No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

These easy, no bake pumpkin cheesecake bars are a great make-ahead dessert to serve for Thanksgiving or any fall occasion. Combining a light, velvety pumpkin cheesecake filling with a golden, buttery graham cracker crust, they’re as delicious as they are effortless!

Thank you Karo® Syrup for sponsoring this post. Celebrate sweet moments together with Karo®!

this recipe

Why You’ll Love These!

• Taste -Light, creamy cheesecake with a cozy pumpkin spice flavor, combined with warm notes of cinnamon and graham cracker. They have the perfect flavor balance between tangy and sweet thanks to  Karo® Syrup - a sweetener that you can always rely on for its quality and consistency in just about any dessert!
• Simplicity - These take about 20 minutes of active time to whip up. There’s no baking involved, which means no coordinating oven time with other recipes or dealing with messy water baths. It’s a perfect dessert alternative to pumpkin pie or a baked cheesecake!
• Convenience - This was designed to be a make-ahead recipe, so you can get dessert prepped a day (or two!) in advance, when time is on your side.

Here’s a look at the full ingredient list:

Notes and substitutions: 

• You can buy graham cracker crumbs or make your own with whole graham crackers. I find this easiest to do with a food processor using the steel blade attachment. I think gingersnap or speculoos cookies would taste awesome here too!
• I like to keep things simple and use salted butter in my graham cracker crusts. If you want to use unsalted butter, add ⅛ teaspoon of salt.
• Light corn syrup plays double duty in this recipe; Karo® Syrup is my go-to! A small amount in the crust helps everything stick together and contributes the perfect amount of chew. It also adds just the right amount of sweetness to the pumpkin spice cheesecake filling - without distracting from the flavor - and helps maintain a creamy, silky texture.
• While some no bake cheesecake recipes use frozen whipped topping, this recipe uses pure heavy cream. To make sure it whips properly - which is crucial for the cheesecake to set - the cream should be COLD.
• It’s important to use only full-fat, brick-style cream cheese, since we’re relying on it to add structure to these bars. Make sure you let it soften to room temperature!
• Whether you’re making pumpkin bread, pumpkin scones, or pumpkin cheesecake, one rule remains the same: use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. I almost always use canned pumpkin puree, but if you want to use fresh puree, make sure it’s smooth, and strain it if it seems loose or watery.
• Confectioner’s sugar (or powdered sugar) also helps add sweetness and structure to these cheesecake bars. I would not recommend substituting granulated sugar.
• If you have pumpkin pie spice and want to use it, you can use 4 teaspoons in place of the individual spices in the cheesecake filling.

How to Make No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Graham Cracker Crust:

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Mix the Karo® Syrup into the melted butter. Add this to the graham cracker mixture and stir it in until the crumbs are evenly moistened; it should have the texture of wet sand.

Line an 8” square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, making sure there’s some overhang on the sides that you can use to lift the bars out of the pan later. Transfer the crust mixture to the pan and press it down firmly to cover the entire bottom surface - a flat spatula is helpful here.

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:

Add the heavy cream to a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to whip it until stiff peaks form - the cream should hold its shape when the beaters are lifted from the bowl. Place this in the refrigerator while you prep the remaining filling ingredients.

Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 ½ tablespoons of water in a small bowl, swirling the bowl around gently if needed to make sure it all gets moistened. Let it sit for 1-2 minutes. Then, microwave the mixture for 10-15 seconds, or just long enough for the gelatin to dissolve. Set aside to cool briefly.

In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese on medium speed until its smooth and creamy. Add the pumpkin puree, confectioner’s sugar, Karo® syrup, vanilla extract, spices, and salt, and beat everything together until smooth. While mixing, slowly pour in the gelatin- make sure it gets fully incorporated.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture - the goal is to retain as much of the air that’s been whipped into the cream as possible.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, using an offset spatula to spread it out over the graham cracker crust in a smooth, even layer. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight (at least 8 hours).

Use the parchment or foil overhang to carefully remove the bars from the pan before slicing.

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