The scoreline continued a remarkable pattern at this year's tournament, with all six first-round matches finishing 6-2, but this was far from a routine procession.
Hawkins made the early running, taking the opening frame after Higgins missed a black, having led 35-0.
A break of 58 gave the Englishman a deserved start, but the match quickly tilted once Higgins settled. The four-time world champion responded with a break of 50 in frame two to level, then produced a decisive 71 in frame three after Hawkins let him in from 46-0 ahead.
From 1-1, 50-year-old Higgins hit successive half-centuries, including a 53 in frame four, turned small opportunities into frames and established a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.
Hawkins was not outplayed in open exchanges, but the margins were unforgiving. Missed blacks, under-hit safeties and loose reds repeatedly invited Higgins back to the table, and he accepted with minimal fuss.
The fifth frame briefly offered Hawkins a lifeline as he compiled a break of 64, but another missed red proved costly. Higgins cleared to move 4-2 ahead, then delivered the defining passage of the match.
A superb long red opened the door in frame six, and what followed was a fine break of 99.
At 5-2, the contest was effectively decided. Hawkins endured a barren spell of nearly an hour without potting a ball as Higgins squeezed relentlessly, combining safety precision with timely scoring.
The final frame followed the same script. Higgins compiled 61 before sealing victory by firing the last red into the yellow pocket, bringing the match to a close in just over two hours to send him into his 16th Masters quarter-final.
