My easy Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe yields a perfectly spiced, creamy cheesecake nestled in a buttery homemade crust. It’s a fan-favorite that looks impressive on a plate, but it is easy to make (no water baths here!).
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Helpful Reader Review
“Hands down the best cheesecake recipe. I will use any excuse, any holiday as an occasion to make this. Everyone in my family loves it.” – Alex ★★★★★
Pumpkin Cheesecake Video
Pumpkin Cheesecake has been one of the most popular recipes on my blog for years (the reviews speak for themselves!) I added a video tutorial and added some great tips to prevent cracks without using a water bath.
Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe mixes Cheesecake (the creamy filling and crunchy buttery crust) with Pumpkin Pie (the iconic pumpkin and fall spices) for the ultimate dessert.
This pumpkin cheesecake is so easy and delicious by itself, but it is just over-the-top impressive when you add some of my easy Butterscotch Sauce or Caramel and rum-infused Whipped Cream. Make this velvety-smooth pumpkin cheesecake up to 5 days ahead for easy holiday entertaining.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Cheesecake Crust
- Crackers – You can buy graham cracker crumbs, or crush 13 whole graham crackers for 1 1/2 cups of crumbs. You can substitute with gingersnap cookies, Vanilla wafers (Nilla Wafers), Shortbread cookies, or Biscoff (speculoos) cookies.
- Add-Ins – unsalted butter, sugar, and cinnamon
Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients
For consistent results, use room-temperature ingredients to get that velvety pumpkin cheesecake texture.
- Cream cheese – room temperature – to warm it up quickly, cut the cream cheese into small cubes, place them on a plate, and let sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes
- Brown sugar – Use packed light brown sugar. “Packed” is when it holds its shape as it comes out of the measuring cup
- Pumpkin puree – I prefer Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin because (see why below). A well-drained homemade pumpkin puree will work. I’ve also tested this with canned pumpkin pie mix with great results.
- Eggs – To quickly bring to room temperature, set eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
- Sour cream – cuts the heaviness of the cream cheese, while giving a creamy texture
- Flour – acts as a stabilizer to give the cheesecake strength and prevent cracking, measure correctly
- Flavorings – Use store-bought or make your own Pumpkin Pie Spice and Vanilla Extract.
Pro Tip:
The best pumpkin filling for my cheesecake recipe is Libby’s brand because other brands tend to be too watery and lighter in color. This is the brand I recommend for all of my pumpkin recipes, from my Pumpkin Roll to Pumpkin Pancakes.
How to Make a Graham Cracker Crust
- Prep – Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. You could also put graham crackers in a large zip-top bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs.
- Bake – mix the crust ingredients together in a bowl, and then press into a 9-inch springform pan. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet (to catch butter drips), and bake at 350˚F for 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Reduce the oven temp to 325˚F.
How to Make a Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Beat the cream cheese and brown sugar for 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed (Now it’s similar to a yummy frosting!)
- Make Pumpkin Filling – Whisk together the remaining filling ingredients, and add them to the cream cheese mixture on low speed until just combined.
- Bake – Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust, then tap it several times on the counter to release any bubbles. Place a loaf pan half-filled with water next to the cheesecake on the center rack and bake for 50-60 minutes. When the edges are set, but the center 3 inches is still wobbly, turn off the oven and prop the door open with a wooden spoon to let the cheesecake cool for 30 minutes. Note: If you have a gas oven, you can leave the door closed and turn the oven off since gas ovens cool much faster.
- Chill – Remove from the oven and run a knife around the edges to release tension and cool to room temperature on a rack, then cover and chill for 4 hours, or overnight.
- Serve – Remove the springform pan and slice the cake. The cheesecake itself is not too sweet, so the toppings complement it nicely. I start with a drizzle of Caramel Sauce or Butterscotch Sauce on each slice, pipe on Whipped Cream, and dust with pumpkin spice.
Pro Tip:
I love serving pumpkin cheesecake with festive Rum-infused Whipped Cream (1 cup cream, 2 Tbsp sugar, & 1 tsp of rum instead of vanilla).
How to Prevent Cracks in Pumpkin Cheesecake?
- Reduce bubbles – Avoid overmixing or mixing on high speed, which creates air bubbles, and tap the filled pan on the counter to release air.
- Add water – Adding steam will keep the cheesecake moist to prevent cracks.
- Keep the oven closed – If you open the oven too early or too often, it creates temperature swings, which contribute to cracking.
- Avoid overbaking! This is HUGE – bake until the cheesecake is still wobbly in the center 3″. Since not all ovens are created equal, check for doneness in the last 10 minutes.
- Cool slowly – propping the door open with a wooden spoon prevents sudden temperature changes and prevents cracks.
- Loosen the cheesecake from the pan as soon as it comes out of the oven to reduce tension.
Sometimes, even if you’ve done everything right, you might get a tiny crack. If it does happen, cover the top with Caramel Sauce, Candied Pecans, Ganache, or whipped cream. It will still taste great!
Make-Ahead and Storage
Once the pumpkin cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, cover and chill until cold and fully set (at least 4 hours or overnight).
- To Refrigerate: Keep leftovers tightly covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. It keeps best if stored without toppings.
- Freezing: Tightly wrap the cheesecake in plastic wrap and foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and add your toppings just before serving.
Everyone loves my popular pumpkin cheesecake recipe because the cheesecake is velvety and smooth with a buttery graham cracker crust. Top with caramel sauce and homemade whipped cream for the ultimate Thanksgiving dessert!
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, from about 13 whole graham crackers
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
For the Pumpkin Cheesecake:
- 24 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 15 oz pumpkin puree, Libby's brand, or well-drained homemade puree*
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, plus more to dust
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp real vanilla extract
Optional Toppings:
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Prep – Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
- Bake – In a medium bowl, stir together the crust ingredients – graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and 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, going about 1/2" up the sides of the pan. Place on a foil-lined sheet pan to catch any drippings and bake at 350˚F for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
Make the Pumpkin Cheesecake:
- Beat the cream cheese– Preheat to 325°F. In the bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment, beat softened cream cheese and 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.
- Mix the pumpkin – In a separate bowl, using a whisk, stir together pumpkin puree, eggs, sour cream, flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Add this mixture to the cream cheese filling and continue mixing on low speed just until well combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Bake – Transfer the filling into the pre-baked and cooled crust, and then tap the pan on the counter 15 times to release air bubbles. Place a loaf pan half filled with hot water (steam helps prevent cracks), and your cheesecake on the center rack and bake at 325˚F for 50-60 minutes* or until the edges are set and there is a slight wobble in the center 3" of the cheesecake when you jolt the pan. Turn the oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon for 30 minutes to cool slowly. Note: If you have a gas oven, turn the oven off and leave the door closed since gas ovens cool much faster.
- Chill and Serve – Once the cheesecake is out of the oven, run a knife around the edges of the pan (helps release tension), then cool on a rack until room temperature; about 2 hours. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. To serve, carefully remove chilled cheesecake from the springform pan, cut into slices, and add your desired toppings.
Notes
*Bake Times: Not all ovens are created equal so check your cheesecake for doneness before pulling it out of the oven. If your oven doesn’t preheat fully, it may take 60-70 minutes in the oven. Storage and Make-Ahead Tips:
- Make Ahead – bake and cool the cheesecake. Cover tightly and chill for up to 5 days in the fridge. Add toppings when ready to serve.
- Freeze – wrap the chilled cheesecake (I keep it in the mold), or individual slices in plastic wrap and foil, or place in a freezer-safe ziptop bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and add toppings just before serving.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Fall Baking Recipes
Fall always puts me in the mood to bake, so here are a few of my favorite recipes we repeat each year.
- Apple Pie
- Pumpkin Bread
- Mini Pumpkin Pies
- Apple Turnovers
- Baklava
- Carrot Cake
- Apple Crisp
- Baked Apples
- Cinnamon Rolls
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!