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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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First time making cheesecake. Followed directions (all of them!) and it came out perfect.
Wonderful! I’m so glad to hear that, Mindy.
Has anyone done this with canned pumpkin purée instead of pumpkin pie mix? Do you just need to adjust the sugar and spices? Thank you!
I did just that this evening, just added some spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) to the purée and a splash of milk if the consistency doesn’t look right. Hope this helps!
Followed directions exactly and had cracks in the center. Not even sure if its cooked through. Disappointed.
Hi Connie! I’m sorry to hear that. It could be one of many factors- the temperature of the ingredients, over mixing the batter, the oven running too hot. The cheesecake will continue to set as it cools. If it still seems raw, I wonder if it is the oven. Every oven bakes different so it may require some adjusting. I highly encourage the use of an Internal oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to ensure it’s calibrated.
I hope you’re able to salvage it and still enjoy the cheesecake. You can cover it with whipped cream to hide the cracks as well.
It’s totally normal for cheesecake to crack in the center and look underbaked! In fact, it’s supposed to look wobbly in the center. If it’s firm after taking out of the oven, it’s over baked.
Mine has cracked every year, regardless of trying different recipes, and after it sets in the fridge over night, it’s perfect.
My cheesecake ended up looking under baked when I took it out of the oven after propping the door open with no heat for 45 minutes. Can I put it back in the oven, or does it come together more when chilled. I don’t make cheesecake often enough to know!
Hi Kate! It does come together more when it’s cooled. If it’s underbaked, you could try baking it longer, just be careful not to over-bake.
It’s totally normal for cheesecake to crack in the center and look underbaked! In fact, it’s supposed to look wobbly in the center. If it’s firm after taking out of the oven, it’s over baked.
Mine has cracked every year, regardless of trying different recipes, and after it sets in the fridge over night, it’s perfect.
First time trying your recipe! Saw it on Acre Homestead’s youtube channel. I used half graham crackers and half ginger snaps for crust. I will let you know how that goes…..it’s in fridge waiting for Tday.
Question… The recipe for the crust portion says 6 Tbsp 3/4 stick melted, do you mean it as 6 Tbsp & 3/4 stick OR 6 Tbsp (3/4 stick).
I’m assuming you mean simply just 6 Tbsp.
Hi Court! Thanks for pointing that out. It’s a typo and should be separated in parenthesis (3/4 stick). The total is 6 tbsp of butter.
Thank you so much! I thought that might be the case, but I’ve learned not to assume when baking 😊👍🏻
This recipe never fails to delight all my guests!
Question: Should I use room temperature eggs and sour cream? I feel like I’ve heard that tip about baking before.
Hi Kristi! Yes- you could do that.
This recipe never fails to disappoint!
Question: Should I use room temperature eggs and sour cream? I feel like I’ve heard that tip about baking before.
Hi Kristi, you definitely want the cream cheese to be room temperature, it is not necessary for the eggs or sour cream to be room temperature since the recipe works well with out doing that, but some of my readers mentioned they prefer to get the eggs to room temperature. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha, love this recipe! It is so delicious and easy to make!
I followed the steps to cooling the cheesecake down slowly by leaving the oven door cracked open. Before I turned the oven off and opened the door, the cheesecake looked perfect but after cracking the door open, it cracked. Anything I can do to help it not crack next time during cooling?
Hi Tanya, if it is cooler in your home or area, I wonder it if was too much cold air at once. Avoid opening the oven door while the cheesecake is baking inside. Big cracks are often caused by drafts and temperature changes, and its best to avoid over-baking! This is the most common culprit of cracking.
Oh no I used a water bath and now I’m scared the texture might not work —- it’s baking now! Any ideas on best way to bake it or cool it?
Hi Jo Jo since it already started that way, I would keep it going just keep an eye on it towards the end. I hope you love it.
Followed the recipe to a tea. Had a crack down the middle. Otherwise it looks perfect. Did not taste it yet. If I make it again will use a water bath.
There’s no need for a water bath with this cheesecake – it also changes the texture a little bit to bake in a water bath. Following the instructions will help prevent a crack – the slow cool down is very important for the cake to settle down without cracking.
Mine came out of the oven cracked even with following the directions.
Hello, I’m super excited to try this recipe this year! Instead of rum, could I change that out for a baileys almond milk liquor or something similar? Thanks!
Hello Brooke, I haven’t personally tried using baileys almond milk liquor to advise. If you try that, we’d love to know how it goes!
This recipe is PURE EVIL! I have no idea how I managed to stop eating the mixture before I poured it into the baking pan. Follow the instructions! Don’t be a numbnuts like me. I did not prop the oven door open slightly. I opened the door far too much and of course the cake cracked. It was still utterly delicious. Thank you for this highly addictive confection, Natasha!
Hi JK! Thank you for sharing your experience. It really is hard not to eat the filling! I’m so glad you loved the recipe.
This cheesecake absolutely should be bakes in a water bath. I’ve only had a cheesecake crack once. This one cracked horribly. I’ve never seen one crack so bad.
HI Nat, I’m sorry to hear that – a large crack is usually due to over-baking or cooling too quickly. Thankfully a crack can be covered up by whipped cream.
I wonder if anyone else had a problem with the butter draining out of the crust and smoking the whole kitchen up? Should I have put foil inside the springform pan? I read the directions 3 times and didn’t see a mention of this.
Hi Shelley! I’m so sorry that happened. I haven’t really heard of that happening. I wonder if the seal on the springform pan was loose or unevenly closed. You could use foil on the outside of the pan to help seal it better. Or use a cookie sheet underneath to catch any leaks.
Also- verify that you used the correct amount of butter for the crust. Excess butter could definitely cause seepage.
Hello Natasha, I’d just like to say I’m a big fan and recently received my lovely cookbook. But I’m here to tell you that I just made and served your Pumpkin Cheesecake for our family’s early Thanksgiving and it was beyond delicious. I made the caramel sauce and added pecans. Oh my, it was amazing!
Hi Linda! I’m so glad to hear that your family enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for purchasing my cookbook.
I too ended up with way more filling. I followed the recipe word for word, have the correct 9 in springform pan, and I have way too much filling left over. It’s in the oven now, hopefull the cook time is the same and it doesn’t over cook.
Hi Tiffany, for a cheesecake, you want to make sure your springform pan has 3″ tall walls. If you use a shorter pan, it will overflow the pan.
This is the best pumpkin cheesecake recipe ever!!! My family and I got addicted to this cheesecake, now I have to make it ever year for Thanksgiving.
Great to hear that you all love our Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe, Tee!
I was going to try this in the premade crusts from the store which are in 9-10 inch pans, definitely much thinner and smaller than a cheesecake pan. Do you know how I should adjust cooking time for that? Thank you!
Hi Carley. I do not. I’m sorry. You’ll have to watch it in the oven for when it’s set. It will be slightly wobbly in the center.
Hey Carley! Did you end up having any luck with this? I have 2 – 9inch pre-made crusts I could use and was wondering how it went for you!
I have made this recipe multiple times over the years, and it is delicious! Though I do have issues with cracking almost every time, despite following the cool down instructions. Do you think that allowing the cheesecake to cool down in the oven for longer than 45 minutes would help? I would not want to attempt it if there’s a risk of over baking or altering the texture.
Hi Nicole, the slow cool down is very important for the cake to settle down without cracking. If you followed this step, I would maybe try it for a little longer like you said since ovens do vary.
I made these in small graham cracker crusts, almost like tarts. (Recipe made 24) Used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and cooked 35 minutes as they are small. Came out amazing. Great recipe!!!
Thanks so much for sharing that with us, Denise!