These soft and creamy No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites combine the tanginess of cheesecake with the spicy sweetness of pumpkin pie. Easily made gluten-free or vegan depending on your dietary needs, they’re an irresistible fall treat that everyone will love!
I have one major gripe with making no-bake recipes. Two if you count the fact that I can never tell how many servings are in a batch seeing as I probably eat a good 2-3 balls/bars-worth of dough while coming up with my recipes.
But no. My biggest complaint with no-bake recipes is that I can never remember what I put in them. Ingredients? Yes. Their quantities? No.
See, I’m kind of a texture freak, so while I normally have a baseline recipe that I start with, I almost always end up making changes to it until I have a texture that I’m happy with. An extra spoonful of this, a few more spoonfuls of that… It’s the beauty of no-baking — you don’t have to wait for things to set in the oven before you can eat them see the difference your changes have made.
The problem is that I almost never write down those changes while I’m making them, so I get to the finished product and have no idea how I got there. I stand there wondering if I really added that extra spoonful of flour, or if I only think I did because I planned on it.
Sometimes I figure it out, and sometimes I have to remake the recipe from scratch just to be sure. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been tempted to say “just add sh*t until it looks right,” but that wouldn’t exactly be useful to anyone. Or maybe it would be. Who knows.
And the same goes for how many servings a no-bake recipe makes. I mean, besides the fact that I end up eating a good portion of the dough while “taste testing” the recipe, who am I to tell you how big you should make your bites/balls? Or how many you’re supposed to eat in one go? I have enough of an issue with the serving size suggestions on most nutrition labels (who stops at 1/4 cup of granola?!?) — I don’t like having to do the same.
8, 12, 16, 24… make them as big or as small as you see fit. But do make them. And by “them” I mean these no bake pumpkin cheesecake bars…
I’ll be honest — I’m not a huge fan of cheesecake. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s just a little too rich and cloying for my tastes. I’m a girl who likes her desserts soft and doughy, so the creamy cheesiness of cheesecake can be a little off-putting.
Thankfully, these bars are neither rich nor cloying. They’re ridiculously soft and creamy, but they’re also light and doughy. They’re basically what you would get if you took a cheesecake and tossed it into a food processor, crust and all… which I realize sounds a little strange, but there’s really no other way to describe something that’s both creamy and doughy. Food blogging is hard.
BUT! I can tell you that they taste absolutely irresistible, with a slightly tangy cheesiness combined with pumpkin spiciness and graham cracker sweetness. Still with me? Then I’ll finish by saying that you can easily make these to suit your dietary preferences. Need them to be gluten-free? Use gluten-free graham crackers. Need the to be vegan? Use vegan cream cheese and graham crackers made without honey. And while I love them with white chocolate, feel free to sub in regular chocolate or leave it out altogether — they’re irresistible either way.
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
Print
No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 12 – 16 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups (~180g) graham cracker crumbs**
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 6 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened to room temperature***
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- extra graham cracker crumbs, for garnish
Instructions
- Line a 9×4 loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Set aside.
- Add graham crackers and coconut flour to the bowl of a food processor and process until the graham crackers have broken down into fine crumbs. Add cream cheese, pumpkin puree, spices, and vanilla extract, and continue processing until the mixture sticks together and a dough begins to form. If it seems too crumbly or dry, add a small spoonful of either cream cheese or pumpkin to reach a moister consistency. The dough should be moist enough to hold together when you press it between your fingers, but not so moist that it’s sticky.
- Transfer dough to your prepared baking pan and use a spatula or your hands to spread it evenly in the pan, making sure to press down firmly. Set aside.
- Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high in 30 second increments until melted and smooth, making sure to stir between each.
- Pour chocolate over bars and use a spatula to spread it out evenly. Top with more graham cracker crumbs, if desired, and transfer pan to fridge for at least an hour to allow the bars to set.
- When bars have set, remove from fridge and allow to thaw for a few minutes before using a sharp knife to cut into individual bars or squares. Store bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for longer periods.
Notes
* Cook time refers to chill time. ** To make these gluten-free, use certified gluten-free graham crackers. To make them vegan, use ones made without honey. *** To make these bars vegan, use a non-dairy cream cheese spread.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
Looking for more no bake recipes? Try one of these!
No Bake Sweet and Salty Trail Mix Granola Bars
No Bake Salted Caramel Pretzel Bars
No Bake Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars
No Bake Brownie Batter Truffles
No Bake Protein Brownie Cups
I will be trying it soon!
What would you recommend for doubling/tripling the recipe for a 9×13 pan?
The only thing I do not have is coconut flour….is there a substitution? thanks!!
There isn’t, unfortunately. Coconut flour is really unique in it’s ability to absorb liquid and give things a really doughy but fudgy texture, so any substitutions would completely change the way the recipe came out.
I’ve seen this question before. But not a reply or answer. Someone asked if this recipe could be doubled or tripled for a 13×9 baking pan. I love pumpkin in any shape or form. Thanks. So excited to make these. Thanks for posting it.
Not going to lie, I’m kind of glad the truffles didn’t work out- These look insane!
Holy moly these look amazing! Definitely pinning for later. Your treats are always so inventive and drool-worthy!
This may surprise you, but traditionally cheesecake is not a dessert I enjoy. It’s too heavy for me, despite my love of cheese. These on the other hard look extra special, light and doughy. Magic.
Also, I’m team white chocolate all the way.
I actually thought of you while I was making these, wondering if you were a cheesecake fiend. I’m a little shocked 😛
Holy moly do I want some of these right now. I am all about texture too, so I’m someone who likes to tweak recipes in order to get a texture to my liking. Especially when it comes to baked goods (or no bake, for this matter), I always go for the doughy, slightly underbred texture 🙂
What is coconut flour ? Thank you
Coconut flour is just ground up coconut meat that’s been dried and defatted. It behaves a little differently from regular flour since it absorbs a LOT more liquid, making it a really unique [and awesome] ingredient to keep in your pantry. This is the one I use — http://www.bobsredmill.com/organic-coconut-flour.html
I love your recipes! I’m just not sure which one to try first.
xxx
These look amazing and aren’t too difficult, thanks for this! 🙂
https://cherieedle.blogspot.com/
Haha I’m terrible at following recipes too. Mostly because I’m lazy and don’t want to have to clean my measuring spoons/cups, so I just eyeball quantities. Well, unless I’m actually baking in which case I try to be super precise because I know how easy it can be to eff it up!
These look amazing! I’ve only tried making granola bars when it comes to no-bake desserts. I’m excited to try these!
I don’t love cheesecake, but I do love me some cream cheese! I love pumpkin and the husband loves cheesecake, so these will make us both happy.
I love the convenience of no bake desserts, but I always miss the good smells and anticipation of freshly baked desserts!
The smells! So true, so true. But that’s what scented candles are for 😆
Somehow a “cheesecake …tossed it into a food processor, crust and all” does not sound strange to me – in fact it sounds so darn delicious! Amanda – these little bits sound like they’d be pure joy on my tastebuds!
Heehee! I love how so many years in the food blog world makes all sorts of strange things sound completely normal. I’m pretty sure there’s no food combo or prep method that could phase me at this point…
These look AMAZING! <3 Pretty much obsessed with anything pumpkin, so….
I am so bad at following recipes. I hate using measuring cups and spoons so I usually just eye ball everything. Whatever works 🙂
I hate cheesecake. The tangy taste is just something I can’t do. If it doesn’t taste like cream cheese, though, I’m all in it! (ex: Whipped cream cheese frosting). On another note, people always think I am one of those people who hoard recipes when in reality… I don’t use recipes HAHAHA. Jokes on them!!!!!!!!!
I have a weakness for cream cheese frosting as well. I think that’s one of the only reasons I can tolerate carrot cake.
my granola serving sizes are atlas triple of what the package says, it’s just too good to eat 1/4 of a cup! The same would go for these cheesecake bites, i’d probably eat at least half of the batch in one sitting without even realizing it because cheesecake and pumpkin are some of my favorite things!
I’m not usually a cheesecake fan either, but BOY do these look tasty!
I don’t like cheesecake either, we are so alike, as we know 😉 I don’t follow recipes well at all, I typically use them sometimes just as a guide or inspiration. Last pumpkin thing I had – I mixed pumpkin into my oatmeal this morning. So good.
100% relate on the no-bake texture stuff and this is why i wind up remaking those recipe at least 3 times to figure out what the heck happened to get to the end point! I’m actually a cheesecake lover though I haven’t had it in a LONG time and haven’t had the nerve to make it dairy free yet! I should try the vegan cheese at some point.
Have you tried any of those cashew-based cheesecakes? I’ve never tried them myself since I’m mildly allergic to cashews, but I hear loads of people rave about them.
I’ve been wanting to try one for a while but haven’t – need to get on it!
Lol, that description of you developing recipes sounds *exactly* like me!! And I try to explain that to my poor family, who wants me to replicate it/write it down so they can make it. I keep telling them it’s too hard to keep track of “*did*-I-really-add-more-of-XYZ-or-just-consider-it?” or “1 TBL + 1 teas + another teas + …wait, was it two extra teas, or three?” Haha, #foodieprobs 😛 These look scrumptious!! I want to see if I can talk my sister into making them, because I’m lazy like that and I’m pretty sure she’ll love these! 😛
Lol! I’ve definitely gone the 1Tbsp. + 1Tbsp. + 1tsp. + “a pinch more” route before. I think that’s actually why I don’t do more cooking-type recipes. All the herbs and condiments are just beyond me.
Looking YUM as ever! I have to say, I have the same issue when I need to give the serving size for a recipe I create. I have a certain amount of, say, cookie dough – you could make 6 huge cookies, 9 medium ones, 12 little ones… and I hate that Recipe Card makes you put something in!
Right!?! Like I get that people like to know how much a batch will make, but it really depends how big or small you like things. I never even got the same amount from recipe books back when I used to follow them…
i’m not a huge cheesecake fan due to richness but I totally would be down for these bites. It’s like the best little nugget of goodness. Bites are the best. But i think you know I like that. haha! 😉 PINNNNNNNING!!!