No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake (Bars)
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars – This easy no bake recipe makes the most silky-smooth and delicious pumpkin pie cheesecake bars with a spiced gingersnap cookie crust. It’s the perfect fall dessert to share at Thanksgiving, or any seasonal celebration!
Why We Love This No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
These super soft and silky No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are the ultimate fall dessert and a great way to change up the usual pumpkin pie game!
Don’t get me wrong, I, of course, love a classic cheesecake and pumpkin pie! But what could be better than satisfying your pumpkin pie AND cheesecake cravings with one simple no-bake dish? Nothing. The answer is nothing.
Best of all, round cheesecakes and pies typically offer only about 8 servings… With this easy no-bake recipe you can cut and serve as 12 bars or 20 square pieces. So these no bake dessert bars are way better to serve a crowd at Thanksgiving, potlucks, or any larger gathering!
Ingredients You Need
For the Crust –
- Ginger snaps – the crispy, snappy kind
- Butter – unsalted butter, melted
- Brown sugar – I prefer light brown sugar, with a mellow sweet flavor
For the Cheesecake –
- Heavy cream – whipped and divided
- Cream cheese – the block kind, softened
- Pumpkin puree – not pumpkin pie filling
- Granulated sugar – for just the right amount of sweetness
- Pumpkin pie spice – a classic blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves
- Vanilla extract – use high-quality extract for the best taste
- Salt – just a bit helps to balance the sweetness
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Line a 9 x 13-inch dish with foil or parchment paper. Set aside.
For the Crust: Use a food processor to pulse ginger snaps into a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and sugar. Pulse again until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
Reserve ½ cup of ginger snap mixture for a garnish.
Dump the rest of the mixture into the baking dish. Use a flat spatula (or the bottom of a drinking glass) to press the ginger snap mixture evenly over the surface of the pan.
Place the baking dish in the freezer to set as you prepare the filling.
For the Filling: Whip the cream in a stand mixer on high speed until the whipped cream is firm, about 3-4 minutes. Then separate the whipped cream into two equal portions and refrigerate until ready to use.
Next add the softened cream cheese, and beat in until very smooth. Add the remaining pumpkin pie cheesecake filling ingredients to the cream cheese mixture. Continue to beat the filling mixture until it is completely smooth with no clumps. Scrape the bowl and beat again if needed.
Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling mixture with a spatula until completely smooth.
Remove the baking dish from the freezer and scoop the pumpkin cheesecake filling into the dish. Smooth the filling out into an even layer.
Sprinkle the reserved ginger snap crumbs over the top. You can use as much or as little as you like!
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, to firm up the filling.
If you’re in a hurry, you can freeze the no-bake pumpkin cheesecake bars for 1-2 hours, then move the pan to the refrigerator so the filling softens.
When ready to serve, cut the cheesecake bars into 12 large or 20 small squares.
Pro Tip: If desired, you can use the edges of the foil or parchment paper to gently lift the whole sheet of cheesecake out of the pan.
Dollop (or pipe) the extra whipped cream on top of each piece, and dig in!
Get the Complete (Printable) No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- No Bake Crust – Swap gingersnap cookies with graham crackers to make pumpkin cheesecake bars with a no bake graham cracker crust. (Or use biscoff cookies to make a cookie crumbs pie crust!)
- Gluten-free – Use your favorite gluten-free gingersnap cookies or graham crackers.
- Low(er) fat—You can use low-fat cream cheese for a lighter filling. For the whipped cream, I suggest using store-bought low-fat whipped topping like reduced-fat Cool Whip.
- Dairy-free and vegan, I have not tried this recipe without dairy. But you can certainly try using your favorite plant-based alternatives for the dairy ingredients. Let me know how it turns out in the comments below!
- Halve the recipe – As-is this recipe uses a 9 x 13-inch pan and makes about 12 large pieces. Halve the ingredients and prepare the pumpkin pie cheesecake in an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9-inch pan to make 6 large bars or 9 medium-size squares.
Frequently Asked Questions
If the pumpkin filling mixture and whipped cream are over-mixed it can cause the filling to be too “soupy” to set properly. Take care to fold in the whipped cream to keep the filling light.
Wrap the pan of pumpkin cheesecake bars tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for 4-5 days.
Yes, these no bake bars are great to freeze for up to 3 months! You can wrap the entire pan in plastic wrap and then in a layer of aluminum foil. Thaw the pan in the fridge overnight before serving.
I suggest flash-freezing the bars to store individual portions. Cut the squares, place them on a baking sheet, and freeze until nearly solid for 1 hour. Then wrap each square in plastic wrap and place them all together in a large freezer-safe ziplock bag. Thaw individual bars in the fridge overnight or on the counter for 20-30 minutes.
Looking for More Fall Dessert Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Pumpkin Sheet Cake
- Fluffy Pumpkin Cream Pie
- Pumpkin Spice Cake
- Ginger Pumpkin Trifle
- Layered Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake
No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Ingredients
For the Crust –
- 13 ounce package ginger snaps
- ½ cup melted butter
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling –
- 2 cups heavy cream whipped and divided
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Line the dish with foil or parchment paper. Set aside.
- For the Crust: Set out a large food processor and add the ginger snaps to the bowl. Pulse to grind the ginger snaps into a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and sugar. Pulse again until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
- Reserve ½ cup of ginger snap mixture for a garnish. Dump the rest of the ginger snap mixture into the prepared baking dish. Use a flat spatula (or the bottom of a drinking glass) to press the ginger snap mixture evenly over the surface of the pan. Place the baking dish in the freezer for 10-15 minutes as you prepare the filling.
- For the Filling: Set out a stand mixer with a whip attachment. Add the heavy cream to the bowl. Whip the cream on high speed until firm, about 3-4 minutes. Then separate the whipped cream into two equal portions and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Next add the cream cheese to the bowl. Beat the cream cheese until very smooth. Add the pumpkin purée, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt. Continue to beat the filling mixture until it is completely smooth with no clumps. Scrape the bowl and beat again if needed.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Add half the whipped cream to the cheesecake filling. Gently fold the mixture with a spatula until completely smooth.
- Remove the baking dish from the freezer. Scoop the pumpkin cheesecake filling into the dish. Smooth the filling out into an even layer. Sprinkle the reserved ginger snap crumbs over the top. You can use as much or as little as you like!
- Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, to create a firm filling. If you’re in a hurry, you can freeze the cheesecake bars for 1-2 hours, then move the pan to the refrigerator so the filling softens.
- When ready to serve, cut the cheesecake bars into squares. *You can use the edges of the foil or parchment paper to gently lift the whole sheet of cheesecake out of the pan if desired.
- Dollop (or pipe) the extra whipped cream on top of each piece.
This sounds great! Might make for neighbors for Christmas.
My question is could I use Stevia instead of granulated sugar. If so, how much?
These pumpkin bars were incredible! My whole family gobbled them right up!
This is one of our favorite things to make each year!! It’s so creamy & tasty & I love the fact that it’s no bake, which makes it so easy!!