Enjoy these Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars for a delectable fall treat. With swirls of creamy vanilla and pumpkin spice cheesecake atop a buttery low carb crust, they bring out the best flavors of the season!
At the first hint of chill in the air, my mind turns to all things pumpkin spice. I simply can’t resist that unique flavor of winter squash and warm spices baking in the oven. Give me all the keto pumpkin pie and crispy keto pumpkin waffles and I am happy as a pig in mud.
These sweet keto cheesecake bars marry all my favorites together. Creamy swirls of vanilla and pumpkin, plenty of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and a tender keto shortbread crust. And they are as appealing to the eyes as they are to the tastebuds. With less than 4 grams of carbs per bar, they are a true fall delight.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Nut flour: I used a combination of almond flour and pecan flour. But you could use almond flour on its own as well. For a nut-free version, try sunflower seed flour.
- Sweetener: I used an erythritol based sweetener in the crust and a mix of allulose and erythritol sweeteners in the filling. Please see the Sweetener Options for more details.
- Cream cheese: Make sure it’s properly softened before proceeding with the recipe.
- Sour cream: I love the richness that sour cream adds to the filling. You can add more cream cheese if you prefer.
- Pumpkin puree: Choose a canned puree that is relatively thick, as you don’t want to thin out the pumpkin mixture too much.
- Pumpkin spice: You can also make your own by mixing ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and a little nutmeg or cloves (or both!).
- Kitchen staples: Butter, eggs, vanilla, salt.
How to Make Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Prepare the crust mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together the nut flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
- Bake the crust: Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9×9 metal baking pan. Bake 12 minutes at 325ºF.
- Prepare the vanilla cheesecake: Beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sweetener and vanilla extract until smooth. Beat the eggs one at a time.
- Add the pumpkin: Transfer one third of the vanilla cheesecake to another bowl and whisk in the pumpkin, egg yolk, and pumpkin spice.
- Swirl together: Alternate dollops of vanilla and pumpkin cheesecake over the crust and swirl with a knife.
- Bake the cheesecake bars: Bake in a 300ºF oven until mostly set, with a slight jiggle in the center. Let cool and then refrigerate until firm.
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
For a truly smooth cheesecake filling, it’s imperative to follow the steps carefully. Make sure you beat the cream cheese until very creamy, before adding in any other ingredients.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat until just incorporated. Over-beating can cause the cheesecake to rise too much while baking, and then it falls and cracks as it cools.
The additional egg yolk in the pumpkin filling helps it set properly. Pumpkin puree adds significant moisture, so the egg yolk will help firm it up.
Sweetener Options
The sweeteners you choose can make a big difference to the texture of the crust and the filling. For the crust to firm up properly, I recommend using erythritol sweeteners. Allulose will make it overly soft and fragile.
The filling works with almost any sweetener you like best, but I recommend using a powdered sweetener to avoid any grittiness after the cheesecake cools. I used a combination of allulose and erythritol. Do note that allulose can brown a lot faster so keep your eye on the bars in the oven.
More Delicious Keto Pumpkin Recipes
Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 3/4 cup (84 g) almond flour
- 3/4 cup (74.25 g) pecan flour, or more almond flour
- 3 tbsp (30.43 g) granular sweetener, erythritol recommended
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, melted
Cheesecake Layer
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup (76.67 g) sour cream
- 2/3 cup (126.67 g) powdered sweetener, (allulose, erythritol, or mix)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (122.5 g) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, pecan flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
- Press evenly into the bottom of an 9-inch square pan and bake 12 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300ºF.
Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese for two minutes on medium until very smooth. Beat in the sour cream, sweetener, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Beat in the eggs one at time until just incorporated.
- Transfer about 1/3 of the mixture into another bowl. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, egg yolk, and pumpkin spice until well combined.
- Using half of each batter, add alternating dollops of vanilla and pumpkin over the cooled crust and swirl with a knife. Take care not to disturb the crust. Add the remaining batters in dollops and run the knife back and forth in lines across the dollops.
- Transfer to the oven and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the cheesecake is mostly set but still jiggles slightly in the center.
- Remove and let cool completely, then refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
This was fantastic! As usual when I make recipes with sweeteners, I cut the amount in half, and that was just right this time, for us. I didn’t have sour cream so substituted whole milk cottage cheese, putting that in the food processor with the cream cheese (I know that “overbeats” the cream cheese, but it seems to work for me). Thanks, Carolyn, for another great recipe!
Sounds delicious! Love that you combined almond and pecan flours for the crust! I do the same for your Lemon Cheesecake Bars. Thank you!