The flavor of pumpkin pie, but with a graham cracker crust, Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Bars are the perfect end to your Thanksgiving dinner.
I've never been much of a pie person. There are definitely some custard-based pies that I like (Key Lime is my very favorite), but fruit pies are not for me.
I think it's because I don't like the traditional pie crust. I don't enjoy eating it, and I despise making it.
If I ever do make a pie with a traditional pastry crust, which is rare, I almost always use a store-bought crust.
So this year, I tried something a little different. I made Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Bars. No store-bought crust is required since they use graham cracker crust (my favorite).
I based the recipe on my Pumpkin Pie recipe, which is delicious, even to my pie-disliking palate.
I also remembered a delicious pumpkin-flavored cheesecake that I made many years ago, and decided to add a cheesecake swirl. You could forgo the cheesecake swirl in this recipe completely, and it would still be great.
And, I decided to use the crust that is always my fall-back on pie and bar desserts: graham cracker crust.
How to Make Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Bars
These bars are make-ahead friendly, which is perfect for those holiday feasts. In fact, it's pretty much a necessity to make them ahead of time, because they take several hours to cool.
I would recommend making them at least the day before you plan to serve them, then keep them in the fridge until you're ready to serve them.
If you don't want them to be fridge cold come dessert time, just take them out of the fridge and keep them at room temperature for a few hours before dinner.
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Bars Ingredients:
- Graham crackers (use gluten-free graham crackers or graham crumbs to make your Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl bars gluten-free)
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Evaporated milk
- Milk
- Large eggs
- Large egg yolks
- Vanilla
- Pumpkin puree or pureed winter squash
- Brown sugar
- Maple syrup
- Grated fresh ginger
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Grated nutmeg
- Neufchatel or light cream cheese
As we all know, pumpkin pie is better with whipped cream. These Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake bars are no exception.
Whisk together some heavy cream, sugar and vanilla, or go for the old spray can of real whipped cream.
After all, there's just something that says "Thanksgiving" in that "gsshhh" sound that it makes as you layer it over the entire top of your dessert.
Want more pie recipes?
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Bars Nutrition Notes:
The nutrition information in the recipe uses 2% evaporated milk and 1% milk for the calculations.
On portion size: cut the bars into larger portions (16 bars) if you're serving them as a stand-alone dessert.
If you're using them as part of a dessert tray or buffet, try cutting them into smaller, bite-sized portions. Aim for 32 pieces. In that case, you could halve the above nutrition information for one piece.
Whipped cream is not included in the above nutrition info.
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Bars
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 16 whole graham crackers broken into pieces (Use Gluten Free graham crackers to make this recipe Gluten Free)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake Swirl
- 4 ounces Neufchatel or light cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 ½ cups (1 can) evaporated milk
- ½ cup milk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups pureed winter squash (pumpkin, butternut, or acorn squash, or a mixture) (canned, or homemade)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Heat oven to 325°F. Add 16 whole graham crackers (broken into pieces), ¼ cup granulated sugar, and a pinch salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until graham crackers form crumbs. Add the melted butter and continue to process until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press crumb mix firmly into the bottom of a 9x11 inch baking pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until it turns golden brown and becomes fragrant. Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
Cheesecake Swirl
- In a medium bowl, beat together 4 ounces Neufchatel or light cream cheese, ¼ cup sugar, 1 large egg, and ½ teaspoon vanilla with a hand mixer until smooth. Set aside.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Whisk together 1 ½ cups (1 can) evaporated milk, ½ cup milk, 3 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, heat 3 cups pureed winter squash (pumpkin, butternut, or acorn squash, or a mixture), ¾ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup maple syrup, 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg over medium heat. Stir frequently until the mixture begins to simmer. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens (if your puree was already very thick to start with, you can skip this step). Whisk in the milk mixture until smooth. Keep the filling mixture warm until you are ready to add it to the crust.
- Pour warm pumpkin pie filling over the prepared graham cracker crust. Carefully drizzle the cheesecake swirl in vertical and horizontal lines through the pumpkin pie filling. Use a skewer or chopstick to gently swirl the two together, being careful not to disrupt the crust.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F, then without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 300°F. Continue baking for another 35 minutes, then check the temperature of the center of the filling with an instant-read thermometer. If it has reached 175°F, it is done. If not, continue baking, and check the temperature at 5- minute intervals, removing the baking pan when it reaches 175°F.
- Cool on a cooling rack for 2-3 hours before serving. Cover tightly with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with whipped cream if desired.
Nutrition
Kelly says
Is the teaspoon of salt added during the cooking of the pumpkin filling? I couldn’t find it mentioned in the instructions. Thanks!
Carissa says
Yes, it is added when you cook the pumpkin pie filling. My mistake - I fixed the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!
Kelly says
Thank you! They set up perfectly and look delicious but I have to wait until after dinner to try them. I’m with you on the graham cracker crust!
Carissa says
Great! Hope you love them!
Kelly P. says
They were awesome, as were your pecan pie bars. My friends enjoyed them at our Friendsgiving dinner last Sunday night. My friend with PKU fed the pumpkin filling to her little one and she enjoyed the graham cracker crust!
Carissa says
Great, I'm so glad to hear everyone enjoyed them! Thanks so much for letting me know! ❤