If you're looking for a seasonal treat with a healthier twist, try out these healthy pumpkin swirl cheesecake bars! With no refined sugars and an almond crust, it's a healthier take on a classic but with all the same great fall flavors.
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📋 About the Recipe
- These healthy no bake pumpkin swirl cheesecake bars are made with no refined sugars and a crunchy almond crust. They're only sweetened with pure maple syrup and made from quality ingredients, like pumpkin puree, full-fat cream cheese, and plain greek yogurt.
- This is a simple recipe with no baking required! Throw it all together in minutes and stick it in the freezer to set. It's that easy!
- Even though this is a no bake recipe, these bars gets perfectly firm, yet creamy from full-fat ingredients, and they taste just like a decadent baked cheesecake.
- There's lots of great pumpkin flavor from the pumpkin swirl and the pumpkin pie spices, like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
- It's great as a Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert or a fall treat, especially for those that are looking to eat a bit healthier this holiday season.
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Sliced almonds - sliced almonds add a nice crunch to the crust. They stand up to the moisture from the coconut oil and maple syrup without being too hard either.
- Coconut oil - coconut oil provides some extra fat to the crust so it isn't overly dry. You can also use butter or another light tasting oil if you don't have coconut oil.
- Maple syrup - maple syrup is the only sweetener used in these pumpkin swirl cheesecake bars. It is a natural sweetener that also provides a caramel-like flavor. Make sure to use REAL maple syrup instead of the processed fake syrups made from high fructose corn syrup.
- Cinnamon - cinnamon helps to add extra flavor to the crust. You can also use pumpkin pie spice in the crust if you'd prefer that.
- Cream cheese - cream cheese is the main component of the cheesecake. Full-fat cream cheese provides a rich, creamy texture and flavor.
- Greek yogurt - greek yogurt is added to the cheesecake for additional richness. It also helps to balance out the flavors as it provides some acidity, making this recipe taste just like a traditional baked cheesecake.
- Pumpkin puree - canned pumpkin puree adds the pumpkin flavor. It gets mixed with homemade pumpkin pie spice for extra fall flare. Make sure to buy plain pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice - these spices combine to make a homemade pumpkin pie spice. You can buy a pre-mixed, store-bought pumpkin spice, but since I already have each of these spices on hand, I just prefer to make my own.
- Vanilla - vanilla gives these pumpkin cheesecake bars extra flavor. Since there aren't any other spices in the cheesecake part of the bars, the vanilla is the main flavor.
- Salt - salt balances out the sweetness and rounds out all the other flavors.
📓 Instructions
1. Prepare a 9x9 inch cake pan by lining it with parchment paper or spraying it with nonstick spray.
2. Add the sliced almonds to a food processor and pulse them until they resemble a fine breadcrumb. Add maple syrup, coconut oil, and cinnamon to the almonds and mix to fully combine.
3. Scoop the almond mixture into the prepared cake pan and flatten it into a crust, covering the entire bottom of the pan evenly. Place the pan in the freezer to set while you prepare the rest of the cheesecake.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and 4 tablespoon maple syrup until light and fluffy.
5. Add greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat to combine.
6. In a separate mixing bowl, combine pumpkin puree, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
7. Remove the almond crust from the freezer. Add half the cheesecake batter on top. Smooth it from edge to edge.
8. Top the cheesecake with the pumpkin mixture, placing a few "dots" of pumpkin in different areas of the pan. Add the rest of the cheesecake batter over top and use a knife to swirl the two together.
9. Place the pan in the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours. Before cutting into bars and serving, remove the cheesecake from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes to thaw slightly.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
Instead of sliced almonds: you can use another nut, such as pecans or walnuts, or you can use graham crackers and make a traditional graham cracker crust.
Instead of coconut oil: you can use melted unsalted butter.
Instead of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice: you can just use pumpkin pie spice or only cinnamon.
❄️ How to Store
To store: This no bake recipe is best kept chilled. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and store pumpkin swirl cheesecake bars in the freezer until ready to eat.
Then, remove the bars and set them on your counter for 5 to 10 minutes to allow them to soften slightly before cutting and serving.
NOTE: if these bars are stored in the freezer for a long time, they may become slightly gritty in texture. For the best flavor and texture, store bars in the freezer up to 1 month.
🔍 FAQs
Because of the nature of the ingredients used in these no bake cheesecake bars, I don't believe they will set enough to be able to cut them into bars by simply placing them in the refrigerator.
You can try it out, but I highly recommend freezing them and allowing them to slightly thaw before serving.
Full-fat ingredients are richer in flavor and also have less preservatives or other additives added to them, making them a healthier option than their low-fat counterparts.
Often, the low-fat versions of dairy products (like low fat cream cheese or greek yogurt) will have added sugar or other ingredients to offset the change in texture and flavor. They also won't freeze as well and will become much less creamy than the full-fat kinds.
You can toast the almonds to add extra flavor to the crust. However, it isn't totally necessary.
💭 One More Tip
You can easily make a traditional graham cracker crust for this recipe, instead of the almond crust, by swapping out the sliced almonds for honey graham crackers.
Pulse the crackers until they're a large crumb and add in the cinnamon, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Stir to combine.
You can also swap out the coconut oil for melted unsalted butter for a richer flavor.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
Healthy No Bake Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 cups sliced almonds
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Cheesecake
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Pumpkin Swirl
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Prepare a 9x9 inch cake pan by lining it with parchment paper or spraying it with nonstick spray.
- Make the crust: Add the sliced almonds to a food processor and pulse them until they resemble a fine breadcrumb. Add maple syrup, coconut oil, and cinnamon to the almonds and mix to fully combine.
- Scoop the almond mixture into the prepared cake pan and flatten it into a crust, covering the entire bottom of the pan evenly. Place the pan in the freezer to set while you prepare the rest of the cheesecake.
- Prepare the cheesecake batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and 4 tablespoons maple syrup until light and fluffy.
- Add greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat to combine.
- Prepare the pumpkin swirl: In a separate mixing bowl, combine pumpkin puree, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
- Remove the almond crust from the freezer. Add half the cheesecake batter on top. Smooth it from edge to edge.
- Top the cheesecake with the pumpkin mixture, placing a few "dots" of pumpkin in different areas of the pan. Add the rest of the cheesecake batter over top and use a knife to swirl the two together.
- Place the pan in the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours. Before cutting into bars and serving, remove the cheesecake from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes to thaw slightly.
Storage
- To store: This no bake recipe is best kept chilled. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and store pumpkin swirl cheesecake bars in the freezer until ready to eat. Then, remove the bars and set them on your counter for 5 to 10 minutes to allow them to soften slightly before cutting and serving.NOTE: if these bars are stored in the freezer for a long time, they may become slightly gritty in texture. For the best flavor and texture, store bars in the freezer up to 1 month.
Notes
- Use real pure maple syrup instead of the processed fake syrups made from high fructose corn syrup.
- Instead of the individual spices listed above, you can use 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
- Make sure to use full-fat ingredients, like cream cheese and greek yogurt, for a creamier texture and better consistency.
Nutrition
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Anna says
These pumpkin bars are such a delicious treat! Love that they’re not as sweet as some of the others 👍🏼
Alana Lieberman says
Definitely a great recipe if you're looking for something slightly sweet, yet healthy. Thank you!