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 Natasha-
One of my friends made this for Thanksgiving and it was DELICIOUS!! I want to make it for Christmas. Is it ok if I use a pie pan instead of a springform pan? I only have a 10inch springform pan but I have a 9 inch pie pan, so I was going to use this. Do you think I’ll come across any issues?
Hi Jorge, 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.
I already bought a 10 inch crust for the pie, and i had so much leftover batter I put the leftover batter in cupcake tins. I put the cupcakes in about halfway through cooking. And omg even those cupcakes were delicious. 10/10 recipes. Made this for Thanksgiving and going to make this recipe again for Christmas!
Thank you for sharing that with us. I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
I’m not even kidding, this was a showstopper. People went back for seconds and thirds. It was my first time making pumpkin cheesecake and after looking through every internet recipe, I went with this one (and no regrets). There were no cracks on the top like I usually had when I made regular cheesecake and it tastes so good, almost as if it was store-bought, but better. I modified it a little because I only had an 8.5 inch springform pan (so bake time was ~65-70 mins, I checked to see wobble like in the video), but after setting, it was perfect.
That’s wonderful, Sarah! So happy to hear that it was a hit. Thanks for sharing.
I followed this same recipe but substituted blueberry meat for the pumpkin and then I turned the juice into a jam and topped it…. Phenomenal! Add a little lemon zest on top and WOW! Im also making an apple cheesecake with this recipe today, but I made the cream cheese from scratch. I expect it to be amazing! This is such a GREAT cheesecake recipe!
Thank you for sharing your experience making this recipe, Ann! I’m glad it worked using the substitutons that you used.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a huge it! Everybody loved it. One funny thing: as it was cooling in the oven with the door opened, it developed a huge crack that looked like a marijuana leaf. We all got a good laugh, especially since my brother was in law enforcement his whole career. The whipped cream with rum was a yummy topper and covered it all up! I’ll definitely make this again. Thanks Natasha for another great recipe. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Oh my! I bet you won’t forget this one! I’m sorry to hear it cracked, but I’m so glad you found a way to cover it up. Merry Christmas to you and yours also, Linda!
Hi Natasha! I have made your Pumpkin Cheesecake a dozen times, and follow each step correctly – including the packed brown sugar. But I had a question; if we measure the light brown sugar, we are pressing the sugar down, and then the measuring cup won’t be filled to the top, and, of course, we have to fill that in as well. But won’t that result in adding too much light brown sugar??
Thanks! I always love ur recipes 💜
Hi Aisha, the sugar measurement is meant to be packed, there for is should not be more sugar than called for. So fill it up and pack it until you have the full measuring cup. I hope that helps.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely delicious and huge hit! It had a large deep crack in the center, but I covered it with some whipped creme, caramel and pumpkin seeds. Your directions were perfect. Thank you!
Sometimes, even if you’ve done everything right, you might get a tiny crack. If it does happen, you did the right thing by covering the top with Caramel Sauce, Candied Pecans, Ganache, or whipped cream. It will still taste great!
Made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was a mass e hit with friends and family. Those who said they are not even pumpkin fans loved it!
Hi Wayne, I’m so happy to hear that. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Excellent – makes a nice large, deep cheesecake with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor. Used GF graham crackers. Great tips & tricks! Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Mary Ellen! I’m happy to hear the flavor was just right! Thank you for sharing your awesome feedback with me!
This is the best pumpkin cheesecake. I have never made pumpkin cheesecake, always pumpkin pie, but this is so good I have been missing out. I will be doing this again thank you.
You’re welcome, Jayne! I’m happy to hear you loved it.
Best cheesecake ever!!!! I made this for Friendsgiving because I didn’t want to just do plain pumpkin pie because I always make one and let me tell you!!!! This was so good I had to make another a few days later for my thanksgiving dinner…OUT OF THIS WORLD! I used gingersnaps for the crust and it was delicious. Baked the exact temperature on the recipe and it came out perfect both times.. the jiggle did make me nervous but nope cooked fully and only had one big crack on my second one but it was delicious either way. Cant wait to make the butterscotch sauce next time with it , ran out of time both times I made it. Thank you so much!!!! And wow sorry for my long review, lol 😁😁
Hey Julia! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback, I’m happy to know that you loved the Pumpking Cheese! I hope you’ll enjoy all of the recipes that you will try.
I make cheesecakes and this was awesome, will be making this instead of pumpkin pie for sure…
I’m so glad you loved it!
Oh, and how do I add a picture of my creation in the review, or can I. Thanks again
Debbie
Hi Debbie, while you can’t add an image here, if you post it on social made and tag or #natatshaskitchen I can see it there!
OMG!!!! I made this and what a hit with my family! The first time I have ever tried a baked cheesecake along with Natasha’s caramel sauce recipe. Being nervous during the baking I didn’t trust the process and added 10 minutes to the recommended time because of the jiggly middle. Well, during the cooling time it developed a small crack, but did not affect the delicious taste not to mention once the caramel and whipped crème was added virtually no crack seen!!
Now I learned my lesson and when making the caramel sauce I kept reminding myself…trust the process….and it turned out great on my first attempt. Thanks Natasha!!!
I’m so happy you loved it! Thank you for your awesome review, Debbie!
Hi I want to try this recipe for my son’s birthday tomorrow and I only have a 2in spring pan. Would that work if I didn’t pour it all in? And if so, what could I do with the tea mixture? Thank you!
Hi Dawn, That should be fine, your pan will be about 3/4 full but it shouldn’t overflow. If by chance it seems like there is too much batter, just keep some out and bake it in a smaller dish on the side.
Every recipe I have tried from Natasha has turned out great….this was no different. So creamy and yummy. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your gift!
You’re so welcome, Kelsey! Comments like this keep us motivated to create and publish more!
Made cheesecake this past weekend & there is nothing I would change about the recipe except possibly reduce butter in crust because it did seep out during baking. I followed all the Pro Tips for preparing filling & baking which are the same as what I have used in the past which resulted in a light, even consistency in filling with nocracks. It was lighter than most cheesecakes which I like. I will definitely make it again.
I’ve always been afraid to make cheesecake but this was EXCELLENT!!!! Even though it could’ve failed several times, like when the turkey dripped in the oven as I was taking it out and it smoked so bad I had to open the oven earlier than I should have. It may have cracked, obviously my fault, but it was absolutely the most delicious cheesecake I’ve ever had. (thank you because I’m so proud of myself!!!!) And I WILL be making more!! 😊
You did a great job! I’m so happy that you fnally tried it and used my recipes. Hope you love all the recipes that you will try!
My nephew said this is the best pumpkin cheesecake he’s ever had!
First cheesecake that didn’t crack! I loved that it was easier annd had less ingredients than other recipes I have followed. But the best part, it tasted delicious too!
Hoooray!! That is such good news!