This Homemade Pumpkin Cheesecake is a Must-Make!
This pumpkin cheesecake is the perfect holiday dessert!
If you love a rich and dense classic cheesecake, you’ve got to make this pumpkin version for dessert!
Making a cheesecake from scratch isn’t super difficult, and the result is a thousand times better tasting than store-bought. If you’re thinking of baking a pumpkin dessert for Thanksgiving, I’m sharing a must-make pumpkin cheesecake recipe!
Looking for a keto pumpkin cheesecake? Go to Hip2Keto.com for our delicious low-carb version!
Get ready to enjoy a pumpkin cheesecake with a cinnamon graham cracker crust and maple whipped cream that is out of this world delish!
The hardest part is waiting to eat it until your cheesecake is chilled and set.
Tips for making the BEST pumpkin cheesecake:
- I used a 9-inch cheesecake springform pan for this recipe because the sides are deep and they will come off to reveal a perfect cheesecake after chilled. This helpful article via TasteOfHome.com has some tips for using other types of pans.
- Having trouble finding canned pumpkin puree? You could always roast a small pumpkin, or cook one using your Instant Pot!
- “Do I need to do a water bath while baking a cheesecake?” Well in short, no. It’s recommended in order to create enough humidity so that the cheesecake won’t crack on top. A cracked cheesecake tastes just as good, in my opinion, though.
- I set my cheesecake inside a roasting pan to make a simple water bath. You can cover the bottom and sides of your cheesecake pan with 2 layers of foil, or you can do as I do, and set your cheesecake pan inside a larger cake pan first. Then I set both of those inside a roasting pan filled with a couple of inches of hot water from the sink, and bake.
- Plan ahead for this dessert! I like to chill my cheesecake overnight as it will be worth waiting for nice and cold. Cheesecake can last in the fridge for up to 5 days wrapped in plastic wrap. It can freeze for up to a month if you wrap it in plastic wrap and then in foil.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
yield: 8 SERVINGS
prep time: 20 MINUTES
cook time: 1 HOUR 25 MINUTES
total time: 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES
There's nothing better than a from-scratch classic dense cheesecake, except when it's a fall pumpkin spice version!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cheesecake filling:
- 24 oz. cream cheese, softened (3 bricks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 15 oz. can of pure pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Maple whipped cream (stabilized whipped cream frosting):
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon real maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray springform pan with non-stick spray. Move the oven rack to the middle of the oven.
2
In a medium-sized bowl, mix graham cracker crust ingredients together and press into the cheesecake pan evenly.
3
To a large bowl or stand mixer, add the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar. Beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Beat in the pumpkin puree, vanilla, sour cream. Beat in eggs one at a time, and then also add in the pumpkin pie spice and flour. Mix briefly until all is smooth, and then pour batter into the pan, and spread evenly.
4
Place the springform pan into a larger cake pan or cover the bottom and sides tightly with two layers of foil. Place that into a roasting pan in the middle rack of the oven. Pour hot water from the sink a couple inches deep into the roasting pan to create a water bath.
5
Bake for 1 hour 25 minutes, or until the cheesecake is cooked, but still slightly jiggly in the middle. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly. Let cool in the oven for one hour. Transfer to the counter and let cool to room temperature.
6
Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or at least for 4 hours. Remove from the pan after chilled.
7
Use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment to whip up whipped cream ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Whip until peaks form, may take several minutes. Decorate cheesecake or serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!
Additional Notes
Cheesecake recipe adapted from Delish.com
Maple cinnamon whipped cream is the way to go!
You can decorate your pumpkin cheesecake with whipped cream from a can, or try whipping up cold whipping cream with a little maple syrup and cinnamon to complete this pumpkin cheesecake experience.
After whipping up this topping using a hand mixer, I used my favorite Wilton cake decorator to then pipe on some whipped cream to my pumpkin cheesecake! I love that this is so easy to make and yields such pretty results. If you wanted to add nuts on top, I think that’d be yummy too.
This pumpkin cheesecake tastes so similar to The Cheesecake Factory’s version!
If you’re craving a thick cold slice of cheesecake, try baking this one, as it’s simple to make and oh-so GOOD. I love that you can make this dessert in advance for Thanksgiving and it’s sure to be a big hit!
My family loved it, and I hope yours will too — enjoy!
Check out what my teammate Jenna said after baking this pumpkin cheesecake:
“I love this cheesecake… and the cinnamon whipped cream is as amazing as the cheesecake! The crust is awesome, the filling is perfect, and the topping is delicious. I love how this was like a combo between pumpkin pie and cheesecake, my two favorite foods. YUM! I am so making this for Thanksgiving this year.”
Looking for traditional pumpkin pie? Check out this classic recipe!
this is SUCH a pretty cheesecake ! Now I am going to have to make this for Thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pie! thank you for posting this !!!!
Oh yay! You’ll love it! Thanks Jill!
I always use a sugar pie pumpkin for a true homemade pumpkin pie. They are in stores now. Cut it, scoop it out, cut into pieces and steam on stovetop!
I’ve been sprinkling pumpkin pie spice on almost everything like yogurt, coffee lattes and protein drinks. I found pumpkin spice at Big Lots today and all spices were buy 2, get 1 free. Yep I stocked up and hope to make more pumpkin recipes so keep them coming & thanks for posting!
Oh yay I’m glad you are enjoying – thanks Deb!
The PUMPKIN SPICE CHEESECAKE looks as it taste dry? Those lucky enough to taste it can you confirm this or dispute it?
I can confirm it is not dry 👍 thanks.
Do you know if white pumpkins can be used the same as the orange?
Hi There! Here’s a helpful article on white pumpkins I found. Sounds like they can. https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-a-white-pumpkin-1600482#:
This is absolutely delicious! I made it last night for Thanksgiving but after making and sampling the whip cream today we decided to dig right in! We’ll have the leftovers after dinner tomorrow. Besides it’s pumpkin cheesecake and not “company” cheesecake because we aren’t having any company! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Haha that’s so great! There’s no rules this year LOL I am so happy you enjoyed it and Happy Holidays <3
A tip that I always use for no crack top is to turn off the oven 7 minutes before timer goes off and let it sit in the oven for 15 minutes after timer goes off. This prevents cracking. I read it in a cooking article that the reason cheesecake cracks is going from a hot environment to a cooler one immediately. Keeping it in the oven when it cools down helps prevent that. It always worked for me.
Great tips thanks for sharing!
I’ve always added a 1/3 cup of sweetened applesauce in place of the sour cream. I’m not a pumpkin pie lover but this combination blends the flavors beautifully.
Thanks for sharing!
I have made pumpkin cheesecake before, but I used crushed gingersnap crust. It was SOOO good!!! Just crush them up and add a little butter and press into the dish.
Awesome- Thanks Heather!
My mouth is watering just looking at the photos!
Ha thank you! It’s yummy <3
My son loves pumpkin pie , but not crazy about cheesecake- ( I love cheesecake ) do you think this is more pumpkin pie like , or more cheesecake ? Thank you
Its a pretty good mash-up but more like cheesecake I think if I had to choose!