It’s finally time to bring out the fall decorations and make my mouth-watering Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars recipe. Three decadent layers with huge pumpkin spice flavor, they are like pumpkin pie bars on steroids!
Want to take them over the top? Then be sure to drizzle some of this brown butter glaze, using the maple option for the ultimate fall treat!
Love pumpkin like we do? Be sure to try this delicious Chocolate Pumpkin Graham Crisp, or this light Copycat Noosa Pumpkin Yogurt, or perhaps surprise your family with this fabulous Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake.
Fall bazaars, family get togethers, and afternoon coffee or tea are the perfect times for pumpkin streusel bars. Using Biscoff cookies for the crust adds wonderful pumpkin ginger spice to the creamy filling.
Everyone needs a handful of good fall recipes, and I’ve got you covered from dessert to soup! In addition to pumpkin cream cheese bars, you’re going to want to try my healthy Maple Pumpkin Scones and these Panera Pumpkin Streusel Muffins — drool!
This Healthy Pumpkin Bread is always a hit and makes a great neighbor gift. You can even add nuts or chocolate chips! And with cold weather this season, check out this Autumn Squash Soup.
You’re going to love how this recipe is easily converted into gluten-free and vegan pumpkin bars! So pull out your spices, and let’s get baking. YUM!
Simple Ingredients
All ingredients, measurements and instructions are in the handy printable recipe card at the end of the post!
Biscoff Cookie Crust Ingredients
First we’ll start off with the Biscoff cookie crust, the cornerstone for these pumpkin bars.
- Biscoff Cookies | If you don’t have Biscoff cookies, Speculoos or other Gingersnap type cookies work for this crust.
- Butter & Sugar |You do not need much to make this spicy, crispy, delicious crust!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling Ingredients
- Pumpkin Puree | Check the label carefully—you want puree and not pie filling, which has extra sugar and spices.
- Cream Cheese | I used full-fat cream cheese, but you could also use Neufchatel cheese for a bit lighter
- Sugar | I prefer to use organic pure cane sugar, but feel free to use regular white granulated sugar instead.
- Greek Yogurt | This is my secret, healthy ingredient to make the filling lighter! Plain yogurt, sour cream, or a plant-based alternative all make great substitutes.
- Eggs | I use large eggs in all of my baking.
- Spices | The aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger will tantalize you, or make your own pumpkin pie spice.
Streusel Topping Ingredients
- Rolled Oats, Dark or Light Brown Sugar, Flour, Butter and Salt is all you need for an amazing streusel topping!
How to make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Streusel
Step One | Make the Biscoff Cookie Crust
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little hanging over the sides.
Crush Biscoff cookies in freezer baggie, using a rolling pin or whir for a few seconds in a food processor.
Mix the cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press it into your baking pan. Bake in 325 degree preheated oven for 10 minutes, while you prepare filling. Remove and set aside.
Step Two | Make Streusel Topping
In a medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, butter, and salt for the streusel topping, squishing together with hands or spoon.
Place it in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.
Step Three | Making the Pumpkin Cheesecake Bar filling
Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
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To make the filling, use a mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy, about a minute. Then, add the eggs one at a time and continue beating.
Next, add the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, yogurt, and spices. The filling will be thin, but don’t worry—once baked, it will be perfect!
Pour your filling over the cookie crust and bake for 25 minutes, don’t worry you will add the streusel crumble topping in a bit.
Step Four | Adding Streusel Topping
After the cream cheese bars are partially baked, crumble the streusel topping over the pumpkin cheesecake filling carefully so it sits on top. Continue baking until done for an other 25-30 minutes, covering loosely with foil around 30 minutes.
On a wire rack, allow the bars to cool for one hour before putting them in the fridge. They need to chill for three hours or overnight for the best slicing experience.
When you’re ready to serve your pumpkin streusel bars, pull them out of the baking pan with the parchment paper and cut into squares.
If you make the brown butter glaze, drizzle it on top.
And you’re done! Just be ready when your family and friends ask for more of these healthy pumpkin bars.
Substitutions
- If you don’t have pumpkin puree, substitute squashes like butternut, honeynut, and acorn with delicious results.
- Another variation is to use sweet potatoes. Bake the sweet potatoes for about 1 ½ hours in their skins to caramelize them, then turn them into a puree for your streusel bars.
Variations
- GLUTEN-FREE PUMPKIN BARS | For gluten free pumpkin bars, substitute GF butter cookies or try using GF Graham Crackers. Almond flour or other GF flours works for the topping. And don’t forget to use GF oats. The GF option is so yummy!
- VEGAN PUMPKIN BARS | For a vegan version of healthy pumpkin bars, substitute cashew cream for cream cheese and cashew sour cream for yogurt. Good egg substitutions include Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer or ½ a banana per egg.
Storage
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw, overnight in fridge. Glaze just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store your pumpkin cream cheese bars with a few saltine crackers to absorb moisture. It’s amazing how well this works!
Prevent sinking by adding the topping over the filling mid-way through baking. Or, increase the oven temperature by 25 degrees for the first 5 minutes to set the filling before it rises too high.
A little more flour in the batter helps, especially if you live at a high altitude with low air pressure. The air pressure affects how your batter rises then sinks as the pumpkin streusel dessert cools.
A streusel is not filled with fruit like a crumble, but the topping is similar for both desserts.
This recipe easily doubles to feed your Thanksgiving guests! Make in a 9×13 inch pan and bake the bars at 325 for 55-65 minutes until firm. Be sure to add the streusel topping half way through.
Yes! It will be just as delicious with a graham cracker crust, some people do not enjoy the spice in Biscoff cookies. Use the graham cracker crust from my Key Lime Pie, it’s perfectly sized!
You bet, just substitute all of the spices for 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
Ways to Serve Pumpkin Streusel Bars
This fantastic recipe is from Sally’s Baking Addiction, I’ve adapted it for high altitude and personal taste.
- Pumpkin Streusel bars are delicious all by themselves!
- Sally serves with a Basic Vanilla Glaze, which would be amazing!
- Take them over the top with this brown butter glaze, use the maple option for the ultimate fall treat.
- Or simply serve them with a dollop of whipped cream and don’t forget to grate some fresh nutmeg over the top!
Other Fall Favorite Treats
- Your home will smell amazing with or without a baked treat with this easy Fall Simmering Spices!
- A Fall Breakfast Charcuterie Board would be a great place to sneak in these pumpkin streusel bars.
- Apple Double Crumb Cake – yeah more streusel!
- Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake
- Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls
- Gluten-Free Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
- Pear Bundt Cake
- Easy Old Fashioned Apple Crisp {Gluten-Free Option}
PIN TO YOUR FAVORITE PUMPKIN BOARD!
Equipment
Ingredients
Biscoff Cookie Crust
- 1 ¼ cups Biscoff cookie crumbs about 22 cookies (may sub Gingersnaps, Graham Crackers or other spiced or butter cookie)
- 2 Tablespoons cane sugar
- ¼ cup butter melted
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar packed
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup butter cubed, softened
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz full-fat cream cream softened (may sub Neufchatel or low-fat)
- ½ cup cane sugar graunlated
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt regular yogurt, plant based or sour cream may be substituted
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon*
- ¼ teaspoon each ground cloves nutmeg and ginger*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F degrees, line the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leave enough to hang over the sides.
- Make the Streusel
- In a medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and salt, toss to combine. Add softened cubed butter, and using your hands or a fork, smoosh together until mixed. Place container in freezer while preparing the pumpkin squares.
- Make the crust
- Combine cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter together in medium bowl. Press into the bottom of prepared pan. The crust will be thick, thicker if you use an 8” pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 325, once finished, remove from oven and INCREASE the temperature to 350 degrees.
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until light, creamy and smooth, about a minute. With mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition.
- On medium speed, beat in vanilla, pumpkin, yogurt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Continue mixing until combined and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mixture will be on the thin side. Pour mixture over the hot Biscoff cookie crust and place in oven.
- In order to prevent your streusel from sinking, bake pumpkin bars for 20-25 minutes, then remove and crumble streusel topping over the top. Continue baking for 25-40 additional minutes. The bars are done with when the edges are lightly browned and the center is set, cover loosely with foil if browning too quickly before setting.
- Cool on wire rack for 1 hour (important), then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 3 more hours or overnight. When ready to slice and serve, using the parchment paper lift the bars onto a cutting board and slice into 8 or 16 squares. If desired, drizzle bars with brown butter glaze .
- This recipe easily doubles for a 9×13 inch pan, you may need to bake an additional 10-15 minutes.
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Notes
Nutrition
Michaela Kenkel
These were heavenly!! Making them again at Thanksgiving! Great recipe, Thanks!!
Thank you, so glad you loved it!
Min
SO DELICIOUS!
Min
We LOVE this recipe! So flavorful and perfect for Fall. Will be making it all season for sure!! THANK YOU!
Thank you! So glad you loved it!
Julie Menghini
This recipe was the perfect treat with our chili last night. I just loved all of the warm spices and sweet drizzle.
So glad you enjoyed them!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
Ohhhhh, you know how much I LOVE a layered bar and these pumpkin cheesecake bars look like perfection! And that brown butter glaze on top has me swooning!
So many fabulous flavors!! Thanks so much Tasia!