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Easy Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars Recipe

Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars are a creamy sweet dessert that you’re going to fall in love with.

The bars are the combination of pecan pie and a cheesecake bar all rolled into one scrumptious treat.

You get the best of both worlds with a graham cracker crust, a creamy cheesecake center, and a topping of candied pecans.

This has been a very popular recipe and it’s perfect for the holidays!

The Perfect Dessert

Pecan pie cheesecake bars stacked on a plate

Disclaimer: This recipe and post were created for #SummerDessertWeek! Sponsor companies sent me samples, but as always opinions are 100% mine.

Pecan pie cheesecake bars are the perfect dessert.

You get a creamy cheesecake layer, gooey pecan pie layer, and a buttery graham cracker crust all rolled into one.

And, the finished product is beautiful.

Pecan pie cheesecake bars on plates

I absolutely love pecan pie and I love cheesecake, so to be able to marry the two recipes together is a special treat.

The pecan pie bars are perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas, or any holiday, or Tuesday (you get the drift).

I really didn’t start to like pecans until I was older and now I could snack on them all day long, and if you candy them, step aside, I am gonna get a handful (ok, quite a few if we’re being honest).

What Ingredients Do I Need For This Amazing Recipe?

Crust

  • Graham crackers
  • Butter, melted
  • Sugar

Cheesecake Layer

  • Cream cheese, softened
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract

Pecan Pie Layer

  • Butter
  • Heavy cream
  • Light brown sugar
  • Corn syrup
  • Vanilla extract
  • Chopped pecans

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

How To Make Easy Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars

  1. Crush the graham crackers in a food processor. Add the sugar and butter and mix well.
  2. Press the crunchy graham cracker crust into a 9-inch by 13-inch greased pan and set aside (or line with parchment paper).
  3. Next, add the softened cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and cream.
  4. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract, and mix with an electric hand mixer until the lumps are gone.
  5. Gently spread the cream cheese mixture over the graham cracker crust and place in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.
  6. Once the cream cheese has been in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, you can get started on the pecan pie topping.
  7. For the topping, add the butter to a saucepan and melt.
  8. Next, add the heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and corn syrup. Mix and bring to a boil.
  9. Add the pecans and stir to coat. Pour over the cream cheese mixture and bake for 40 minutes.
  10. Allow the bars to cool for at least an hour to room temperature and then refrigerate for a couple of hours before cutting.

I have a fantastic recipe for pecan pie brownies, as well as the best pecan pie recipe, and easy stovetop candied pecans. If you search around, you’ll see quite a few recipes that feature pecans on the site here.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust Layer

Crushed up graham crackers in the food processor

Get the recipe started by adding the graham crackers to a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. 

If you don’t have a food processor you can put the graham crackers into a large bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

I used two sleeves of graham crackers to get to two cups.

Crushed up graham crackers in a food processor with melted butter

Next, add the sugar and the melted butter and process again until everything is mixed together. 

Parchment paper inside of a casserole dish

Spray the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ baking dish with non-stick spray. Place some parchment paper over the spray. 

I spray the dish in case any of the pecan pie ingredients seep down into the dish. It turns into candy and is hard to get out.

The parchment paper will make it easy to remove the pecan pie bars recipe in their entirety. That will also help make it easier to cut them.

Graham crackers pressed into a casserole dish

Press the graham cracker crumbs down into the pan and set aside. 

Cream Cheese Layer

Cream cheese in a bowl

In a large bowl, add the cream cheese

Cream cheese and sugar in a glass bowl

Next, add the sugar to the bowl. 

I used Dixie Crystals for this recipe. I use it for all of my favorite desserts and I love it.

Eggs, sugar, and cream cheese in a glass bowl

Eggs are the next ingredient to go in the bowl.

Cream cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, and cream cheese in a glass bowl.

Add the vanilla extract. 

I used Adams Best Vanilla Extract for this recipe. It has a very good flavor and smells so delicious.

Mixing ingredients in a glass bowl

Mix the cheesecake ingredients with an electric mixer until most of the lumps are gone.

You’ll have a few lumps and that’s ok.

Spreading the cheesecake mixture over the breadcrumbs

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the graham crackers.

Refrigerate the dessert for at least 30 minutes. The reason behind this is to keep the pecan topping from seeping down into the cream cheese.

It might still do that to some degree and will still taste great, but refrigerating the dessert for at least 30 minutes will help alleviate some of that.

Pecan Pie Topping

Butter in a saucepan

In a medium saucepan, on medium heat, add the butter and allow it to melt.

Heavy cream in a saucepan with butter.

Once the butter melts, add the heavy cream to the saucepan. 

Brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream in a saucepan

Now, add the brown sugar and vanilla and mix together. 

I usually use a whisk to mix everything together.

Light corn syrup being poured into a saucepan

Pour the light corn syrup into the pan with the other ingredients and mix. Allow the ingredients to boil for about one minute. 

The ingredients do not need to come to a full rolling boil, just allow it to boil a little bit.

Pecans in a saucepan with butter and heavy cream

Finally, add the pecans and mix until they are all covered. 

Pecan cheesecake in a large casserole dish

Pour the pecan ingredients on top of the cheesecake and spread it out.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown, as in the picture below. 

Allow the pecan pie cheesecake bars to cool and then refrigerate for a few hours before cutting.

You will need a sharp knife to cut the bars.

It will be hard to not cut into the bars, before it cools, because they will smell amazing.

When they started to cook it was all I could do not to go in the kitchen, open the oven, and spoon some out.

Plus, the entire time the pecan pie bars recipe was cooling it smelled like Christmas. So. Good. This pecan pie cobbler is perfect for Christmas, as well.

Enjoy the pecan cheesecake bars!

Pecan pie bars with a bag of Dixie Crystals sugar on the counter

The decadent cheesecake pecan dessert ends up with a creamy center and a candied top for one amazing dessert.

Adams Best Vanilla Extract with pecan pie bars

Get more pecan recipes for your recipe box.

Pecan pie with cheesecake stacked on a plate

More Dessert Recipes

Pecan pie cheesecake bars stacked on a plate together

Sponsored Items Used In This Recipe:

Pecan pie cheesecake bars stacked on a plate

Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars

Yield: 24
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Additional Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes

Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars are a creamy sweet dessert that you're going to fall in love with. The bars are the combination of pecan pie and a cheesecake bar all rolled into one scrumptious treat. You get the best of both worlds with a graham cracker crust, a creamy cheesecake center, and a topping of candied pecans. 

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (roughly 16 full graham crackers).
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted

Cheesecake

  • 2 - 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pecan Pie Topping

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 2 cups pecans, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Grease a 13" x 9" dish and cover with parchment paper.

Crust

  1. Add the graham crackers to a food processor and process until they are crumbs.
  2. Add the sugar and butter and process again.
  3. Press into the baking dish and set aside.

Cheesecake Layer

  1. Add the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Mix until most of the lumps are gone.
  2. Pour over the graham cracker crust and spread out. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Pecan Pie Topping

  1. Start after the cream cheese mixture has been refrigerated for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Add the butter to a saucepan, on medium heat, and melt.
  3. Next, add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and light corn syrup. Mix together and allow it to come to a boil.
  4. Add the pecans and mix until they are all covered.
  5. Pour over the cheesecake mixture and spread out.
  6. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
  7. Cool for about an hour.
  8. Refrigerate for several hours and cut into squares.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 292Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 147mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g

Nutrition is approximate.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Christine

Friday 26th of November 2021

These were AMAZING!!!!

Julie Pollitt

Friday 26th of November 2021

That's great to hear! I am so glad you loved them!

joe J DeFranco

Friday 3rd of September 2021

I question the pouring of the hot sauce over the uncooked cheesecake, thinking it was going to just mix in with the filling, and it did. Any ideas how to prevent that from happening?

Julie Pollitt

Saturday 4th of September 2021

Hi Joe,

I would refrigerate the uncooked cheesecake before pouring the pecan mix over it. I think that would help.

Ruth

Friday 30th of April 2021

Can you freeze this delicious pecan dessert?

Julie Pollitt

Friday 30th of April 2021

Hi Ruth! I think these would freeze well. I would put them in an airtight container. I think the longest I would freeze them is about two months. They might be a little crumbly when you take them out and let them thaw, but they should be ok. Enjoy!

Cierra

Friday 12th of March 2021

I just popped them into the oven. Like the others, my cheesecake filling was too runny. I made the pecan topping first thing so it would have time to cool, hoping it wouldn't sink through the cheesecake layer. I beat the h e c k out of the cheesecake filling, hoping that the volume would increase. Nope, still runny. Pecan topping was cooled and still melted through. Maybe next time I'll use another block of cream cheese. I still hope these turn out yummy!

Julie Pollitt

Monday 15th of March 2021

Hmmm... I will make them again to see if maybe I left out a step. Thanks for letting me know!

Sara

Wednesday 23rd of December 2020

My cheesecake was very runny as well, and the pecan topping melted in as soon as I poured it. I baked for 40 min as directed, but the cake was still very wiggly, so left it in the oven another 10.

Julie Pollitt

Wednesday 23rd of December 2020

Did that help leaving it in for another 10 minutes? Thanks for letting me know!

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