These swirled pumpkin cheesecake bars combine vanilla cheesecake and pumpkin cheesecake batters and are baked on top of a gingersnap crust. Packed with pumpkin pie spice flavors, the cheesecake filling is tangy, creamy, and tastes just like a traditional cheesecake, and is made in a third of the time!
We know fall brings in all of the pumpkin desserts, and these delicious pumpkin cheesecake bars are top the list! They're easy to transport, just like these pumpkin pie bars and pumpkin gooey bars, and can picked up and eaten with your hands!
They're perfect for the holiday season and will become one of your favorite desserts to serve at Thanksgiving alongside these swirled baklava cheesecake bars.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Quick cheesecake recipe - We all love a classic fall cheesecake, but they take a lot of time to make. These pumpkin cheesecake squares are a fast cheesecake recipe for both bake time and chill time. But, if you'd rather go for a no-bake dessert, try this pumpkin mousse pie or pumpkin tiramisu!
Fall flavors - pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves are all mixed into the pumpkin cheesecake batter. Combined with the heavily spiced gingersnaps, this makes for an epic fall dessert!
Perfect texture - the creamy cheesecake layer is dense, yet incredibly soft and easy to bite through. This sits on top of a gingersnap crust that gets slightly crunchy on the bottom, and chewy next to the cheesecake layer.
Ingredients
- Gingersnaps. We love to use Sweetzels brand, if you can find them! They're the spiciest and crunchiest version of gingersnaps and provide the best flavor and texture. Just be sure that they are ground super fine.
- Pumpkin puree. Canned pure pumpkin puree is used. Do not use pumpkin pie filling, as this contains sugar and spices.
- Cream cheese. Full fat, Philadelphia brand brick-style cream cheese produces the best results in this recipe. Be sure it's a very soft room temperature.
- Ground spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves are all added to the pumpkin cream cheese bars.
- Sour cream. A touch of sour cream gets mixed into the cheesecake batter to make for an extra tangy cream cheese component, which pairs perfectly with the sugary spices.
- Eggs. It's important to use room-temperature eggs in the recipe. Cold eggs make the cream cheese clump and will give you a lumpy batter! To warm eggs up quickly, add them to a bowl of hot water (in the shells) for 5 minutes) before using them.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use full-fat greek yogurt in place of sour cream.
- Make the bars with a graham cracker crust or biscoff crust instead of a gingersnap crust.
- Use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice if don't have the other spices available.
- Make the bars with an Oreo crust for a Halloween version.
- Add a streusel topping like in these pumpkin pie bars.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Mix together the ingredients for the crust until completely moistened.
Two: Press the crust into the pan until compact and even. Par-bake according to recipe instructions.
Three: Beat the cream cheese to break it down.
Four: Add the sugar and eggs and mix again.
Five: Slowly mix in the sour cream and vanilla.
Six: Mix together the pumpkin puree and spices until combined.
Seven: Add ⅓ of the cheesecake batter to the pumpkin and mix until smooth.
Eight: Alternate adding the batters into the pan, then use a butter knife to gently mix the batters together into a swirled pattern.
Bake the bars, then cool slightly at room temperature before transferring to the fridge to finish setting and cooling. Don't cut into the bars until the pumpkin cheesecake bars are very cold!
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Cutting tip: To get perfectly clean slices, Press down the knife to the bottom and pull towards yourself to remove (don't lift). Also, clean the knife off under hot water and wipe it off in between each cut.
Expert Tips
- Line the pan with a parchment sling to easily remove the bars to slice them.
- Use room-temperature dairy (cream cheese, sour cream, eggs) or else you will have a lumpy batter!
- Use trigger cookie scoops to add the alternating cheesecake batters. I find this to be the least messy way to do it!
- Don't over-swirl the batters or else you'll lose out on the nice pattern.
- Clean the knife off completely in between each cut. Using a messy knife will pull off pieces of cheesecake. Push down, pull the knife out the side, clean the blade, then repeat.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but have to squeeze out a ton of water multiple times using cheesecloth and dish towels. It's much easier to buy the canned version.
This could be for a few reasons. The batter may have been to vigorously mixed, it could have been overbaked, the oven temperature was too high (always use an internal oven thermometer), or the change of temperature from the oven to the counter was too abrupt.
Less is more when swirling two batters together. If you over swirl the batter, you can't undo it and one will take over.
The pumpkin cheesecake bars will be set, matte, and slightly puffy around the edges, but still have a slight jiggle and be glossy in the center (not sloshy).
Storage
Store the bars uncovered in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap either the whole slab of bars or individual squares tightly in plastic wrap and place in a ziptop bag or Tupperware.
Freeze for up to two months. To thaw, unwrap, place on a plate, and thaw in the fridge before enjoying.
More Pumpkin Recipes You'll Love
What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
- If you'd like to make the recipe in a different pan, use the pan size converter.
Did you make this recipe? Share it with us! Tag @thecozyplum on Instagram & Facebook and leave a star rating ⭐️ below!
📖Recipe
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
Ingredients
Gingersnap Crust
- 2 cup gingersnaps finely ground
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Pumpkin Swirl
- ¾ cup pure pumpkin puree canned
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Cheesecake Layer
- 16 oz cream cheese (full fat) room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature, whisked
- ¼ cup sour cream (full fat) room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Gingersnap Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃ and line an 8x8" baking pan with parchment paper overhangs so you can easily remove the bars after baking. It helps to lightly grease the pan first so the parchment sticks.
- Using a food processor, pulverize the gingersnaps until finely ground. Add the salt and melted butter and pulse until combined and moistened.2 cup gingersnaps, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan, taking care to press it into the sides and corners.
- Bake the crust for 8 minutes and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Pumpkin Swirl
- Reduce the oven to 315℉. While the crust is cooling, mix together the pumpkin and spices in a bowl.¾ cup pure pumpkin puree, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Cheesecake Layer
- In a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese on low speed to break it down then scrape down the sides.16 oz cream cheese (full fat)
- Add the sugar and mix on low speed until creamy, then scrape down the sides again.¾ cup granulated sugar
- Drizzle in the whisked eggs on low until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, then add in the sour cream and vanilla and mix on low until it's just incorporated.2 large eggs, ¼ cup sour cream (full fat), 1 teaspoon vanilla
Assembly
- Add ⅓ of the cheesecake batter to the pumpkin and mix it until combined. Alternate adding the vanilla batter and pumpkin batter to the prepared pan until both batters are used up.
- Using a butter knife, swirl the pumpkin and cheesecake mixtures together to create a marbling effect. Don't over swirl!
- Bake the bars for 35-40 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set and matte on the edges but still jiggles in the center. If the center looks sloshy in any way, continue baking.
- Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then transfer to the fridge to cool for at least 4 hours, uncovered. Remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper slings, cut into slices, and serve!
Cheesesteak22 says
Was thinking about using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, will that work?
Has anyone tried this with graham cracker crust instead of ginger snaps?
This looks so delicious, can't wait to try...gonna make for Thanksgiving, though it's the first time making, so I might need to do a trial run first.
Callan Wenner says
Hey there! You can make both of these swaps without any additional changes to the recipe. I've made these bars many times with a standard graham crust and greek yogurt is a fine sub for sour cream. Would love to hear how it turns out!
Donna Rae says
When making 3x recipe, what size baking dish is used?
Callan Wenner says
Hi Donna, while I haven't tried tripling this recipe, I would suggest doing it in a 9x13" pan and increasing the second bake time by 5-10 minutes since the cheesecake layer will be slightly thicker. Give the pan a few taps oven to see how it's baking up - you'll want to take it out when it's set in the center but still has a slight jiggle (but it shouldn't be sloshy)!
Olivia H. says
Delicious, easy to make, and they look so impressive!! I loved making these and everyone and my family devoured them! Perfect fall treat!
The Cozy Plum says
Olivia, I love that your family enjoyed these! They are definitely the perfect fall treat 😉 Thanks very much for the feedback!
Jaime says
Can these be made in advance and frozen? They look delicious!
The Cozy Plum says
Hi Jaime, you'll want to bake them, allow them to fully set and chill, and then they can be frozen in a sealed container for about 3 months. Just thaw in the fridge! You can either freeze the whole thing or slice and then freeze the slices.