Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are the BEST—delicious cinnamon graham cracker crust, two layers of cheesecake, and topped with an easy streusel and caramel.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
This pumpkin cheesecake recipe, created in 2014, has been loved by hundreds! It’s amazing to read the reviews and see how popular it is. One of the most common requests is to make it BIGGER.
Many of you have requested a 9 x 13-inch version of these delicious pumpkin cheesecake bars, so I’ve updated this post with step-by-step pictures, helpful tips, and a new recipe.
But no worries, the 9 x 9-inch version remains unchanged for those who prefer a smaller size.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese: Let the cream cheese sit at room temp for at least an hour for a smoother mixture.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the filling.
- Salt: Even a pinch of salt can add so much flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Eggs: Help set the cheesecake.
- Pumpkin: Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice: Adjust the spices to your preferences.
- Crust: Cinnamon graham crackers, dark brown sugar, and unsalted butter. Crush the graham crackers finely for a smoother crust.
- Topping: Brown sugar, flour, quick oats, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract form a sweet, crumbly streusel topping
How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Make Crust: Mix all the crust ingredients in a bowl. Press into your 9×13.
- Cheesecake Filling: Beat cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Pour half over the crust.
- Add Pumpkin: Stir pumpkin and spices into remaining mixture. Pour over plain cheesecake layer.
- Make Streusel: Combine streusel ingredients, crumble it over bars, and bake!
- Top with Caramel: Use store-bought caramel sauce or make your own Caramel Sauce.
Tips For Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Room Temp Cream Cheese: It mixes better for a creamier texture. Microwave in 15-20 second bursts until just warm.
- Don’t Overmix: Mix just enough to get rid of lumps. Over-mixing adds air, causing cracks. Use low speeds.
- Cool Completely: Let the cheesecake cool fully at room temp to avoid cracks.
- Cut with a Hot Knife: Run your knife under hot water, dry it, and make a cut.
Variations
Gingersnap Crust Variation
While I love the cinnamon graham cracker crust, you can easily swap it out for this gingersnap crust. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 ½ cups finely ground gingersnap crumbs (pulse in a blender or food processor)
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Mix these ingredients together and use in place of the graham cracker crust.
Storage
Leftovers?
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Avoid Freezing: These bars do not freeze well; they can become soggy and the streusel loses its appeal. Enjoy them same day for the best flavor!
More Pumpkin Desserts
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Bakery Style Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread
- Easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Ball
Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Bars with a Streusel Topping
These Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars feature a cinnamon graham cracker crust, two layers of creamy cheesecake, and a streusel topping drizzled with caramel sauce. Perfect for any gathering, they’re sure to be a hit!
Equipment
- Baking pan 9 x 13-inch
- Hand mixer
Ingredients
Crust
- 12 sheets cinnamon graham crackers crumbled
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake
Streusel and Topping
- 1 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Salted or plain caramel to top bars
Instructions
- Ensure cream cheese is left at room temperature at least one hour before baking for a smooth texture. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper (leave an overhang to pull out bars easily).
- In a bowl, combine crust ingredients and mix until a thick dough forms. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared 9×13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes, remove, and allow to cool.
- In another bowl, combine room-temperature cream cheese, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer until completely smooth and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until each is combined.
- Remove half this mixture and pour on top of the prepared crust in the baking pan.
- Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice to the remaining cheesecake mixture and stir until completely combined.
- Careful not to combine the two layers, pour the pumpkin layer on top of the plain cheesecake layer. Bake for 30 minutes at 350℉.
Streusel
- In the same bowl used for the crust, stir together brown sugar, flour, oats, and cinnamon. Cut butter into small cubes. Avoid melting butter entirely as it makes the streusel too wet. Add butter and vanilla and mix (with a pastry cutter or hands) until well combined. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over pumpkin cheesecake layer.
- Place in oven and bake for 25–30 minutes or until cheesecake has set.
- Allow to cool for about an hour at room temperature, then place in fridge for 1–2 hours. Use a hot, sharp knife to cut bars straight out of the fridge. (I run the knife under hot water, wipe with a towel, make one cut, repeat.)
- Top each bar with caramel topping of your choice.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 65.6mg | Sodium: 125.4mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20.2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
For the 9 x 9-inch pan recipe:
Crust
- 1 and 1/2 cups (~10-11 full sheets) cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
Cheesecake
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) full fat cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling and not entire can)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Streusel and Topping
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
- 1/2 cup white flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter softened (not melted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Salted or plain caramel to top bars with
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 9 baking pan with parchment paper (leave an overhang to be able to pull out these bars easily) and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the crust ingredients and mix until a thick dough forms. Press evenly into the bottom of the 9 x 9 baking pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
- In another bowl, combine the cream cheese, (VERY important it is at room temperature for a smooth texture. Leave out for at least an hour before baking. Microwaving the cream cheese will give it a bumpy texture) sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat with hand mixers until completely smooth and creamy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and beat until each is combined.
- Remove 1 and 1/2 cups of this mixture and pour on top of the prepared crust.
- Add the canned pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice to the remaining cheesecake mixture and stir until completely combined.
- Careful not to combine the two layers, pour the pumpkin layer on top of the plain cheesecake layer. Bake for 30 minutes.
Streusel
- In the same bowl you used for the crust, stir together the brown sugar, white flour, quick cooking oats, and cinnamon. Add in the butter and vanilla and mix together until well combined. Avoid melting the butter entirely as it makes the streusel too wet. Sprinkle this streusel topping evenly over the pumpkin cheesecake layer.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheesecake has set.
- Allow to cool for about an hour and then place in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Top each bar with caramel topping of choice.
Thinking of trying to double this in a 9×13 pan, will it work? Or should I make two batches instead?
I haven’t personally tried it but I believe a few other readers have with success!
Chelsea. Thank-you so very much for this decadent dessert recipe. I made these for our Pumpkin Bake Off for our hospital for National Respiratory Therapy Week. AND I won first place!!!!!!!!???.
Everyone raved
Thank-you so much, Sue W
Omg!! That is so exciting!! I’m thrilled you came back and told me, thank you so much Sue! and CONGRATS 🙂
I just made these last night. I made two batches for my husband to take to work today. I don’t bake, for one, my husband is the type of guy who will eat all the sweets in the house because he has no self control. So it’s very rare that there are desserts of any kind in our home. With that being said, this actually turned out REALLY good! When making the crust, your directions said to mix together until a thick dough forms. I saw no dough, I saw a cup and a half of wet crumbs lol kinda freaked out at that point. But I followed your directions to a T, and after baking and letting the cake sit in the fridge for a few hours, the crust came out perfect :)) Nice and hard like a crust should! I also had a hard time making the streusel, I couldn’t seem to have the butter melted enough or to much. But again, after baking it and letting it sit in the fridge, it came out perfectly, even my husband loved the top! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing dessert! Im excited to hear how much the guys enjoyed it!
I’m so happy this dessert turned out so well and everything worked out perfectly! 🙂 I hope all the guys love it. Thank you so much for your comment and sharing your experience with these bars Christine! 🙂
Thinking about giving these to teachers. Does it have to stay refrigerated?
Nope they don’t 🙂
I made so many mistakes while I made these, chief among them that I for some reason I mixed all of the cheesecake layer together in the bowl so um, there weren’t two layers when I baked. And I forgot the vanilla in the streusel. And I think something else. And guess what? EVERYBODY loved these at knitting group today, lots of gals wanted the recipe, and the taste was fabulous. Apparently despite my best efforts you can’t wreck these puppies, they’re awesome! Thanks!
Haha I love your comment! 🙂 I’m so thrilled they still worked out well and everyone loved them! Thank you so much for your review and giving these a try Heather!
Thanks for the great recipe! I just made them and they turned out delicious! My cheesecake loving husband highly approves! 🙂 I wanted to let you know a few adjustments I made since I live in Europe and don’t have access to all the ingredients:
I used Speculous cookies for the crust and left out the sugar in the crust. So just Speculous cookies and butter. I used 4 (125 gram) packs of Philadelphia cream cheese; I think that is a little more than 16 ounces. And I’ve never been able to find canned pumpkin here, but I did find a bag of frozen pumpkin. I thawed the pumpkin in the microwave, then pureed it with an immersion blender. It was a little waterier than I would have liked, but it worked.
And I baked it in an 8 1/2 by 11 pan (from Ikea) at 150 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes.
I hope that helps someone else!
Allison, thank you SO much for all your help for readers outside of the US! I appreciate your tips and substitution suggestions 🙂 I’m so happy that these bars turned out delicious!
LOVE LOVE LOVE! I made these last night for my hubby and my oh my we were both drooling!!! This is one of the best desserts I’ve ever made at home and it will definitely me a go-to recipe for the holidays, parties, and just because!;) Way better than regular pumpkin cheesecake–that crust with the streusel is heavenly. Thanks for this to-die-for recipe!<3
Wow what a compliment!! 🙂 I am so thrilled this was such a hit and will become your go-to 🙂 Thank you Hilary!
I won a bake off using this recipe! I did give credit to the maker, and gave out the link! Absolutely Devine! Thank you so much!
Oh my gosh that is AWESOME! 🙂 made my day to hear that!! Thanks Emily 🙂
Just took mine out of the oven! Smells delicious, I can’t wait to eat it!
I hope you love them! 🙂
Made this today for Canadian Thanksgiving. Huge hit with the family!! So delicious!
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!! I’m so thrilled these were a hit; thank you for the comment Karen! 🙂