Pumpkin season is definitely coming in hot this year, and I’ve never been more excited, these vegan pumpkin cheesecake bars will be the hero for your next holiday gathering. Extremely easy to make, and the contrasting layers are just so pretty to look at! They’re a cross between a pumpkin pie and a cheesecake, I mean what more would you ask for? Perfectly spiced, topped with a pecan streusel, and blanketed over a delicious Biscoff crust. It’s the best fall dessert that you will need for this season!
If you’re tired of the classic pumpkin pie, then this dessert is the perfect alternative. With these pumpkin cheesecake bars, you’ll be in love at first bite. Baking this will fill your home with the sweet smell of pumpkin and spices. Even though we are still going through a pandemic, I feel like fall makes up for all the craziness we are currently going through. Not only that, but food always makes people happy and that’s what I want for everyone!
Key ingredients you’ll need:
Biscoff Cookies – This makes for a perfect crust and the flavor of this cookie works well with all the spices of this dessert.
Pumpkin Puree – Don’t mistake this for pumpkin pie filling, the only ingredient should just be pumpkin.
Vegan Cream Cheese – I used Kite Hill’s plain vegan cream cheese, I find it to have the creamiest consistency. Also, you can substitute for your favorite vegan cream cheese.
Pecans – This addition within the streusel gives the pumpkin cheese a balanced texture and elevates the flavor profile of this dessert!
These pumpkin cheesecake bars are made with pantry-friendly ingredients, and with a few additions, it definitely brings it all together. Although this looks complicated, it’s quite easy to make. It doesn’t require any fancy techniques or equipment, like a water bath or a springform pan. All you really need is a food processor and a baking pan! And even if you don’t have a food processor, there are other ways to put them together.
How to make vegan pumpkin cheesecake bars
Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Grease and line a 10.5″ X 7.5″ inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Add Biscoff cookies to a food processor and grind them into fine crumbs. While the food processor is running, pour in the melted butter and continue to blend until they start to clump up together.
Transfer the crust mixture to the prepared baking dish. Using a flat bottom cup or measuring cup, evenly and firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of the dish. Bake for 8 minutes, then allow it to cool.
Mix the vegan cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract until well combined. Reserve 1 cup of cream cheese and set it aside.
In another mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and reserved cream cheese.
Pour the plain cheesecake over the crust, and spread it evenly. Then carefully spread the pumpkin layer over top.
Bake at 350° Farenheit for 30 minutes.
In a food processor, pulse together the pecans and brown sugar. Then add in the flour, pumpkin spice, and salt. Lastly, pour in the melted vegan butter and water, and continue to pulse until it starts to clump together.
When the cheesecake is done baking, carefully spread the streusel over the top. Place it back in the oven to continue to bake for another 25 minutes.
Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then transfer it to the fridge to set for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Cut the cheesecake into 12 bars. Serve and enjoy!
Top tips
Use a food processor to make the crust and the streusel. I know that we’re all about convenience, and to help make things easier for you and me, a food processor will be your best friend.
Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer! It’ll just make the process go by easier.
Use vegan cream cheese at room temperature! Doing this will help incorporate better with the other ingredients, resulting in a creamier cheesecake mixture. Most importantly, allow the vegan cream cheese to sit at room temp for about 30 minutes before starting.
Use a hot sharp knife for cleaner slices. Warm the knife under running hot water, and quickly dry the knife and cut into the cheesecake. Repeat after every cut!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do these vegan pumpkin cheesecake bars stay fresh? Store the bars refrigerated, in a large airtight container, for up to a week.
Can I freeze these? Yes! You can store these bars in a large airtight container and freeze them for up to 4-5 weeks. Just warm these up in the microwave for a minute or so.
Do I need to use the pecan streusel? Nope! If you have a nut allergy or do not like streusel, you can skip it entirely. These pumpkin cheesecake bars will still taste great without them!
Can I make these gluten-free? I haven’t personally tried it, but I believe any gluten-free product should work. Especially if you can find a gluten-free replacement for the crust!
If you’d tried this recipe out let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @flouredframe and don’t forget to tag me when you create my recipes! Happy baking!
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Perfectly spiced, topped with a pecan streusel, and blanketed over a delicious Biscoff crust. It’s the best fall dessert that you will need for this season!
Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Grease and line a 10. 5″ X 7. 5″ inch baking pan with parchment paper. Allow the parchment to hang over the sides of the pan, these will act as a “handle” later on.
Add Biscoff cookies to a food processor and grind them into fine crumbs. While the food processor is running, pour in the melted butter. Blend these together for a few more seconds until it starts to clump together.
Transfer the crust mixture to the prepared baking dish. Using a flat bottom cup or measuring cup, evenly and firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of the dish. Bake for 8 minutes, then allow it to cool completely before adding the filling.
Cheesecake Filling:
Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, mix the room-temperature vegan cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth. Reserve 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture and set it aside.
In another mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and the reserved 1 cup cheesecake mixture.
Pour the plain cheesecake mixture over the crust, and spread it evenly across the crust.
Next, spread the pumpkin layer evenly over top of the cheesecake layer.
Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes.
Streusel:
Meanwhile, make the streusel. In a food processor, pulse together the pecans and brown sugar until you get a fine texture.
Next, pulse in the flour, pumpkin spice, and salt.
Lastly, pour in the melted vegan butter and water. Pulse until it starts clumping together.
When the cheesecake is done baking, carefully crumble the streusel over the top. Place it back into the oven and bake for another 25 minutes.
Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then place it in the fridge to set for at least 6 hours or overnight.
How to cut:
If you had the parchment hanging over the sides of your pan as I suggested earlier, you can use it to gently remove the cheesecake from the pan and over to a flat surface like a large cutting board.
Warm a sharp knife under running hot water, and quickly dry the knife, and to start off, I like to start by trimming off the sides. Then cut into the rest of the cheesecake. Run the knife under hot water, dry it, and repeat after every cut! Transfer the cut pieces to a serving plate. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
How long do these vegan pumpkin cheesecake bars stay fresh? Store the bars refrigerated, in a large airtight container, for up to a week.
Can I freeze these? Yes! You can store these bars in a large airtight container and freeze for up to 4-5 weeks. Just warm these up in the microwave for a minute or so.
Do I need to use the pecan streusel? Nope! If you have a nut allergy or do not like streusel, you can skip it entirely. These pumpkin cheesecake bars will still taste great without them!
Can I make these gluten-free? I haven’t personally tried it, but I believe any gluten-free product should work. Especially if you can find a gluten-free replacement for the crust!
Use a food processor to make the crust and the streusel. I know that we’re all about convenience, and to help make things easier for you and me, a food processor will be your best friend. If you do not own a food processor, you can use a large bag to place the cookies and pecans in and use a rolling pin or something heavy to finely crush them.
Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer! It’ll just make the process go by easier.
Use vegan cream cheese at room temperature! Doing this will help incorporate better with the other ingredients, resulting in a creamier cheesecake mixture. Most importantly, allow the vegan cream cheese to sit at room temp for about 30 minutes before starting.
Use a hot sharp knife for cleaner slices. Warm the knife under running hot water, quickly dry the knife and cut it into the cheesecake. Repeat after every cut!
Also, when I spread the plain cream cheese over the crust, it started to melt making it difficult to spread. I guess next time the crust needs to be cooled completely.
Made these for Thanksgiving, as I’m nursing and my little one cannot do dairy or egg.. Used Violife cream cheese as that’s what my store carries. They definitely didn’t look as pretty as yours and my streusel was falling all over the place but I LOVED them. Definitely fulfilled all my thanksgiving dessert needs!!!
I say that as long as it tastes good, I wouldn’t worry too much about the appearance haha! But I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe as much as I did! Thank you!
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Thanks for posting, i found a few grammatical errors in the post but I kept on reading because I enjoyed your narrative style of writing.
Haha, I’m definitely not the best at writing, but good to know that I can tell a story well.
Hello. So is it 1 or half cup of sugar?
Also, when I spread the plain cream cheese over the crust, it started to melt making it difficult to spread. I guess next time the crust needs to be cooled completely.
It’s 1/2 cup of sugar, sorry about that. I updated the recipe. And yes, you need to let it cool before you put the cream cheese.
[…] Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars […]
Made these for Thanksgiving, as I’m nursing and my little one cannot do dairy or egg.. Used Violife cream cheese as that’s what my store carries. They definitely didn’t look as pretty as yours and my streusel was falling all over the place but I LOVED them. Definitely fulfilled all my thanksgiving dessert needs!!!
★★★★★
I say that as long as it tastes good, I wouldn’t worry too much about the appearance haha! But I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe as much as I did! Thank you!