No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Why This Recipe Works

Top Reasons You’ll Love this Recipe:

• Easy
• Light, creamy, bursting with warm pumpkin spices
• No baking required
• Perfect for fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any occasion!

These easy no bake pumpkin pie cheesecake bars taste like a combination of your favorite pumpkin pie and cheesecake! It’s light, creamy, with the perfect balance of tanginess and pumpkin spice flavor. Our no bake cheesecake has whipped cream (no cool whip!) in it to give it the perfect texture.

It has a rich, brown sugar graham cracker crust and is loaded with pumpkin pie and cheesecake flavor!

If pumpkin desserts are your thing, then be sure to check out our pumpkin cake balls, pumpkin chocolate chip blondies, and our pumpkin streusel coffee cake!

Ingredient Notes

• Graham Cracker Crumbs. The base of the cheesecake crust is made up graham cracker crumbs.
• Butter. Melted butter helps bind the crust together and keep the graham cracker crust crisp.
• Brown sugar. We use light brown sugar to help sweeten the crust.
• Salt. a little salt enhances flavors and balances out the sweetness.
• Cream Cheese. Use full fat, room temperature cream cheese for the pumpkin cheesecake. Any brand will work, I am partial to Philadelphia cream cheese.
• Whipping Cream. Heavy whipping cream is used to lighten the no bake pumpkin cheesecake and top off the cheesecake. You need to whip the cream to stiff peaks, do not try to use canned whipped cream, it is not the same and will not work.
• Powdered Sugar. Powdered sugar sweetens and keeps the cheesecake and whipped cream light and smooth.
• Vanilla. Vanilla adds a rich bakery flavor to the cheesecake and whipped cream.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice. Pumpkin pie spice adds the perfect blend of warm spices. See our expert tips for how to make your own homemade pumpkin spice.
• Pumpkin Puree. Make sure you are using canned pumpkin puree, not canned pumpkin pie filling. You can use homemade pumpkin puree if you have it, just make sure the puree is as thick as Greek yogurt. You can strain off any extra liquid or reduce it on the stove if it is too thin. Make sure it is room temperature before incorporating it.

How to Make this Recipe

1. Make the crust. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter until thoroughly coated. Press firmly into the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Chill in the freezer while you prepare the pumpkin cheesecake filling.

2. Beat the cream cheese. Using a hand mixer or a whisk and beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until soft and smooth.
3. Add the pumpkin. Add in a little pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the remaining pumpkin puree a little at a time to make sure there are no lumps.

4. Whip the cream. In a clean mixing bowl, whip the cream until you have stiff peaks.
5. Fold together. Take a large spoonful of the whipped cream and fold it into the pumpkin cheesecake filling until smooth. Add in the remaining whipped cream and fold in until there are no streaks.

6. Chill. Pour the cheesecake filling over top of the crust, smooth until level, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 6 hours or overnight.
7. Top and serve. Slice the no bake pumpkin pie cheesecake and top with sweetened whipped cream and garnish with pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon if desired.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

• Swap the graham crackers. If you’d like to replace the graham crackers with something else some other fun options are Biscoff cookies or gingersnap cookie crumbs. If you choose to use cookies use the ratio of 2 ⅓ cups cookie crumbs + 2 tablespoons sugar + 6 tablespoons of butter.
• Using cool whip. I highly recommend using real whipped cream, it really does make the recipe so much better. However, if you would like to use cool whip or another brand of whipped topping you’ll need 2 cups of it. Be aware that cool whip adds extra sweetness so you may want to reduce the amount of powdered sugar added into the no bake pumpkin cheesecake.
• Spread or pipe whipped cream. I usually like to pipe a swirl of whipped cream on individual pieces, however, you can easily spread thin layer of whipped cream over top of the entire cheesecake or spoon a dollop of whipped cream on top each piece.
• Add a drizzle. Add a drizzle of caramel, Nutella, or melted cookie butter (like Biscoff) to take this no bake pumpkin cheesecake to the next level.

Expert Tips

• Use full fat. Don’t skimp on the cream cheese or heavy whipping cream. Make sure you’re using full fat, low fat or fat free contain more water and the result will be a less rich and creamy no bake cheesecake bars, and a cheesecake that won’t set up as well.
• Let it chill. Be sure to let this no bake pumpkin cheesecake chill for at least 6 hours or longer. The time allows the pumpkin cheesecake to set up properly but also lets the flavors sit and develop.
• Make homemade pumpkin pie spice.  If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, you can make your own. Here’s how you make 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. Please note this recipe only calls for 1 teaspoon. Feel free to quadruple this recipe to have a little stock of it ready to go for the fall season.
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon all spice
  • optional : add a pinch of cardamom

How to Get Clean Cut Squares

Getting clean cut squares can be tricky with cheesecake. So here are a few tips if you want clean cut squares:

• Freeze the pumpkin cheesecake for 1 hour before slicing into
• Line your pan with parchment paper, letting it hang over the edge. This way you can lift out the entire no bake cheesecake out of the pan can cut it on a cutting board.
• Clean the knife after each cut, this way no extra filling is tempted to stick to the knife.

How to Store this Recipe

This no bake pumpkin cheesecake should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and is best eaten within 4 days.

The cheesecake can be frozen in slices or whole for up to 2 months. Before freezing wrap the top in plastic wrap and then in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn.

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