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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 don’t know what went wrong with this cheesecake but it was horrible followed the steps and double triple checked and it tasted like bad baby food
I’ve never had this kind of feedback for this cheesecake before unless there the ingredients, and measurements weren’t followed as stated. You can refer to this article on How to Measure Wet and Dry Ingredients for guide.
I had the same experience the cake wasn’t sweet very bitter and the pumpkin was overpowering
Hi Melissa, this has never been my experience with this cheesecake, and its yielded wonderful results when the recipe is followed. Could it be that something was missed or measured incorrectly? Or did you by chance use pumpkin puree instead of canned pumpkin pie mix? If you used puree, that would have caused this issue. Canned pumpkin pie mix already has the spices and sugar added. You can use pumpkin puree if you’d like bit will need to make some adjustments.
What if I don’t have a food processor?? Can I do this recipe by hand?
Hi Lisa. The food processor helps to get that super fine crumb needed for the crust. You can try to do this by hand. It’s important to try and get a fine crumb so that the crust will come together easily and have a nice tight fit and not fall apart because of the large chunks of graham crackers.
Excelente receta 😍
Muchas Gracias, me encanta esta bien detallada paso a paso 🥰👏🏻
Thank you for the good review!
i made this pumpkin cheesecake in a7″ pan how long should i bake it
Hi Linda. I have not made this in a 7” pan to advise.
This was the perfect easy dessert! The whole family loved it and the whipped cream gave it that extra touch!
That’s wonderful!
I never leave reviews for recipes but this deserves one. I made this multiple times around the holidays and while it did crack, it was absolutely the most delicious cheesecake I ever made (I didn’t have a kitchen aid so I couldn’t use the right attachment which caused the cracking). I don’t even really like pumpkin but this is amazing and a huge hit with everyone, which is why they had me make more. I finally got a kitchen-aid so I can’t wait to make it this year and with no cracks!
I’m so happy to hear this was a hit, Maddie! That’s so great! Thank you for sharing your excellent feedback with us!
Place a big pan of hot water on the bottom rack, and the cheesecake goes on the middle rack, it will never crack and you don’t have to worry about your cake getting wet, I have been making my cheesecake like this for many years it is so easy & perfect every time!!!
First- I love this recipe! It’s delicious!
I’ve made this 3 times so far and I always put a pan underneath to create steam. I don’t do the water bath, just a pan on the lowest shelf. The first time I made it it came out perfect. Zero cracks! Beginners luck? The 2nd and 3rd time in full of cracks around the edges. What am I doing wrong? Over mixing it? I forgot to soften the cream cheese so this time it was cold. Could that be the issue?
Hi Janessa, cold cream cheese could definitely be a culprit. Also, cooling it too quickly or not letting it rest in the oven per the instructions can cause cracks. I hope that helps!
Love this recipe…but I put 3/4 cup sugar instead of the recommended 1 1/2 cups. Also, I use the pure pumpkin from can instead of the pumpkin pie filling, which cuts down on a lot of the sugar.
Hi Kathy! Thank you for sharing that with us. 🙂
I wanted to use pure pumpkin too and was hoping someone on here had tried it. Thanks so much. I am going to make it on Sunday. Did you change any of baking times because of using real pumpkin? Thanks
Hey Kathy! Can I ask how much pure pumpkin you used? Did you just use 15oz? Thanks!
Way to much butter in crust…I used 6tbs and butter out of bottom after cheesecake baked..
Hi Kenny, I haven’t had that occur, did you possibly use fewer crumbs? that could throw the ratio off.
This recipe was amazing! Made it for my moms birthday, first time a cheesecake I made hasn’t cracked while baking! Thank you so much for sharing this with others, it was wonderful!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Lauren! Happy Birthday to your Mom!
Hello can I use fresh pumpkin for the pumpkin pie cheesecake,if so what do I add to it
Hi Pamela, we prefer the canned for this dessert because it is more concentrated and forms better. If using homemade, be sure it is really well drained.
Wow, thanks for the great recipe Natasha! First time making it for Christmas dinner and my kids and girlfriend loved it… I’ll make it again..
Great to know that it was a huge hit, Paul!
Any idea how I would I adjust this recipe for high altitude?
I don’t have experience with high-altitude baking but you can find more tips on High Altitude Baking HERE.
My favorite recipe! Do you know if I can modify this recipe to a gluten free version? I bought GF pie crust and GF flour but wasn’t sure if the recipe could still be the same if I used those products instead.
I’m so glad this is your favorite, Nicole! Without testing that myself, I can’t recommend it. Maybe someone else has tried making it gluten-free? Thanks in advance!!
Yes! I just finished making this for Christmas. The only modification I did was use gluten free graham crackers.
And gf flour 😉
Left that out on previous comment. I use King Arthur cup for cup.
Hi!! What should I do different if i don’t want to use crust? And how should I alter the baking in a 12 inch pan?
Hi Jennifer, I haven’t tested this without a crust to advise on the outcome. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Natasha! What if I have pumpkin purée but not the pumpkin mix, What should I add to it to resemble the pumpkin mix?
Hi Ty, I have tried this with regular pumpkin puree from a can and it still worked well. The pumpkin pie mix has some additional seasonings in it.
I made this for an early Christmas dinner and it was a hit! I used regular pureed pumpkin instead of pumpkin pie mix and added extra spices to compensate. The step to letting the cheesecake cool in the warm over is critical; mine turned out completely smooth on top and beautiful! Thank you for this recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Brittany! I’m so glad you loved that!
Natasha-
The shelves are bare of Libby’s Pumpkin Mix, I can only find Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin. What should I add to replicate the mix?
Thank you
Hi Liz, I have tried this with regular pumpkin puree from a can and it still worked well. The pumpkin pie mix has some additional seasonings in it.
I made this tonight and like another person there was a huge cross crack in the middle of it. I followed the recipe to a T including adding timers for baking and propping the door open and all that and it’s still giant crack in the middle of it. Do you think that cooking it less would help? And how long should I actually bake it for then if it’s caused by over baking?
Hi Jewel, if you are using a larger pan, you would want to cook it less. Also, make sure you are not baking on convection mode or you would definitely want to make adjustments to temperature and time. Lastly, I highly recommend using an in-oven thermometer to maintain the correct temperature for baking (some ovens run hot, some ovens run cool)
i would recommend also putting in a cup/mini baking dish of water along side) to keep the moisture inside the oven when baking the cake.
Good, but too sweet, even without the topping. I followed the recipe exactly as written and would suggest cutting the brown sugar by 1/3 (just 1 cup instead of 1 1/2). Crust worked out great.
Thanks for your feedback and suggestion.
I tried this recipe out and experimented a little with it, i substituted the canned pumpkin pie mix with 15oz of leftover pumpkin pie filling, which made the batter a bit more liquidy than I would’ve liked and i was using a water bath so I cooked it an extra 20 minutes and after letting it sit with the door open it still seemed a bit too wobbly for me so I baked it for 20 more minutes. I probably over baked it since it ended up with a big crack on that last time in the oven. But in the end it set! And it was the most amazing pumpkin cheesecake I’ve ever had. Next time I’ll try adding some cornstarch to thicken it up and see how that works out! Thank you so much for the recipe!
That is awesome feedback, Jasmine. Thank you for sharing your experience making t his recipe, we appreciate it!