Name: Pumpkin Blondies
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 cup brown sugar; 3/4 cup dairy free butter; 1/2 cup pumpkin puree; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 1/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour; 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon); 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt; topping:; 3 tablespoons coconut sugar / vegan granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)

these gluten free vegan Pumpkin Blondies are a sweet cinnamon treat. tips for making small batch blondies and air fryer blondies.

recipe originally published November 11, 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS - Jump to any section:

1. How to make vegan pumpkin blondies
2. Why are my blondies cakey?
3. Tips for a perfect blondie
4. Air fryer blondie / small batch blondie
5. Recipe variations / add ins
6. Pumpkin Blondies recipe

How to make vegan pumpkin blondies

Next to brownies and cheesecake, I really love a good vanilla blondie. What are blondies? Blondies are cookie bars, basically a brownie without the chocolate and cocoa. This recipe brings pumpkin and cinnamon into the mix, for a warmly spiced version of a vanilla blondie.

This recipe is egg free! This is also a gluten free blondie - if you are not gluten free, you can easily use regular all purpose flour.

This is a quick and easy recipe with a 6 ingredients that you may have in your pantry right now. It begins by creaming together (dairy free) butter and brown sugar, and then you add pumpkin to it. Blondies traditionally use brown sugar. (That is how I was taught in school.)

My tip is to use a mixer or hand mixer to cream together these ingredients. You can whip them by hand, but a mixer is worth the extra step here. Then I switch to a spatula or wooden spoon to mix in the dry ingredients.

Read on for a small batch blondies hack, and also an air fryer blondies option!

Why are my blondies cakey?

I feel like I can confidently answer this, as I have had many (still delicious) blondie fails. I love a dense blondie, not a fluffy cakey one. The culprit could be:

too much flour
too much leavening
over baking

Tips for a perfect blondie

increase the fat (in this recipe, the butter)
small amount of leavening (baking soda or powder)
no eggs (as vegans, our recipes have no eggs. in traditional baking recipes, eggs often add leavening and height)

Small Batch Blondie / Air Fryer Blondie

Sometimes you just want a small something without a bunch of leftovers sitting around like they'd make a great breakfast. In that case, I have done the math for you, and the small batch blondie can be baked, or cook them in the air fryer.

Half the recipe:

6 tablespoons brown sugar / vegan granulated sugar
6 tablespoons dairy free butter
¼ cup pumpkin puree
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup + 2 tablespoons gluten free all purpose flour
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

Prepare according to instructions and transfer to small loaf pans or a pan that is air fryer safe and will fit in the air fryer. Bake for 20 minutes and check if done / air fry for 15 and check if done.

Recipe variations - add ins

When I first made this vegan pumpkin blondie recipe years ago, I added toffee pieces. Those sweet crunchy bites work so well with a vanilla blondie AND a pumpkin blondie, I continued to make them with toffee.

It wasn't until much later (and honestly, too lazy to make my toffee first) that I had these pumpkin blondies plain. But they are anything but plain. To make up for the lack of toffee, I added a cinnamon sugar topping, which gives a nice sweet crunch.

As with any dessert bar recipe, the add ins and toppings are many:

nuts (candied pecans are lovely in blondies!)
chocolate chunks or chips
swirled cream cheese (combine 4 ounces cream cheese with 2 tablespoons sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla)
SNICKERDOODLE BLONDIES: mix ½ teaspoon cream of tartar into the flour before combining with the wet ingredients

Did you make these vegan pumpkin blondies?

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Yield: 9 squares