Pumpkin Cheesecake

Why You’ll Fall in Love With This Pumpkin Cheesecake

• Rich, creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling. The batter is made with a full can of pureed pumpkin and plenty of cozy spices. It has all the festive goodness you could ask for in a fall dessert.
• Extra cinnamon in the crust and topping. Both the crust and the whipped cream cheese topping are laced with cinnamon to further enhance that beloved pumpkin spice flavor.
• Simple method. Even if you’re new to baking cheesecakes, I share my best tips and tricks for perfect results. You don’t need any fancy tools or ingredients, and you’ll be so impressed when it’s time to serve!

What You’ll Need

Let’s go over the ingredients for the graham cracker crust, cheesecake filling, and homemade whipped cream cheese frosting that make up this pumpkin cheesecake recipe. Scroll down to the full recipe in the card below this post for specific amounts.

• Graham crackers – Crush them into crumbs using your food processor, or by hand. You’ll combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to make the perfect cheesecake crust.
• Cream cheese – Use full-fat cream cheese and bring it to room temperature before you start.
• Brown sugar – This can be light or dark brown sugar.
• Flour – All-purpose flour helps thicken the cheesecake filling. I don’t recommend substituting different types of flour here as the results won’t be consistent.
• Pumpkin purée – Make sure to use 100% pure pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling contains sweeteners and thickeners, and it will not work in this recipe.
• Sour cream – I recommend full-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt for the creamiest cheesecake.
• Vanilla and spices – Real vanilla extract (or vanilla paste) and cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger fill this pumpkin cheesecake with flavor. Replace the individual spices with pumpkin pie spice if needed.
• Eggs – Like the cream cheese, your eggs should also be at room temperature.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream cheese – Again, this should be brought to room temperature.
• Heavy whipping cream – This must be cold from the fridge.
• Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar.
• Cinnamon and vanilla – You can flavor your frosting with nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice if you’d like.
• Chopped pecans – For garnish. Feel free to skip these or replace them with chocolate chips or a dusting of cinnamon to make this cheesecake nut-free.

The Perfect Cheesecake Crust

This pumpkin cheesecake starts with an easy graham cracker crust. You’ll need to prepare and blind bake the crust before you can fill it, to prevent the finished crust from becoming soggy. This is easy to do following the steps below.

• Prepare for baking. Line a springform pan while the oven preheats to 325ºF. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan, too.
• Make the crust. Combine the crust ingredients, then press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
• Par-bake. Bake the crust at 325ºF for 10 minutes. Afterward, allow the crust to cool completely.
• Get it ready for the water bath. Once cooled, wrap the outsides of the pan tightly with foil. Since we’ll bake this pumpkin cheesecake in a water bath, the foil helps seal the pan so it’s watertight. Set your pan with the prepared crust aside while you prepare your filling.

How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake

With your Graham cracker crust par-baked and ready to go, it’s time to prepare the pumpkin filling and then assemble the cheesecake. For a baked cheesecake, this melt-in-your-mouth treat is as easy as it gets! Just follow these step-by-step instructions.

• First, lower the oven temperature. Reduce the oven temperature from 325ºF down to 300°F.
• Beat the cream cheese. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and flour in a bowl. Mix on low speed until it’s smooth and combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the remaining ingredients. Next, slowly mix in the pumpkin purée, sour cream, vanilla, and spices. Add the eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.

• Fill the crust. Pour your pumpkin cheesecake batter into the cooled crust.
• Prepare a water bath. Make sure that the foil wrapped around the springform pan is completely sealed, and place the whole cheesecake into a larger pan. Fill the larger pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Do not let the water go above the top edge of the foil.
• Bake. Bake the cheesecake at 300ºF for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it, as all ovens are different. You want it to be set around the edges and jiggly in the center (see how to tell when your cheesecake is done).

Cool the Cheesecake Gradually to Prevent Cracks

Sudden temperature changes cause a cheesecake to crack. This is why the secret to a perfect, crack-free homemade cheesecake is to allow the cheesecake to cool down gradually. First, in the oven for an hour, and then in the fridge for several hours so it sets completely.

• Cool the cheesecake in the oven. Switch off the oven, but leave the door closed. Allow the cheesecake to rest in the residual heat of the oven for 30 minutes. Then, crack the door and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven for another 20 minutes.
• Chill the cheesecake in the fridge. Lastly, chill the pumpkin cheesecake in the fridge for 5-6 hours, until firm. I usually do this overnight.

Decorate Your Pumpkin Cheesecake

Once the cheesecake is cool and firm, remove it from the springform pan and set it on a serving plate. If you need tips on how to do this, check out my in-depth tutorial. Now, for the fun part! Here’s how to add the whipped topping to this creamy pumpkin cheesecake before serving:

• Make the whipped cream cheese frosting. Beat cream cheese until smooth, then add the remaining ingredients. Whip the frosting on high until stiff peaks form.
• Decorate the cheesecake. Pipe the whipped cream around the top edge of the cheesecake, then finish it off with chopped pecans and pumpkin candies. Keep this cheesecake chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Tips for a Perfect Baked Cheesecake

• Use the food processor to make the crust. Using a food processor to crush up the graham crackers is super convenient. If you don’t have one, seal the graham crackers in a heavy-duty storage bag with all the air removed and crush them with a mallet or rolling pin.
• Mix slowly. Always mix your filling on low speed. Otherwise, you could incorporate too much air into the batter and end up with a cracked cheesecake.
• Don’t skip the water bath. I know the water bath can be a bit annoying, but it’s vital to the success of your cheesecake. It ensures that it doesn’t brown around the edges, sink in the middle or crack.
• Prevent leaks. Make sure you don’t let the water in the outer pan go above the top edge of the foil surrounding the inner pan. For additional ways to prevent your water bath from leaking, see my full tutorial on how to bake a cheesecake in a water bath.

Optional Topping and Serving Suggestions

Plenty of different toppings go well with this pumpkin cheesecake. I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite easy cheesecake toppings here:

• Top with whipped cream. Looking to top your cheesecake with regular whipped cream? Skip the store-bought stuff and make my homemade whipped cream instead.
• Salted caramel drizzle. Pumpkin and caramel make a mouthwatering pair. Drizzle this easy salted caramel sauce over your cheesecake for a fancy finishing touch.
• Praline topping. The gooey praline topping that goes with my pecan cheesecake or the crunchy praline topping on this praline pumpkin cheesecake would taste amazing on top of this pumpkin cheesecake, too!
• Dust with cinnamon. At the end of the day, this cheesecake speaks for itself. Even something as simple as a sprinkle of cinnamon will round it out nicely.

How to Store

• Refrigerate. Keep extra cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy it within 4-5 days.
• Freeze. I recommend freezing this pumpkin cheesecake before you add any toppings. Wrap the fully set cheesecake in plastic wrap or foil and freeze it in a heavy-duty storage bag for up to 3 months. Thaw it out in the fridge before adding the whipped cream cheese frosting and digging in.