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This smooth and creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake features a buttery graham cracker crust and fluffy swirls of whipped cream cheese frosting. Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves, it’s bound to become your go-to pumpkin dessert.
This Heavenly Pumpkin Cheesecake is Perfect for Fall!
A slice of cheesecake always hits the spot when I’m in the mood for something sweet. There are infinite flavor possibilities – and they’re all delicious – but some kinds of cheesecake are divine enough to earn an extra special place in your heart. This rich and creamy pumpkin one is a prime example!
The filling is made with a full can of pureed pumpkin and plenty of cozy spices to give it all the festive goodness you could ask for in a fall treat. Both the crust and the whipped cream cheese topping are laced with cinnamon to further enhance that beloved pumpkin spice flavor. You’ll want to indulge in this comforting cheesecake year-round!
What You’ll Need
Let’s go over the ingredients for the crust, the filling and the topping, respectively. Scroll down to the full recipe in the card below this post for specific amounts.
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- Graham Crackers: Crushed into crumbs.
- Salted Butter: Melted and slightly cooled.
- Packed Brown Sugar: This works with the cinnamon to enhance the warmth of the cheesecake.
- Ground Cinnamon
For the Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- Cream Cheese: Brought to room temperature.
- Light Brown Sugar
- All-Purpose Flour
- Pureed Pumpkin: Make sure you don’t use pumpkin pie filling.
- Sour Cream: For added creaminess.
- Vanilla Extract
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Nutmeg
- Ground Cloves
- Ground Ginger
- Large Eggs: These should also be at room temperature.
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese: Room temperature.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Keep this nice and cold.
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Ground Cinnamon
- Chopped Pecans: To garnish the cheesecake.
How to Make the Best Pumpkin Cheesecake
For a baked cheesecake, this melt-in-your-mouth treat is as easy as it gets! Just follow these step-by-step instructions.
Make the Crust
Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.
Combine Ingredients: Combine all of the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.
Pre-Bake: Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set it aside and allow it to cool.
Prep for Water Bath: Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil so that water from the water bath cannot get in. Set the prepared pan aside.
Make the Filling
Lower Oven Temperature: Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
Combine Cream Cheese, Sugar & Flour: Mix together the cream cheese, sugar and flour in a large mixer bowl on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is incorporated.
Add Pumpkin, Sour Cream, Vanilla & Spices: Add the pumpkin puree, sour cream, vanilla extract and spices, mixing on low speed until well combined.
Add Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Pour Filling Into Crust: Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust and spread it out evenly.
Assemble Water Bath: Place the prepared springform pan inside another larger pan. Fill the larger pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Do not let the water go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.
Bake: Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it, as all ovens are different. You want it to be set around the edges and jiggly in the center couple of inches.
Turn Off Oven: Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 30 minutes.
Crack Open Door: Crack the oven door and leave the cheesecake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Remove Cheesecake & Refrigerate: Remove your cheesecake from the oven and chill it in the fridge until it’s firm, 5-6 hours or overnight.
Make the Topping & Decorate
Take Cheesecake Out of Pan: Once the cheesecake is cool and firm, remove it from the springform pan and set it on a serving plate.
Beat Cream Cheese: Add the cream cheese to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the remaining ingredients and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Decorate Cheesecake: Pipe the whipped cream around the edge of the cheesecake, then finish it off with chopped pecans and pumpkin candies.
Enjoy! Refrigerate the cheesecake until you’re ready to serve it.
Tips for Success
Not too familiar with homemade cheesecakes? The advice below is here to help.
- Crush the Graham Crackers in a Food Processor: Using a food processor to crush up the graham crackers is super convenient. If you don’t have one, seal the graham crackers in a heavy-duty storage bag with all the air removed and crush them with a mallet or rolling pin.
- Stick With Low Speed: Always mix your filling on low speed. Otherwise, you could incorporate too much air into the batter and end up with a cracked cheesecake.
- Don’t Skip the Water Bath: I know the water bath can be a bit annoying, but it’s vital to the success of your cheesecake. It ensures that it doesn’t brown around the edges, sink in the middle or crack.
- Prevent Leakage: Make sure you don’t let the water in the outer pan go above the top edge of the foil surrounding the inner pan. For additional ways to prevent your water bath from leaking, check out my Cheesecake Water Bath Tips and Tricks.
Topping Ideas
Plenty of different toppings go well with this pumpkin cheesecake. I’ve rounded up a few fail-proof options.
- Classic Whipped Cream: Looking to top your cheesecake with regular whipped cream? Skip the store-bought stuff and make my Homemade Whipped Cream instead.
- Salted Caramel: Pumpkin and caramel make a mouthwatering pair. Drizzle this easy Salted Caramel Sauce over your cheesecake for a fancy finishing touch.
- Praline Topping: The gooey praline topping that goes with my Pecan Cheesecake would taste amazing on top of this pumpkin cheesecake too!
- Cinnamon: At the end of the day, this cheesecake speaks for itself. Even something as simple as a sprinkle of cinnamon will round it out nicely.
Storage Instructions
Keep extra cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy it within 4-5 days.
Can I Freeze Pumpkin Cheesecake?
Absolutely – but you’ll want to hold off on adding the whipped topping. Wrap the fully set cheesecake in plastic wrap or foil and freeze it in a heavy-duty storage bag for up to 3 months. Thaw it out in the fridge before adding the whipped cream cheese frosting and digging in.
Watch How To Make It
Print
Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 14
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This smooth and creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake features a buttery graham cracker crust and fluffy swirls of whipped cream cheese frosting. Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves, it’s bound to become your go-to pumpkin dessert.
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 1/4 cups (302g) graham cracker crumbs
- 10 tbsp (140g) salted butter, melted
- 3 tbsp (42g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 24 ounces (678g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (225g) packed light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp (24g) all purpose flour
- 15 oz can pureed pumpkin
- 1/4 cup (58g) sour cream
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 6 tbsp (86g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.
- Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil (I also use a plastic crock pot liner – see full method for preventing your water bath from leaking here) so that water from the water bath cannot get in. Set prepared pan aside.
Make the Filling
- Reduce oven to 300°F (148°C).
- In a large mixer bowl, mix the cream cheese, brown sugar and flour until well combined (Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the pumpkin, sour cream, vanilla extract and spices and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust and spread evenly.
- Place springform pan (covered with aluminum foil) inside another larger pan. Fill the larger pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.
- Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it. All ovens are different. You want it to be set around the edges and jiggly in the center couple of inches before moving on.
- Turn off heat and leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 30 minutes.
- Crack oven door and leave the cheesecake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
- Remove cheesecake from oven and chill until firm, 5-6 hours or overnight.
Make the Topping & Decorate
- When the cheesecake is cool and firm, remove from the springform pan and set on a serving plate.
- To make the whipped cream, add the cream cheese to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add the remaining ingredients and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Pipe the whipped cream around the edge of the cheesecake, then finish it off with chopped pecans.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake until ready to serve.
Notes
- Makes 12-14 slices
- To Store: Cheesecake is best when stored well covered in the fridge and eaten within 4-5 days.
- To Freeze: Wrap fully set cheesecake (without topping) in plastic wrap or foil and freeze in a heavy-duty storage bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before adding topping and enjoying.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 26.9 g
- Sodium: 333.9 mg
- Fat: 26.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.9 g
- Protein: 8.2 g
- Cholesterol: 121.4 mg
So I made the vanilla mini cheesecakes and they came out amazing my family loved them. I wanted to make them again but using this recipe for thanksgiving. So if I divide the batter to the cupcake liners does it still need an ice bath because it’s a different recipe?
No, there’s no need for a water bath with minis. Making this as minis should be pretty similar to the vanilla ones. You could even cut this recipe in half to get about 12 minis. I’m so glad you enjoyed the vanilla ones!
I accidently use a 30 Oz can of pumpkin! I was not paying attention. Will it still set up like normal?
That’s quite a bit extra. I’m not sure that it will. How did it turn out?
Hey there,
I have a GF friend. Can you substitute the flour with Corn starch? If so how much would you use to replace the 3tbsp of flour? Or would you just use GF flour?
You could use gluten-free flour or just use half the amount of corn starch.
This was so delicious! I brought it to Thanksgiving dinner yesterday and it received rave reviews! It wasn’t perfect, it did crack a little bit, and some water got into the slow cooker liner (no idea how!), but it was still so yummy. I also made a mistake because I’ve only ever seen one size of can of pumpkin purée in Canada, so I put in a 29 oz can… oops! In any case, it was still delicious. It just needed to bake longer, so this may have been the source of the crack? I’ll definitely make it again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And yes, the difference in ingredients and baking time could certainly have been responsible for the crack.
I love this pumpkin cheesecake recipe all time favorite! I get so many compliments so, I want to make two seven inch cheesecakes for gifts how do I convert the original recipe to fit the 7 inch springform pans??
So glad you love it! I talk about adjusting sizes in this guide for sizing cheesecakes. I hope that helps!
Hi Lindsay. I made this pumpkin cheese for my best friend’s 18th birthday. My goodness, it was one of the best cheesecakes I have ever made in my entire life, it was so delicious. My best friend and his family ate it all in less than five days. They couldn’t stop gushing about how much they loved it. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Can I use the cream whipped cream on pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes?
Yes, you can.
Can’t wait to try this! Is canned pure pumpkin the same as pumpkin puree?
Yes that should be the same thing
What if you have a 10 inch pan , should you increase any ingredients?
You would have a shorter cheesecake and probably need to reduce the baking time a bit.
Thanks for this recipe; I loved it and it went perfect. The first time I made a cheesecake definitely did not go as smooth as this one. Only question, how much more pumpkin could I add without affecting the texture? While the pumpkin flavor was obviously there, my family described it more as a cinnamon cheesecake with a hint of pumpkin. Thanks again!
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it. You could try swapping out the sour cream for some more pumpkin and then maybe adding another fourth of a cup. It might be hard to add much more than that. With that additional amount of pumpkin, you may also need to bake it for longer.
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! Wont ever try to find another pumpkin cheesecake recipe. However I just made it and in the middle of mixing the indlgredients, my kids woke up from their nap. I got distracted and accidentally only put 3 eggs instead of 4. Will it be ok, I didn’t notice the egg that got left out until it was in the oven.
Can you freeze this cheesecake?
Yes, that should be fine. Just wrap it well and thaw in the fridge.
OMG! Just make this last night for my birthday today and it is one of the best cheesecakes I have ever had or made. It turned out perfect and did not crack. I also used hazelnut flour in place of the graham cracker crumbs and it was delicious!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This was delicious! This was my first attempt at a cheesecake in my baking adventures, and I’m so happy it turned out perfect. I didn’t have sour cream on hand, so I used Greek yogurt instead, and it tasted just fine. The topping is to die for. I do wish the crust was a little crunchier, so maybe I’ll up the “prebake” time next time I make this, which will probably be for Thanksgiving (and maybe Christmas, too!) Thank you for your detailed instructions!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this yesterday. I followed the instructions exactly. It came out perfect! It was a hit. I brought it to a dinner party. It fed 10 people with a little leftover. It was delicious and so pretty. I was very proud to bring this to Sunday dinner with my family! I will definitely make this again! I wish I could post a picture!
So glad it was a hit!
Can you make these into little muffins?
Yes, that should be fine. I’d check out my mini cheesecake recipe for a little guidance on baking time, etc.