These pumpkin pie bars start with a graham cracker crust and a layer of sweet cream cheese topped with classic pumpkin pie filling for the perfect fall dessert.
Move over pumpkin pie. Mama has a new favorite fall recipe that takes the old standard to a new level of yum!
I have some serious love for pumpkin pie, but I would choose a graham cracker crust over traditional pie crust any day of the week. I think it tastes better and it’s definitely less finicky!
So I played around and combined a few of my favorite recipes until I came up with these easy pumpkin pie bars.
They are perfection.
The crust is substantial and perfectly sweet thanks to the brown sugar.
The cheesecake mixture is rich and creamy but not overpowering. Even my husband liked it and he doesn’t like cream cheese very much!
The pumpkin layer is all the classic fall flavors you love. Like grandma used to make.
And it all comes together to form the most delectable fall dessert. You have got to give them a try! They’d be the perfect Friendsgiving dessert or heck, throw the rules out the window and make them on Thanksgiving! I guarantee no one will care that they’re not made in a pie tin when they’re wolfing them down.
Helpful Tips
- Don’t forget to take your cream cheese out of the refrigerator several hours before you are going to bake these bars, so it has time to come to room temperature. This will help prevent lumps in the cream cheese layer.
- I have found that lining the pan with parchment paper isn’t super necessary with this dessert. The bars come out pretty easily. But if you’re worried, feel free to use it!
- You can use the individual spice I have listed in the recipe (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger) or substitute those for 1.5 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. Either way, they’ll taste great! If you’re a big fan of cloves, you can add 1/8 teaspoon to the pumpkin pie filling for extra spice.
- The recipes calls for canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. What’s the difference between them? One is just pumpkin puree. The other has flavorings added to it.
- Be sure to cover any leftovers with plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator. If you have leftovers, that is. LOL.
- I usually make these a day ahead of when I will serve them, which is perfect for Thanksgiving because I usually make them on Wednesday with the rest of my pies.
- The easiest way I’ve found to make graham cracker crumbs is in a food processor. It was worth buying one just to make graham cracker crumbs and grate cheese. I literally only use it for those two things.
Pumpkin Pie Bars Video
Pumpkin Pie Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs , about 14 whole crackers
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- pinch salt
Cream Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese , two bricks, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pumpkin Filling
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 ounces
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
For The Crust:
- Mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, melted butter and salt until combined. Spread in a 9×13 baking dish and press evenly into the bottom of the pan.
For The Cream Filling:
- Beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and pour over crust. Bake for 10 minutes, or just until the top starts to set. This helps keep the layers separated.
For The Pumpkin Filling:
- Whisk together the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices, and salt until smooth. Pour over the par-baked cream filling.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until the center of the pumpkin filling is set and no longer jiggles.
- Cool completely, then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before serving. Add a dollop of fresh whipped cream, if desired.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge.
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Comments & Reviews
Your pumpkin pie bars looks absolutely yummy! I’m certainly looking forward to preparing very soon, if not for Thanksgiving, for Christmas! Thanks, for sharing….
Looks awesome.Can it be frozen
Freezing may change the texture a bit, but I think it would work okay.
😊Thank you. Yummy 😋
Yummy I will try this. You get cheese cake and pumpkin pie taste all at once.
I am making this & the top layer with the pumpkin purée is watery. I use the blender instead of whisking it. Your video showed to use the blender for both layers. Is that why it’s watery.
Uh oh! Are you sure you followed the recipe exactly? Did you use pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling?
The same happened with mine andc 10 minutes was not enough for the first layer, my 2nd one just poured right through. 😥
I just finished making this and they smell amazing! I will wait until tomorrow to eat. It is going to take all my willpower!
This is now a family favorite. Thank you!
Hi, can I use evaporated milk like the recipe says in the can of pumpkin?
Yes, but you would need to add granulated sugar also.
This recipe is fairly easy. The taste is amazing! It will be a regular dessert for us!
I am going to try this recipe for Christmas. Yummy
Made them for thanksgiving and the whole family loved them thank you for sharing your recipe
Looks yummy. Going to make this recipe soon! Thank you.
I made these for Thanksgiving and were great! I was wondering if you could use strawberries instead of pumpkin purée?
I’m sure you could find a way, but since I haven’t tried it, you’d be on your own to experiment.
I made these 2 days ago and they are delicious. I was concerned about the cream cheese layer morphing with the pumpkin layer, but I poured carefully and slowly and it was good. I loved the graham cracker crust with brown sugar, not white sugar. VERY GOOD! Taste best really cold from the fridge. No whipped cream necessary. PS I also only spiced up the pumpkin layer with pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon, sorry, I don’t measure. YUM! Welcome fall!
Could these be made in muffins tins instead of as a sheet cake? If so, how long would they bake? Thx. 🙂
I don’t know how long they would take. I haven’t tried them that way. But you can do the “jiggle test.” The center of the pumpkin should look pretty firm when you jiggle the pan.
I would use the individual graham cracker tart shells. So much easier.
Already made once and going for round two. Everyone enjoyed. Thank You
I want to try this for Thanksgiving but need your opinion on changing a couple things. I would like to double the pumpkin layer and cut the cream cheese layer in half maybe. I also would want a shortbread crust. Do you think any of this is possible without ruining this great dessert recipe of yours? I realize I would have to alter baking time and also maybe change oven temp.
Instead of changing this recipe so much, I would look for another recipe that has the features you are looking for. I can’t vouch for what would happen if you change so many things, so it seems safer to find a tested recipe.
Can you double the pumpkin layer? If so do you just increase bake time? We like thick pumpkin 🥧 😃
I wouldn’t risk it. It would be hard to get it to cook all the way through.
Just made it. Very easy. Serving it tomorrow/ Thanksgiving Day
I made the Pumpkin Pie Bars and they are excellent! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’ve shared it with a few friends and copied the https://www.thecraftpatchblog.com/pumpkin-pie-bars/?fbclid=IwAR2j4BFEdX_Ivgrsh71Z857XQHxtolN3x3GEpDbu9CPQnAUD3_0XuaVn5oE to share with them.
Looking forward to trying another recipe from your site.
YUM!
Delicious! Turned out perfect for our Thanksgiving dessert!
These pumpkin pie bars were a hit at our Thanksgiving dinner. No more of the traditional pumpkin pies anymore.
I agree! Once you have these, regular pie is just sad! LOL.
made these when I lived in Texas only revirest top two layers, had to make a second one as daughter ate the first one the first day
I made these 2 years ago and than lost your recipe I was happy that I finally found it after continued searching this is the best pumpkin pie bar recipe I have ever found!!
Fantastic recipe! Absolutely delicious. The next time I make it, I plan to cook the cream cheese layer a little longer. I would also let it cool a while longer. The pumpkin poured into the cream cheese layer. However, it made a beautiful marbled effect- so I don’t mind it either way.
How many servings does this recipe yield?
One 9×13 pan… so 12-15 servings depending on how you cut them.