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These were SO good I kept forgetting they were dairy-free and made from a tofu based cream cheese..! And they received rave reviews from everyone who tried these (because I had to share them so I didn’t eat them all). Please see my notes for a vegan option as well.
I only tested these using the Tofutti brand of dairy-free cream cheese for one important reason.. it’s the only dairy-free cream cheese that I’ve tried over the years that has the same thick consistency as a full dairy baking cream cheese (like Philadelphia brand). So I would highly suggest that if you make this recipe you find the Tofutti brand otherwise please don’t blame me if it comes out anything other than the delicious bars I made at home 🙂 !!
IF you don’t care about being dairy-free, the substitution is SIMPLE. Just use the same amount of regular cream cheese in place of the Tofutti cream cheese.
IF you want to make this vegan, you may replace the 2 eggs with 2 “flax eggs” by mixing 3 tablespoons of flax meal with 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon of warm water and let sit for a few minutes before adding into the other filling ingredients.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs finely crushed using a food processor
- 5 tablespoons melted vegan butter
- 1 tablespoons granulated sugar
Filling
- 3 8 oz containers of Tofutti cream cheese
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 room temperature eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
Crust
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
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Spray the bottom of your 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the tray with two sheets of parchment paper so that the paper is draped over the outside for easy lifting of the final cheesecake out of the pan.
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Place the crust in the pan and using the bottom of any flat cup, push the crust down to make it dense and even.
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Bake for 5-6 minutes.
Filling
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Add all ingredients into a food processor and mix until well combined.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
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Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
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Pour the filing into the baking sheet on top of the crust. Smooth evenly using a rubber spatula and bake for 45 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and let sit until it comes to room temperature then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours.
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Remove from the pan by lifting the parchment paper up and transfer to a cutting board. Slice 16 square bars by making four lengthwise cuts, turning 45 degrees and cutting another four cuts. Tip: if you want clean cuts, warm your knife under hot water each time you make a cut!
Recipe Notes
Vegan option: replace the 2 eggs with 2 "flax eggs" by mixing 3 tablespoons of flax meal with 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon of warm water and let sit for a few minutes before adding into the other filling ingredients.
What do you think?