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 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!
Kara
If I’m using graham cracker crumbs…how many cups should I use?
Allison
Hi, Kara. It’s in step one, it’s a little over 2 cups of crumbs. Enjoy!
Meg
Could you line the pan with parchment paper instead?
Allison
Yep! Enjoy!
Avery
How long should this cool at room temperature?Approximately? ?
Allison
If your kitchen is fairly cool I’d say maybe 2-3 hours. 🙂 Enjoy!
Ashma Chhetry
mine came out a soggy mess even after i over night cooled it. can it be put back in the oven??
Allison
Sorry to hear that. I haven’t tried re-baking it, so I can’t say if that will work. Did you use the right pan size or did you try to squeeze it into a smaller pan?
Thomas
Came out Perfect. I couldnt find pumpkinpie spice, sooo Improvise and Overcome.
1c Pumpkin Puree
1/2c Packed Brown Sugar
1/2Tsp Salt
3/4+ Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Ginger
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
Also dont forget a pan of water on the rack below where the cheesecake will be. A waterbath provides the Humidity in the oven to keep them from cracking.
Patti
My “swirl” looked less than stellar, probably due to some homemade pumpkin puree on the watery side, but boy, it tasted excellent. Definitely “a keeper.”
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Venessa
Does the cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream need to be at room temperature before mixing ingredients?
Thank you!
Allison
Hi, Venessa. Yes, the cream cheese and eggs need to be at room temperature. I use the sour cream straight from the fridge. I thought that was in the instructions but it appears that I missed it. I apologize. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I’m fixing it now. Enjoy!
Bianca
I made this for thanksgiving and received SO many compliments and they didn’t last long at all! Going to make it again for Christmas. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Merry Christmas!
Andie
This was a major hit on thanksgiving. I’ve made it twice so far and everyone loves it. Thanks for the recipe!
Allison
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Kim
What if you simply cannot find pumpkin purée?
Allison
I’d recommend just making regular cheesecake (not pumpkin flavored). I have White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars, Greek Yogurt Cheesecake, and Cheesecake Cookies you can try.
Pris
Let me start off by saying that I *hate* pumpkin pie (but I love cheesecake). Haha, so when my MIL specifically requested a pumpkin dessert that could not be a loaf, coffee cake, etc., I was a bit stumped.
I eventually Googled my options, found this recipe and went for it. Total success. Approved by all, including myself. 😉