Pumpkin Slab Pie
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Nov 15, 2024 
Easy Pumpkin Slab Pie Recipe for a Crowd – My unique pumpkin spice replacement and just the right amount of cream cheese create the BEST Pumpkin Pie Bars Recipe for holiday parties and potlucks!
Pumpkin Pie Bars
I have not always been a pumpkin pie lover.
Around the holidays, when other family members were reaching for the pumpkin pie, I would likely go for chocolate or apple pie. To me, pumpkin pie was dense with a bland taste. Pumpkin spice was no magical ingredient.
One Thanksgiving I decided to try to make a pumpkin pie that I would enjoy… Something lighter in texture with outrageous creaminess and a bit more punch than classic pumpkin spice.
After quite a few test runs, I found that just a couple minor alterations created what I considered the best pumpkin pie… Pumpkin Slab Pie, AKA Pumpkin Pie Bars.
A pie that didn’t even need whipped cream to make it worthwhile!
One Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe – Two Secret Ingredients
That’s where the secret ingredients come into play for today’s Secret Ingredient Pumpkin Pie Recipe.
The First Secret Ingredient amplifies the earthy pumpkin flavor in a major way.
Instead of using traditional pumpkin pie spices, I added Chinese Five Spice, a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechwan peppercorns.
The cinnamon and cloves provide a touch of traditional pumpkin spice flavor, while the fennel, star anise, and Szechwan peppers add a bit of POP!
Chinese Five Spice is the perfect complement to this pumpkin pie recipe, in my opinion.
Secret ingredient #2 easily fluffs-up the texture of pumpkin pie. This is done by adding cream cheese to the mix. Not so much cream cheese that you end up with a pumpkin cheesecake, mind you. Just enough.
The cream cheese gives this Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe an ultra-luxurious texture that is hard to resist.
What Is Slab Pie?
Instead of making classic round pies, this Pumpkin Pie Recipe makes one large shallow rectangular pie also know as a Slab Pie.
A slab pie is essentially a pie recipe turned into a bar recipe. A shallow cookie sheet would be the perfect pan for this.
Why Make Pumpkin Slab Pie?
- Slab pies take less time to bake than traditional pumpkin pie recipes.
- They take less time to cool as well.
- Slab pies are easier to cut.
- And easier to lift out of the pan without breaking the crust.
- You get a better crust-to-filling ratio, with a slab pie.
- One slab pie can feed a crowd!
How Many Servings Does This Pumpkin Pie Bars Recipe Make?
Our Easy Pumpkin Slab Pie Recipe makes 24 servings, so it’s perfect for parties!
You could also cut smaller or larger pie pieces if you wanted a smaller or larger snack!
The smaller you cut them the more servings you’ll have and the fewer calories. Just sayin’.
Can I Make This Pumpkin Slab Pie Recipe In Normal Round Pie Dishes?
You can totally do this! This recipe would make two 9-inch deep-dish pies.
Make sure to bake it longer since the filling is thicker in the pans… Approximately 45-60 minutes.
Pumpkin Pie Ingredients
If you’ve never been a big fan of pumpkin pie, give these pumpkin pie bars a try. I think you’ll find the slight changes are just enough to make you a convert!
Below are all the ingredients you will need, including my two now not-so-secret ingredients!
For the slab pie crust:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – cold right from the fridge
- Shortening of your choice – also cold from the fridge
- Amaretto liquor – yup, needs to be ice cold, too
For the creamy pumpkin filling:
- Pumpkin puree
- Secret Ingredient #1 Cream cheese – softened at room temperature
- Brown sugar
- Large eggs
- Heavy cream
- Secret Ingredient #2 Chinese Five Spice – can substitute traditional Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Salt
- Food processor – recommended
- Electric mixer – recommended
How To Make Pumpkin Pie Bars
Incredibly easy to bake for a crowd, you can make this pumpkin slab pie up to a week beforehand and keep it chilled until ready to serve.
Speaking of keeping cool, note that you want your pie dough to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using. This makes it much easier to roll and shape.
Now, here’s how to make the most incredibly aromatic, fluffy, and delicious pumpkin pie:
1. First, make your pie crust dough by pulsing together flour, sugar, salt, and then cubed cold butter and shortening in a food processor. Add ice-cold amaretto liquor and pulse again. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. While the dough chills make your pumpkin pie filling. Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy. Little by little mix in spoonfuls of pumpkin puree, continuing to beat until mixture is smooth without lumps.
3. Add in brown sugar, eggs, cream, Chinese Five Spice or Pumpkin Pie Spice, and salt, and beat until smooth again.
4. Prepare the slab pie crust: Cut 25% of the dough off one end. Rewrap the smaller piece of dough and keep in the fridge. Place the larger section on a well-floured piece of wax paper, and roll into a large 12×17-inch rectangle. Carefully flip the dough over onto a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan or shallow cookie sheet and peel off the wax paper. Roll the edges under and crimp with a fork.
5. Pour the pumpkin pie filling into prepared crust, and smooth with a spatula to make even. Bake for 35-45 minutes in a 375 degree preheated oven, until the pumpkin pie has set in the middle. It should wobble just slightly when gently jiggled.
6. While the slab pie is baking, make your decorative topping from the remaining dough. Remove from fridge and roll out ¼ inch thick; use a pumpkin or leaf cookie cutter – or whatever fun fall cookie is your favorite! – to cut out approximately 24 shapes. Once you’ve removed the pumpkin pie from the oven to cool, bake your decorative pieces on a cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes, until golden.
7. After the pumpkin slab pie has completely cooled, cut into 24 pieces and top each serving with a pretty crust decoration!
Get the Full (Printable) Pumpkin Pie Bars Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Here are more pie recipes that are perfect for the holidays:
- The Fluffiest Fluffernutter Pie
- Bourbon Derby Pie with Salted Caramel Whipped Cream
- Caramel Apple Slab Pie
- Fresh Strawberry Pie
- French Silk Pie Recipe
- No-Bake Chocolate Banoffee Pie
- Cinnamon Pie
- Apple Bacon Pie with Cheddar Crust
- Brandy Apple Hand Pies
- Duke’s Hula Pie (Ice Cream Pie)
- Easy Cherry Pie Bars
- Pecan Pie Bars
Easy Pumpkin Slab Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold (16 tablespoons)
- 8 tablespoons shortening, cold
- 2/3+ cup amaretto liqueur, ice cold
For the Pumpkin Filling:
- 3 cups pumpkin puree
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Chinese Five Spice or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. For the pie crust: In a food processor add the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine. Then cut the cold butter and shortening into cubes and place in the food processor. Pulse again until the mixture resembles small peas.
- Add 2/3 cup ice cold amaretto and pulse again. If the dough looks too dry add 1-2 more tablespoons and pulse. Dump the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Press into a rectangle shape and wrap well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese on high until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl and add a few spoonfuls of pumpkin puree and beat again. Add the remaining pumpkin puree little by little, as the mixture beats, to ensure the mixture comes together without clumps of cream cheese.
- Add in the brown sugar, followed by the egg, cream, Chinese Five Spice, and salt. Scrape the bowl again and beat until smooth.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Cut 25% of the dough off one end. Wrap the smaller piece of dough and place back in the fridge. Place the larger section on a well-floured piece of wax paper. Roll into a large 12×17-inch rectangle. Carefully flip the dough over onto a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan and peel off the wax paper. Roll the edges under and crimp with a fork.
- Pour the pumpkin filling into the prepared crust and smooth out evenly. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until its set in the middle when lightly jiggled.
- For decoration, roll out the remaining piece of dough and use a pumpkin cookie cutter (or leaf shape) to cut out 24 pieces. Bake on a separate baking sheet for 5-10 minutes until golden. Once the pie is cool, cut into 24 squares and top each piece with a pie crust pumpkin!
What can I use instead of the liquor for the pie crust?
Hi Maria,
You can use cold water or milk. :)
These were so good!! A great addition to our Thanksgiving menu!
These are so cute! Perfect for Thanksgiving!
This is always a family favorite in our house! I am making it again this weekend!
Hi there, in the middle of making this and realized the instructions call for mixing in vanilla but that is not included in the ingredients. Can you let me know how much please. I am hoping a teaspoon. Thank you.
Hi Alicia,
No vanilla is needed in this recipe, but if you add a teaspoon or two, it won’t hurt! :)
This pie is my fav https://bit.ly/2R1LOpE
Hi Sommer,
Since I was in the middle, I included a teaspoon of vanilla. This was a test run to try it out and YUM, YUM, YUM. The five spice in place of the pumpkin pie spice is a real surprise….not to mention the cream chesse, scrumptious all around. This is definitely a keeper! Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!
YAY! I’m so glad you liked it!:)
Regarding instructions for the slab pie, an edit is required: “Carefully flip the dough over onto a and peel off the wax paper.” I want to make this pie and wish to be precise on the instructions. Thanks.
Hi Jan,
Thanks for pointing this out. We are in the middle of moving our recipes to a new format, but there have been some glitches. The recipe is fixed. :)
I see that pumpkin pie spice is listed in the ingredients- would you use the same amount of pumpkin pie spice as Chinese 5 spice (are they interchangeable?)? Thank you!
Hi Erin,
Yes! The Chinese Five Spice just adds a little kick. :)
Loved, loved, loved: “until its set in the middle when lightly Giggled ” The ‘Giggled’ made me laugh, and I so needed that today. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
LOL! Thanks for the note. We’ll get that fixed. :)
I know you said to roll out the dough into 12 x 17 but I could not find what size pan to use. Most slab pies are made in a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan. Thank you so much. I am not being critical, I just want this to turn out for a holiday potluck next month. God bless!
Hi Cindy,
Yes, you roll the crust out larger than the jelly roll pan so you have enough crust to go up the sides and crimp. Does that make since? Just use your regular jelly roll pan. :)
How irrational can a grown woman be! I love your description of this johnny cake and love even more that it’s not fried. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks
Hands down the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever tried! Great smooth texture and wonderful flavor.
I love this idea, I always think punkin pie needs more spice , I love where you went with it and can’t wait to try it ! I’m gluten free, would this work if I used a nut crusted bottom instead . Maybe a pecan and cashew crust ?