No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars (Easy Recipe)
These No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars have everything I want in a fall dessert-creamy, spiced pumpkin filling and a buttery graham cracker crust. The best part? They set up in the fridge, so there's no oven needed. Easy enough for a weeknight, yet special enough for the holidays.
Servings: 12
Calories: 246kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Graham Cracker Crumbs Simple Mills
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter melted
- 8 oz Cream Cheese full-fat softened to room temperature
- ½ cup Coconut Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
- ½ cup Greek Yogurt full-fat, room temperature
- ¾ cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 ½ teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice fresh
- ⅛ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream cold
Instructions
- Line your 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, making sure it hangs over the sides for easy removal later. Add your graham crackers to the base of a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs. It should look like wet, coarse sand.
- In a small bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Stir until the mixture looks like coarse, wet sand. Pour it into the prepared baking dish and use the bottom of a glass jar to press the crumbs down firmly into an even crust.1 ½ cup Graham Cracker Crumbs, 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer it to a large bowl and place it in the fridge while you prepare the cheesecake filling.1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- Add the cream cheese and coconut sugar to the same stand mixer bowl you used for the whipped cream-there's no need to wash it first. Switch to the paddle attachment and mix until it is completely smooth and creamy.8 oz Cream Cheese , ½ cup Coconut Sugar
- Add the vanilla bean paste, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, lemon juice, and sea salt. Mix again at medium speed until everything is well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix once more to make sure it is evenly blended.1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste, ½ cup Greek Yogurt , ¾ cup Pumpkin Puree, 1 ½ teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice, ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice , ⅛ teaspoon Sea Salt
- Remove the whipped cream from the fridge and gently fold it into the pumpkin cheesecake mixture until no streaks are visible.
- Transfer the cheesecake batter to the baking dish and smooth the top with a spatula. Place it in the fridge for 8-24 hours to set. When you are ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the baking dish using the parchment overhang and cut it into 12 or 16 squares. Top each bar with additional whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
Notes
Expert Tips And Notes
- Soften your cream cheese completely: Cold cream cheese will give you a lumpy filling, and no one wants that. Let it sit out at room temperature for at least an hour before mixing so it blends smoothly with the other ingredients.
- Go full-fat for the best texture: Full-fat cream cheese and Greek yogurt make a big difference here. They give the filling a rich, velvety texture that holds its shape when sliced. Lower-fat versions can make the bars softer and less stable.
- Fold gently for a light, airy filling: When you add the whipped cream to the pumpkin cheesecake mixture, take your time folding it in. Use a spatula and make slow, sweeping motions from the bottom of the bowl to the top. Stop as soon as no white streaks remain-overmixing will deflate the whipped cream and make the filling denser.
- Make it gluten-free with the right crackers: If you need these bars to be gluten-free, choose a brand like Simple Mills.. They are made with high-quality, real food ingredients that still give you that classic crust texture.
- Give it plenty of chill time: These bars need at least 8 hours in the fridge to set up properly, but they're even better if you can let them chill overnight. This longer chill also makes them a perfect no-bake fall dessert you can prepare the day before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3046IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg
