Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars are moist pumpkin bars with swirls of cream cheese frosting throughout. This dessert will be on your fall treat recipe list every year.
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PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE BARS
If you follow me on Instagram you know that we had our annual Halloween Bunko and of course I needed a costume for the night. I wasn’t very committed to going all out on a costume this year.
Sometimes I’m in the mood to get dressed up and sometimes I’m happy to put on some black ears and call myself a cat. This was a cat kind of year.
I strolled into Party City with two kids trying to get in and out as fast as I could. I glanced at all of the costumes on the wall and saw that most of them barely covered more than my swimsuit would.
The worker by the costumes asked if she could help me so I asked her if they had any costumes that actually covered your body. She thought for a couple of seconds and said, “Um…yeah, we have two. The pirate and the devil. Oh wait, and the nun.”
“Give me the devil,” I said. (I already own the pirate and the nun)
So I was a $12 devil for Halloween Bunko. Not exactly creative, but covered all my naughty parts.
This recipe is a sister recipe to the Pumpkin Cake that is also on this blog.
It tastes like a pumpkin bread generously swirled with a sweet cream cheese mixture. I had this in the oven in under ten minutes.
It’s one of those traditional recipes that you’ll want to make every year. You can add nuts if you like. It definitely adds a nice crunch if nuts are your thing.
OTHER PUMPKIN RECIPES:
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Earthquake Cake
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 (8 ounce package) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Batter:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, (see Note for substitution)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- optional 1/2 cup chopped pecan pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Spray a 9x13" baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- For the filling: With a hand mixer blend together softened cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
- For the batter: Combine the pumpkin, sugar, egg and oil in medium mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
- Stir in flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well to combine.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish, and spread to cover bottom of pan.
- Add dollops of the cream cheese mixture over the batter. Cut through the batter with a knife to make a marbled effect w/ the cream cheese mixture in an up and down pattern. Repeat going the other way. When marbling make sure you don't go all the way to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans if desired.
- Bake for 25 - 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool an cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
I think I was expecting more of a dense brownie-like batter. It turned out more like cake but still delicious!
I am looking forward to making this recipe! I like everything pumpkin and this even sounds easy to make. My mouth is watering ❤️
These were not what I was expecting at all. These are more like pieces of cake than bars. Pumpkin flavor is yummy, but the cream cheese flavor is minimal.
Loved how simple and” easy to follow “ If only I could taste right now!!! 😩 I will let my pup Rico do a taste test to confirm whether they are a 10 out of 10 . He’s always BRUTALLY honest! 😂 Tha is for the recipe ..
Do you think this recipe would work for the individual serving brownie pans (2×2)?
Yes!
Which kind of sugar should I be using for the filling and for the batter? I would assume icing sugar for the filling and regular sugar for the batter?
It’s just regular granulated sugar for both. If powdered sugar or brown sugar are needed I will specify in the recipe.
can you substitute butter for the vegetable oil in the batter? This seems delicious!
Sure
graham cracker crust? I don’t see it mentioned, but see it in the pictures
there’s not graham cracker crust. I think you’re just seeing the batter.
I added mini chocolate chips and chopped pecans into the batter! It was delicious.
I somehow missed the one cup of pumpkin and used the whole can. It tastes delicious to me but wonder what only one cup tastes like. I guess I will just have to make them again.. lol.
Maybe we need to try your version!
I did the same thing!
This turned out really lovely! The texture is as described– bread-like layer topped with sweet cream cheese.
I’m gluten free, so instead of flour, I used ground oat flour. Bake time took an additional 7 minutes.
Can these be made with bananas instead of pumpkin?
I haven’t tried it but Sounds great!
Delicious so easy to make going to try the cream cheese topping with chocolate brownies
It is great!
Recipe says one egg. Directions have an egg in filling and in batter. Something isn’t right.
There’s an egg in both the filling and the batter.
This is awesome! I added 2 tsps of pumpkin pie spice even though it calls for 1 1/2. It was perfect! Be careful with the cream cheese filling. Take your time with it. This was my first time marbling a cake like this. Its not to bad
Thanks Olivia!
This sounds delicious I will be making them soon I love fall desserts
Can you freeze pumpkin cheese cake bars?
It was good but mine turned out more like a pumpkin cake and wasn’t as pumpkiny and as sweet as I would have liked.
Sorry you didn’t love it.
What size can of “1 cup canned pumpkin puree”???
Nevermind!!!
Our bars came out thin and more like pumpkin pie and less like a pumpkin bar. Any suggestions appreciated. We cooked for 26 minutes.
What size pan did you use?
I forgot the egg in the filling. Will it be a disaster
No. How did it turn out?
LOVE THESE!! So simple and SO GOOD. I am such a pumpkin snob and rarely try new pumpkin recipes, but these turned out perfectly. I subbed in gluten free flour and coconut sugar–worked like a charm. These bars are kind of a combo between two of my favorite pumpkin desserts–pumpkin bread and pumpkin cheesecake. The seasoning and sweetness is on point–not too much of anything, everything balanced. These are a real hit. Will be saving the recipe to make many more times in the future!!!
So happy to hear that!
Can you use self rising flour and not put in the baking soda or powder?
Sure!
Great recipe!! Love the Fall flavors!! In Vermont we’re already starting to feel Fall!! We really enjoyed these bars.
Thank you! Happy to hear that!
Perfect! I normally use less sugar than whatever a recipe calls for, but I made this exactly as the recipe was written, and it’s not too sweet at all. It’s delicious! My husband, who told me he doesn’t like pumpkin, is already on his second piece. Thank you!
You are welcome!
I wonder if I could freeze pumpkin cream cheese bars?
Yes, you can!
Can I use either a pyrex baking pan or a metal one? If so, do I need to adjust the baking time or temp?
Yes, use either! Not sure. It depends on the pan.
How far in advance can you make these bars? a day, two days? I don’t want them to get dried out.
I swapped out ingredients to make it keto. It tastes AMAZING!!!
I would love to know your substitutions. My husband is keto!
How long can these bars sit at room temperature? I’d like to bring them to a party but am worried about this.
Thanks in advance.
They’re fine at room temperature. I can’t say how long but I’ve left them out for a while.
sounds yummy and pleasing for all.
Thank you!
I made these for a work party using Truvia baking blend instead of regular sugar, and they were a HUGE hit. Thanks so much!
Awesome!
Great recipe, Christy! I made the recipe exactly as written & they turned out perfect and a HUGE hit with my Mah Jongg ladies. Not overly sweet, perfect ending to a nice meal. All agreed that they would be very well received for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
You are welcome!!
What should the consistency be? I expected a cakey pumpkin bar but it’s more like pumpkin pie, sort of soft and gooey. It was in 15 minutes longer than the recipe calls for and my toothpick came out clean.
It’s more like a pumpkin bar.
G
I like them, mpint and rich. BUT, they came out super salty.
I followed the instructions except I used Stevia instead of sugar, and reduced fat cream cheese. I used slivered almonds on top. Where do you think the too salty flavor occurred? The nuts? Not enough sweet due to stevia? I am trying to lower our calories.
Yeah I assume not enough sugar.
How much pumpkin, size can?
A 15 ounce can has almost 2 cups of pumpkin in it. I don’t think they come any smaller.
Pumpkin cream cheese bars have no Graham cracker crust listed in recipe, but on picture it has a crust
That’s not a crust. It’s the batter
Those look wonderful I can’t wait to make them!!
Please make it so you can add recipe to Pinrest. Thanks.
Wow, these bars turned out wonderfully. I better be careful before I eat the whole pan myself!
Thanks we love them!
Amazing
Thank you!
Does anyone know what size pumpkin puree can used in this recipe?
It says 1 cup canned puree which is 8 ounces. Most pumpkin cans are 15 ounces.
Can I substitute canned pumpkin in place of pumpkin puree?
Yes, it’s the same thing so it’ll work.
I would love to try this wonderful recipe…but to use only 1 cup of the canned pumpkin…what am I suppose to do with the 7 oz left over. Can I double this recipe and use the whole can?
Sure you definitely can. I have a whole list of recipes you can use the pumpkin on:
https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/category/pumpkin/
Moist and delicious, these bars are a huge hit. Making them again today 😃
Ooh thanks!
Pumpkin cream cheese bars
Very disappointing.
Sorry you feel that way.
It looks like there is a crumbly crust on the bottom but I don’t see that anywhere in the directions.
It’s just the bars, no crust here.
Made these today. Thank you for the recipe. They came out great. I used an 8×8 pan (so my husband doesn’t make a fuss about me baking a big pan of dessert, AGAIN) and so they were taller but still delicious. Will definitely make again.
Ooh yum!
The cream cheese mixture is super runny. Is that the way it supposed to be? I feel like I need to redo the filling portion. I feel like a dollop means a thick Dollop, not runny watery it’s going to be all over the place. Did I do this wrong?
I had the same thing happen. Runny cream cheese portion, I would say don’t soften/warm up the cream cheese so much before next time. I tried to thicken mine up in the freezer but didn’t feel like waiting and just used it :/
The cream cheese mixture should not be runny. Sounds like something went wrong.
Mine was runny too and i just ended up useing it cause i was confused on how to do a dollop with it.
Good morning! I have everything to make these except that I have just canned pumpkin. Does it have to be purée? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Never mind! I was thinking of pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin and purée are one and the same! Ooops… I’m going to try doubling this recipe and still use a 9×13 pan. It should be nice and thick! I’ll just have to adjust the baking time. Thanks again!
Haha. Glad you got it sorted out. Sounds delicious!
My cream cheese mixture was lumpy… Hoping they turn out, they are in the oven now.. But any thoughts as to why? Over beating? Cream cheese maybe not soft enough?
You can have cream cheese lumps if it’s not soft enough. It should be fine after baking!
Thanks for the recipe! What size can of pumpkin? 29 oz
The recipe calls for 1 cup of pumpkin which is about half of a 15 ounce can.
These bars were good I would do some type of crumb topping to them otherwise they are very plain looking.
Nuts help with that on top!
What size can of pumpkin should I use? The small or large?
The recipe actually calls for 1 cup pumpkin not 1 can. Good luck!
ok great!
Could you share the pumpkin cream cheese bars on your FB page? I tried sharing the link but it won’t let me. I made these for a potluck at my school and they were a huge hit! I even made them gluten free by using a gluten free flour blend!
Teresa,
Hopefully you got my response. It should be cleared up now…
I will certainly make this. It sounds so yummy. Love pumpkin!!
These bars were incredible! I have never been a fan of pumpkin, avoid pies and other dishes. However, couldn’t keep my fingers away from these bars! Thank you!!
You’re welcome Vicki!
Not sure what I did wrong but these did not turn out and at all the cream cheese mix was all runny don’t think there is suppose to be an egg in the mix- I mixed it up 2x and wasted the cream cheese no dollop more like pour over the top and they didn’t have any flavor I thru them all in the garbage. I rechecked and I followed the recipe perfectly!!
Did you use low fat or fat free cream cheese? Gotta use full fat for this, otherwise it turns out runny! I made the SAME mistake with a triple batch of pumpkin rolls one year! Had to throw it all out and start over with full fat cream cheese. It’s just the regular stuff, just make sure it doesn’t say low fat or fat free
I always use full fat cream cheese.
So sorry they didn’t turn out. The egg is supposed to be in there. I’m not sure what went wrong?
I used full fat cream cheese and the mix was runny and blended into the bottom batter but who cares. It was a delicious, very moist Punkin CAKE that came out of the oven. Everyone loves it! Thx sooooooo much!
Ooh. That’s strange. I wonder what went wrong.
I also used full fat cream cheese and ended up with a pumpkin cake! Very strange indeed.
These are dee-licious! I brought them over to a friend’s house tonight as a dessert and they were gobbled up. I’m glad I kept a few squares back at home for a reserve. I am stuffed to the gills but my craving for them continues. I want/need them all. the. time. 🙂 The “leftovers” will tasty mighty fine tomorrow morning! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Yummity yum yum!
You’re welcome!
These are dee-licious. I partly wish I didn’t stumble across your recipe because now I’m going to want to eat them. all. the. time. Yummity yum yum!!
I had to come on here today and post how delicious these are. I found the recipe on Pintrest and they came out FANTASTIC. I actually made them to sell at my daughters arts conservatory (where they actually have a really well known culinary program). So easy and so delicious and I WILL be making them again. I actually made two batches of these on a work night and they were done in less than an hour. Thank you SO much for posting!
Yay!!! I love that you loved them.
These squares created a lot of discord at my in-laws family dinner last night. My mother in law and her sister along with her niece fought over the leftover squares. I noticed several being stolen back and forth. The purchaser of the store bought pumpkin pies was also quite aggitated that no one was eating the pies.
The square were wonderful! I would make them year round!
Haha. I’m sorry for the store bought purchaser. Just can’t compete.
Hi Christy, I am new to your site and would love to make these. Question what size of pumpkin puree do I need?
Sorry Christy, I see it is 1 cup… I didn’t read it correctly. Thank you
These bars look decadent! I can’t wait to bake them for my pumpkin kick-off party on 9/23/14 (first day of Fall). I’m a fall fanatic!!!
Do you know of any way to make this with fewer calories and fat using your baking expertise? I work with a bunch of caloric conscious coworkers!! 😉
I’ve come up w/ the following calories/fat/carbs per serving (18)
173 Calories / 9 Grams of Fat / 14 Carbs – This won’t be good considering I’ll eat 3 bars myself!
Thank you for sharing!
I think you could definitely sub whole wheat flour. I’m not sure about the coconut oil but I’m sure it would work.
I think you could make these lighter in fat and calories by substituting the whole egg with egg whites or cholesterol free egg product, and using the 1/3 less fat cream cheese. I’m not sure about the oil but you can try a healthier oil perhaps, flax or avocado oil?? That should reduce some from total calories and fat. Just an idea, hope it helps.
These bars look decadent! I can’t wait to bake them for my pumpkin kick-off party on 9/23/14 (first day of Fall). I’m a fall fanatic!!!
Do you know of any way to make this with fewer calories and fat using your baking expertise? I work with a bunch of caloric conscious coworkers!! 😉
I’ve come up w/ the following calories/fat/carbs per serving (18)
173 Calories / 9 Grams of Fat / 14 Carbs – This won’t be good considering I’ll eat 3 bars myself!
Thank you for sharing!
Is it possible to substitute for the eggs?.
Flax oil maybe???
I’ve never tried but I’m sure you could!
Hi thanks for a great recipe i have a question do you think you could make in a bundt pan
thanks
kat
Kat,
I don’t see why not but I’ve never tried it.
I was wondering if you could Whole Wheat Flour? I hope to make this this weekend. Please let me when you read this. I do have coconut oil too? Thank You beth
I definitely think you could use whole wheat flour. They will obviously be a little more dense. I haven’t used coconut oil so I’m not sure how that would taste.
Hi Beth,
Did you happen to make this using whole wheat flour and coconut oil? If so, how did it come out and what measurements did you use?
Thank you,
Jenny
These were soooooo GOOD! I made them tonight and they were a hit! soooo yummy!
Yay!
These are wonderful! Made them for a quick after school treat yesterday and there are two bars left this morning! We shared with our neighbors who loved them too! Thanks for sharing recipes that I don’t worry about trying….if you’re sharing them I know they’ll be winners around here!
I love your site & all the great recipes. Just saw your photo on the sidebar… Small world! My Dad is your cousin Barry 🙂
These look really yummy!
I made them and they were amazing.Thank you for your great receipes.
You are welcome…
Yum!!! These look divine! U just can’t ever go wrong with pumpkin and cream cheese!
I haven’t been to a Bunko party since the ones my parents threw when I was a kid. Granted they still do them now but I don’t live in the same city anymore. I bet these bars were a hit!
Talk about an easy-peasy recipe!
I LOVE pumpkin and this one will be a definite keeper.
Plus I’ll score extra points with my friends, we’re all big dessert girls! 😀
You sound just like me. Some years I don’t feel like going all out on a costume either. I too didn’t feel like going all out this year and pulled out my Dr costume. Scrubs are so comfortable. This recipe sounds delicious and I love nuts with my pumpkin.
I’ve never played Bunco but I hear people have a great time.
I think I’m too old to dress up, never too old for candy though.
Love these bars!
These sound like such a delight! Love this bar!
The cheesecakeness off these looks do yummy. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Incredibly yummy!
Yum! Your bars look amazing!!! I get ya about Halloween costumes! So many of them are so skimpy, and worse yet cheap fabric. Skimpy, fine, but not for me! But Skimpy and Cheap, just plan bad! lol
Same scenario for me while I was picking out my costume, my choices were a trampy waitress, a nearly naked lady cop or an Indian. Needless to say I was an Indian.
These pumpkin bars look so creamy good! I wish I had a nice large square this morning for breakfast!
Next year you might want to think about not dressing up as someone else’s culture. I mean how’d you feel if folks were dressing up w/ you as a choice between trampy waitress, nearly naked lady cop or you? Oh yeah, and add on some of your religous symbols as well (which is what the feathers in the headpieces can be). Hard enough to have ones home basically invaded & taken over….ending up as a costume choice. I’m sure you meant well…..just something to think about. Agree w/you that the choices are horrid (when did slutty become the point?). AND that these bars look good!
Helen,
What did I miss? I didn’t dress up as someone’s culture. I was a devil! Maybe you had me confused with someone else.
Look at who Helen was replying to – it wasn’t aimed at you. And I’m definitely making this, though living in Spain we’ll have to make our own pumpkin puree…
You’re totally right! Thank you for clarifying.
Wow another one who gets all butt hurt because of political correctness . I don’t even understand all this. It was ok for the last 60 years, but now people can’t even breath without offending someone. We come to these sites for ideals not politics. Enjoy the recipe and have fun no mater what you choose to dress up as.