Pumpkin lovers of all ages will instantly fall in LOVE with these easy-to-make pumpkin cheesecake bars. They are like the lovechild of cheesecake and pumpkin pie!
It is finally Pumpkin season again!
The return of Fall means colorful leaves and cooler air, hot apple cider and wrapping yourself in flannel sheets, big comfy sweaters and spicy cinnamon candles…
But let’s be honest; the return of Fall mostly means eating as much pumpkin as you possibly can – Pumpkin pie, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin spice lattes, Pumpkin Mac & Cheese…
It’s the time of year to stock up on as much canned pumpkin as you can fit in your cart, before everyone else beats you to it!
Could there possibly be a better way to welcome the return of Fall than by making up your own batch of homemade pumpkin cheesecake bars???
The bars can be gluten-free, sugar-free, & vegan.
You can also make them crustless if you want, or you can even use a half recipe of my Gluten Free Pie Crust recipe, as shown.
Another crust option is to go the easy route: pulverize 10 graham cracker sheets in a food processor with 1-2 tbsp oil or buttery spread, then press the crumbs down into a parchment-lined pan before smoothing the filling on top.
If you want to replace the pumpkin with mashed sweet potato, that’s okay too!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from my Healthy Cheesecake Recipe
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cheesecake Dream Bars
- 12 oz cream cheese - such as Trader Joes vegan
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup sugar, xylitol, or pure maple syrup
- pinch uncut stevia OR 1 additional tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice or additional cinnamon
- 1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cornstarch - such as Rapunzel non-GMO
Instructions
Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and your crust of choice unless you’d prefer crustless bars. (I included two crust options earlier in this post.) Set aside. Bring your cream cheese to room temperature or gently warm until easily stir-able. Preheat oven to 350 F. If you have an extra baking pan of any size to spare, fill it halfway with water and place on the lower rack of your oven. (This step can be skipped; it just helps prevent cracking.) Blend together all ingredients until just blended—don’t overblend, which would introduce air into the bars and cause cracking later on. Pour the batter into the first prepared 8×8 pan, smooth out evenly, and place on the middle rack of your oven. Bake 25 minutes, then leave the oven door closed but turn off the oven and let the bars sit in the turned-off oven for another 5 minutes. Take out the still-underbaked bars and let them sit at room temperature for an hour. (Don’t skip this, as putting them straight from the oven to the fridge would cause—you guessed it!—cracking.) Then refrigerate at least 4 hours, during which time they will firm up quite a bit. Slice into bars, and store leftovers in the fridge or even in the freezer if you want to thaw them another day.
Chocolate-Covered Katie Update:
I’m admittedly not good at writing about myself, which is why–as some of you pointed out last week–the “about me” page link we included in the new design was more of an “about the blog” page than one about me. But since the page does say it should be about Katie, I finally updated it over the weekend. Please feel free to let me know what you think!
(P.S. I live alone. I do not own a selfie stick and don’t really like selfies. I am too lazy for remote control timer things. And thus, the mirror selfie. Silly, but it works!)
Rob says
14th September 2015 at 10:20 amHi Katie! I’ve been reading your blog for ages (4 years?!?!) and this is my first time commenting, I think. I love the recipes and this one is EXACTLY what I am looking for right now. I can’t wait to try it! Keep up the good work!
Katherine says
14th September 2015 at 10:41 amWow, those look delicious. Pity that my oven is broken and I need to wait until the new one arrives. The bright side is that I’m on a diet… or is it the bright side? xD But seriously, pumpkin isn’t full of calories, right?
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Kirsti says
14th September 2015 at 10:55 amYum! These look great! I can’t wait to try them, and trust me, it will be soon.
It’s funny you mentioned your pumpkin mac and cheese recipe because not only is it a household favourite, but yesterday the boyfriend and I were looking for canned pumpkin just so we could make it this week 😉
[email protected] says
14th September 2015 at 11:02 amHey Katie,
I have no words for this one. Pumpkin + cheesecake = two amazing things that must be even more amazing together. Can’t wait to try it!
Mary says
14th September 2015 at 11:08 amThese look good- but please can you clarify. The photo seems to have a white cream cheesy crust–under the pumpkin mix– but all ingredients were blended together in recipe–and the only crust recipe you have is the gluten free pie crust? which is brown and not the same. So what is the “white crust” — is it the almond flour crust appearing differently? Or a mistake in photos? What did I miss here? Thank you.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
14th September 2015 at 11:12 amHi, sorry for the confusion! Almond flour can be either brown (like trader joes) or an off-white color (like bobs red mill). Just depends on the type you buy 🙂
Allison Seed says
14th September 2015 at 11:13 amWhat is the rule of thumb with your recipes? Do the calorie counts include the crust? These look fabulous!!!!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
15th September 2015 at 7:46 pmIf it’s part of the recipe (such as in my nanaimo bars) then crust is included. But here it is optional so not included 🙂
Alex says
14th September 2015 at 11:29 amPumpkin season is the best season! The weather is chilly here today and I’m loving it.
https://whitewallsandwanderlust.wordpress.com/
Jo says
14th September 2015 at 11:46 amThis looks amazing Katie! I was wondering if you would recommend somehow making a pumpkin cake/pie with silken tofu.. I know you have some cheesecake dips etc but actually baking it? 🙂
Chocolate Covered Katie says
15th September 2015 at 7:49 pmI can put it on my list of things to try! I don’t see why you couldn’t bake the dip… if you try it first, let me know! 🙂
Maria says
14th September 2015 at 12:26 pmKatie~ Your NUTRITION facts link on these Cheesecake Bars won’t open. Can you please fix so we can see nutrition?
Anon says
18th September 2015 at 9:52 amI clicked on the link and it worked. Perhaps it has been fixed since you tried.
Meghann Gervais-Lynch says
14th September 2015 at 12:39 pmOMG! These look so good! I can’t wait to try them, and eat them all, as hubby, ridiculously, doesn’t like pumpkin. I know, right?? Thanks for having such a great website!
Also, I have a question… where do you get your nutritional info? Is there a site where you plug all the ingredients in? I’d really love to know, even if I have to pay for it, it would be SO nice to know what I’m eating. Thanks in advance!
Hugs from Canada,
Meghann
Chocolate Covered Katie says
15th September 2015 at 7:51 pmCalorie Count
Meghann Gervais-Lynch says
17th September 2015 at 10:11 amThanks!!
Danielle says
14th September 2015 at 1:46 pmCan’t wait to try this little pumpkin dessert! I’ve been making your healthy desserts for years. I always take the sugar option in your recipes because I hate stevia. Thanks to your cookbook, I’ve finally decided to try NuNaturals, because you say it’s not bitter. So here goes…. ?
Elyse says
14th September 2015 at 2:24 pmJust in time for my pumpkin obsession to hit an all-time high this year! I’ll be making these this week!
Neyon says
14th September 2015 at 3:56 pmSo buttery and wholesome…
Serenkke says
14th September 2015 at 7:16 pmHi Katie, thank you for this blog! I juat made this recipe and it tastes fabulous, only I think I did something wrong about the crust. I cooked it first according to your gluten free crust recioe, I then filled it it with the pumpkin+ cream cheese mix and then baked again according to the recipe. The taste is fine but the crust has cooked a little too much I think, it has gobe brownish and not very easy to to cut :o(
Should I have baked the whole cake and crust at once?Thank you!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
15th September 2015 at 7:52 pmOh no! I am so sorry! Yes, the crust doesn’t need to be pre-baked if using a pie recipe that you bake. I am so sorry for the confusion. I updated that post to hopefully make it more clear. Really truly sorry 🙁
Dana says
14th September 2015 at 8:14 pmHi Katie,
I really like your blog, but if I may ask, why do you have “dairy pure milk” advertisements on your blog? I don’t own a blog myself, so I’m not sure how the whole thing works with advertisements, but do you have a say which ones can be displayed on your website? I mean no disrespect Katie, I just had to ask.
sherri says
14th September 2015 at 8:46 pmLooks and sounds yummy…I am wondering if the calorie count includes the almond-based crust too?
Thanks Katie=)
Anon says
18th September 2015 at 9:57 amShe states above in another comment: “If it’s part of the recipe (such as in my nanaimo bars) then crust is included. But here it is optional so not included.”
Heather Mason @NuttyNutrition says
15th September 2015 at 12:15 amahh, this recipe makes me want pumpkin pie soo bad! I’m abroad in Nicaragua right now and there is no pumpkin anywhere and it is definitely not fall weather! When I get back to the states I’m making this ASAP!
Edith says
15th September 2015 at 2:29 amLove it! Perfect recipe for fall 🙂 Need to try it.
http://thehappyvegangirl.com/
Brian Perkins says
15th September 2015 at 3:52 amHey Katie!
I just want to say that I’ve been reading your blog for years, and I love your recipes (especially the chocolate+peanut butter combos).
I loved this one, and so did my coworkers, but most of all, I think I love you! For real, you’re the best.
Xoxo
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Kristina says
15th September 2015 at 5:07 amGreat recipe! And I love your “about Katie” page.
Fifi says
15th September 2015 at 11:37 amHi , what crust did you use in the Pumpkin Cheesecake dream pie? Also what crust did you use in the Healthy Cheesecake of your dream? Would you mention the crust in your posts? I love your site.
Thanks a lot.
Anon says
18th September 2015 at 10:04 amIf you mean the pumpkin cheesecake dream bars here, then she used the gluten free pie crust:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/08/17/gluten-free-pie-crust-recipe/
As for the Healthy Cheesecake of Your Dreams, she mentioned in the comment section that she had used the raw chocolate cookie crust recipe from the Chocolate-Covered Katie Cookbook, just without the cacao.
Jill says
15th September 2015 at 12:44 pmMy personal rule is no pumpkin anything until October but these are soo tempting! Gonna pin this recipe for October 1st!
Maria says
15th September 2015 at 2:27 pmCannot wait to make this! Cheesecake is one of my favorite of faves and the pumpkin is a perfect seasonal variation. Thanks for the recipe!
cindy says
15th September 2015 at 2:58 pmDo you prebake the crust or bake it all at once with the filling on top?
Anon says
18th September 2015 at 10:06 amNo need to prebake this crust. She’s updated that post with the info.
Klara says
15th September 2015 at 4:54 pmhi, i could you use sweetpotatoe puree instead of the pumpkin?
Anna says
15th September 2015 at 9:36 pmYep, she mentions in the commentary that you can sub with sweet potato!
pilla says
16th September 2015 at 3:37 amOMG! Looks so delicious!
http://runwayp.com
Melanie says
16th September 2015 at 12:34 pmWe are so ready for the fall flavors and excited to be making pumpkin dishes again. These bars look fabulous, and I love the creamy mix of pumpkin and cheesecake texture. Will definitely be a new addition to the “pumpkin” routine for us.
Mary Ann says
16th September 2015 at 4:47 pmQuestion: if I don’t want to use a crust, do I still need to line the pan with parchment? Do I have to grease it in any way. And lastly what is Daiya cream cheese? What if I can’t find that type/brand? Thanks, I am dying to try this.
Anon says
18th September 2015 at 10:11 amThe parchment paper is probably used to get the bars out of the pan in one piece, I’m guessing. If you don’t care about presentation, it might work without the paper. But then again, it might be there to prevent it from burning… hmmm. :/ Sorry I can’t be more of help for that question.
As for the Daiya cream cheese, it’s a non-dairy brand. If you can’t find Daiya or want to use something else, it will work the same.
Cassie says
18th September 2015 at 10:32 pmOhohohoooooooo pumpkin season is bomb diggity! I cannot wait to make more of your pumpkin recipes! You’re so pretty in that picture BTW!
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Amanda says
19th September 2015 at 7:49 amHi, For the first time I have grown pumpkins and now have at least 20 to deal with soon! I am living in France so can’t look at a tin of pumpkin puree. Would you be able to tell me if I need to cook it down with sugar and spices to get a puree. I am a complete pumpkin novice! Many thanks. This looks a great recipe I can’t wait to try.
Anon says
23rd September 2015 at 3:34 amPumpkin puree doesn’t have any added ingredients. If you do an internet search for how to make pumpkin puree from a whole pumpkin it will tell you how. Let me know if you have trouble finding a guide.
FYI – cans of pumpkin pie filling have added ingredients, but pumpkin puree does not.
Emily says
23rd September 2015 at 1:51 amI didn’t have enough almond flour so I made the crust with coconut flour and it was great! I was not a fan of the cheesecake however. The Daiya cream cheese gave it a very sour flavor. I kept doublechecking the container and yes, it was plain.
I will try with Tofutti next time despite trying to avoid soy.
Shireen says
24th September 2015 at 12:46 amHi Katie! I’m confused about the extra baking pan filled with water to prevent cracking. Does It just sit there steaming on the lower rack?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
29th September 2015 at 1:14 pmYup, exactly!
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship says
2nd October 2015 at 7:04 pmThese looks so good – like they’re from a professional bakery!
Bonnie says
27th October 2015 at 12:13 pmDo you think these would work in a mini muffin pan and swril the layers around to give a marble effect?
jamie says
3rd November 2015 at 7:03 pmhave you tried making this with chocolate? so it’d be a chocolate cheesecake bar? WOULD LOVE THAT!
Andrea says
5th November 2015 at 7:57 pmDoes the point calculation include the crust? 🙂
Chocolate Covered Katie says
11th November 2015 at 4:41 amHi, as it mentions in the recipe, you need to let it sit at least 4 hours in the fridge to firm up. You do want it soft when it comes out of the oven. I’ve never tried it with arrowroot though. Be sure to report back!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
13th November 2015 at 7:59 amNot really sure what you mean by leaving this comment. Not only did I post what you wrote, I took the time to answer it as well. You might need to clear your browser cache, as it is indeed posted.
Courtney says
21st November 2015 at 5:28 amThese were delicious!
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Rebecca Rosenthal says
24th November 2015 at 3:19 pmHi Katie, This looks amazing and I was wondering if it would be possible to make it in a
9×13 glass pan? If so do I double the recipe? I’m assuming the cooking time would be longer also? Thanks!
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Chocolate Covered Katie says
25th November 2015 at 8:27 amHi, I’ve not tried, but be sure to report back if you do try! But yes, double the recipe for a 9×13.
Cecilie - A Story of Freedom says
16th December 2015 at 2:39 pmOh katie, your recipes look so good! And I love that most of them are plant based. I am going to try this pumpkin cheesecake! Thank you for inspiring and sharing 🙂
Tilly says
6th January 2016 at 10:17 amI love you desserts, Katie 🙂 You own nobody nothing, you’re good as you are 🙂 Cheers!
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Maya says
27th January 2016 at 12:33 pmyummmmy, I loved you way you made this Cheesecake <3
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Lorita Austin says
2nd April 2016 at 2:50 pmcannot wait to try them both
Thanks for sharing
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Meg L. says
2nd May 2016 at 2:40 pmAmazing!! And easily tweaked to be THM!!
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Larissa says
22nd May 2016 at 12:09 amMade this yesterday – it was amazing! I just used a regular sized tub of the tofutti no cream cheese (even though it was less than the amount specified in the recipe), but kept everything else the same (except I reduce the cornstarch by 1/2 tsp). I used your chocolate fudge ball recipe from your cookbook as the base – was a winner for everyone!
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Ellen says
11th October 2016 at 4:13 pmHi Katie! If I wanted to use Stevia extract instead of uncut Stevia, how many drops would that be? Thanks!
Megan says
10th November 2016 at 12:49 pmI made these one election night (therapeutic baking…) in pie form with your gluten-free crust. It was a winning recipe, to be sure! All of my friends loved it and said they couldn’t tell it was gluten-free. Added a chocolate drizzle because chocolate. Thanks Katie!
Michelle M. says
14th December 2016 at 8:09 pmWhat do you use to blend the ingredients? I softened the cream cheese in the microwave and it was stirrable but I couldn’t get all the lumps out. The cheesecake was also a little too gooey (and I typically prefer baked goods that are underdone). I also used the graham cracker crust mentioned in the post (I used 2 tbsp vegetable oil) and the crust was very crumbly and does not stay together when the bars are cut. The taste was very good and I plan on trying these again.
Veronica says
16th February 2017 at 12:29 amHi – Im from Australian so pumpkin pie is not a big thing here and i can’t find pumpkin pie spice in the shops – what do i use to make my own???
Alessandra says
18th September 2017 at 2:34 pmHi ! Can I make these in a pie crust?
Kylie says
2nd November 2017 at 9:20 pmHi! These were delish! I had trouble with my crust, however. It didn’t set at all, so it was like eating yummy pumpkin cheesecake bars on a loose bed of crumbs. Tasty, but messy. Lol I used 10 sheets of grahams and 2 T of Earth Balance. Pressed into pan and filling on top. Don’t have a clue what happened. Any ideas? Thanks so much for all of your amazing recipes! I come to your site before any other! ❤❤❤
Nicole says
22nd November 2017 at 10:44 amHi Katie,
I’m in the middle of making this recipe, but see that there are “dots” of cream cheese throughout the batter. Even after I baked it. Did I over cream the mixture? Is it still safe to eat?
Thanks!
T says
26th November 2017 at 8:10 pmMade this for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit, even with the non-healthy eaters!!! I did the GF pie crust in the link and used the Kite Hill almond cream cheese Whole Foods carries. I also amended the recipe with cardamom in addition to the other spices plus faking more of a cheesecake flavor profile by adding lime juice and apple cider vinegar to taste- they will really add some authentic cheesecake tang to it but obviously you don’t want to overpower the pumpkin and spices so taste as you go. I also think it’s best (refrigerated of course) 2 days after you make it which is a life saver for the holidays since you don’t have to do it the day of! The whole table was raving about how creamy it was and that the texture is perfection! Even people who don’t usu like pumpkin liked it. I’ve already been informed it’s a must for Christmas. Thank you so much, Katie!!!
Jason Sanford says
27th November 2017 at 7:00 amI love the idea to add cider vinegar and cardamom!
Lisa says
21st April 2018 at 3:22 pmHello, this sounds yummy. We don’t have access to canned pumpkin in Australia. How much homemade pumpkin puree should I use?
Jason Sanford says
22nd April 2018 at 4:27 amIt would still be 1 cup
Grace says
8th October 2018 at 3:50 amDear Katie,
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes. I’m very excited to try this recipe out this fall! I will report back when I try it out. 🙂
I have a question about the cream cheese. Did you use Trader Joe’s vegan cream cheese for the recipe? If so… it seems like TJ sells them in 8oz tubs and I wanted to clarify whether you used 1.5 tubs (=12oz) for the cream cheese – and not just 1 tub.
Really love and enjoy your blog. Keep up the great work.
Jason Sanford says
8th October 2018 at 10:31 amYes use the amount listed, so 1.5 tubs. Or you can make a full cheesecake in a springform by doubling the recipe and using three tubs if you don’t want leftovers. 🙂
Katie Price says
30th October 2018 at 6:06 pmOh boy I just put these in the oven but made a few errors! Realized I used only 8oz of cream cheese, and used a 13×9 pan which made it really thin! Will let you know how it works out!