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.
These sound great, I’m planning on making them for thanksgiving! I just have a question about bake time. Do you bake it with the pumpkin and cheesecake on top for 30 mind then put the crumble on and bake it for an additional 25-30 mind or put the crumble on then bake for only 30 minuets?
Bake without crumble first 🙂
Can you use 1/3 fat cream cheese
I wouldn’t recommend it here.
First of all, these are AMAZING! I’ve made them multiple times for different gatherings and there are never leftovers. And for that reason, I always set a few aside beforehand for me and my husband.
Have you ever tried making them in a cupcake pan for individual servings? If so, would there be a difference in cooking temp or time?
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for the comment 🙂 I actually haven’t tried these in a cupcake pan so I’m really not sure. I do think the cook time would be different — more like 5-6 minutes with just the crust and 25-30 minutes with the filling/streusel. (Again; I haven’t tried so these times are a guess!)
I would like to clarify something…do I bake the cheesecake bars for 30 min and then add the streusel topping and bake another 25-30min? Thanks!!
Correct 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi there, I’m planning on making these for Friendsgiving. I was wondering what you meant by 12 sheets of graham cracker crumbs, is that 12 of those small packages that come in the box?
Thanks!
Not packages, but individual graham crackers 🙂 so 12 full individual graham crackers.
Thank you! I realized after I commented this that 12 packages would be way too much…I was a bit tired yesterday haha
I found this recipe last year and have made it over a dozen times already. This is always a hit! I decided to make the larger version (in the oven as we speak) and I noticed the video shows the crust is made of 4 ingredients (graham crackers, brown sugar, sugar, butter), however the instructions for the 13×9 does not include sugar for the crust (the 8×8 does). Can you please confirm the crust ingredients for both sizes? thank you!
I am glad you made the recipe to fit a 9 x 13 pan. I notice though that some of the ingredients are doubled and some are not. Also, there is no white sugar in the crust for the 9 x 13? Just double checking to make sure that it is all correct.
Glad to hear it! So a 9 x 9 size doesn’t perfectly double to a 9 x 13 pan so that’s why all the ingredients aren’t exactly doubled 🙂 And yes, the crust is slightly different in the larger pan (a bit thinner to match proportions better!)
Can I use biscoff cookies for the base?
Sure! 🙂
I made 6 different pumpkin desserts for a bridal shower, and these were the clear favorite! They are to die for, especially with the caramel topping! I needed about 3 dozen, so even though I would be cutting them pretty small, I doubled the recipe and used my glass pan that’s just a bit bigger than 9×13. Even with that bigger pan, the layers were still very generous. It was a bit heavy to pull out with the parchment paper at that size, so next time I’ll just cut them in the pan and I’m sure they’ll dish up fine. I also overcooked them just a bit because it was hard to tell if they were done when you can’t see the cheesecake because of the streusel. Both times I checked it it was pretty jiggly, and I didn’t want it undercooked, but it does set up more after chilling, so I’d stick to the time listed and just trust it’s going to be okay! The crust was just a little more done-tasting, and the streusel a little too browned. But even with that, they were still raved over and I will be making these again for Thanksgiving so the same family members can taste them in their perfectness! Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe!
Ahh i’m so happy to hear this was the favorite! It’s seriously my favorite pumpkin recipe ever!! Also this sounds like the coolest bridal shower in history! Hahaha i’m trying to come up with a reason to have a pumpkin party! I hope everyone enjoys this for Thanksgiving! Thanks SO much Jana!!
Fall is the reason to host a pumpkin party! Be sure to invite me! 😉 I ate the last cheesecake bar yesterday. Still awesome on day 4! Can’t wait to try them again. My husband especially loved them!
Hi there! Quick question before making these — is the graham cracker crust not baked at all before adding the cream cheese mixture? Thank you!