree 1 can (15 oz).
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk 1 can (14 oz).
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp ginger
  • 0.25 tsp cloves
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Serving
  • 1 whipped cream For serving (to taste).

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make and par-bake the crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 425F, then press the shortbread crust mixture into a 9x13 pan and bake for 12 minutes until pale golden.
  2. Remove the pan from the oven and keep it hot while you prepare the filling.
Mix filling and bake
  1. Whisk together pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and vanilla until completely smooth.
  2. Pour the smooth filling over the hot crust.
  3. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F and bake 25-28 minutes more until the center is just set.
Cool and serve
  1. Cool the bars completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting.
  2. Serve each bar with a generous swirl of whipped cream.

Notes

For the smoothest custard, whisk the filling until no streaks remain—then pour over the hot crust right away. Refrigerate bars in an airtight container for up to 4 days; freezing is not recommended due to texture changes in custard. Dietary swap: use a gluten-free 1:1 baking flour blend for the shortbread crust if you want a gluten-free version.