Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- 9x9 inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Offset spatula
- Large sharp knife
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour 120 g, superfine
- 1/4 cup granulated erythritol 48 g - monk fruit blend works too
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter melted (57 g)
For the Pumpkin Filling
- 16 oz cream cheese full fat (452 g), room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated erythritol 96 g
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 122 g - pure pumpkin, not pie filling
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
For the Cinnamon Sugar Top
- 1/4 cup granulated erythritol 48 g
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
Crust
- Prepare the pan: Preheat to 350°F. Line a 9x9 pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides so you can lift the slab out later.
- Press and blind bake: Stir the almond flour, sweetener and cinnamon together in the pan, add the melted butter and mix to damp sand. Press firmly and evenly across the bottom using the flat base of a glass. Bake 10 minutes until the edges just turn golden.
Filling
- Reduce the heat: Drop the oven to 325°F.
- Mix gently: Beat the room-temperature cream cheese on low until smooth. Add the sweetener, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla, mixing just until evenly combined.
- Add the eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time on the lowest speed, stopping the moment each disappears. Do not whip - air beaten in now is what cracks the bars later.
- Pour and top: Pour over the warm crust and smooth. Stir the remaining sweetener and cinnamon together and scatter evenly over the surface. Tap the pan on the counter 3-4 times to release trapped bubbles.
Bake and Chill
- Bake to the wobble: Bake at 325°F for 20-30 minutes. The outer two inches should be set and matte, with a 2-inch circle in the centre that still wobbles as one piece. It sets further as it cools.
- Cool, then chill: Cool on the counter to room temperature, about 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, uncovered for the first hour. Overnight is better.
- Slice: Lift out by the parchment. Press straight down with a large sharp knife and wipe the blade clean between every cut.
Notes
Pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is pre-sweetened with sugar and will wreck both the carb count and the set.
Do not increase the pumpkin. Pumpkin puree is mostly water - more than half a cup and the filling never fully sets.
Room temperature cream cheese and eggs are what let you mix on low. Cold cream cheese forces you to beat harder, which beats in air, which cracks the bars.
No pumpkin pie spice? Use 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and a pinch of cloves.
Erythritol can recrystallise in the fridge. A monk fruit and allulose blend stays smoother if that bothers you.
Optional pecan crumble: toss 1/2 cup chopped pecans with 1 tbsp melted butter and scatter over the cinnamon sugar before baking.
Storage: 5 days refrigerated, 3 months frozen. Freeze sliced in a single layer, then stack with parchment between. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition note: erythritol is excluded from net carbs, as is standard on keto.