Pumpkin Cheesecake
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This pumpkin cheesecake is the ultimate sweet ending to your Thanksgiving feast—and no one will miss the pumpkin pie!
Pumpkin pie is a classic Thanksgiving dessert, but pumpkin cheesecake is just as festive and, honestly, even more delicious. This recipe combines the rich creaminess of classic cheesecake with the warm spices of pumpkin pie. Instead of a graham cracker crust, I use gingersnaps, which complement the spiced filling and really bring out the pumpkin flavor. The homemade caramel sauce is optional, but absolutely worth making—and it takes less than 10 minutes in the microwave.
Cheesecake might sound intimidating, but it’s actually very straightforward and uses just a handful of ingredients. The key is baking it in a water bath, which ensures even cooking and prevents cracks. It may sound fussy, but it’s not: just set the cake pan inside a larger pan and pour hot water around it. I’ll walk you through each step below. Let’s get started!
“I love pumpkin, but not pumpkin pie. This cheesecake was the perfect answer! It was delicious and everyone enjoyed it.”
What You’ll Need to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep your pan. Begin by wrapping a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan in a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. (Heavy-duty is key—it’s wider and does a much better job of keeping water from sneaking into the pan during the water bath.) Once wrapped, spray the inside of the pan with nonstick cooking spray. (If you’d like to try another technique that doesn’t require wrapping the pan in foil, get more guidance here.)
Step 2: Make the crust. In a food processor, combine the gingersnaps, sugar, and melted butter. Pulse until the mixture forms fine, sandy crumbs.
Step 3: Form and bake the crust. Pour the crumb mixture into the prepared pan and press it into an even layer—your fingers work well, or use the bottom of a measuring cup to really pack it in. Bake for 15 minutes, then set aside to cool while you make the filling.
Step 4: Cook the pumpkin mixture. In a medium saucepan, stir together the pumpkin, sugar, and spices. Cook over medium heat until the mixture turns shiny, deepens to a bronze color, and thickens slightly. This step—borrowed from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s recipe—really intensifies the pumpkin flavor and helps dry the pumpkin out so the cheesecake sets beautifully.
Step 5: Purée the pumpkin mixture. Transfer the pumpkin mixture to a food processor and run it for one minute to smooth and cool it. With the motor running, add the cold heavy cream.
Step 6: Mix in the cream cheese and eggs. Add the cream cheese in large chunks and process until the batter is smooth. Finally, add the eggs and pulse until just combined. It’s important not to over-mix—if you incorporate too much air into the filling, it will rise and crack or fall when it bakes.
Step 7: Get ready to bake. Set the cake pan in a large roasting pan, then pour the pumpkin cheesecake filling into the cooled crust. Next, pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches about halfway up the side of the springform pan.
Step 8: Bake. Bake in a 325°F-oven until just set, about 1½ to 1¾ hours. A properly cooked cheesecake will jiggle a bit when you nudge the pan, but if the center still seems liquidy, it’s not done.
Step 9: Cool and serve. Let the cheesecake cool right in the water bath, then transfer it to a rack to cool completely. Once it reaches room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is even better). This is definitely a “make it ahead” kind of dessert. When you’re ready to serve, warm the caramel sauce, drizzle it over each slice, and add a dollop of sweetened whipped cream plus a light dusting of cinnamon, if you like.
More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 7½ oz gingersnaps (or 1½ cups finely ground gingersnap crumbs)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling
- 1 (15-oz) can pumpkin, such as Libby's
- 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream cold
- 1½ lb (three 8-oz packages) cream cheese, room temperature
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- Caramel sauce, for serving
- Special equipment: 9- or 10-in springform pan; 18-in heavy-duty aluminum foil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and set a rack in the lower-middle position. Wrap a 9- or 10-in springform pan with one large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, covering the underside and extending all the way to the top so there are no seams on the bottom or sides of the pan. Repeat with another sheet of foil for insurance. Spray the inside of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the crust: Pulse the gingersnaps, sugar, and melted butter in a food processor fitted with the metal blade until finely ground. Transfer the moistened crumbs into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake until fragrant and set, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while you prepare the filling.
- Prepare the filling: Set a kettle of water to boil (this will be used for the water bath). In a small, heavy saucepan, stir together the pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a sputter, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, until thick, bronzed and shiny. Scrape the mixture into a large food processor fitted with the metal blade and process for 1 minute with the feed tube open.
- With the motor running, add the cold cream. Add the cream cheese (cut into chunks) and process for about 30 seconds, scraping the sides if necessary, or until smoothly incorporated. Add the eggs and process for about 5 seconds or just until incorporated (do not overmix!).
- Bake: Set the cake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour the batter into the cooled crust, and then pour enough boiling water into the large roasting pan to come about halfway up side of the cake pan. Bake until the cake is just set, 1½ to 1¾ hours. A properly cooked cheesecake will jiggle a bit when you nudge the pan, but if the center seems at all liquidy, it's not done. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and set on a wire rack. Run a sharp paring knife around the edges to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Cool until the water is just warm, about 45 minutes.
- Finish cooling and chill: Remove the springform pan from the water bath, discard the foil and set on a wire rack. Continue to cool at room temperature until barely warm, about 3 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- To Serve: Remove the outer ring from the springform pan. Slide a thin metal spatula between the crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide the cheesecake onto a serving platter. (Alternatively, you can keep it on the pan bottom.) If there is condensation on the top of the cheesecake, blot it gently with a flat paper towel. Let the cheesecake stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cut it into wedges. Warm up the caramel sauce in the microwave (it stiffens in the fridge). If it's too thick, add more heavy cream to thin it out. Drizzle the caramel sauce over each piece of cheesecake and top with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream if desired.
Notes
- You'll need a large food processor— preferably with a 14-cup (3.3L) capacity—to make the filling (you can also use an 11-cup (2.6L) capacity, but you may have a bit of leakage). If you don't have one, it's fine to use a KitchenAid Mixer or electric beaters for the filling and a small food processor for the crust.
- Freezing Instructions: The cheesecake can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze: place the cake in the freezer briefly, unwrapped, to firm it up. Then double-wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator the night before you plan to eat it.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I’ve made this cheesecake 5 or 6 times now and it always tastes amazing and gets rave reviews!
The one things I haven’t been able to get right is the nice clean sides that look just like the top. I always get some stickage to the sides of the pan it the sides come out looking more like the center. Any tips for super clean sides? I use the water bath and cooking spray.
Hi Joanna, so glad you like this! Sorry to hear you have a problem with the sides looking clean/smooth. I never experienced that. Do you run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake before removing the sides of the springform pan? If so, it could be that your pan has lost its nonstick quality and it may be time for a new pan. One other alternative is to make more crust and run it up the sides of the cheesecake. Hope that helps!
Hi Jen! I love all your recipes and they always turn out so great! I’m exited to try this dessert for thanksgiving. I haven’t gotten around to buying a food processor yet, and was wondering if I could use a kitchen aid mixer instead of a food processor for this recipe?
Hi Ashlie, It will work for the filling but you’ll have to crush the cookies by hand. You could use graham cracker crumbs if that’s easier (follow the crust recipe here).
If anyone is worried about water getting into his springform pan, I have a trick I believe I learned from Cook’s Illustrated. Put your springform pan that is wrapped in foil inside a slightly bigger round pan. I use a ten inch round cake pan with my 9 inch springform and then place it in the roasting pan and fill the roasting pan as described in the recipe. No water in springform pan. Cheesecake is great.
Hello. I am trying to make cheesecake for the very first time. As I’m making this for a party, I wanted to use whole gingersnap cookies for the bases and use a regular cupcake pan with 12 cups. What adjustments, if any, would I need to make to the recipe or instructions?
Hi Elan, The only adjustment you’d need to make is to reduce the cooking time. It’s really hard to say how long they will take, but I’d probably start checking around 30 to 35 minutes. I’d love to know how they turn out!
Thank you so much for your advice and recipes! Everything I have tried has been fantastic! I was wondering what kind (and brand) of salt do you prefer for using in dessert baking? We use Kosher Salt for meat seasoning and also use Sea salt quite a bit for other things. I’ve used Kosher salt in dessert baking before and sometime it doesn’t disolve all the way and leaves a little crunch which is unpleasant. Can you share your best practice with salt choice for desserts? Thanks for everything and happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Cole, So glad you enjoy the recipes. I use fine sea salt or table salt for baking. Hope that helps!
Hi Jen! Love this recipe. I’ve made it for the past few years and it’s always a hit! I want to try to convert into mini bars this year, so it is easier to serve. Any suggestions?
Hi Jessica, Glad you like it! I haven’t tried this as bars but I think it would work. I’d use a 9 x 13-inch pan. You’d need to make 1 ½ times the recipe (for both the crust and the filling) to have enough to fill a 9 x 13. I suspect the baking time would be about the same if not a tiny bit longer. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it this way!
Can you freeze this? Any ideas how to transport it for 4 hours in a car? Can’t wait to make it:)
Hi Katie, You can definitely freeze this. I would put it in a cooler on a flat surface in the car, and make sure it is wedged in so it can’t jostle around. Hope that helps!
Silly question, will it make a difference if I use a non stick roasting pan? I see here it looks like you used just a regular metal pan to put water in. Thanks so much!!
Not a silly question, but it will make no difference at all. Hope you enjoy!
can I use two aluminum roasting pans( from the grocery story) stacked together for baking this? My roaster is not wide enough for the springform pan? Hoping to make this for Turkey Day.
Thanks,
~D
Yes that should work well!
I’ve made this a few times and get requests for it every year, even from my mother. Could the crust be baked and frozen separately beforehand so it retains it’s crispness?
Hi Adam, glad to hear this has become a repeat on your Thanksgiving menu! You can bake the crust and freeze it but it won’t have a significant impact on the texture once the cheesecake is baked. (The humidity of the water bath naturally takes away some of the crispiness.) I hope that helps!