These healthy, low-carb pumpkin cheesecake bars are the perfect blend of two classic desserts! Make them with an almond flour or pecan crust for the ultimate fall treat!
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This recipe is the ultimate fall treat. Because it can be made in advance and eaten relatively fork-free, it makes a great dessert for parties as well.
These pumpkin bars were inspired by my low carb pumpkin pie on this site. It is one of many pumpkin recipes that you will find here so if these bars don't suit you, be sure to check them out.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butter - sub with coconut oil if desired
- Almond Flour - or use pecans that have been pulsed in a food processor until they have a flour like texture.
- Salt
- Low Carb Sweetener or sugar
- Cream Cheese
- Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste
- Sour Cream or plain greek yogurt
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Eggs
- Pumpkin Pie Spice - or use one teaspoon of ground cinnamon, one half teaspoon of ground ginger, and one quarter teaspoon of ground cloves.
- Pumpkin Puree
See the recipe card for quantities.
Step-by-step Instructions
These pumpkin cheesecake bars are so easy to make and only require about 15-20 minutes of hands-on time to make.
Start out by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 inch square pan with non-stick spray and/or line it with parchment paper. Parchment paper makes slicing and serving the bars SO much easier so I highly recommend using it.
To prepare the crust combine the almond flour, melted butter, salt, and sweetener. Stir until it forms a smooth dough.
Use wet hands or the back of a greased spatula to gently press the dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.
Use a fork to poke holes in the crust, then bake it in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Note: the crust will not be fully baked at this point. It will finish baking later when you bake the bars.
When the crust is finished baking, remove it from the oven and set it aside. Increase the oven temp to 425° F and begin preparing the cheesecake layer.
Combine the cream cheese, sweetener, and vanilla in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer and mix on medium speed until smooth
Add the sour cream, heavy cream, and egg to the cream cheese mixture and continue mixing until smooth and creamy.
Carefully pour cheesecake batter over the prepared crust. Smooth into an even layer, and set aside.
Now prepare the pumpkin layer: In a large bowl mix the sweetener, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
Add the eggs and pumpkin and mix again. Gradually stir in heavy cream.
Pour the pumpkin mixture over the cheesecake layer. If desired, use a butter knife to create swirls between the two layers.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temp back to 350° F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes or until the center is only slightly jiggly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow it to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and enjoy!
Hint: To make slicing and serving super easy, line your pan with parchment paper (affiliate) Once the bars have chilled for 2 hours, gently lift the parchment with the bars and place it on a cutting board. Then you can easily slice them into equal portions!
Variations
- Regular Sugar - These bars can also be made with regular white sugar if you don't want to make the low-carb version. Simply swap at a 1:1 ratio
- Change up the crust - Use ground pecans in place of the almond flour, or if you aren't concerned with the carbs use a traditional pie crust. Alternatively you can also use graham cracker crumbs in place of the almond flour or make this completely crustless!
- Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream Topping - Serve these with fresh pumpkin spice whipped cream for a real treat! To make, simply combine one half cup of heavy whipping cream with 3 tablespoons of powdered sweetener and 1-2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. Beat with an electric mixer until the mixture has doubled in volume and stiff peaks have formed.
See how I made the pecan crust by checking out my triple-layer pumpkin dessert! It is a little different than the one I listed here, but either will work.
Equipment
To make this recipe you will need the following equipment:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric mixer
- Rubber spatula
- 8x8 inch baking pan
As I mentioned above, I also highly suggest using parchment paper to line your pan with parchment paper for easier serving.
Storage
Keep these bars in the fridge until ready to serve and refrigerate any leftovers for up to a week.
You can also freeze them in a sealed freezer-safe container for up to six months. Allow them to thaw in the fridge to eat from frozen.
FAQs
These bars will not get firm in the oven, which can make it difficult to tell when they are finished baking. To check for doneness, gently shake the pan and watch how the surface of the bars moves. If the surface jiggles as a whole like jello, then they are likely done. If the surface looks liquid-like, then the bars need to bake more. You can also try inserting a knife in the center of the pan and if it comes out clean they are done.
These bars will get firm while they cool, which is why it is so important to let them cool for at least 2 hours before you slice them.
Yes! Pumpkin is a low-carb vegetable with less than 5 net carbs per half-cup serving. It is also loaded with fiber and is a great way to prevent keto baked goods from being dry.
I LOVE using powdered lakanto monkfruit in this recipe. In fact, I use lakanto sweeteners almost exclusively. Even though I have abandoned the keto diet for following a more intuitive eating approach, I find that monkfruit tastes so similar to real sugar that there is really no reason to use regular sugar anymore.
Top tip
To avoid lumpy cheesecake batter, make sure that you let the cheesecake ingredients sit out at room temperature for a while before cooking this recipe. I usually just pull everything out when I sit the cream cheese out to soften.
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- 8x8 inch square pan
- Electric Mixer
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3 tablespoon Butter melted
- ¾ cup Almond Flour
- Pinch Salt
- 2 tablespoon Low Carb Sweetener
For Cheesecake Layer:
- 8 oz Cream Cheese softened
- ½ cup Low Carb Sweetener I used powdered monk fruit
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste
- ¼ cup Sour Cream
- ¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Egg
For Pumpkin Layer:
- ¾ cup Low Carb Sweetener I used powdered monk fruit
- ½ tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 15 oz Pumpkin Puree
- ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and grease an 8x8 inch square baking pan. If desired you may also line the pan with parchment paper
- In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients for the crust and mix until it forms a smooth and uniform dough.3 tablespoon Butter, ¾ cup Almond Flour, Pinch Salt, 2 tablespoon Low Carb Sweetener
- Using wet hands or the back of a greased spatula, gently press the dough into the bottom of the greased pan.
- Poke holes in the bottom and sides of the crust and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. *note that in this step you are only partially baking the crust. It will bake further when you add the filling, so don't be surprised when it looks underdone.
- When the crust is finished baking, remove it from the oven and set it aside. Increase the oven temp to 425° F and begin preparing the cheesecake layer.
- Combine the cream cheese, sweetener, and vanilla in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer and mix on medium speed until smooth8 oz Cream Cheese, ½ cup Low Carb Sweetener, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Add the sour cream, heavy cream, and egg to the cream cheese mixture and continue mixing until smooth and creamy.¼ cup Sour Cream, ¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream, 1 Egg
- Carefully pour cheesecake batter over the prepared crust.
- Now prepare the pumpkin layer: In a large bowl mix the sweetener, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.¾ cup Low Carb Sweetener, ½ tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Add the eggs and pumpkin and mix again. Gradually stir in heavy cream.2 Eggs, 15 oz Pumpkin Puree, ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- Pour the pumpkin mixture over the cheesecake layer. If desired, use a butter knife to create swirls between the two layers.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temp back to 350° F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes or until the center is only slightly jiggly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow it to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and enjoy!
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens. Optional ingredients are not included unless otherwise specified.
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