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
Hi- I tend to skip past instructions and get to the ingredients so I didn’t read that I needed to whip the cream cheese separately with the sugar so my mix is lumpy. Is this going to ruin the whole thing? I don’t have a second batch of ingredients 🙁
Hi, while it won’t be quite the same, you can give the batter another good mix and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Sometimes the creamc heese softens just enough to smooth out most of the lumps after sitting. If a few tiny lumps remaing it will still be delicious. I hope it turns out wonderful for you!
Disappointed. I made this cheesecake years back and it turned out perfect. This time around it’s completely raw in the middle (followed all instructions to a T) and has a huge crack anyway. But now I’ll be putting it back in the oven because it really is straight up raw.
Honestly does seem like the cook time is too low and it’s not baking for long enough. I think the amount of negative reviews since the recipe was adjusted says something ….
HI Kristina, I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out as expected. Did you test for doneness before pulling the cheesecake out of the oven? Some ovens run cooler and will need a longer bake time. I added a note in the recipe card to clarify this. For example, my own oven says it’s preheated but it’s still 25 degrees under so I have to wait for it to preheat fully. If you bake until it’s slighly wobbly in the center then let it cool per the instructions, it will set properly.
I followed directions, but forgot to put cake on foil line cookie sheet. Butter dripped while baking causing smoke and bad odor. I opened door at end to release smoke and caused cake to crack severely. I think it will taste ok, but wondering if crust should use 4 Tbsp of butter instead of 6. I did substitute ginger snaps for graham crackers.
Hi MJ, I’m sorry to read you had that happen. Smoke in the oven is never fun and can make it stressful. It sounds like your cheesecake pan may be loose or have a tiny leak, which can happen with springforms. This recipe does not require a foil-lined sheet, I’ve never used one with this recipe, but like you said placing a pan under can safegaurd if you’re unsure if you have a leaky springform. Also, for the crust, the 6 TBSP of butter is correct for graham crackers, if using a different cracker like ginger snaps, they behave a little differelty since they tend to be firmer and less absorbent, likely causing the butter to drip like it did. If making a substitution like this, you will likely need to adjust the butter.
I make this cheesecake every year and it’s my husband’s favorite!
Great to hear that this has been your go-to recipe!
Does the pumpkin purée version taste similar to the pumpkin pie filling? I’m not sure what to use since I made this recipe a few years ago with the pumpkin pie filling
Hello! Yes, it tastes very similar with some differences. Pumpkin purée has no sugar or spices, so the recipe adds them separately. Pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and pre-spiced, so desserts made with it taste a little sweeter and it taste a bit more ready made. If you want your cheesecake to taste exactly the same as before, I suggest you use the filling.
Like many others, mine cracked colossally. Like the Grand Canyon in my cheesecake. I did everything to the letter, did the pan of water, cracked the door for 30 mins. Not only was it cracked when I took it out after 30 mins, but it developed another, much larger crack afterwards. My cheesecakes don’t usually crack but I use a water bath. I can’t speak of the flavor because it’s for tomorrow’s festivities
Even if a crack forms, the flavor will still be fantastic! You can always cover it with caramel sauce or whipped cream if needed. Also for next time, see the section in the post above titled: “How to Prevent Cracks in Pumpkin Cheesecake?”
I’ve made this recipe twice. It turns out amazing. The only thing I do a bit different is wrap my spring form pan on the outside with heavy duty foil and then set it in a round Pyrex dish with water halfway up the sides and bake it like that. I have never had a cheesecake crack cooking it in a water bath.
I just read reviews. I too followed the recipe to the letter. I mixed on low, tapped it on the counter several times to remove bubbles and still have large cracks. I am also worried that mine looks under baked in the middle. I turned off the oven after over an hour and sides were firm with a wiggle in the middle. My family won’t care. I am hoping it tastes great. This is my first time making it.
Hi Gina, Even if a crack forms, the flavor will still be fantastic! You can always cover it with caramel sauce or whipped cream if needed. Also for next time, see the section in the post above titled: “How to Prevent Cracks in Pumpkin Cheesecake?”
I made this last year and it was amazing! Just tried to make it for this year and the adjustments to the recipe did not work out whatsoever. It cracked and was still uncooked after over an hour in the oven.
Hi Hailey! Did you use the same ingredients as before? Even if a crack forms, the flavor will still be fantastic! You can always cover it with caramel sauce or whipped cream if needed. Also for next time, see the section in the post above titled: “How to Prevent Cracks in Pumpkin Cheesecake?”
Hi Natasha I followed the updated recipe exactly but since it was undercooked I am going to have to restart it.
HI Hailey, So sorry to hear that and I’ll do my best to help you troubleshoot for next time. Did you see the right cues of it being done that I described in step 3? Not all ovens are the same so some may take longer to bake. Also, did you let it fully chill in the refrigerator before slicing into it?
Tastes good but the old recipe works much better. Came out badly underdone at the lower cook time/temp. Definitely needs more time. “Avoiding cracks” is not worth a runny, underbaked cheesecake.
Hi Isaac, The cheesecake should set properly if baked until it is just slightly wobbly in the center as directed. I tested the timings extensively but every oven is different so visual cues are the most important when baking a cheesecake. Also, did you make sure to fully chill in the refrigerator before slicing into it?
Hi Natasha.
Can I add the Carmel and whipped cream on top and put it in the fridge for the next day to bring to someone’s house or will the whipped cream melt?
Hi Natalie, I would suggest waiting to add the whipped cream and caramel until just before serving or day of serving. Applying caramel earlier is safer but whipped cream can soften, depending on how it was whipped.
For anyone else who’s been using this recipe forever and already bought the ingredients, it did use pumpkin pie mix previously. You can use the wayback machine to find it. It’s the same amount as the pumpkin puree in this version. I bet you can still use this new time and temp instructions with the pumpkin pie mix but I haven’t made it yet to confirm.
Hi Nick, yes, you can use pumpkin pie mix for the pumpkin cheesecake. I’ve done it and it works great.
Pretty easy! I am gluten free so I made it crust less and used 2 tbsp gf flour. It is so good!
I’m glad ot hear you loved it with GF flour.
I followed the directions exactly but still cracked! Not sure what I did wrong. I hope it still tastes as good!
Hi Brittany, even if a crack forms, the flavor will still be fantastic! You can always cover it with caramel sauce or whipped cream if needed. Also for next time, see the section in the post above titled: “How to Prevent Cracks in Pumpkin Cheesecake?”
I made this today. It’s baking in the oven. I followed the recipe and was particular about the measurements since it’s my first time. The filling felt very runny. Your pics look much thicker than what I got. Any ideas what could have caused that? Will it affect the cheesecake in general? Or just the cooking time?
Is it possible the cream cheese was warmer than room temperature or over mixed?
too bad she didn’t say to spray the springform pan with oil and add a later of paper underneath the graham cracker crust for easy removal.
HI Sheila, it usually transfers pretty easily by sliding a thin spatula underneath, but you can add a ring of parchment for easier transfer.
What is a good alternative for the spring form pan? I only have a basic sheet cake pan, pie pan, or bread pan!
Hi Emily, great quesiton, for a cheesecake a springform is best to be able to remove the sides, you want to make sure your springform pan has 3″ tall walls. If you use a shorter pan, it will overflow the pan. The pie pan would be too low for this recipe.
Hello, I have been making this exact cheesecake for 5 years now, is there a reason you changed the bake time to 325 degrees from 350? And same for cook time, it used to be one hour and now it is 50-60 minutes? And also it used to be let it sit after baking for one whole hour in the oven and now it’s 30 minutes?
Thanks.
HI Samantha, I did loads of testing on this one and the adjustments are to help prevent cracks.
I just made this, it’s actually cooling down right now. I’m confident it will taste great but there is a HUGE criss cross deep crack in the center. Followed directions to a T so not sure what I did wrong 😑
Hi Julie, even if a crack forms, the flavor will still be fantastic! You can always cover it with caramel sauce or whipped cream if needed. Also for next time, see the section in the post above titled: “How to Prevent Cracks in Pumpkin Cheesecake?” I wish I could be more helpful from afar.
Thanks for your reply Natasha ☺️ That’s exactly what I did. I made candied pecans n just arranged them over top n now it looks gorgeous 👍 Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving, Julie!
I thought I was going crazy lol. I also thought pumpkin pie mix was used and not pumpkin puree? Maybe I am. But now I don’t have the right ingredients. I could have sworn. Oh well now lol it’s all I have. And Thanksgiving is tomorrow.
Hi Stephanie, we used 15 oz pumpkin puree, Libby’s brand, or well drained homemade puree.
i don’t know if my comment was denied or anything maybe it was my fault i have no clue, anyways, i was just wondering if the recipe has changed at all in the last year? i’ve made this absolutely amazing cheesecake for the past 2 years for thanksgiving and the family always begs for more! the recipe just looks different from last year, if it’s not and im going crazy please tell me 😂😅
Hi Madi, I see this as your first comment and it’s wonderful to hear from you! I”m so happy you love the cheesecake! I changed the photos and added a video to make it more fail-proof. Happy Thanksgiving!
thank you! i’m gonna try to make your caramel sauce this year too! i’m nervous but excited! thank you for sharing these wonderful recipes! happy thanksgiving!
You’re so welcome, Madi!
the recipe looks different than last year and the year before 😭 idk if i’m tripping or not. i’ve made it every year since 2 years ago. is it different this year?
H Madi, the recipe is the same, I just added new photos and also a video tutorial to make the process easier. Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m pretty sure it’s different too. I thought we used pumkpin pie filling? I’ve been making this for years and everyone loves it. And now I feel crazy. And don’t have pumpkin puree and Thanksgiving is tomorrow.
Hi Stephanie, I have used pumpkin pie filling and it works great. I would just use that if that is what you have on hand.
Yes it is different I don’t know why she’s saying it’s the same when it’s not.
Hi Elia, the recipe is essentially the same – the baking method is adjusted slightly to help reduce the likelihood of cracks.