Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Fall is in the air in the PNW and I’m ready for all things pumpkin! These gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake bars are going to be on heavy rotation for gatherings in the next couple of months.

The crust has almond flour rather than the typical graham crackers that have gluten in them. I love the almond flour substitution in these pumpkin cheesecake bars! It’s a little bit less sweet and adds to the delicious pumpkin flavor.

The gluten free pumpkin cheesecake bars come out creamier if you let the cream cheese come up to room temperature before you blend the ingredients together. I’ve also found that I like the flavor best when I use full fat cream cheese. You can definitely get away with using low fat cream cheese but the bars may not be as creamy.

Please note that I use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. This is important because you are going to add your own spices to the pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling comes with spices already added.

You might also like my Gluten Free Apple Bundt Cake.

If you like this recipe check out my Pinterest board just for gluten free recipes: Small Farm Big Life

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars (GF)

These gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake bars are the perfect thing to bring to a gathering of friends or family.

• Author: Elaine VanVleck
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Yield: 24 bars
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking

Ingredients

Crust:
2 cups Almond Flour
3 Tbsp. Coconut Oil, Melted
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

Cheesecake Layer:
4 – 8 ounce packages Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
4 large Eggs

Pumpkin Layer:
1 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/8 tsp. Ground Cloves
2 Tbsp. Almond Milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper or grease heavily with butter or coconut oil.

In a mixer blend together the almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt. Press this mixture into the 9×13 pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until it is beginning to brown.

In the same mixing bowl beat together the cream cheese, sugar, sea salt and eggs. Wipe down the sides of the mixer and continue to beat until the mixture is smooth.

In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and almond milk.

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the pre-baked crust. Next, dollop the pumpkin layer throughout the cream cheese mixture. Then take a knife and running it through the pumpkin dollops to make a swirl pattern.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until edges are set and center still jiggles. 

Cool completely and then cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Remove slab from pan and cut into 24 bars.

Notes

If you used low-fat cream cheese or your cream cheese is cold there may be some lumps that you can’t get out of the batter.

I highly suggest using parchment paper in your pan rather than greasing it. Parchment paper makes getting these bars out of the pan so much easier!

Keywords: pumpkin, cheesecake, dessert, fall, autumn, gluten free, bars