These swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars feature the flavors of pumpkin pie and creamy cheesecake on a graham cracker crust. This is a delicious and crowd-pleasing holiday dessert that is way easier than making traditional cheesecake.
There are Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars in my fridge and I can’t think straight because I want to be nibbling on them constantly. How many cheesecake bars is it acceptable for an adult woman to consume in one day? Asking for a friend.
I fell in love with cream cheese-pumpkin combo when I made my Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake. This recipe has a similar flavor profile, but it tastes more like a traditional cheesecake. These bars have been met with rave reviews and I can’t wait for you to make and share them this holiday season.
Prefer traditional cheesecake bars (no pumpkin)? That recipe is here: Cheesecake Bars.
Recipe overview:
- Graham cracker crust: A mixture of graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. This delicious crust is sweet, buttery, and incredibly easy.
- Filling: A combination of vanilla cheesecake batter and pumpkin cheesecake batter are swirled together to create a creamy and flavorful filling.
- Baking: This recipe bakes in a 9×13 pan, for a total of about 50 minutes.
- Cooling: These cheesecake bars will need to cool completely before cutting and serving. Cool them to room temp, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill completely.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Flavor: A combination of buttery crust, sweet and tangy cheesecake, pumpkin, warm spices, and a touch of vanilla.
Ease: A simple press-in graham cracker crust crust and a filling that comes together in minutes.
Quantity: This recipe makes a 9×13 pan of bars – perfect for feeding a crowd.
Recipe tips
- Use full-fat cream cheese and sour cream for ths recipe. Low-fat alternatives can have stabilizers in them that might affect the texture.
- Make sure you buy pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling (which is already sweetened).
- Don’t overbeat the cheesecake batter. If you add too much air it can crack when it is baking.
- You need to allow at least 8 hours for this cheesecake to cool. It should first cool to room temp, then chill completely in the refrigerator.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Out of sour cream? Try one of these Sour Cream Substitutes.
More pumpkin recipes
Pumpkin Bars – Soft cake-like bars topped with brown butter frosting.
Pumpkin Muffins – Moist pumpkin muffins topped with a brown sugar crumble and cinnamon icing.
Pumpkin Pie Bars – Creamy pumpkin pie filling on top of a shortbread crust.
Pumpkin Pudding Cake – Pumpkin cake that bakes with a brown sugar caramel sauce.
Pumpkin Carrot Cake – A delicious layer cake with cream cheese frosting.
Pumpkin Ice Cream – Super creamy no-churn ice cream that tastes likes pumpkin pie with whipped cream.
Recipe
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 15 whole rectangular graham crackers
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
- 1-¼ cups pumpkin puree
- 1-½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- Three 8-oz packages full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1-⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1-½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup full fat sour cream
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with foil and lightly grease the foil.
Crust:
- Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and process until the graham crackers are in fine crumbs (you should have just over 2 cups of crumbs). In a separate bowl, combine crumbs, sugar, and melted butter and stir until combined. Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan and press it into an even layer (I use the back of a measuring cup).
- Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes until it is just beginning to turn golden brown and fragrant. Place the crust on a wire rack to cool slightly while you make the filling.
Filling:
- In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, spices, and flour. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla, sour cream, and salt, and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, and turning off the mixer as soon as the last egg is fully incorporated.
- Measure out 1-½ cups of the cream cheese mixture and add it to the reserved pumpkin mixture, stirring until combined.
- Alternate scoops of cream cheese filling and the pumpkin filling all over the top of the crust. Use a sharp knife to drag/swirl the two mixtures together (I do figure eights). Be careful not to drag the knife all the way down into the crust.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 35-45 minutes, until the center still has a very slight jiggle but the edges are set. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill (this will take several hours).
Video
Notes
- Use full-fat cream cheese and sour cream for ths recipe. Low-fat alternatives can have stabilizers in them that might affect the texture.
- Make sure you buy pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling (which is already sweetened).
- Don’t overbeat the cheesecake batter. If you add too much air it can crack when it is baking.
- You need to allow at least 8 hours for this cheesecake to cool. It should first cool to room temp, then chill completely in the refrigerator.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Janis
I really liked this recipe , but next time I would cut the pumpkin pie spice to 1 tsp instead of 1 1/2 tsp just my preference otherwise its easy and delicious!
Allison
Thanks for sharing your experience. Happy holidays! 🙂
Heather T
What kind of baking pan/dish is best? It says pan but shows a glass dish. I just want to be sure!
Allison
Hi, Heather. You can use glass as I did when I photographed this, but I’ve also used a metal pan which I’d say I probably prefer. Enjoy!
Cheryl P.
I can confirm this is a great recipe! The only change I made is reducing the sugar to 1 1/2 cups and they were perfectly sweet! I baked mine for 48 minutes in an 13 x 9 airbake (remember those?!) and used parchment paper to lift them out after the chilled all day long. Worked awesome! And…they didn’t crack! I did leave them in the oven about 25 minutes after the 48 minute mark. I turned off the oven and cracked the door. Maybe that helped? I tested these for Thanksgiving and can’t wait to serve them!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Krystal
Hi! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! I would love an emphasize on the cheesecake flavoring. Should I add one more cream cheese?
Allison
Hi, Krystal. The pumpkin layer has cream cheese in it, so it should have enough cheesecake flavor as is. You could try reducing the amount of pumpkin puree and spices to let the cheesecake flavor come through more. If you do add another block of cream cheese you’ll need to increase the sugar and possibly add one more egg. You’d have to play around with it. I’ve only made the recipe as written.
Krystal
Okay! Thank you so much!
Chris
Can I make the filling a day before I plan to bake it? So make the filling on Sunday, and then make the crust and bake the whole thing on Monday evening?
Allison
Hi, Chris. I’m not sure how that will work. Once you refrigerate the cream cheese mixture it will firm up and likely won’t swirl smoothly when you’re assembling it.
Hailey
Can i use boxed cheesecake? If im in a time crunch
Kristen
Any suggestions on how to make this is pie form? Cant wait to try!
Allison
Hi, Kristen. I’ve only made the recipe as written, so I can’t say for sure. You’ll definitely need a deep pan, like a springform, and bake time will need to be increased. You’d have to play around with it. Or you can try this recipe: pumpkin cheesecake. Happy holidays!
Jessica F.
Hi Allison!
This cheesecake has become a holiday favorite for my family! It is perfection! Unfortunately, my husband has to go gluten free and I was hoping to get your recommendations for attaining that with this recipe. TIA!
Allison
Hi, Jessica! I’d recommend gluten free graham crackers for the crust and swapping the tablespoon of flour in the filling for cornstarch. Sometimes I find that gluten free crusts can really stick to the pan so I recommend lining the pan with parchment or foil. Enjoy!
Wendy Nichols
I do not understand the “reserved “ pumpkin, how much are we combating with the cheesecake mixture?
Allison
The “reserved” pumpkin mixture is what you set aside in step 1 of the filling instructions. It’s all of the pumpkin, which you combine with 1.5 cups of the cheesecake mixture.
Alicia
Can I substitute squash? I bought squash, thought itbwas pumpkin
Allison
Canned butternut squash? Hhhmmm…it’s probably thinner than the pumpkin puree. Maybe add an extra tablespoon or so of flour? You’d have to play around with it. Maybe just make plain cheesecake bars? That recipe is here: cheesecake bars.