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!).
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
Do you absolutely have to have a springform pan or can u use the crusts aleast made at the store???
Hi Victoria, the crust and the pan the crust is in which is store-bought is too small for this recipe. It would overflow the pan. Maybe it would work ok if you divided it between 2 of those pre-made store-bought crusts but I haven’t tested it that way to give any recommendations on baking times.
I did everything as said and when I proped the door open it sat for about 17minutes and it started cracking. My cheesecake is cooling right now but I was wondering if it was okay that it cracked.
There could be several reasons why it could have cracked, but it’s definitely ok even if it did crack 🙂 It will not affect the flavor of the cheesecake 🙂
While this cake was baking it started to smell really bad, the butter from crust got out of pan and dripped onto oven floor. I think its my fault but I am not sure. Any advice what happened?
Hi Lillian, did you pre-bake the crust and use the correct amount of butter in the recipe? I’ve never had that happen before so I wonder if it’s due to too much butter or maybe a springform pan that doesn’t fit tightly enough?
I tryed this at my cousins house and HAD to find this recipie. I did not know the name of your site but I found it somehow, thank god i did, So i got to work and made this. I fell in LOVE even when It did not come out of the oven. my house smelled like heaven. It was of course delish! I love it so much! I will always use this recipie and none other. Thank you soo much!!! I wish I could give it a million stars!
Bella, welcome to the site and thank you for such an amazing review, I’m all smiles 😬. I hope you’ll find many more favorites here.
Hello. My springform pan is 10″ in diameter (across the top). Should I modify the baking time? Please and Thanks!
It will probably bake up a little faster since the cheesecake will not be as thick. Without testing it in a 10 inch pan myself, I can’t give you exact baking times. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I am planing on makeing this for our Christmas party but my mom does not like pumpkin and I dont know how it will taste. Any ways that you can explain how it tastes like? Thankyou!
It’s very mild in flavor and difficult to explain without trying it.
Okay, thanks for trying
Made this for Thanksgiving. Everyone loved it. It was requested for Christmas immediately. This will definitely be on our holiday menu. Thank you for sharing.
I am so glad you enjoyed it as much as I do! Merry Christmas Cyd 🙂
My Daughter made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving and followed the recipe exactly, although we used 8″ springform so didn’t use all of the mix. Anyway- the cheesecake turned out very well in terms of texture and taste (had a seam open on the top -to much steam build up during the bake). We topped it with good old homemade whipped cream. Wow really nice and flavorfull cake. Thanks for sharing. Next up your overnight cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning!
Thanks for sharing such a great review Kevin! What a treat that is going to be come Christmas morning!!
This recipe is a winner! Thanks!
Thank you Ed! So glad you love it! 🙂
Has anyone topped with sour cream topping (no whipped cream) and also drizzed with the caramel sauce? I would like to try the caramel sauce, but my family will miss having a cheesecake without sour cream topping.
I haven’t tried that but I do think it would work with traditional sour cream topping like for regular cheesecake. Now I’m curious, how do you make that topping? 😉
Mix sour cream, 2 tablespoons white sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until creamy; pour over cheesecake. Bake until topping is set, about 5 minutes.
I made this cheesecake last night for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. I was taking it out of the springform pan after having it sit in the fridge overnight. When I removed it from the bottom pan to transfer the cake to the cake stand the center crust was crumbling and breaking. Did I not put enough butter or sugar? I followed the measurements and recipe really well!
Hi Jessica, Did you pre-bake the crust? there should be enough butter and sugar to hold it together Maybe try to press the crumbs into the pan a little more firmly next time around! Good thing it’s the bottom of the cheesecake and no one will even know it ;). Have a happy Thanksgiving!
I did pre-bake it and had it cool to room temp before I poured the batter. It’s possible I might have put more graham crackers then was called for. It enough butter and sugar to bind. Would refrigerating or freezing the crust help for the next time?
Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
That really could be it – using too much graham crackers. Normally refrigerating or freezing isn’t necessary and may affect the overall bake time to start with a chilled pan and crust. Also, pushing the crust up 1/2″ around the edges so it’s not too thick at the bottom :).
This cheesecake is soooooooo yummy!! Many rave reviews from family, friends and co-workers!! Would not change a thing! Thank you!
Lori, thank you for such a rave review and you are very welcome 😁.
Is there anything I can substitute for the Sour cream?
Hi Heidi, I haven’t tried anything else so I can’t really say. Maybe plain Greek yogurt would be the next best thing?
Thanks for this awesome recipe. I made this tonight exactly as you instructed. The batter was absolutely amazing. After the hour of cooking the cheesecake had no cracks. While letting it cool in the oven with the door open it cracked. Any idea why?
It helps to just open the door a crack with a wooden spoon for it to cool slower.
Hi! I was wondering how I could make this into mini cheesecakes? Thank you!
Erin, yes you can. I had a reader report great results baking it in the muffin tins for 20 mins. Let me know how they turn out 😀.
I have my in the oven as I type this, only problem is I only had two cream cheese packages. I’m crossing my fingers it will come out delicious. Also I use my homemade sugar cookie dough instead of graham crackers. Do you think I made a mistake by only using 2 cream cheese? Thank you.
I haven’t tested the recipe this way so can’t say for sure how that would affect the recipe. Let me know how it works out and have a great Thanksgiving!
I’m so excited to make this tomorrow! Just to be clear, it calls for a can of the pie filling, NOT just the pumpkin, is that right?
Hi Anna, either one will work but yes, you can go ahead and get the pie filling. Enjoy!! 🙂
I would love to try this. Can you tell me what is better to use pumpkin pie mix or pumpkin, and if it is pumpkin pie mix do I still mix in the pumpkin spice.
Either one will work. I almost prefer the pumpkin pie mix and yes you would still do the same spices.
hi, do you have a pumpkin pie recipe. not a cheesecake?
Lily, I currently don’t have a recipe for a pumpkin pie.
I just made this and it smells so wonderful. I will be serving it at a dinner tomorrow and everyone is so excited for cheesecake. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Krista, you are very welcome and thank you for such a nice review 😀.