When Thanksgiving rolls around, pumpkin dessert recipes are a must-have on my dinner table. I often serve pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin gooey butter cake, pumpkin meringue pie, or this decadent pumpkin pie cheesecake. I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin pie. In my opinion, this pumpkin pie cheesecake is so much more flavorful than your traditional pie. It’s got the perfect blend of sweetness and spice, and it also happens to be easy to make!
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, large eggs, pumpkin puree, flour, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and whipped cream and candy pumpkins for garnish.
How Do You Make Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake?
To make a pumpkin pie cheesecake, you only need to make two things, a crust and filling. Make the crust by mixing together crushed graham crackers and melted butter in a bowl. Press that mixture into a springform pan to make the shape of your crust. Put the crust in the oven a few minutes until it’s golden brown, and you are ready for the filling. To make the filling, beat together brown sugar and cream cheese. Mix in eggs, pumpkin puree, flour, vanilla and spices and your filling is complete. Pour the filling in the crust and it is ready for the oven. Cook it in the oven then turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool slowly in the warm oven. When the cheesecake is done, take it out of the pan and chill in the refrigerator. Once it is chilled, it is ready to serve with any whipped cream or decorations that you like.
Tips For Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
When making your graham cracker crust press firmly to get the graham crackers and butter to form a solid crust. Run your graham crackers through a food processor for fine, evenly sized crumbs. Cheesecake can be made up to 3 days before you plan to serve it. Decorate your cheesecake right before serving. Be sure that your cream cheese is very soft so that you don’t end up with lumps in your cheesecake. You can soften the cream cheese at room temperature, or microwave it in 30 second increments. Serve this dessert as a sweet finish to a holiday meal alongside other fall recipes such as a whole turkey coated in turkey marinade, Instant Pot cranberry sauce, slow cooker turkey breast, baked ham and Ruth’s Chris sweet potato casserole. No pumpkin pie spice on hand? You can use 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 1/4 teaspoon each of ginger, nutmeg and allspice.
How To Prevent Cheesecake From Cracking
Cheesecakes are notorious for cracking as they bake. Cracking does not affect the taste or texture of the cheesecake, but it doesn’t look as good as an unblemished cheesecake. There are some easy ways to avoid or minimize cracking.
Use softened cream cheese to avoid lumps which could cause cracks. You can soften the cream cheese by microwaving it for 20 seconds at a time until it is soft but not melted. Once you start adding the eggs, mix all the ingredients together at medium speed until the filling is smooth and consistent. Be careful not to over mix the eggs at high speed or you could froth them up which could put air in your filling. When baking the cheesecake, open the oven door as little as possible. Changes in temperature will cause cracking. Don’t over bake the cheesecake. When you turn off the oven, a little wobble in the center of the cake is fine. You don’t want a runny or liquid center.
Flavor Variations
This cheesecake is great as-is, but you can customize some of the ingredients to suit your tastes.
Crust: Instead of graham crackers for the crust, try using gingersnaps, vanilla wafers or chocolate sandwich cookies. Filling: You can use sweet potato puree or butternut squash puree instead of pumpkin. Toppings: While I did whipped cream and candy pumpkins for decoration, you can also top your dessert with candied pecans, candied walnuts, sprinkles or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Nothing says fall like pumpkin pie. This recipe gives you the most decadent cheesecake version of a traditional pumpkin pie. This pie turns out smooth, sweet, irresistible and perfect for your holiday table.
