Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars have a layer of rich pumpkin cheesecake topped with a tangy sour cream topping. They're an easy, make-ahead dessert that’s perfect for Thanksgiving.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 53

Chill 4

Total Time 5 8

Servings servings

Calories 334kcal

Author Kate @ I Heart Eating

Equipment

9x9-inch metal baking pan

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup unsalted butter melted

Filling

2-8 ounce packages plain cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
15 ounce can pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Topping

2 cups sour cream
1 large egg
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9-inch square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper.
Add graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon to a bowl. Stir to combine.
1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pour in melted butter. Stir again.
¼ cup unsalted butter
Press the graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Place in the fridge while you make the filling.
Add cream cheese to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth.
2-8 ounce packages plain cream cheese
Add sugar and beat until well combined.
1 cup granulated sugar
Add in eggs and vanilla. Beat again.
2 large eggs, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir in pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until just combined.
15 ounce can pumpkin puree, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Pour pumpkin filling over the crust.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes. Towards the end of the baking time, make the topping.
To make the topping, stir sour cream, egg, sugar, and vanilla together until combined.
2 cups sour cream, 1 large egg, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Spread topping over the cheesecake filling.
Return to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 8 minutes.
Let cheesecake bars cool in the pan.
Place in the fridge and chill for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
Remove bars from the pan. Cut into squares for serving.

Notes

Butter: You can use an equal amount of salted butter in this recipe.
Cream cheese: I recommend using full-fat cream cheese for the richest, creamiest filling. You could also use 1/3-less fat if you prefer; however, I don't recommend using fat-free in this recipe.
Pumpkin puree: Be sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix. Pumpkin pie mix has sugar and spices already added to it.
Pumpkin pie spice: If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can make a homemade pumpkin pie spice blend. For more spice flavor, increase the pumpkin pie spice to 1 tablespoon.
Sour cream: I recommend using full-fat sour cream for the creamiest topping.
Nutrition values are estimates.

Nutrition