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.
I am making this for Thanksgiving this year it looks great!
Two questions:
If I have regular graham crackers, do you think I can just add a pinch of cinnamon to replace cinnamon graham crackers?
I can’t find pumpkin pie spice in the store, any suggestion on substitution?
Thank you!
Oh I scrolled up and found your answer to my first question. 🙂
But the second question remains… 🙂
Hi Sammers! Here’s a great substitution for pumpkin pie spice:
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon allspice
(Mix together and then use the amount indicated in the recipe)
https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/homemade-apple-pie-pumpkin-pie-spice-with-free-printables/
Love the recipe, sounds yummy. I cannot print
from the Pinterest website. This is very
frustrating. Consequently, I will not try this
luscious looking recipe. Way too long to
write out.
You can print the recipe on my site 🙂 There is a print button in the recipe box
i know this comment is WAAAAY late to answer the question, but i’m posting anyway in case someone else has the same one:
To bake in glass instead of metal pans the general recommendation is to lower the oven temp by 25 degrees. baking time should be about the same but you should start checking about 5 min before the recommended bake time is up.
Just pulled it out of the oven!! I Can’t wait to try them tomorrow for our family’s thanksgiving.! They look so yummy!!!
I hope you and your family loved these bars Peyton! 🙂
I really wanna make this recipe. However I do not have a 8×8 baking pan. Can I substitute a Springform pan in place of the required 8×8 baking pan?
Hi Kari! I’ve never tried a springform pan so I’m really not sure. You could use a 9 x 9 or 7 1/2 x 11 though with a baking reduction time! (Both size pans have been tested by readers)
I made this as a 3rd desert for thanksgiving yesterday and I am not disappointed! This is a most delicious recipe! Thank you so much for sharing. I even had some for breakfast this morning!
Thanks so much for the comment and review Laura! I’m so thrilled they were a hit 🙂 And for breakfast?! Sounds amazing!!
Amazing recipe!. Even though my boyfriend and I had been pumpkined out I decided to give this recipe a try tonight since we both work on thanksgiving . Thought I had followed it to a T. Didn’t realize I had forgotten the flour till I started reading comments after it was already in he oven. when it came to the streusel I had a bit of a blonde moment lol. Mistaking white flour for white sugar but let me tell you… it was amazing !!! Like a crunch caramel top without even having to make the caramel sauce !
Thank you so much Megan! 🙂 I’m thrilled these bars were a hit! HAHA! So maybe I should make that “mistake” next time 🙂 Sounds delicious!! Happy Thanksgiving!
I made these twice this week and used homemade caramel sauce. Once for my husband to take to work and then for Thanksgiving. These are amazing! My husband said everyone devoured them, then at Thanksgiving my sister in laws mother (our husband’s are brothers) cried because she thought they were so good. She then got mad when anyone else ate one and took the rest home. She’s a bit unstable to put it nicely…lol definitely will make these again!
This has got to be one of my all time favorite comments! Haha! Thanks so much for sharing and for your wonderful review 🙂 Happy holidays Melissa!
These are amazzzzzing! The caramel is a must! Would like to try it in a 9×13 pan next time. Maybe do 1-1/2 times the recipe since the 8″ square was pretty full. Thanks for posting!!!
So happy to hear these were a hit! 🙂 Yes, it does fill up that pan! I’ve heard great things from readers that have tried it in a 9 x 13 pan; I think most have doubled it, but I’m sure 1 and 1/2 times would be good too! Thanks for the comment Debi 🙂
Regarding the previous comment, I have tried these with ginger snaps. They are delicious!
Thanks for chiming in Cindy!! 🙂
Do you think I would be able to use gingersnaps in place of the cinnamon graham crackers? I am not sure if they will cook up the same. I do not have cinnamon grahams. Or should I just add cinnamon and a bit of sugar to regular graham cracker crumbs? Thanks!
Absolutely! 🙂 And if you want to do the regular graham crackers and add some cinnamon (or even leaving them plain) will still be amazing! Enjoy!
Did you use dark or light brown sugar?
Light 🙂