Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin cheesecake bars are a rich and creamy delicious treat. Everything you love about pumpkin pie and everything you love about cheesecake all in one dessert!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Perfect for fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just any time of the year you crave pumpkin. These bars promise to impress and be a huge hit!
The combination of pumpkin pie flavor with classic cheesecake flavor is sublime! These bars are so easy to make you just might skip pumpkin pie this year. Maybe.
Tips and Variations
- You could use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon in place of the spice blend listed. But I highly recommend our spice mixture.
- Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- You can also use sweet potato puree in place of the pumpkin.
- As always, using room temperature cream cheese and room temperature eggs allows the ingredients to blend better resulting in a smoother cheesecake.
- To help prevent cracks, avoid overmixing and overbaking.
- Feel free to switch up the crust crushed gingersnaps, sugar cookies, or chocolate cookies work too.
- To slice the bars, use a sharp knife dipped in hot water, dry the knife quickly, make one cut, wipe with paper towels, and repeat.
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang to use as handles to lift the bars out with ease.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, dark brown sugar, and melted butter. Press into the bottom of the baking dish.
Bake for 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Remove those fancy clips before placing it in the oven. (Don’t ask me how I know.) The handles make me crazy so I clip them down.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
Add the granulated sugar and vanilla, and mix well.
Add the eggs and mix until combined. Pour 2/3 of the cheesecake mixture over the graham cracker crust, and smooth it out in an even layer. Set aside.
Add the pumpkin puree to the remaining cheesecake batter and mix until combined. Add the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Mix well.
Pour the pumpkin mixture over the cheesecake layer and carefully smooth the top.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top is set but slightly jiggly in the very center. Do not overbake.
Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight is best, but a minimum of 4 hours.
Slice and serve!
No, these have a thinner cheesecake layer so there is little risk of it cracking.
The sides should be set and the center just slightly jiggly in the very center.
Absolutely, it’s best made ahead so it has time to set and chill overnight in the fridge.
Let it cool completely to room temperature. Store in an air-tight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to place paper towels over the pan and then wrap them, to keep condensation from dripping on the pumpkin cheesecake bars.
Yes. Let it set completely in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Remove it from the pan, then place it on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 2 hours. Then wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and then in aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
More Pumpkin Dessert Recipes
- Creamy Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Better Than Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Recipe
- Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Bakery Style Pumpkin Muffins
- Gingersnap Crust Pumpkin Pie
- Easy Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Filling
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tbsp Dark brown sugar
- 4 tbsp Unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake Layer
- 16 oz Cream cheese softened
- 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 large Eggs room temperature
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
Pumpkin Layer
- 15 oz Pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie mix
- 1/4 cup Dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp Ground allspice
- 1/8 tsp Salt
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang to use as handles to lift the bars out with ease.
- In a medium-size bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, dark brown sugar, and melted butter. Press into the bottom of the baking dish.
- Bake for 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Cheesecake Layer
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Add the granulated sugar and vanilla, mix well. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Pour 2/3 of the cheesecake mixture over the graham cracker crust, smooth it out in an even layer. Set aside.
Pumpkin Layer
- Add the pumpkin puree to the remaining cheesecake batter and mix until combine. Add the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Mix well.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture over the cheesecake layer and carefully smooth the top.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top is set but slightly jiggly in the very center. Do not overbake.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate. Overnight is best, but at least a minimum of 4 hours.