Ready to switch up your pumpkin pie routine? You’ve got to try these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars. They’re made of a classic pumpkin pie filling with a thick cheesecake swirl in a buttery graham cracker crust. Truly the perfect fall dessert.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect fall flavors: I am IN LOVE with the way the warm, soothing flavors of pumpkin and pumpkin spice pair with the tangy sweetness of the creamy cheesecake swirl.
- Beautiful: The white cheesecake swirl against the earthy orange of the pumpkin batter is eye-catching, to say the least. It’ll have your guests flocking to the dessert table.
- Can be made ahead: Make them up to 2 days in advance and let them chill in the fridge (covered) until you are ready to slice and serve.
- Perfect for a crowd: These pumpkin cheesecake bars are sugar and spice and everything nice, all in an awesome 9×13, slice-able, sharable dessert.
Looking for more pumpkin treats? Try my pumpkin bread and/or this pumpkin cheesecake.
Ingredient Notes
- Graham cracker crumbs – Feel free to use crumbled gingersnap cookies instead for a glorious gingersnap crust.
- Melted butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter. Try both (on separate occasions, of course)! Let me know which you prefer.
- Pumpkin puree – Make sure you grab pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix. The canned stuff is super convenient, but feel free to make your own instead!
- Heavy cream – Half and half will also do the trick if you want to lighten things up.
- Eggs – I suggest using room-temperature eggs. They will mix more smoothly and easily into the batter.
- Pumpkin pie spice – I like this pumpkin pie spice from Amazon, but you can use any brand you’d like. Alternatively, use a blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
- Cream cheese – Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature before using it. Otherwise, it won’t blend well with the other ingredients, and you’ll find yourself with a lumpy cream cheese swirl.
Tips for Perfect Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Room temperature eggs: Let your eggs sit out at room temperature for a while before adding them to the pumpkin batter (and the cheesecake swirl). They will mix more smoothly and easily with the other ingredients.
- Room temperature cream cheese: Start with room-temperature cream cheese. If it is too cold, it won’t mix well with the other ingredients, and you’ll end up with a lumpy cheesecake swirl.
- Cool and chill: These pumpkin cheesecake bars won’t be fully set when they come out of the oven. Give them 30 minutes to cool at room temperature before popping them in the fridge for at least 2 hours. If you try to slice into them right away, you’ll find yourself with a runny mess.
- Make them ahead: If you want to make these bars ahead of time, you totally can. Follow the recipe from start to finish. Once they are done cooling, cover them in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge. While they will stay good for up to 1 week, they are best on days 1 and 2. So don’t make them too far in advance.
Variation Ideas
- Gingersnap crust: Instead of using crumbled graham crackers in your crust, you can make a batch of these gingersnap cookies and crumble them up instead.
- Brown sugar: I used granulated sugar for this recipe, but you could use light brown sugar for a deeper, caramel-y flavor.
- Chocolate spin: If you’re in a chocolate-y mood, go ahead and add a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder to the cream cheese swirl.
- Elevate with toppings: I love serving these cheesecake bars with a dollop of whipped cream. If you’re making your own, add a dash of cinnamon. Boom! Cinnamon whipped cream!
How to Store
- Refrigerator: Once they’re fully set, seal any leftover cheesecake pumpkin pie bars in an airtight container. You can store them in the fridge for up to one week.
- Freezer: You can also freeze these sweet pumpkin treats. Seal them in an airtight container or wrap individual bars in a double layer of plastic wrap. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw in the fridge before diving back in.
Yield: 15 bars
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe
These amazing Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars have a buttery graham cracker crust, spiced pumpkin pie filling and a sweet, thick cheesecake swirled through them!
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons melted butter
Pumpkin Layer:
- 1 can 15 oz pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Cheesecake Swirl:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper or foil.
Graham Cracker Crust:
- In a medium sized bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until crumbly. Press into the prepared baking pan.
Pumpkin Layer:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients (pumpkin puree, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice). Pour on top of graham cracker layer.
Cheesecake Swirl:
- In a medium bowl, beat all ingredients (cream cheese, egg, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla extract) with electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed.
- Spoon tablespoonfuls of cheesecake filling on top of pumpkin layer. With a knife, carefully swirl cheesecake filling into pumpkin mixture to create marbled look. Be careful to not disturb the bottom graham cracker layer while swirling the top two layers.
- Bake for 37 to 42 minutes or until center is set. Cool for 30 minutes and then refrigerate for 2 hours, until chilled.
- Slice into squares and serve.
Notes
Store any leftover pumpkin cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar, Calories: 338kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 99mg, Sodium: 204mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 27g
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These are delicious! I didn’t have Graham crackers so I used a shortbread crust instead. Turned out great. They are so much quicker than a cheesecake if you’re looking for that cheesecake flavor and some pumpkin!
These were easy to make and a hit! I do have leftovers though. Can I freeze what’s left?
I love this recipe! I make it every Christmas for my family gathering. These are delicious!
I find there’s way too much cream cheese and will plan to cut that portion in half the next time I make them.
I made it for the first time and I believe I can answer the problems of the one gal who hates this recipe. If your cream cheese isn’t room temperature, it is much harder to get it to incorporate. Leaving it lumpy with flavors not working together. There is also butter that has cream in it, that will not melt correctly. It will be gritty no matter what, and the breadcrumbs won’t have a good taste. The butter must be completely melted, no pieces left. We love it!
I’ve attempted these in the past and found the same thing as this time, that the bake time ends up being way longer than what’s listed. I ended up adding at least another 20 minutes but they seem to have turned out great! Can’t wait to cut into them tomorrow for Thanksgiving 🙂
Hi Maddie! It can differ with ovens, but I’m glad they are delicious! Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving!
I knew I wanted to make this as soon as I saw your recipe. I made it and gave it to my sister, who lives here on O’ahu in Hawai’i. I saw her this past Sat.
She and her family loved it! She texted me and said it was ONO, which means delicious in Hawaiian.
I cut a corner piece before I gave her the pan and I love it, too!
I’m making it again tomorrow to give it to her on Wednesday the 16th.
Mahalo (thank you in Hawaiian) for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed them Alexis! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
These are a go to for me! My family loves them! So much so that I have to make 2 pans Thank you for such a great recipe!!
I just made it again! It is the MOST Delicious! I could just eat and eat till it’s all gone but I space it out about 3 days! I do share some with my neighbor and she loves it too!
This is the worst receipt ever instructions were shady needed way more cream cheese also the pumpkin purée and cream cheese should be mixed not layered. Don’t follow this recipe they will turn out like shit. ABSOLUTE TRASH
Thanks for the entertaining review of your receipt Brooke!
Your recipe goes back and forth on the pumpkin….You mention a 15 oz can of pumpkin….the pumpkin pie mix comes in a 15 oz size but the puree does not. Are you getting the two confused?
Hi Adrianne! No, I am not confused. You want to use regular pure canned pumpkin. You do not want to use pumpkin pie mix. And also yes, canned pumpkin does come in a 15 oz can. Hope this helps!
I’ve made these several times since finding your recipe. They’re perfect and so good! Thank you so much for sharing.
Made these today for the first time and I am impressed. These are easy and delicious. Just make sure to cook them enough- I almost took out too early but decided they needed an extra few minutes and they were perfect. Everyone loves!
I made these exactly according to the recipe and it taste well, however the inside is wet even after 45 minutes out to cool and 4 hours in the fridge. Did it not bake long enough?
Hi Christine! They should be a pumpkin pie like texture. If they are loose or watery, yes I would say they sound like they didn’t bake quite long enough.
This is my THIRD time making these since Fall started. My family loves these so much. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
This is literally my favorite recipe! I find myself making these time after time & everyone loves them! I use parchment paper rather than tin foil and add salt to each filling, including the crust. I also prebake the crust at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes and leave to cool before pouring the fillings.
One issue I seem to have is during the cooling process. Even after an hour and a half of being left out to cool, condensation forms on the cling wrap and ends up getting all over the cheesecake, causing it to get soggy almost or like curdled.
Sometimes that happens with cheesecake, definitely frustrating when it does! I like to place a paper towel on top and then my cling wrap, it usually helps a ton or prevents it completely! Hope this helps!
These were not very good. The first recipe that I’ve thrown away. Had a guest try them & we agreed the pumpkin portion reminded us of “baby food”. They looked good but won’t be repeating this recipe
Well, I finally tried these over the holiday. I loved the idea of gingersnaps for the crust, but didn’t have any, and didn’t want to make any. Instead I put 1 1/4 tsp round ginger in the graham crackers. Also, I used a whole heaping TBSP of up pumpkin pie spice. I put this in a 7×10 fat daddy 3 inch deep baking pan, lined with parchment. It is my go to pa as I only have a toaster oven.(I live in a studio apartment with no oven) Baked for the same amount of time. Allowed to cool. So nice. Didn’t last long.
I just made these and when I sliced into them, they were incredibly runny. It didn’t set like a normal pumpkin dessert. I followed the recipe exactly except used half and half instead of the cream. Is that why??
Sounds like they didn’t cook long enough to me.
Followed the directions exactly except skipped the tin foil/ parchment paper and just sprayed pan with cooking spray. They did not stick and came out perfect. Super easy and delicious! Will definitely be making these again!