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This pumpkin cheesecake recipe is easy and has just the right amount of pumpkin flavor. It tastes exactly like a cheesecake that crossed paths with a pumpkin pie – the best of both worlds. The only thing difficult about this cheesecake is waiting for it to cool down so you could eat it!
This pumpkin cheesecake is delicious by itself but is just over-the-top impressive when you add some of that caramel sauce and rum-infused whipped cream. This is the perfect holiday dessert. It’s inspired by Fall, makes your home smell incredible, and will have your dinner guests humming with delight.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 12 whole graham crackers)
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) melted, unsalted butter
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8-ounces each) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (about 9 oz by weight) packed light brown sugar
15 oz canned pumpkin pie mix (use half of the 30 oz can)
4 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour *measured correctly
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or make your own)
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp real vanilla extract
Optional Pumpkin Cheesecake Toppings:
1 cup of cold heavy cream beat with 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp rum or vanilla
Pumpkin pie spice to dust
Toasted pecans
Caramel sauce – this 8-minute recipe will rock your cheesecake
How to Make a Pie Crust:
Preheat Oven to 350˚F.
1. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 6 Tbsp melted butter. Transfer into a 9-inch springform pan with 3″ tall walls and use a large spoon to press crumbs into the bottom of your springform pan, and going about 1/2″ up the sides of the pan. Bake at 350˚F for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temp.
How to make the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:
Preheat Oven to 350˚F.
1. In the bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the 3 packages of softened cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar on med speed until light and fluffy and without lumps (5 min), scraping down the bowl once to make sure you don’t have chunks of cream cheese. Tip: brown sugar is considered “packed” when it holds it’s shape as it comes out of the measuring cup.
Have a taste of this cream cheese frosting. It would make a super yummy frosting actually! Just don’t eat too much. You need it for your cheesecake.
2. In a separate bowl, using a whisk, stir together 15 oz pumpkin pie mix, 4 large eggs, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 Tbsp flour, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Add this mixture to the cheesecake filling and continue mixing on low speed just until well combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
3. Transfer filling into pre-baked crust and bake on the middle rack at 350˚F for 1 hour. Turn off heat, prop the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon and let cheesecake sit in the oven another 45 min. Then remove from the oven and let cool to room temp before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating. Serve when fully chilled (at least 4 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight).
4. Before serving, carefully remove cheesecake from springform pan by running a blunt knife along the sides of the cheesecake to release from the springform mold. Add desired toppings (see list above) and serve
To Make the Whipped Cream:
Tip: Freeze mixing bowl for 10 minutes to get the best whipped cream results.
1. In a cold mixing bowl, add 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp rum or vanilla. Beat on high speed until fluffy and spreadable. Don’t over-beat or it will turn buttery. It only takes less than 2 min to make fresh whipped cream.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients
The Crust:
The Filling:
- 24 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 15 oz can pumpkin pie mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp real vanilla extract
Optional Toppings:
- 1 cup cold heavy cream beat with 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp rum or vanilla
- Pumpkin pie spice to dust
- Toasted pecans
- Caramel sauce
Instructions
How to Make the Crust: Preheat Oven to 350˚F.
- Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 6 Tbsp melted butter. Transfer into a 9-inch springform pan with 3" tall walls and use a large spoon to press crumbs into the bottom of your springform pan, and going about 1/2" up the sides of the pan. Bake at 350˚F for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temp.
How to make the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling: Preheat Oven to 350˚F.
- In the bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the 3 packages of softened cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar on med speed until light and fluffy and without lumps (5 min), scraping down the bowl once to make sure you don't have chunks of cream cheese. Tip: brown sugar is considered "packed" when it holds it's shape as it comes out of the measuring cup.
- Have a taste of this cream cheese frosting. It would make a super yummy frosting actually! Just don't eat too much. You need it for your cheesecake.
- In a separate bowl, using a whisk, stir together 15 oz pumpkin pie mix, 4 large eggs, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 Tbsp flour, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Add this mixture to the cheesecake filling and continue mixing on low speed just until well combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Transfer filling into pre-baked crust and bake on the middle rack at 350˚F for 1 hour or until slightly wobbly in the center. Turn off heat, prop the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon and let cheesecake sit in the oven another 45 min. Then remove from the oven and let cool to room temp before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating. Serve when fully chilled (at least 4 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight).
- Before serving, carefully remove cheesecake from springform pan by running a blunt knife along the sides of the cheesecake to release from the springform mold. Add desired toppings (see list above) and serve.
To Make the Whipped Cream:
- Tip: Freeze mixing bowl for 10 minutes to get the best whipped cream results.
- In a cold mixing bowl, add 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp rum or vanilla. Beat on high speed until fluffy and spreadable. Don't over-beat or it will turn buttery. It only takes less than 2 min to make fresh whipped cream.
Nutrition Per Serving
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I made the cheesecake pumpkin. The recipe said bake in 1 hour after that turn off the oven. open the open put a wooden spoon and leave the cheesecake inside the oven for 45 mins. But when I bake it for one hour the middle still runny. So I add more 45 mins to bake. It turns good.
Thank you for the amazing cheesecake recipe Natasha! I made this for a family get-together this past week, and it turned out great, and that flavour – oh my 😋
I have made quite a few of your recipes, and am grateful to have found your blog. Whenever I’m looking for a recipe for something, I will check your website first before I check other sites or even Pinterest. Thanks so much for sharing 😃
Hello Brenda, thank you for sharing that with us. I’m happy to know that my recipes are always a bit hit for you and your family.
Just a quick question…could regular white sugar be substituted for the brown and does this change the flavor?
Hi Shawn, the brown sugar adds some molasses, and I think it gives it a better color, so I think it’s best to use brown sugar.
I have this in the oven right now and it’s been an hour. Doesn’t look like it’s quite ready. I’ll leave it in for about 10 min more. Fingers crossed.
I hope you love this recipe, Chiara!
Hi Natasha!
Thank you so much to this recipe pumpkin cheesecake. I used butternuts Squash instead. It turned really good and looks very yummy. I cannot wait to try them it’s cooling down in the oven right now.
I hope you love this cheesecake! I bet your home smells so good right now!
Hi Natasha, I currently have this cheesecake in the oven with my fingers crossed…I misread the recipe and used a can of plain pumpkin vs pumpkin pie mix. Do you think its going to come out ok? Thanks!
Hi Susan, it will still work with the pumpkin pie mix.
Made this today as a fall dessert for my family and everybody loved it! Perfect mix of pumpkin and cheesecake 🙂
I’m glad to hear that the recipe was a huge hit!
Hello – I cannot tell you how much my Thanksgiving guests loved this dessert!! This was by far the best ever pumpkin cheesecake ever tasted let alone made by me. I made the caramel sauce and whipped topping with rum. Baked as mini cheesecakes using a springform pan that makes 12 minis at a time. Thank you so much for the recipe. I am making it again less than a week later!! This will be my go to fall dessert recipe.
You are very welcome, Antonella. I’m happy to hear that this was a huge hit! You have shared some lovely feedback with us and we appreciate it.
Hi there, I love all your recipes.
I made your pumpkin cheesecake for the Canadian thanksgiving this weekend. It was amazing!!! One question how do I make it not crack open on top at the end of baking. I covered it with the whip cream this time. Just want to know for future.
Violet
Hi Violet, Happy Thanksgiving! I haven’t had that experience but a couple of things could have caused that – make sure to bake on conventional mode and not convection. Also, make sure to mix the mixture at the recommended speed. Whipping on too of speed can incorporate too much air and cause cracks.
Mine cracked as well. I’m going to try a water bath next time. I also found an hour was not enough baking time. I baked my last one for 80 minutes and it was much better
Hi there!
Your recipe was a big hit at our Canadian Thanksgiving table! Everyone ooohed and aaaahed over it! Followed your advice on keeping the oven door open to cool and not a single crack appeared. Very creamy, full of flavor and a great marriage of pumpkin and cheesecake.
Thanks for your awesome feedback, Audrey. So great to hear that the Pumpkin Cheesecake was a huge hit! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us.
hi all. I just made this and did the water bath. No cracks, but the bottom of my spring form pan looked a bit wet when I took the tin foil off…there was a gloopy butterish looking stuff on it. Do you think water got in there and wrecked the crust? What should I do?
Hi Andrea, It should still be ok. That could just be butter that separated from the crust a little bit and shouldn’t harm the crust. It should be ok after refrigerating and giving the cheesecake time to cool and set.
Did you change the temp/cooking time since giving it a water bath?
I have a can of 100% pure pumpkin and its 14oz can, would I be able to use that?
Hi Angie, I think that will work. If you try that, please share with us how it goes.
How long will this last in the fridge? I want to make it Fri and serve on Sun. Will that still work?
Hi Tasha, yes that would work great, just keep the pan covered with plastic wrap (making sure it’s not touching the surface of the cheesecake), and wait to add your whipped cream and toppings until you are ready to serve.
I could not find my go to recipe for pumkin cheesecake so have tried yours; it is in the oven and will be eaten tomorrow for Cdn. Thankgiving; will let you know how it goes over with my wifes family (but I am sure it will be great)!
I hope you love it, Glenn!
Excellent! I was impressed and I received a lot of compliments. One of my friends said it was the best cheesecake he had.
I strongly recommend to top it with roasted pecans (that hide potential cracks and give some crunchiness) and the delicious homemade caramel sauce suggested. Whipped cream is nice but not a must as the other two toppings.
Hi Marco, that’s fantastic feedback! Great to hear that the cheesecake was a hit, thank you for sharing this review with us.
Can we use plain pumpkin or does the recipe call for the flavoured pie filling? I’m in Canada so I don’t have Libby’s. Thanksgiving is this weekend for us and I was hoping to make this ☺️
HI Jodie, you can use plain pumpkin puree to substitute and it will still work. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Suggesting to use a waterbath which usually prevents cracking. Just made the cheesecake and it’s baking. The batter tastes great and this was easy to make!
Thanks for sharing. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I was wondering if this recipe would work in the form of mini cheesecakes? The ones in cupcake forms.
Hi Lidiya, I haven’t tested this as minis, but we do have regular mini cheesecakes posted which might be a good reference if you experiment.
Considering ur using pumpkin pie MIX, which has 76 to 90 grams of sugar in it, why in the world would u add another 1-1/2 cups of sugar to the recipe? That’s a LOT of sugar. Dolores
Hi Dolores, the cake itself is not overly sweet. We also don’t love desserts that are too sweet. Keep in mind the amount of cream cheese and it would be pretty bland without adding the extra sugar.
I baked this cheesecake recipe last night. After baking, the cheesecake cracked. How to dress it up without showing the cracks? How to prevent cracking?
Hi Melissa! Whipped cream works great!
Bake it in a water bath next time.
Hello. How are you? You…we recipes are delicious. May I ask if I could use a 9 inch square pan with 3 inch tall walls instead of round.
Thank you for your time and delicious food.
Hi Pam! I bet that would work! I hope you love this recipe!
This recipe sounds great! Can you make this cheesecake in advance and freeze it
Hi Ellen, cheesecakes freeze well; however, I haven’t tested that with this recipe. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe!
Can you make the whipped cream the day before or will it be best the day of?
Hi Natalie, we just keep the cheesecake covered and refrigerated until ready to serve and wait to add any whipped cream or toppings until it’s time to serve. If you make the whipped cream the day before, you will need to re-whip it before pipping on.
I would stabilize the whipped cream with corm starch or powdered sugar if you plan to use the next day. Whipped cream tends to deflate over time and doesn’t keep its shape. Try one tbsp of corn starch per cup of heavy cream, or replace the granulated sugar with 3 tbsp of powdered sugar (a bit sweeter, admittedly). 3 tbsp of powdered milk per cup also works but I have never tried it. Unflavoured gelatin works best, but since you are not decorating and just using a dollop, gelatin might be overkill 🙂