This creamy pumpkin cheesecake is the best of both worlds – pumpkin pie, expertly mixed with NY style cheesecake is the best fall dessert. Pumpkin Cheesecake will be the star of your holiday table!
I don’t know who the person was who first decided to create a pumpkin flavored cheesecake, but I salute them! This is probably my favorite pumpkin spiced dessert, neck in neck with traditional Pumpkin Pie. The warm fall spices, vanilla, and silky cream cheese mix expertly with the pumpkin puree to create a dessert that just screams, “fall!”
This is a baked cheesecake, and I’ll teach you how to get a crack free cheesecake by using a water bath in the oven. It’s easier than it sounds, I promise!
Looking for more pumpkin desserts? Try my Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, Pumpkin Layer Cake, or Pumpkin Bundt Cake.
Or, you can mix up two other desserts, and try my Pecan Pie Cheesecake recipe!
Serve this Pumpkin Cheesecake at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or your next holiday dinner. It’s also an amazing dessert for any day of the year that you’re craving a little pumpkin spice treat.
Are you preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner right now? Check out my Ultimate Guide to Thanksgiving Turkey.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious Crust: I just love a good graham cracker crust. This crust is crunchy, sugary, buttery, and the perfect base for our cheesecake.
- Creamy and Delicate Texture: Adding pumpkin puree to cheesecake gives it a slightly different texture than a plain cheesecake. It’s super creamy, yet still delicate and soft.
- Pumpkin Spice: Fall weather calls for warm fall spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves give this pumpkin cheesecake the perfect amount of delicious autumnal flavors.
Ingredients in Pumpkin Cheesecake
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
For the Crust:
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: You’ll need to smash up about 12 large graham crackers for this crust.
- Granulated Sugar: Graham crackers aren’t very sweet on their own, and we want this crust to have some flavor. Granulated sugar does the trick!
- Butter: Unsalted butter holds the crust together.
For the Filling:
- Cream Cheese: Four packages of regular cream cheese create the base of our filling. I don’t recommend substituting with lower fat alternatives for this recipe. Allow your cream cheese to come to room temperature before starting.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness, and helps to cream and disburse the cream cheese.
- Light Brown Sugar: For lots of warm, rich flavor and a bit more sweetness.
- Eggs: Set your eggs out at room temperature so they blend in seamlessly.
- Vanilla Extract: A good quality pure vanilla extract is what you want for this recipe.
- Pumpkin Puree: One whole 15oz can of pumpkin puree goes into pumpkin cheesecake. Alternatively, you can make your own pumpkin puree with fresh pie pumpkins.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: This spice blend includes cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. It’s the flavor you know from pumpkin pie. You can make your own Pumpkin Spice – it’s easy!
- Sour Cream: Use full fat sour cream, at room temperature.
- Salt: Just a bit of salt helps to bring out the sweet and spicy flavors in the filling.
For the Whipped Cream Topping
- Heavy Whipping Cream: While we’re bringing the rest of our dairy products to room temperature, you will want to keep the cream cold until you’re ready to whip it.
- Powdered Sugar: This sweetens and helps to stabilize the whipped cream.
- Vanilla Extract: Gives delicious flavor.
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Prep the Oven: Preheat the oven and adjust so that there is a rack in the center.
- Make the Crust: Break down the graham crackers using a food processor. Then mix the crumbs with melted butter and sugar. Press the mixture into a springform pan and bake as directed. Cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
- Wrap with Foil: Wrap the springform pan with two layers of foil from the outside. And start boiling water for the water bath.
- Cream: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugars until creamy and well-combined.
- Complete Filling: Add in the eggs, vanilla, pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree, sour cream, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Pour and Prep: Pour the mixture into the pre-baked graham crust, then place the pan into a larger pan and add the boiling water to the larger pan to create a water bath.
- Bake: Bake as directed in the recipe card until the cheesecake is set on the edges and the center is just slightly jiggly.
- Rest: Switch off the oven, open the oven door slightly and let the cheesecake rest in the oven until the oven cools down.
- Chill: Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, cover with plastic wrap and let it cool down completely. Then chill in the fridge until it has been fully chilled and set.
- Make Whipped Cream: Just before serving your pumpkin cheesecake, whip together the whipped cream topping ingredients until fluffy. Use a chilled bowl and chilled ingredients for best results. Top the cheesecake with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
Recipe Success Tips
- Follow the Instructions. Every step here is totally necessary to get the perfect, smooth,creamy pumpkin cheesecake. Follow them and you will be golden.
- Bring your dairy and eggs to room temperature. Starting with cold dairy will make it really difficult for you to get a super smooth filling. Let the cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs sit on the counter for about an hour before you start baking.
- It’s ok if it jiggles – a little bit. You want the edges of your cheesecake to be fully set, and the center to be almost set. If you very gently move the pan you should see the center move slightly. The cheesecake will continue to cook as it cools, and that jiggle will be gone.
FAQs
Baking with a water bath is a method used with cheesecakes in order to keep moisture in the cheesecake and discourage cracks. It seems fussy, but it’s really not that hard!
You should wrap your cheesecake pan in two layers of aluminum foil. Then place it inside of a larger pan, such as a roasting pan or a large cake pan. Carefully place the set up in the oven. Fill the space around the cheesecake with boiling water, and carefully slide the pan back, and close the oven door.
You may be tempted to skip this part, but your cheesecake will most definitely crack if you don’t use a water bath to bake it.
Leaving your cheesecake in the oven while the oven cools is another way to keep the cheesecake moist and avoid cracks. The cheesecake will cool down slowly in a humid oven. This is exactly what we want. Be patient, you’ll get to eat the pumpkin cheesecake when it’s ready!
You can make this recipe up to 5 days before you’ll serve it. Save adding the whipped cream and any other toppings until right before serving.
This pumpkin cheesecake will also freeze well for 1-2 months. Before freezing, wrap the cheesecake very well with plastic wrap and then with foil. Freeze in an airtight container. To serve, thaw your pumpkin cheesecake in the fridge or at room temperature.
If you don’t like graham crackers, or want to give this cheesecake some extra flair, you can substitute with just about any cookie crumbs. Try gingersnaps, Biscoff cookies, or even vanilla Oreos.
What else goes with Pumpkin Cheesecake?
The top of this cheesecake can be garnished with almost anything you like! I suggest trying the following:
- Chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts.
- Caramel sauce or toffee sauce
- Graham crackers or gingersnaps, chopped.
Enjoy making this pumpkin cheesecake and serving it to your friends and family this season. Make sure to pin this recipe so everyone can enjoy it!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs about 12 sheets
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the cheesecake filling:
- 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened to room temperature, 32 ounces in total, See Note 1
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 3 large eggs at room temperature, Note 1
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ⅓ cup sour cream at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the whipped cream topping:
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- To make the crust, in a food processor break down the graham crackers to create crumbs.
- In a bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs with sugar and butter.
- Press into a 9-inch springform pan, with about ½ inch on the sides up. Bake for 8 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
- Wrap the springform pan with two layers of foil from the outside.
- Boil water for the water bath, this will help the cheesecake not crack. See note 2
- Keep your oven temperature the same.
- In a large bowl, heat the cream cheese with the sugars until creamy and well combined (about 4 minutes).
- Add in the eggs, vanilla, pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree, sour cream and salt- beat until combined scraping down the sides as needed.
- Pour the mixture into the pre-baked graham crust, place the pan into a larger pan and add the water into the larger pan to create a water bath.
- Bake for one hour until the cheesecake sets at the edges, and the center is not very jiggly (it will still have a little jiggle).
- Switch off the oven, open the oven door slightly and let the cheesecake rest in the oven until the oven cools down (about 45 minutes to one hour).
- Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, cover with plastic wrap and let it cool down completely then chill in the fridge until it has been fully chilled and set, minimum 4 hours but preferably overnight. To release the cheesecake run a knife around the edges and release from the pan.
- To make the whipped cream, in a cold bowl, combine all of the ingredients and beat on high speed until fluffy (do not over beat, takes about one and half minutes). Top the cheesecake with whipped cream, and sprinkle with ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
Notes:
- Bring your dairy and eggs to room temperature. Starting with cold dairy will make it really difficult for you to get a super smooth filling. Let the cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs sit on the counter for about an hour before you start baking.
- Baking with a water bath is very important. You should wrap your cheesecake pan in two layers of aluminum foil, then place it inside of a larger pan, such as a roasting pan or a large cake pan. Carefully place the set up in the oven. Fill the space around the cheesecake with boiling water, and carefully slide the pan back, and close the oven door. You may be tempted to skip this part, but your cheesecake will most definitely crack if you don’t use a water bath to bake it.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Christine says
Hi, question? In the earlier instructions with pictures it says we’ll need 2 bricks of cream cheese for the recipe then in the ingredients list it says 4 8oz bricks which seems excessive? Is it 2 or 4? Thanks!
Diana says
Hi Christine, it’s 4. It’s a tall cheesecake and you need 32 ounces in total. Enjoy!
Christine says
Awesome, thank you for your quick reply!
Diana says
Enjoy!