Rich and creamy layered pumpkin cheesecake bars are the go-to dessert of the season! Every bite is exploding with flavor with a pumpkin spice graham cracker crust along with a layer of vanilla cheesecake and a layer of pumpkin cream cheese, filling all made from the same batter!
I would be lying if I said I didn’t love everything about pumpkin season! I can’t resist any kind of dessert or even savory dish that includes pumpkins. I wait for the season to roll around every year so I can indulge in all things pumpkin!
If you are a pumpkin fanatic like I am, I know you’re going to love these pumpkin cheesecake bars. They’re unlike anything I’ve made before, and they will leave a lasting impression on anyone who bites into their irresistible goodness.
What You’ll Need To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Graham Crackers: Using graham crackers will give you that perfect and most delicious cheesecake crust.
- Butter: You just need a little bit of butter to help keep the crust extra strong for the cheesecake bars.
- Brown Sugar: I know a lot of cheesecakes use granulated white sugar for the crust, but I really love the flavor of the brown sugar with the other fall ingredients.
- Pumpkin Spice: The star of the show of course is the pumpkin pie spice! You will need a little bit for the crust as well as the cheesecake filling.
- Cream Cheese: It is very important that you use cream cheese that is room temperature when you begin making this recipe. If you don’t the cheesecake layer will end up lumpier and not as appealing.
- Granulated Sugar: Using granulated sugar will give you the ideal amount of sweetness in every bite of these pumpkin cheesecake bars.
- Eggs: The eggs help bring the other ingredients together and give them a fantastic texture.
- Sour Cream: I like to add a little bit of sour cream to my cheesecake bars because it tastes really good and it goes well with the other ingredients.
- Vanilla Extract: A little bit of vanilla takes these cheesecake bars from ordinary to extraordinary! You could also swap it out for almond extract if you wanted a little extra fun flavor.
- Canned Pumpkin: It’s important that you use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. There’s a big difference in the two and pumpkin pie filling just won’t work.
How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Making these pumpkin cheesecake bars seriously couldn’t be any easier! You don’t have to put in a lot of effort, but the reward is amazing.
Start off by heating up the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Then take a baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
Start preparing the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice in a medium bowl. After you have a crust go ahead and press it down and to the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate the crust while you start preparing the filling.
Next, mix together the cream cheese and sugar until it is creamy. There shouldn’t be any lumps. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix well in between each addition. Then mix in the sour cream and vanilla.
Take the crust out of the refrigerator and add half of the cheesecake batter to the pan. Set it aside.
Take the rest of the batter and add the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until combined. Then pour the pumpkin layer on top of the cheesecake layer.
Bake the cheesecake bars for 40 to 50 minutes or until the center is just slightly jiggly.
Take pumpkin cheesecake bars out of the oven and allow them to cool for 2 hours. Then place them in the refrigerator and keep them chilled for at least six hours. It’s best if you can keep them in the fridge overnight if possible.
How To Soften Cream Cheese
The easiest method to soften cream cheese is by leaving it out at room temperature for at least an hour. This will give it the perfect and most prime temperature to work with. It allows your cheesecake layer to be extra smooth and creamy which adds to how delicious it is.
If you don’t have time to let the cream cheese sit out at room temperature, you can also microwave it for 10 seconds at a time. Only microwave it until it has just begun to soften.
Looking For More Tasty Pumpkin Recipes?
- Soft & Fluffy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Pops
- Easy Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Cheesecake Layers
- 16 ounces full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients for the crust and press evenly into the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate until you are done making the filling.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar until creamy and lump free. Beat in eggs one at a time, then sour-cream, and vanilla.
- Remove the crust from the fridge and pour half of the cheesecake batter into the pan. Set aside.
- To the remaining batter, add the pumpkin and pumpkin spice and beat until just combined.
- Carefully pour the pumpkin layer on top of the plain cheesecake layer and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the center is just slightly jiggly.
- Remove from the oven and cool for at least 2 hours then transfer to the refrigerator and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (best overnight!).
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very tasty! I made this for Thanksgiving dinner. Here are the changes I made.
After reading another reviewer’s comments, I went with some of her changes. I bumped up the oven temp to 340 (split the difference) and baked for 60 mins. I added 1/2 cup pumpkin, tasted, and decided to add the full 3/4 cup. That gave a very nice mild flavor, not too much pumpkin taste to it.
I didn’t line the 8×8 glass dish with parchment, as I don’t like working with it with a deeper pan. Instead I used butter to grease the pan and had no problems with sticking at all.
The biggest change I’d make is to use less crust. 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs is too much! I’d suggest just using a cup of cracker crumbs instead.
Overall, a keeper!
I made a double recipe to bring to a friend’s house for Canadian Thanksgiving. It turned out perfectly- no changes or substitutions and it took exactly 40 min to bake. Perfect texture on the crust, held up well but not too firm, nice mild pumpkin flavour, perfectly spiced, and amazingly creamy. Thank you, will definitely be making this again.
Thanks for the detailed feedback, Rebecca!
Hi, Jam asks if you use a water bath for this cheesecake. I would like to know also before I try this recipe. It sounds delicious.
No waterbath needed!
I followed the recipe. Took 60 minutes to bake. Is delicious!
This recipe was only okay. As a pretty advanced baker, I have two suggestions to make it better. (1) 325 was way too low of a temp. Mine took more than an hour to fully bake. I think 350 degrees would be much more appropriate for the 40-50 min bake time. (2) there’s WAY too much pumpkin in this recipe and it overpowers the delicate cheesecake. I would say it only need 1/4 to 1/2 cup of pumpkin at most!
Hi! Do i bake it with a water bath or just straight to the oven? Thanks!
I made this recipe but used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because it’s all I had in my home.
I want to double this and make in a 9×13 glass dish. Any ideas on how long to bake it?
Bake for about 5 minutes longer or until the canter is slightly jiggly!
Can substitute sugar be used in his recipe?
You can use sugar of choice.
Amazing and so easy to make. My family loves these!