Looking for the best no bake pumpkin cheesecake bars recipe? Look no further! This easy recipe for pumpkin pie cheesecake on a speculoos biscuit base is topped with a quick vanilla whipped cream and homemade candied pecans. Deliciously creamy slices, simple and showstopping!
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Ingredients
To make these easy no bake cheesecake bars with pumpkin you need:
- Lotus Biscoff Biscuits - crushed into a fine crumb. This can be substituted with other speculoos flavoured cookie crumb or graham cracker crumbs.
- Butter - unsalted and melted.
- Cream cheese - I use soft spreadable cream cheese, but you can substitute with block cream cheese. If using block cream cheese, you will need to allow to soften at room temperature first and the beating process will take slightly longer.
- Brown sugar - light brown sugar, also known as muscovado, firmly packed when measuring.
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Pumpkin purée - pure pumpkin purée is needed for this recipe and cannot be substituted for canned pumpkin pie filling.
- Heavy cream - heavy whipping cream or double cream.
- Powdered sugar - or icing sugar.
Making Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
The process for making these cheesecake bars is very similar to other no bake cheesecakes, such as my Biscoff Cookie Butter Cheesecake.
Begin by lining your tray. For this recipe, I use a square 8" pan. To line this, use parchment paper strips. It is easiest to criss cross two long strips so that they cover the bottom and then up the sides. Allow the paper to overhang a bit as this will make removing the bars easier later.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the crushed cookie crumbs and the melted butter. Once the crumbs are lightly moistened, add these to the square tin and press firmly into an even base. Place this in the freezer to chill while you make the filling.
For the filling, first beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar until you reach stiff peaks. This is the key to a nobake cheesecake as the stiff whipped cream gives the cheesecake its stable creamy structure.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, sugar and spices. Add the pumpkin purée and whisk until smooth.
Then add the whipped cream to the pumpkin cream cheese mixture and fold to incorporate.
Spoon this on top of your prepared crust and spread evenly.
Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours (or better overnight).
Serving Suggestions
When you're ready to serve these easy pumpkin cheesecake bars, my suggestion is to pair them with whipped cream and some candied pecans. You absolutely don't have to make either of these toppings yourself! But, if you're up for a little more effort, all you'll need is:
- Pecans - halved shelled pecans.
- Maple syrup
- Spices - I like to use cinnamon, ginger and cloves (same as in the cheesecake bars)
- Salt
- Heavy cream - heavy whipping cream or double cream.
- Powdered sugar - or icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract - or vanilla bean paste.
Quick Candied Pecans
To make these simple spiced candied pecans, place the pecan halves along with the maple syrup and spices in a non-stick frying pan.
Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the syrup thickens, coating the nuts. The syrup will then begin to crystallise.
Tip the nuts out onto a piece of parchment paper and spread into a single layer to allow to cool.
Homemade Whipped Cream
For a quick and easy homemade whipped cream, all you need to do is beat the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
See my guide for a more detailed step by step process to making your own stablized whipped cream.
Cutting and Topping Bars
Once the bars are chilled and set, use the parchment paper to help you remove them from the square pan.
Using a sharp knife, slice into bars. I do this by slicing the square into three long strips and then slicing these across in four.
Quick tips for clean slices:
- Cut straight down and avoid dragging the knife through the bar.
- Wipe your knife with a clean piece of paper towel in between cutting slices.
For the ultimate pumpkin pie cheesecake bar, top each slice with a dollop of cream or a piped swirl. Add a couple of cool candied pecan pieces and serve!
FAQs
These pumpkin cheesecake bars will last in the refrigerator for about 4 days. With the stabilized whipped cream and candied pecan topping, you can slice and decorate in advance of serving and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Yes! These bars freeze easily. You'll want to leave them to set in the refrigerator overnight to thoroughly chill. Then transfer to the freezer.
The best way to do this is to slice and place the individual bars spaced out slightly on a lined freezer safe tray. Place this in the freezer until the bars are frozen (a few hours) and then wrap in plastic wrap and transfer to a freezer safe bag or container. When ready to use - remove from the freezer, unwrap and defrost in the refrigerator.
Absolutely! This recipe is for pumpkin cream cheese bars. These bars taste just like a pumpkin pie in cheesecake form, using the same spices. With added whipped cream and candied pecan for crunch, these are the ultimate no bake pumpkin cheesecake bars.
Are you a pumpkin lover? Try these other pumpkin based recipes:
- Pumpkin Baked Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Pecan Bread
- Cream Cheese and Pumpkin Mini Bundts
- Pumpkin Pound Cake
- Mini Pumpkin Pies
No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cookie Crumb Base
- 1½ cups crushed Lotus Biscoff Biscuits can be substituted with other speculoos flavoured cookie crumbs or graham cracker crumbs
- 5 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Ingredients for Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz spreadable cream cheese (see note)
- 2 tablespoon light brown sugar muscovado, firmly packed
- 3 oz pumpkin purée
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream or double cream
- 3 tablespoon powdered sugar or icing sugar
Ingredients for Candied Pecans
- 3 oz pecan halves shelled
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Whipped Cream
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream or double cream
- ½ tablespoon powdered sugar or icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Instructions for Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Begin by lining the base and sides of an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper. (see note)
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the crushed cookie crumbs and melted butter. Add this to the lined square pan and press firmly into an even base. Place the pan with the cookie base in the freezer while you make the filling to allow this to chill.
- In a mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and powdered sugar. Beat with an electric handheld beater or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, until stiff peaks form.
- Meanwhile in a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, brown sugar and spices. Add the pumpkin purée and whisk until smooth.
- Add the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture and then fold gently to combine.
- Spoon the cheesecake filling on top of the prepared base and spread evenly with an offset spatula.
- Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least four hours (better over night).
Instructions for Candied Pecans
- Place the pecan halves, syrup, salt and spices in a non stick frying pan and heat over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the spices have mixed into the syrup and this is coating the nuts.
- After a few minutes, the syrup will begin to boil. Continue to stir occasionally as the syrup begins to thicken to coat the nuts.
- After about 10 minutes this will start to crystallise. At this point, remove from the heat and place the nuts in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper to cool (see note).
Instructions for Whipped Cream
- Place the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat with a handheld electric beater (or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment), until stiff peaks form.
Instructions for Assembling
- When ready, remove the cheesecake from the square pan - this is best done by lifting the 8" square out of the pan by the overhanging parchment. Place this on a counter or chopping board and use a large clean knife to slice into 12 pieces (see note).
- Transferring the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, pipe a decorative line of cream on top of each slice (see note).
- Finally add a few pecan halves to each piece.
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