1-First Steps: Preheat and Prepare Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining a 9×13 baking pan with foil, lightly greasing it for easy removal. This setup helps the crust hold together and makes cleanup simple. Process the graham crackers in a food processor until they form about 2 cups of fine crumbs, then mix with the sugar and melted butter.

2-Making the Crust: Press the crumb mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until it’s golden and fragrant. Let it cool slightly on a wire rack while you move on to the filling. For added tips, check out similar cheesecake bar recipes for crust ideas.

3-Preparing the Filling: In one bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, spices, and flour until smooth. In another bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy, then add the vanilla extract, sour cream, and salt, mixing well. Beat in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, which helps create that silky texture in your pumpkin pie cheesecake bars.

4-Assembling and Baking: Combine 1 ½ cups of the cream cheese mixture with the pumpkin blend. Alternate scooping the plain and pumpkin mixtures over the crust, then swirl gently with a knife in figure-eight motions. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the edges set and the center jiggles slightly. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Prep time is 25 minutes, cook time is 50 minutes, cooling time is 8 hours, and total time is about 9 hours and 15 minutes.