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!
Melissa
Sadly a waste of time, money, and resources. Baked them for 35 minutes and they were still undercooked. So I tried them for another ten minutes. And another. And another. Then after an extra FORTY MINUTES of baking, they were STILL undercooked. I get the recipe says they’re supposed to be a bot jiggly, but this was soup consistency. I cranked up the temperature to 400 but that didn’t help either. Once I let them cool, I tried them and they are soggy, super, and gross. Also not nearly sweet enough. Never, ever, ever again.
Allison
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. Did you make any changes to the recipe?
Kaitlin
Followed the instructions exactly and these came out AMAZING. This will definitely be going on my list of desserts to make every fall season.
Allison
I’m so glad! Happy baking. 🙂
Lisa Fowler
I made these for the first time yesterday. I followed the recipe and instructions exactly, did not deviate on any part of it. They took exactly 45 minutes to cook to the point you described–edges firm, middle a bit jiggly. Cooled for three hours on the counter, then overnight in the fridge. They were perfection, and delicious! What a great recipe. I’ll be making these again for Thanksgiving.
Allison
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Anthony
Can confirm recipe works, just had cook time at around 50-60 minutes. Also one tip, I’d suggest lowering the sugar down a bit, it is a little overwhelming!
Allison
Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Deb
These turned out fabulous!!! Just as good as Cheesecake Factory!
Allison
That’s great to hear! Thanks for the review. 🙂
Chris S
I too had issues with the viscosity of the cream cheese filling part not mixed with pumpkin. It was significantly more runny than the pumpkin side. I was concerned after reading the one review that said it didn’t set up. But I let it bake for the full 45 min, and it did finish setting up! It was so good. I brought it to work so i didn’t have to eat the whole pan! I don’t like pumpkin pie and this is a perfect substitute for me!
Allison
Hi, Chris! I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Raquel
How would you defrost these when time to eat? I want to make for a baby shower a month out.
Allison
I defrost in the refrigerator overnight. I will say that I think these are best within a day or two of being baked. I have frozen leftover bars but I don’t freeze them all before serving.
Jamie
I’ve made these multiple times and everyone begs for me to make them again. They are so delicious and creamy. It is the perfect amount of pumpkin and cheesecake flavor. Absolutely love!!
Allison
Yay! I’m so glad. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Faye
Followed recipe exactly came out perfect will make again very easy.
Allison
Great! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. 🙂
Kristy
Could these be made two days in advance or would they dry out too much being in the refrigerator for that long?
Allison
That should be ok. The longer they sit the softer the crust will get, so just be aware of that. Enjoy!