When it comes to a holiday meal, there always needs to be a pumpkin dessert on the menu. Some of my favorites include pumpkin meringue pie, pumpkin gooey butter cake, and this super easy pumpkin cheesecake.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients
To make this delicious pumpkin cheesecake make sure you have graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, flour, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. You can also top the cheesecake with whipped cream and sprinkles. I decided to make this recipe after I had something similar at The Cheesecake Factory. If you love The Cheesecake Factory as much as I do, you’ll want to check out my complete collection of 25 Cheesecake Factory Recipes.
How Do You Make Pumpkin Cheesecake?
This pumpkin cheesecake recipe starts with a graham cracker crust, which you make by mixing together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a bowl. Press the graham cracker mixture into a springform pan and bake it until it is lightly browned. Place cream cheese and brown sugar in a mixer and beat them until smooth. Add eggs, pumpkin puree, flour, vanilla and spices and mix it all together and pour it into the graham cracker crust. Bake the cheesecake until the filling is set and browned on top. Chill your cheesecake, slice and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
Be sure to use pumpkin puree, and not canned pumpkin pie filling. The pie filling will not work in this recipe. You can also make your own pumpkin puree. Add sprinkles them at the last minute before serving to prevent the colors from running into the white whipped cream. You can use fresh whipped cream by whipping some lightly sweetened cream, then use a large star tip to pipe a decoration along the outside rim of the cake.
Flavor Variations
While this cheesecake is a perfect fall dessert as-is, you can modify it to suit your own taste.
Mix your cheesecake as little as possible after you add the eggs to avoid incorporating extra air into the batter. Do not open the oven door while your cheesecake is baking. Large temperature fluctuations can cause cracking. Do not overbake your cheesecake. The cheesecake is done once the edges are lightly browned and puffy and the center is just set. It’s ok if the center is a bit jiggly, it will firm up as it cools.
Nuts: Instead of whipped cream and sprinkles, try chopped pecans or or walnuts. Crust: You can swap out the graham cracker crust for a gingersnap crust for an additional hit of spice flavor. Sauce: Drizzle some butterscotch or caramel sauce over the top. Filling: You can try this recipe with sweet potato puree or acorn squash puree instead of pumpkin puree.
This pumpkin cheesecake is a real show stopper that’s perfect for any fall occasion! I serve it every year for Thanksgiving and everyone loves it!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Video
