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This rich and creamy No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars recipe is the best of fall flavor in one dessert. A rich ginger snap crust with a pumpkin cheesecake layer made with a rich brown sugar whipped cream folded into a pumpkin cream cheese mixture will wow your guests this season. A quick and easy recipe that will be a family favorite!
I love a good no bake cheesecake and this no bake pumpkin cheesecake bar recipe is my new fall favorite dessert! So creamy and rich with all of the fall pumpkin flavor–this one is going to make all of your friends and family come back for more!
Is it too much to serve these bars topped with Pumpkin Whipped Cream??
Pumpkin season is for sure the best–this no bake pumpkin cheesecake recipe features a slight twist on my No Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake which is definitely another treat you will want to try.
And if you are loving all things pumpkin right now, try these other recipes as well: Pumpkin Chip Banana Bread, Pumpkin French Toast Casserole, Pumpkin Spice Molasses Cookies or these Pumpkin Carrot Muffins!
Why You Will Love These No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars:
- No baking required! I am always up for a no bake treat. They are less intimidating for novice bakers and also allow for a bit more wiggle room in case a mistake is made here other there. Plus, one less step in a recipe!
- Rich fall flavors for a perfect seasonal treat. The rich brown sugar whipped cream folded into this pumpkin spiced cheesecake filling on top of a spiced and buttery ginger snap crust is nothing short of dreamy. These flavors were meant for each other.
- It’s freezer friendly! A no bake cheesecake can freeze pretty well in general. Once it is fully set, you can freeze it for about 3 months. I like to put a few slices in a freezer safe container and grab them when I have a sweet tooth attack!
Recipe Ingredients:
- ginger snap cookies: using ginger snaps as the crust base adds the perfect complement to the fall spices in the cheesecake. It’s the perfect combination! I use Nabisco ginger snaps but another brand will surely work. If you prefer to use graham crackers or even Biscoff cookies, those are great options as well.
- butter: unsalted butter is what we used in the ginger cookie crust. You can use salted, but omit the added salt later in the recipe.
- brown sugar: you will use brown sugar in the crust as well as in the cheesecake filling. Light brown sugar or dark will work, I use the light as it’s what I have on hand most of the time. The brown sugar in the cheesecake filling is in the brown sugar whipped cream to up the rich fall flavor of this recipe.
- salt: just a pinch, but this is optional
- cream cheese: block cream cheese softened, use full fat cream cheese for best results.
- sugar: regular white sugar to sweeten up the cheesecake mixture
- confectioners sugar: just a touch to help make the perfect texture–thick and sturdy while also nice and creamy
- sour cream: use full fat for the richest flavor and best texture. Lower fat dairy products can have higher water content and cause the no bake cheesecake bars to be runny or not set well.
- vanilla: a good vanilla extract or if you want to go extra bold, maybe a bourbon vanilla extract for this recipe??
- pumpkin: pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Both come in a can and are typically in the same section in the grocery so you want to make sure you just get the plain pumpkin for best results.
- pumpkin pie spice: you can use your favorite store bought pumpkin spice or make your own very easily!
- heavy whipping cream: as with the other dairy ingredients, use full fat heavy whipping cream. Make sure it is very cold. You can pop it in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes before whipping if desired. You want it nice and cold to help get those pretty stiff peaks.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
See the recipe card below for full details. This section is with added photos so you have a better idea of textures, color and more!
- Prepare the ginger snap crust. Process the ginger cookies in a food processor until a fine crumb. Transfer to a bowl and combine with melted butter, brown sugar and sea salt.
- Stir until fully combined and a nice crumbly texture. Press FIRMLY into a 9×9 inch square baking pan lined with parchment. Freeze for about 15-30 minutes.
- Prepare the pumpkin cheesecake filling. Start out by creaming the cream cheese, white sugar and confectioner’s sugar with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer in a large bowl.
- Add in the vanilla and room temperature sour cream and mix until smooth.
- Finally beat in the pumpkin and pumpkin spice. Set aside.
- Combine the brown sugar and very cold whipping cream in a small bowl (but not too small like I did, that was risky, ha!). Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks begin to form.
- Very gently fold the brown sugar whipped cream into the pumpkin cream cheese mixture until no streaks appear.
- Remove the crust from the freezer and transfer the cheesecake mixture to the crust, spreading evenly with a spatula or an offset spatula for best results.
- Chill. Cover the pumpkin cheesecake bars tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and chill for at least about 6-8 hours (4 hours is the bare minimum, but will still not be fully set.) but ideally overnight before cutting into bars to serve!
Recipe Tips
- For best results, allow the cheesecake to chill for 8-12 hours if possible, or even overnight. The longer you allow this pumpkin cheesecake to chill in the refrigerator before serving, the better. 4 hours is a minimum, but for it to really set, ideally you would chill it overnight and serve it the next day.
- For smooth and easy slicing, run a sharp knife under HOT water first. You can pop these cheesecake bars in the freezer for about 10 minutes before slicing to help get nice smooth slices. Wipe the hot knife dry and slice, wiping clean between slices and running under the hot water again for about 30 seconds a couple times more.
- Even though these are cheesecake “bars” they are still better eaten with a fork or spoon. They firm up really well, but any cheesecake can get a bit messy. If you want them to be more of a finger food, you can press the crust mixture into mini muffin cups and then spoon the cheesecake mixture into each muffin cavity. You can serve them as bite sized eats!
Storage:
Store leftover cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can store the leftovers sliced or unsliced, up to you.
To freeze, allow the cheesecake to chill in the refrigerator for about 12 hours to fully set before transferring to a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months and allow to thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Recipe Variations:
No doubt I would not change a single thing about this recipe, but there are definitely some fun ways to vary it!
- if serving topped with a dollop of whipped cream, add a touch of cinnamon to the whipped cream, stirring it in just before serving.
- use another crust base: biscoff cookie crust, graham crackers, an Oreo–maybe golden Oreos??, or vanilla wafers.
- make the color more vibrant. This recipe has a nice soft orange color. If you want a richer, bolder orange, add a few drops of orange food dye (natural or artificial, what you prefer) when preparing the filling.
Other Fall Desserts:
Desserts
No Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Desserts
Apple Crumble Bars
Desserts
Apple Dump Cake
Thanksgiving Recipes
Pumpkin Pie Crumble
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No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
This rich and creamy No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars recipe is the best of fall flavor in one dessert. A rich ginger snap crust with a pumpkin cheesecake layer made with a rich brown sugar whipped cream folded into a pumpkin cream cheese mixture will wow your guests this season. A quick and easy recipe that will be a family favorite!
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 ¼ c ginger snap cookie crumbs, approx. 4 c cookies
- 7 T unsalted butter, melted
- 2 T brown sugar, packed
- pinch of sea salt
Pumpkin cheesecake
- 2 blocks cream cheese (8 oz. each), softened
- ¾ c white sugar
- 2 T confectioner's sugar
- ½ c sour cream, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 c pumpkin
- 2½ tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 c heavy whipping cream, very cold
- ¼ c brown sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the ginger snap crust. Process the ginger cookies in a food processor until a fine crumb. Transfer to a bowl and combine with melted butter, brown sugar and sea salt. Stir until fully combined and a nice crumbly texture. Press FIRMLY into a 9×9 inch square baking pan lined with parchment. Freeze for about 15-30 minutes.
- Prepare the pumpkin cheesecake filling. Start out by creaming the cream cheese, white sugar and confectioner's sugar with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer in a large bowl.
- Add in the vanilla and room temperature sour cream and mix until smooth. Finally beat in the pumpkin and pumpkin spice. Set aside.
- Combine the brown sugar and very cold whipping cream in a separate bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks begin to form. Very gently fold the brown sugar whipped cream into the pumpkin cream cheese mixture until no streaks appear.
- Remove the crust from the freezer and transfer the cheesecake mixture to the crust, spreading evenly with a spatula or an offset spatula for best results.
- Chill. Cover the pumpkin cheesecake bars tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and chill for at least about 6-8 hours (4 hours is the bare minimum, but will still not be fully set.) but ideally overnight before cutting into bars to serve!
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can store the leftovers sliced or unsliced, up to you. To freeze, allow the cheesecake to chill in the refrigerator for about 12 hours to fully set before transferring to a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months and allow to thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
- For best results, allow the cheesecake to chill for 8-12 hours if possible, or even overnight. The longer you allow this pumpkin cheesecake to chill in the refrigerator before serving, the better. 4 hours is a minimum, but for it to really set, ideally you would chill it overnight and serve it the next day.
- For smooth and easy slicing, run a sharp knife under HOT water first. You can pop these cheesecake bars in the freezer for about 10 minutes before slicing to help get nice smooth slices. Wipe the hot knife dry and slice, wiping clean between slices and running under the hot water again for about 30 seconds a couple times more.
- Even though these are cheesecake “bars” they are still better eaten with a fork or spoon. They firm up really well, but any cheesecake can get a bit messy. If you want them to be more of a finger food, you can press the crust mixture into mini muffin cups and then spoon the cheesecake mixture into each muffin cavity. You can serve them as bite sized eats!
Nutrition
Calories: 449kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 84mg, Sodium: 248mg, Potassium: 201mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 1887IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 88mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question?Leave a comment below!
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