No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are the perfect Fall dessert with a buttery Biscoff crust and a fluffy pumpkin cheesecake topping. They're super easy to whip up with minimal ingredients!

Pumpkin cheesecake square with cinnamon and whipped cream.

These Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares are absolutely full of Fall flavor and I highly recommend making these a day ahead of Thanksgiving for an easy dessert you can pull right out of the fridge and serve.

They're a no bake recipe, which means less effort and a much fluffier whipped cream cheese layer. There's so much flavor and texture here with the Biscoff crust!

If you love Pumpkin desserts, make sure to try these Pumpkin Spice Donuts, Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pumpkin Protein Balls too!

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Dessert:
Ingredients:
Substitutions and Variations:
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars (Step by Step Instructions):
Expert Tips:
Recipe FAQs:
More Desserts You Will Love:
Recipe

Why You'll Love This Dessert:

No Bake. No oven needed for this no bake cheesecake!
Big on Fall Flavor. Fluffy pumpkin cream cheese filling meets a buttery Biscoff crust for some serious Autumn vibes.
Easy to Make. A simple dessert with easy step by step instructions with photos.
Great for Holidays. This is a really fun dessert to serve for Halloween and Thanksgiving too.

Ingredients:

The Crust: Made up of Biscoff Cookies, brown sugar and melted butter. Biscoff is a really delicious crisp cookie with caramel taste from molasses. It reminds me a lot of ginger snap cookies, but with a little less spice. They are blended into crumbs in the food processor, then mixed with the brown sugar and melted butter. The results are a sweet and savory crust! Try this Biscoff Cheesecake and Biscoff Truffles too.

Pumpkin Puree: Pumpkin Puree is 100% pumpkin that is pureed until smooth and creamy. I like the canned Libby's brand and always stock up the pantry with them in the Fall season.

Cream Cheese: Brings in the cheesecake taste with it's tangy flavor and thick texture.

Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness into the pumpkin cheesecake.

Heavy Cream: Whisked into whipped cream, then folded into the pumpkin cheesecake topping to make it even fluffier with rich flavor.

Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ground ginger combine to form the pumpkin spice flavors.

*Full recipe ingredients and quantities are listed in the recipe card below.

Substitutions and Variations:

The Biscoff Cookies can be substituted with graham cracker crumbs or even Gingersnap cookies.
The spice mixture can easily be substituted with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
For an extra touch, top the cheesecake squares with whipped topping, then dust with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
Equipment Substitutes: If you don't have a food processor, use a blender or place the cookies in a gallon sized bag and hit with a kitchen mallet or rolling pin until it's broken into fine crumbs. The stand mixer can be replaced with a large bowl and hand mixer.

For more of my favorite Thanksgiving desserts, try this Turtle Pie, Apple Strudel with Puff Pastry, and Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust.

How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars (Step by Step Instructions):

Step 1: Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Leave two of the sides of the parchment paper overhanging the outsides of the pan. Note: This makes the bars easier to remove for slicing into squares.

Step 2: Add the biscoff cookies into the food processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs. Pour in the brown sugar and pulse to combine. Then, slowly pour in the butter through the opening on low speed. Scrape the sides of the food processor and stir to combine.

Measuring cup packing down biscoff crust in pan.

Step 3: Pour the crust into the 8x8 pan and pack down with the back of the measuring cup. Use your index finger for the corners. Make sure it's really tight. Place the pan with crust in the freezer for 1 hour.

Step 4: Whisk together granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice. Set aside.

Step 5: In the stand mixer with beater attachment, add in the cream cheese and beat on medium speed for 90 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl half way through. Pour in the sugar and spice mixture and mix on medium speed for another 90 seconds, scraping the sides half way through.

Step 6: Add the pumpkin puree and mix on medium low speed until combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and set aside. If you don't have two stand mixer bowls, dump this mixture into a large regular bowl and clean the mixer bowl for the next step.

Step 7: In a clean stand mixture bowl with whisk attachment, add in the heavy cream and whip on medium speed until stiff peaks form, which means when you pull up the whisk, the whipped topping stays in a mountain peak. It usually takes about 7-9 minutes to get it the right texture.

Fluffy whipped topping with pumpkin and cream in stand mixer bowl.

Step 8: Add the whipped cream over the top of the pumpkin cream cheese mixture and fold in with a spatula just until combined. Note: Try to use a folding motion, where you are almost scooping the spatula under the mixture, rather than stirring it. This will help keep a light and fluffy texture.

Step 9: Add the whipped pumpkin filling over the cooled crust.

Smoothing top of pumpkin cheesecake with bench scraper.

Step 10: Use a spoon to spread the filling out evenly. For a really perfectly smooth top, you can use an icing scraper and run it over the top.

Plastic wrap covered pumpkin cheesecake bars.

Step 11: Tightly wrap the 8x8 pan in plastic wrap, making sure it's not touching the filling. Store in the refrigerator for at least 10 hours, preferably overnight.

Step 12: Run a butterknife around the outside edges without the parchment paper. Slice into 12 squares. Note: I find it easier to carefully remove the bars before slicing, but you can also cut in the pan and remove one by one.

Pumpkin cheesecake squares on baking rack.

Step 13: Serve with whipped topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired. Enjoy!

Expert Tips:

Before you start the recipe, make sure the cream cheese has set out at room temperature for 2-3 hours. This is huge because if the cream cheese is cold, it will create chunks in the filling mixture that won't smooth out property.
Use the back of the measuring cup to really pack down the crust. I use my index fingers for the corners. This is a no bake crust, so you really want to pack it down tight, and make sure to freeze it for an hour before adding the filling.
The heavy cream step is important in this recipe to whip first. It makes the filling light and fluffy. If you don't whip it first, it's heavier and weighs the filling down.
When removing the cheesecake bars, I gently tip the farthest side of the 8x8 pan up a few inches from the countertop, then pull the parchment paper on the side closest to me to remove the bars from the pan.

For more dessert bar recipes, try these Monster Cookie Bars, Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust and Key Lime Pie Bars.

Recipe FAQs:

What is no bake cheesecake versus regular cheesecake:

Think a similar crust with no bake being much less dense, more fluffy & light with a very whipped texture.

Why does the cream cheese need to be at room temperature?

If it's cold it will create clumps when it's mixed with the sugars, which will be very difficult to remove and result in clumps in the finished product.

Storage:

The bars can be left in the 8x8 dish and covered in plastic wrap in the fridge, or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerated. Eat within 2-3 days.

More Desserts You Will Love:

If you tried this Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

Recipe