This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
.
Hi. This sounds delicious. Can you tell me if this cheesecake is dense or more mousse-like? My husband only likes dense cheesecakes, thus my question. Thanks!
Hi Jenny! This cheesecake has a creamy and rich texture, which leans more toward a dense cheesecake.
This would have been awesome if I had patiently took my time and whisked the cream cheese prior to adding the rest of the ingredients. Unfortunately, I have created a spawn of satan. The burnt crust was pretty good though.
I’ve made this recipe before and it’s amazing! This year I need to make a gf version and was wondering what you would suggest instead of flour??
I haven’t tried a gluten free version but feel free to experiment. You can choose a good quality gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that includes xanthan gum that helps mimic the regular flour texture.
Hi Sarah! I made this gf for my nieces wedding last year! I used Cup4Cup & it was DEVOURED before any of the other deserts I made. Even better, nobody but the people there when I made it knew it was gf. Also, make sure you get gf graham crackers too 😉
my favorite pumpkin cheese cake recipe. last time i made it i didn’t realize i didn’t have any vanilla and substituted it with the same amount of bourbon. it was even better. 10/10 rehome d!
This is a great recipe for autumn! I did have to tweak it a little bit, as the original sugar amount was too high for my European taste buds. 😄 The tweaks I did and the cheesecake still turned out great: I used Biscoff cookies instead of graham crackers and didn’t put extra sugar or cinnamon, as the cookies were already sweet and cinnamony. I had to use more of them too, as the original amount in grams didn’t cover my entire baking form. For the filling, I used a kobocha squash puree and only 260g of it, I added in the pumpkin pie spices myself. Instead of 330g of sugar, I added 170g and the pie was still proper sweet, as the squash had natural sugars in it too. Maybe next time I’ll aim for 130g of sugar even, we’ll see. Thanks for the recipe, Natasha!
I agree with the commenter that said they were just going to replace the pumpkin pie mix with pureed. I grow pie pumpkins and make my own puree with it. It works just fine in this recipe. Additionally, you can use a pack and a half of cinnamon graham crackers finely crushed in a food processor with 8 tbsp (a full stick) of melted butter for the crust and it works out perfectly. So incredibly good.
Delicious cheesecake! Gobbled up by my family!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new family favorite!
hi how many does this recipe make if you can reply as fast as possible i need this before thanksgiving i am making this for my classmates thanks
Hi Mackenna! The number of servings is listed at the top of the recipe card (10).
The recipe ingredients say 15oz pumpkin pie mix. Is that correct, or is it 15oz pumpkin?
Yes, 15 oz canned pumpkin pie mix (use half of the 30 oz can)
Any advice on what to add to pumpkin purée to make the “mix”? I have leftover I’d like to use in this recipe. Thanks!
Hi Duke! Pumpkin pie spice like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Also, adding some sugar to sweeten it. You could check online to see if you can find a recipe for homemade pumpkin pie mix which might be helpful so you can have a reference of how much to add.
Hi! Would this recipe work with just the canned pumpkin instead? Thanks!!
Hi Emma. It’s not the same as pumpkin pie mix. You would need to add sugar and spice is to it.
Used your recipe today. Thank you for sharing. Realized that we probably should have kept the oven door closed instead of opening it after baking it, the cake cracked because of the sudden temperature change.
I made this cheesecake with 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1 cup of golden monk fruit sweetener. It came out really good!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this cheesecake. I made the crust out of vanilla wafers and butter (no added sugar). I used 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar and 1 cup of golden monk fruit sweetener. It was divine!! Thank you for sharing recipes where I can cut the sugar and they’re still yummy 🎃🧡
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Debra!
Good afternoon. Would this pumpkin cheesecake work with the same ingredients if I were to make cupcakes? My thoughts would be yes with adjusted cook times.
Hi Colleen! I think so. I haven’t tested it, but yes, adjust the baking time as needed.
Let us know how they turn out.
absolutely, I plan on making them on Sunday for the team at Work on Monday
The cupcakes turned out really well. They were very tasty. I have a picture of them but this sight does not allow me to post a picture.
That’s great, Colleen! How many did you get and how long did they take to bake? You can’t post a picture here, but you can tag me on #natashaskitchen on Facebook or instagram.
Can you substitute ricotta cheese for the cream cheese?
Hi Barb! I haven’t tested that to advise.
I used a mix of cream cheese and marscapone cheese, delicious.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious! It’s not an over powering pumpkin flavor- It’s just perfect! Everyone loved it.
I’m so glad to hear it was a hit!
So tasty. I had to head out for a bit so overcooked it but it was fantastic. Still moist. Put real whipped cream on top with crushed roasted pecans. It was a hit at Thanksgiving dinner.
The “Total Time” says 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins. However, in the instructions it indicates you really need an upwards of 4 hours for this recipe. I’d recommend editing that information so it’s accurate.
Hi Jessica, I have updated the recipe card. That is a great point and thanks for bringing that to my attention.
Amazing!
I enjoy making this and everyone of us enjoy eating it!🎃Thank you!💕
My niece and I made this for Thanksgiving dinner and it was a huge hit. Super easy to make. We used canned pumpkin instead of the mix and it was delicious. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi mine cracked right in the middle? I know it’s me but not sure what I did?
Hello Kim. There could be several reasons why it cracked in the middle. I would try lowering the oven temperature next time, make sure to avoid overmixing, and allow the cake to cool slowly in the oven as rapid cooling can cause cracks.