These Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are creamy, rich, and decadent. They're made with a brown butter cinnamon graham cracker crust, filled with a luscious pumpkin cheesecake, and topped with a pecan butterscotch glaze!

Baking a cheesecake has never been easier with this "no water bath" cheesecake bars recipe. These pumpkin cheesecake bars are made with a delicious brown butter pecan graham cracker crust, filled with a creamy and rich pumpkin cheesecake, and topped with an incredible pecan butterscotch sauce! These Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are Fall in every single bite. If you're a fan of easy cheesecake, my Biscoff Cheesecake Bars are a must!
There's nothing like a pumpkin dessert during the autumn months, but when you add brown butter to the mix, you're in for a major win! For delicious brown butter and pumpkin desserts, try my Brown Butter Pumpkin Blondies.
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♥ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Creamy cheesecake layer - These cheesecake bars are incredibly creamy and smooth, and so rich, like my Biscoff Cheesecake Bars.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Cheesecake - The crust is made of a pecan brown butter graham cracker crust. What could possibly be better than that??
Flavorful - From the brown butter crust to the butterscotch sauce that is adapted from my Chocolate Chip Banana Bundt Cake, every element is filled with deep flavors!
Easy - It takes no time to put this recipe together. The longest wait is making sure all your ingredients are at room temperature!
No water bath - We all love a recipe that doesn't require extra steps, and these Cheesecake Bars don't require a water bath.
📝 Ingredient Notes
A full list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Pecan Graham Cracker Crust
- Butter: Browning the butter creates a deeper flavor to the crust. You could skip this step if you want. Make sure to reduce the butter by 1 tbsp.
- Graham Crackers: You will need 9 graham cracker sheets, which is around 135 grahams.
- Pecans: Make sure to crush your pecans so it combines well with the crushed graham crackers. For extra flavor, you could toast them.
- Brown sugar: Dark or light brown sugar both work.
- Cinnamon: I love adding spices to the graham cracker crust when making cheesecake, especially fall bakes.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Cream Cheese: Make sure you're using full fat, blocks of cream cheese and they've come to room temperature.
- Sugar: Both brown sugar and granulated sugar. You can use dark or light brown sugar. If you don't have any brown sugar, you can sub for all granulated sugar.
- Pumpkin Puree: Make sure it's pure pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling contains more ingredients than pumpkin puree, and has a ton of sugar. My favorite brand of Pumpkin Puree is by Libby's.
- Sour cream: I like to use full fat sour cream. You can use full fat greek yogurt instead. Make sure it's at room temperature.
- Eggs: Room temperature, large eggs.
- Vanilla and salt: A little vanilla and salt to round off the flavors.
Butterscotch Sauce
- Butter: You can use salted or unsalted. If you use salted, you could skip adding extra salt.
- Brown sugar: Both light or dark brown sugar will work, but I personally love using dark brown sugar in this butterscotch recipe.
- Heavy cream: Room temperature or cold, both work.
- Salt: This is always important, and it helps so much with the flavor.
- Pecans: You can toast them for extra flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍴Special Equipment
Kitchen Scale: It's so important to use a kitchen scale for accurate results.
Baking Pan: My favorite 8 inch Square USA pan is from USA pan. It has straight edges, bakes evenly, and never fails. I highly recommend purchasing a good quality baking pan for your cakes.
Mixing bowls: I love using glass Mixing Bowls when making batters and doughs.
Mixer: You can use a stand mixer or a handheld mixer for the cheesecake.
⇄ Substitutions
Greek Yogurt - Instead of sour cream, you can use full fat greek yogurt.
Brown Sugar - You can use light brown sugar in place of dark brown sugar. If you don't have any brown sugar, you can sub with all granulated sugar.
Biscoff Cookies - Instead of graham crackers, you can swap it for Biscoff Lotus Cookies. Make sure to use the same amount.
✨ Variations
Caramel sauce - Instead of butterscotch sauce, you can top the pumpkin cheesecake bars with homemade caramel sauce.
Whipped cream - Whip up some whipped cream and add a little pumpkin pie spice to create a delicious light topping.
𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.
Prep: Preheat the oven to 325℉ and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. To keep the parchment paper in place, I like to use binder clips.
Make the Brown Butter: Melt butter in a medium sauce pan on medium heat. Stir the butter to make sure it melts evenly. Once the butter is completely melted, it will start to foam up. Continue stirring the butter. As it cooks, it will start to change into a deeper color. This could take 6-8 minutes.You'll start to notice a nutty aroma and the butter will begin to have brown specs at the bottom of the pan. The entire process of browning butter from start to finish should not take more than 10 minutes on medium heat.
Once butter is browned, pour it into a heat proof bowl and set it aside to cool for about 5 or 10 minutes.
Step 1
Add the crushed cookies, brown sugar, cinnamon and mix, then add the cooled brown butter and combine
💡 Hint: It helps to use a flat measuring cup to press the crust down into the pan.
Step 2
Pour crushed cookies into the pan and press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. You can use a spoon, offset spatula, or flat measuring cup to create a smooth, flat bottom. Don't press too hard. Just until it's compact. Bake for 8 minutes. Once baked, remove and let cool.
Step 3
In a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese and sugars and beat together on medium speed until well combined, smooth, and creamy - about 3 minutes.
Step 4
Add the pumpkin puree, sour cream, vanilla extract, and salt, and beat together until combined.
💡 To avoid cracking: make sure you start with room temperature ingredients. Once adding the eggs, only mix until combined, and start checking your cheesecake bars at 40 minutes
Step 5
Scrape down the bowl and add eggs and beat until combined. Don't over mix. Just until all the eggs are combined.
Step 6
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.
Step 7
When done baking, the sides of the cheesecake will have puffed up and form cracks and there will be a slight jiggle in the center.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Step 8
Make the Butterscotch sauce: Place a medium sauce pan on medium heat, then add the butter and let it melt. Once melted, add the dark brown sugar and heavy cream and stir, then let it come to a boil, making sure to stir it often. Let it boil for about 5-6 minutes, then stir in the salt and pecans and remove from heat and place the glaze in a heatproof bowl and let cool for about 15 minutes.
Pour sauce on the cheesecake and then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Slice, and enjoy.
🎩Trick for slicing cheesecake: Warm your knife under warm water, then wipe it down. Slice into the cheesecake, and make sure to wipe the knife down between slices to get clean cuts.
💬 FAQ
Some of the reasons a cheesecake could crack: ingredients weren't at room temperature; Over mixing the batter; Over baking the cheesecake. To avoid cracking, make sure you start with room temperature ingredients. Once adding the eggs, only mix until combined, and start checking your cheesecake bars at 40 minutes. Once the sides are puffed with cracks and the center has a slight jiggle, remove it and let it cool. If you still form cracks, it's ok because it gets covered with butterscotch sauce, and it will still be delicious!
Yes, absolutely. Cheesecake should always be refrigerated!
I have a few different Pumpkin recipes that don't use an entire can of pumpkin. Try my Brown Butter Pumpkin Blondies or Pumpkin Cupcakes!
💡Pro Tips
Measure Ingredients Correctly: As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients.
Room temperature ingredients: For these cheesecake bars, it's very important that all ingredients are at room temperature, especially the cream cheese and eggs.
Full Fat Cream Cheese: Use full fat cream cheese that comes in blocks and not the tubs.
Line pans: Prep your pan with parchment paper.
Correct pan: Make sure to use the correct type of pan. Baking with metal pans yields better results.
Don't over mix: Once eggs are incorporated, stop mixing. Over mixing could result in cracks.
Don't over bake: Start checking the cheesecake bars at 40 minutes to ensure you don't over bake.
Cool to room temperature: Once baked, make sure to cool completely at room temperature.
Refrigerate overnight: For best results, refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Avoid cheesecake cracks: Make sure you start with room temperature ingredients. Once adding the eggs, only mix until combined, and start checking your cheesecake bars at 40 minutes. Once the sides are puffed with cracks and the center has a slight jiggle, remove it and let it cool. If you still form cracks, it's ok because it gets covered with butterscotch sauce, and it will still be delicious!
❄ Storage
This Brown Butter Pumpkin Cheesecake will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
📖 Recipe Card
Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- 1 8x8 baking pan
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 handheld mixer
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
Pecan Graham Cracker Crust
- 7 tablespoon unsalted butter, browned
- 1¼ cups (135g) crushed graham crackers 9 graham cracker sheets
- ¼ cup (30g) crushed pecans
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- 16 oz. cream cheese, block - full fat room temperature
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar, packed light or dark
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (150g) Pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ¼ cup (65g) sour cream room temperautre
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Butterscotch Sauce
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200g) dark brown sugar, packed
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Pecan Graham Cracker Crust
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 325℉ and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. To keep the parchment paper in place, I like to use binder clips.
- Make the Brown Butter: Melt butter in a medium sauce pan on medium heat. Stir the butter to make sure it melts evenly. Once the butter is completely melted, it will start to foam up. Continue stirring the butter. As it cooks, it will start to change into a deeper color. This could take 6-8 minutes.You'll start to notice a nutty aroma and the butter will begin to have brown specs at the bottom of the pan. The entire process of browning butter from start to finish should not take more than 10 minutes on medium heat.Once butter is browned, pour it into a heat proof bowl and set it aside to cool for about 5 or 10 minutes.
- Make the crust: Using a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and pecans until crushed, then mix in the brown sugar and cinnamon, then add the cooled brown butter.Alternate method: If you don't have a food processor, use a Ziploc bag and crush the cookies using a rolling pin.7 tablespoon unsalted butter, browned, 1¼ cups (135g) crushed graham crackers, ¼ cup (30g) crushed pecans, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pour crushed cookies into the pan and press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. You can use a spoon, offset spatula, or flat measuring cup to create a smooth, flat bottom. Don't press too hard. Just until it's compact. Bake for 8 minutes. Once baked, remove and let cool.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Make the cheesecake: In a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese and sugars and beat together on medium speed until well combined, smooth, and creamy - about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and sides.16 oz. cream cheese, block - full fat, ½ cup (100g) brown sugar, packed, ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- Add the pumpkin puree, sour cream, vanilla extract, and salt, and beat together until combined. Scrape down the bowl and add eggs and beat until combined. Don't over mix. Just until all the eggs are combined. If you feel like you might over mix the eggs, you can crack the eggs in a separate bowl and whisk them, then add them to the batter and mix.⅔ cup (150g) Pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), ¼ cup (65g) sour cream, 3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes. When done baking, the sides of the cheesecake will have puffed up and form cracks and there will be a slight jiggle in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.If your cheesecake cracks, it's ok. You'll top it with butterscotch sauce, which will cover the cracks. See tips below for avoiding cracks.
Butterscotch Sauce
- Place a medium sauce pan on medium heat, then add the butter and let it melt. Once melted, add the dark brown sugar and heavy cream and stir, then let it come to a boil, making sure to stir it often. Let it boil for about 5-6 minutes, then stir in the salt and pecans and remove from heat and place the glaze in a heatproof bowl and let cool for about 15 minutes.4 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 cup (200g) dark brown sugar, packed, ¾ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup chopped pecans
- Pour sauce on the cheesecake and then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Slice, and enjoy.Tips for cutting cheesecake: Warm your knife under warm water, then wipe it down. Slice into the cheesecake, and make sure to wipe the knife down between slices to get clean cuts.
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