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Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Pumpkin cheesecake bars with a golden gingersnap crust and two-layer swirled filling, baked until just set and then chilled for clean slices. The pumpkin-vanilla layer is mixed separately, dolloped on top, and swirled with a knife before baking.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Chill 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 16 bars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 315
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Gingersnap crust
  • 2 cup gingersnap crumbs
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 6 tbsp melted butter
Cheesecake layer
  • 16 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.25 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Pumpkin layer
  • 0.5 cup pumpkin puree
  • 0.25 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Prep and crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 325F and line a 9x13 pan with parchment for easy lifting.
  2. Press gingersnap crumbs, sugar, and melted butter into the pan in an even layer.
  3. Bake the crust for 8 minutes to set it slightly, then keep the oven on.
Make cheesecake batter
  1. Beat softened cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth, with no lumps.
  2. Beat in the eggs, then mix in sour cream and vanilla until fully combined.
  3. Remove 1-1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture and whisk it with pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon until the pumpkin layer is uniform.
Assemble and bake
  1. Pour the plain cheesecake mixture over the baked crust and spread to an even thickness.
  2. Dollop the pumpkin mixture over the top in spoonfuls.
  3. Swirl the dollops through the batter with a knife to create a marbled pattern.
  4. Bake for 35-38 minutes until the center is just set (slight jiggle is fine), then cool completely.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate for 3 hours to fully firm up before cutting.
  2. Cut into bars and serve chilled.

Notes

For the cleanest bar slices, cool to room temperature first, then chill at least 3 hours—use a sharp knife wiped between cuts. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze bars up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, swap cream cheese and sour cream for reduced-fat versions (texture will be slightly softer but still workable).