3 Protein Pumpkin Recipes: Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Bars & Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

A pan of frosted protein pumpkin bars with one bar on a plate next to small pumpkins

Pumpkin season is here, and you don't need a new mix to get in on it. Two bags you already know, our Banana Bread Mix and Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, turn into three fall favorites with a can of pumpkin and a couple of spices from your cupboard.

Same clean ingredients. Same protein. Just more pumpkin.

Before you start: grab the right pumpkin

Use plain canned 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, and it will throw off all three recipes. One 15 oz can covers the bread or the bars, with enough left over for a batch of cookies.

1. Protein Pumpkin Bread

Sliced protein pumpkin bread on a wooden board with small pumpkins

The cozy classic. Swap the bananas for pumpkin and your kitchen smells like October in about an hour.

What you need

  • 1 bag Bell's Banana Bread Mix
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (instead of bananas)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • Optional: ⅓ cup chocolate chips or chopped pecans

How to make it

  1. Follow the directions on your bag of Banana Bread Mix.
  2. Skip the bananas and stir in 1 cup pumpkin puree instead.
  3. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg.
  4. Fold in chocolate chips or pecans last if you're using them. Stir just until combined.
  5. Bake as directed on the bag. Pull it when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

2. Protein Pumpkin Bars

A pan of frosted protein pumpkin bars with one bar on a plate next to small pumpkins

Same batter as the bread, spread thin in a big pan. Perfect for feeding a crowd, and out of the oven in under 20 minutes.

What you need

  • 1 bag Bell's Banana Bread Mix
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (instead of bananas)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • A 9x13 cake pan or jelly roll pan

How to make it

  1. Mix up the Banana Bread Mix following the directions on the bag.
  2. Skip the bananas and stir in the pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir just until combined.
  3. Spread evenly in a greased 9x13 cake pan or jelly roll pan.
  4. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until the center springs back when you touch it.
  5. Let cool completely before frosting.

Low-sugar cream cheese frosting

Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting, or try our low-sugar version:

  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 3 to 4 Tbsp honey or pure maple syrup

Beat everything together until smooth. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking, then spread over the cooled bars. Keep frosted bars in the fridge.

3. Protein Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Protein pumpkin chocolate chip cookies on a plate with Bell's Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, canned pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Soft, cakey, and loaded with chocolate. These are the ones that disappear first.

What you need

How to make it

  1. Follow the directions on your bag of Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix.
  2. Replace 1 whole egg with ½ cup pumpkin puree, still use the egg yolk.
  3. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir just until combined.
  4. Bake 9 to 11 minutes.

Heads up: these take a little longer than regular chocolate chip cookies because of the extra moisture from the pumpkin. Give them the full time.

Which one are you making first?

Bread for slow Sunday mornings. Bars for the party. Cookies for the lunchbox. Make all three and you've got fall covered.

Made one? Tag us @bellsproteinpantry. We love seeing what comes out of your kitchen.

Shop Banana Bread Mix | Shop Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Happy fall baking,
Kenzie & Cindy