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.
The Perfect Dessert
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.
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.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust Layer
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.
Next, add the sugar and the melted butter and process again until everything is mixed together.
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.
Press the graham cracker crumbs down into the pan and set aside.
Cream Cheese Layer
In a large bowl, add the cream cheese.
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 are the next ingredient to go in the bowl.
Add the vanilla extract.
I used Adams Best Vanilla Extract for this recipe. It has a very good flavor and smells so delicious.
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.
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
In a medium saucepan, on medium heat, add the butter and allow it to melt.
Once the butter melts, add the heavy cream to the saucepan.
Now, add the brown sugar and vanilla and mix together.
I usually use a whisk to mix everything together.
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.
Finally, add the pecans and mix until they are all covered.
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!
The decadent cheesecake pecan dessert ends up with a creamy center and a candied top for one amazing dessert.
Pecan desserts are a Southern staple, but every state has its own claim to fame. Find out what yours is in my roundup of 50 state desserts from Baked Alaska to Wyoming S’mores Bars.
More Delicious Pecan Dessert Recipes
- These pecan pie brownies combine gooey richness with a crunchy top that’s totally irresistible.
- Classic pecan pie brings that nostalgic, homemade flavor that never goes out of style.
- These easy stovetop candied pecans are perfect for snacking or adding a sweet crunch to salads.
- If you love indulgent desserts, this pecan pie cobbler is buttery, rich, layered with pecan goodness, and perfect for a crowd.
- These cheesecake bars with praline pecan topping are creamy, crunchy, and just the right amount of sweet.
Sponsored Items Used In This Recipe:
- Dixie Crystals Pure Cane Sugar
- Adams Best Vanilla Extract
Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars
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
- Add the graham crackers to a food processor and process until they are crumbs.
- Add the sugar and butter and process again.
- Press into the baking dish and set aside.
Cheesecake Layer
- Add the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Mix until most of the lumps are gone.
- Pour over the graham cracker crust and spread out. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Pecan Pie Topping
- Start after the cream cheese mixture has been refrigerated for at least 30 minutes.
- Add the butter to a saucepan, on medium heat, and melt.
- Next, add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and light corn syrup. Mix together and allow it to come to a boil.
- Add the pecans and mix until they are all covered.
- Pour over the cheesecake mixture and spread out.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- Cool for about an hour.
- Refrigerate for several hours and cut into squares.
My favorite summertime dessert is ice cream….or watermelon 🙂
Ice cream is always delicious, especially on top of pecan bars!
@Ginger G, my favorite fruit is mango 🙂
This last recipe Pecan pie cheesecake bars sounded so delicious.
Hi Thea! Thanks so much! They were fun to make.
I do not see any instructions for the light corn syrup for the pecan bars. They look yummy btw.
Hi Donna! Thank you SO much for pointing that out. I fixed it, so the ingredients are correct now – not sure how I missed that, but I appreciate you!
The bars are super yummy!
I just want to verify…
2 cups pecans, chopped, right?
Not 2 cups of chopped pecans?
Hi Marcy,
I chop then I measure. Hope that helps!
After you have finished with the cheesecake and ready to pour the pecan topping, is it supposed to just melt into the cheesecake mixture? I was expecting it to sit on top
Hi Chelsea,
It should sit on top. It might melt into it a tad, but not too much. Did you use enough cream cheese?
Was the cream cheese layer very thin or runny?
@Julie Pollitt, it was pretty runny. I used two blocks of cream cheese🤔 Not sure why it was so runny. I thought that was odd. Hope it’s still good 😂
Let me know how it turns out. Sometimes, I will make a recipe and it just turns out funny, even though I did the same thing I always do. 😭😜
@Julie Pollitt, it was a big hit!! Definitely a recipe I’m holding on to! I didn’t mind it not sitting on top at all. Still really really good!
Awesome! I love to hear that. Thanks so much for coming back and sharing with us! Yay!
When you pour the pecan mix onto the cream cheese layer ,it melts the cream cheese layer …bad instructions
Very good. But I think the cream cheese mixture could be 1&1/2 or doubled. It was difficult to cut evenly. It fell apart. Wonder if a short freeze woul make it easier to cut
I’ve done a short freeze with bars and that does help with cutting sometimes. Glad you liked them!
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.
Did that help leaving it in for another 10 minutes? Thanks for letting me know!
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!
Hmmm… I will make them again to see if maybe I left out a step. Thanks for letting me know!
Can you freeze this delicious pecan dessert?
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!
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?
Hi Joe,
I would refrigerate the uncooked cheesecake before pouring the pecan mix over it. I think that would help.
These were AMAZING!!!!
That’s great to hear! I am so glad you loved them!
HI, I cooked the full 40 minutes and followed procedure exactly but the graham crust stayed too moist. I think it would be better to make a short bread crust nest time.
Those of us who cook and bake * (huge difference!!!) can simply read a recipe and know when it will be wonderful!!!
Thank you so very much!
ps: and if we collect cookbooks ~ it is even worse!
Thank you so much!! I love collecting cookbooks, too!