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These Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are the perfect fall sweet treat. They’re layered with a golden graham cracker crust, a tangy dairy-free cheesecake, and a delicately spiced pumpkin cheesecake on top. This easy and fuss-free dessert comes together with minimal effort. The hardest part is just waiting for the bars to set. When it’s finished, you’ll have a beautifully layered treat to share with your friends and family.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy no-bake filling. Coconut oil helps everything set in the fridge, so you won’t need a water bath or worry about your cake cracking.
- Two beautiful layers, one base recipe. Make a single cheesecake filling, divide it in half, and stir in pumpkin and spice to make 2 distinct layers.
- Beautiful presentation. After the bars set, you get 3 distinct layers when you slice them that will wow your guests.
- Perfect make-ahead dessert. Since these bars need at least 8 hours in the fridge, they’re perfect to make ahead of a holiday or party.
- Real pumpkin flavor. Just half a cup of purée is enough to taste and see while still keeping the filling light.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the graham cracker crust:
- Vegan graham cracker sheets. Since most graham crackers contain honey, check the labels carefully. We like to use the classic Nabisco graham crackers in the red box, or the original Kroger brand in the blue box. Since brands vary in size, we recommend weighing your graham crackers when measuring.
- Vegan butter. We like to use stick-style butter, melted, instead of dairy-free butter from a tub. We like the Country Crock plant butter sticks.
- Sugar and Salt. Both balance the crust’s flavor and sweetness level.
For the cheesecake filling:
- Vegan cream cheese. Softened to room temperature. Since this is the core of the recipe, choose your favorite brand. We like to use Violife, Tofutti, or the Philadelphia Dairy-free.
- Granulated sugar. To sweeten the filling. Opt for organic if you want to ensure it’s 100% vegan-friendly.
- Non-dairy milk. Make sure it’s room temperature so the coconut oil doesn’t start to solidify too soon. We like to use either soy milk or almond milk.
- Lemon juice. Helps add that signature cheesecake tang. Use fresh-squeezed lemon juice for best results.
- Vanilla extract. Enhances the flavor of both cheesecake layers.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Coconut oil. To avoid an overly coconut-flavored filling, we recommend using refined coconut oil for this recipe.
- Pumpkin purée. Use pure pumpkin rather than pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced.
- Pumpkin pie spice. A blend of your favorite fall spices. Think cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and clove.
Equipment Needed
- Food processor
- 8×8 inch baking dish
- Parchment paper
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Offset spatula
- Kitchen scale
- Rubber spatula
Tips for the Best Results
- Cool the crust completely. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. If you’re in a rush, you can also pop it in the fridge to cool.
- Bring your ingredients to room temperature. Keeping your cream cheese and milk at room temperature will prevent a lumpy filling or seizing the coconut oil.
- Cool the coconut oil. If you add melted coconut oil while it’s too hot, it can curdle the cream cheese, so make sure it has cooled to room temperature before mixing.
- Do not skip the freezer step between layers. A quick freeze firms up the vanilla layer just enough that the pumpkin layer sits on top instead of swirling into it.
- Chill the full 8 hours. This helps the bars set properly. Slicing early gives you soft layers that will not hold their shape.
Serving Suggestions
These Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are best served cold, directly from the fridge. You can also top them with a dollop of our 2-Ingredient Vegan Whipped Cream and a dusting of cinnamon, but they’re great on their own. Enjoy with a tall glass of soy or almond milk, coffee, tea, or chai latte.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: Store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Keep them cold, since the coconut oil softens at room temperature and causes the bars to lose their structure.
- Freezer: These freeze beautifully. Slice them first, then freeze the bars in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray. Once solid, transfer to a freezer-safe container, with parchment between layers, and store for up to 2 months.
- Thawing: Move frozen bars to the fridge for a few hours, or let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Some prefer them partially frozen, like ice cream bars, which is another great way to enjoy them.
Recipe FAQs
An 8×8 inch pan gives you nice thick bars. A 9×9 will work, but the layers will be thinner. We do not recommend a 9×13, since the layers become too thin to hold up.
That is coconut oil seizing from contact with something cold. Usually, it’s cold milk or cold cream cheese. Everything should be at room temperature before mixing.
Not with a liquid oil, since the coconut oil is what makes the bars firm up in the fridge. Vegan butter can work as a substitute, though the set will be a little softer. Please note that we haven’t tested this option.
Yes. Swap in gluten-free graham crackers or a similar crisp cookie and use the same 155g weight. Everything else in the recipe is already gluten-free.
It is the easiest way, but if you don’t have one, seal the graham crackers in a zip-top bag and crush them into crumbs with a rolling pin, then stir in the butter, sugar, and salt by hand.
More Pumpkin Recipes Worth Trying
If you make these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, let us know what you think in the comments below. If you post photos on Instagram, tag us @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris so we don’t miss them. We love seeing your photos.
Print
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Total Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 9 Bars 1x
Description
These Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are the perfect fall sweet treat. They’re layered with a golden graham cracker crust, a tangy dairy-free cheesecake, and a delicately spiced pumpkin cheesecake on top. This easy and fuss-free dessert comes together with minimal effort. The hardest part is just waiting for the bars to set. When it’s finished, you’ll have a beautifully layered treat to share with your friends and family.
Ingredients
For the graham cracker crust
- 10 (155g) vegan graham cracker sheets
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
For the cheesecake filling
- 16 ounces vegan cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled, divided
- 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
Make the graham cracker crust
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Process the crumbs. In a food processor, process the graham cracker sheets until broken down into fine crumbs. Add the melted vegan butter, sugar, and salt, then pulse until combined. The mixture should resemble wet sand.
- Press into the pan. Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Pour the graham cracker mixture into the dish and press evenly into the bottom.
- Bake and cool. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and smells toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes before continuing.
Make the cheesecake filling
- Whip the base. Add the softened vegan cream cheese and sugar to a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until well combined and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the wet ingredients. Add the non-dairy milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt, and 1/3 cup of the melted coconut oil. Mix until well combined and smooth.
- Check the pan temperature. Make sure the baking dish is not too hot, or the filling will melt. If needed, refrigerate it for a few minutes to cool.
- Add the first layer. Once the baking dish cools, spread half the filling over the graham cracker crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth it into an even layer.
- Set briefly. Place the baking dish in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up the cheesecake layer.
- Make the pumpkin layer. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, the pumpkin purée, and the pumpkin pie spice to the remaining filling.
- Beat until smooth. Use your hand mixer to beat together until well combined and smooth.
- Add the second layer. Spoon the pumpkin filling over the vanilla cheesecake layer and smooth it into an even layer.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or until set.
- Slice and serve. Once fully set, lift the bars out using the parchment overhang, slice, and enjoy.
Notes
- Room temperature matters: Cold cream cheese or cold milk will cause the melted coconut oil to seize into flecks. Set everything out about an hour ahead.
- Cool the crust fully: A warm pan will melt the coconut oil out of the filling, and the bars will not set properly.
- Clean slices: Wipe your knife between cuts with a warm, damp cloth for the sharpest edges.
- Storage: Refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze sliced bars for up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 8 Hours 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
