If pumpkin season means baking in your house, these bars belong alongside Pumpkin Cranberry Bread and Flourless Pumpkin Spice Pancakes in the fall rotation.
Pull a pan of Nut-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars from the refrigerator and the filling is so creamy and set it slices into clean, sharp-edged bars — no spatula wrestling, no crumbling crust. The pumpkin pie spice runs all the way through the batter, fragrant and full, and the cream cheese gives every bite a rich, tangy depth that reads like proper cheesecake even without a base underneath.
The process is genuinely straightforward: whip the cream cheese, mix in the remaining seven ingredients, pour the batter into the lined pan, and bake for an hour. After that, it’s at least four hours in the refrigerator — which makes this recipe a natural choice for the night before a big meal. These bars are also naturally gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, and coconut-free, and they’re made with monk fruit sweetener rather than refined sugar, which means one pan can work for a table with a range of dietary needs.
Every recipe on Real Balanced is tested before it’s published — read about how we develop and test our recipes.
Reader Love
I have died and gone to keto heaven! These bars are FABULOUS! I made them for our Thanksgiving dessert, served with some stevia-sweetened whipped cream, and they were a huge hit. They’re also great as a quick breakfast with my morning tea. And THANK YOU for introducing me to Lakanto. It’s perfect! Easy to use in recipes and doesn’t give me the unpleasant side-effects I’ve had with other low-carb sweeteners. I just ordered a bundle and can’t wait to try their other products.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Just 8 ingredients — cream cheese, pumpkin puree, monk fruit sweetener, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and baking soda cover everything.
- No crust and no specialty flour — the bars are crustless and contain no almond flour, coconut flour, or any other specialty flour, which also makes them naturally gluten-free and grain-free.
- Built for making ahead — the required 4-hour chill means these are at their best after a full overnight rest, and they hold up in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Full pumpkin spice flavor throughout — 4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice go into the batter, and without a crust or bread to dilute it, the spice comes through in every bite.
- Twelve portions from one 8×8 pan — no second batch needed for a full holiday dessert table.
- Nut-free and coconut-free — no tree nuts, no almond flour, no coconut flour, and no coconut products of any kind.
⏲ How to make this recipe
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese until fluffy.
Add remaining ingredients and mix again with an electric mixer until thoroughly incorporated.
Pour mixture into prepared baking pan and transfer to the oven to bake for 1 hour.
After baking, remove pan from oven, loosely cover with foil, and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours.
Slice into 12 equal-sized bars.
👉 Easy ingredient swaps
- Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener: Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener from Lakanto can be swapped in at a 1:1 ratio. Swerve and erythritol also work. Powdered stevia and liquid stevia will not work in this recipe — the texture won’t come out right.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Store-bought or homemade both work. If you want to make your own, use 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of the homemade blend in this recipe.
- Cream of Tartar + Baking Soda: These two work together as a leavening pair. If you’re missing one or both, substitute 1/2 teaspoon of gluten-free baking powder and omit both the cream of tartar and the baking soda completely — don’t use all three together.
✨ Variations
- Lighter on the spice: One reader reduced the pumpkin pie spice to 1 teaspoon and added 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest; their bars were done at about 45 minutes. The full 4 teaspoons gives the bars a strongly spiced flavor — go lower if you prefer something more subtle, and start checking for doneness earlier.
- With whipped cream: One reader made these for Thanksgiving, served them with stevia-sweetened whipped cream, and described them as a huge hit at the table. A dollop of lightly sweetened or unsweetened cream on top pairs well with the dense, creamy bar.
- Individual portions: Sara hasn’t tested this recipe in a muffin tin, so bake times in that format are untested. For a tested individual cream cheese pumpkin dessert, the Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins are the closest option.
〰️ How to serve
- Slice cold, straight from the refrigerator, for the cleanest cuts — the bars hold their shape best when fully chilled.
- Add a dollop of whipped cream to each bar right before serving; one reader made these for Thanksgiving and served them this way to great success.
- Arrange on a dessert board alongside Pumpkin Cranberry Bread for a fall spread that covers both bread and bar.
- These also work as a morning bite alongside coffee or tea — one reader mentioned eating them for breakfast with morning tea and finding them every bit as good in the morning as at dessert.
💬 FAQs
Can I make these bars ahead of time?
Yes — and the recipe essentially requires it. The bars need at least 4 hours in the refrigerator before slicing, so making them the day before is the most practical approach. Bake, cover loosely with foil, and refrigerate overnight. They’ll be fully set and easy to slice the next day.
How do I store pumpkin cheesecake bars, and can I freeze them?
Refrigerator: store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freezer: wrap individual bars in plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. To thaw, leave at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, or thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If you freeze the bars together without individual wrapping, they may become soggy after thawing.
Do I need to let the bars cool before refrigerating?
Yes — let them cool enough that they won’t raise the temperature of other items stored nearby, which is a food-safety step. Once they’ve cooled sufficiently, cover the pan loosely with foil and transfer to the refrigerator to finish chilling.
What dietary restrictions do these bars accommodate?
These bars are gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, coconut-free, and vegetarian. They’re made with monk fruit sweetener rather than refined sugar. They are not dairy-free, as cream cheese is the primary ingredient.
📚 More recipes to try
🍽 Recipe
Email Recipe
Enter your email below and we’ll send you this recipe!
Nut-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup classic monk fruit sweetener
- 4 eggs
- 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and mix again with an electric mixer until thoroughly incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan and transfer to the oven to bake for 1 hour.
- After baking, remove pan from oven, loosely cover with foil, and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours before slicing into 12 equal-sized bars.
Leave a Reply