Pumpkin Cheesecake
This perfectly decadent pumpkin cheesecake has a gingersnap crust and a thick, creamy filling. Using common pantry items, boxed cookies, and canned pumpkin, this delicious recipe is a simple crowd-pleaser!
It’s the time of year where pumpkin takes over, and I will never complain. One of the things I crave year-round is this amazing pumpkin cheesecake. The recipe came about many years ago when my mom needed a sweet treat for a fall get-together with friends. She wanted something pumpkin-y and I started brainstorming.
I used the base from my Fig and Almond Cheesecake with Crème Anglaise. From there I wanted to keep things simple so I used canned pumpkin, tons of favorite fall spices I had in the pantry, and a box of gingersnaps. It was delicious and absolutely blew everyone away.
I have loved it ever since, and I am really excited to share it with you!
What is pumpkin cheesecake?
Since the 1800s, pumpkin pie has been a staple of U.S. Thanksgiving tables. Cheesecake originates from Greece, and there have been variations for hundreds of years all over the world. This is the perfect marriage of two long-time favorites!
Some are no-bake cheesecakes, which only need to chill before eating. This one is baked, giving it a very crispy crust and fluffy texture. Many of them include a graham cracker or crispy, spiced crust as well.
Pan prep & materials
- For this recipe, I use a standard 9-inch springform pan.
- We will be using heavy-duty aluminum foil as well, wrapping the springform pan in it to help the cheesecake bake evenly.
- You will also need a roasting pan or something similar, for the water bath this little cheesecake gets in the oven. Since there is hot water and a precious cheesecake is involved – avoid using anything disposable and instead opt for something solid with tall sides.
- To prep the pan: Double wrap the entire outside of the pan in aluminum foil. This serves a few purposes! First, we will be putting this in a water bath, so we want to be sure that water stays away from our dessert. This also protects the pan from burning or getting warped – which can lead to leaks and uneven baking.
How to make pumpkin cheesecake
- Get all of your ingredients out and room temp before baking!
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
- Prep your springform pan with aluminum foil
- Mix the crust mixture (cookie crumbs, butter, brown sugar, salt) until it is even and crumbly, and press it firmly into the base and up the sides of the pan. Using the base of a metal measuring cup for this is awesome for getting it into a nice even layer.
- Bake the crust for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the crust is slightly browned. Remove and cool completely. Turn the temperature down to 325 degrees F.
- Bring water to a boil for the bath
- Beat together the cream cheese and the sugars on medium speed until smooth and creamy (scrape the sides between each step!) Scoop in the pumpkin and mix on low until completely incorporated. Crack your eggs in one at a time, and after they’re fully incorporated, pour in the heavy cream and vanilla beating for about a minute until smooth. Finally, sprinkle in the cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice and mix on low until everything is smooth.
- Pour filling into the cooled springform. Tap the pan on the counter (carefully) to get out any air bubbles!
- Place it into the roasting pan, and pour in the boiled water into the roasting pan until water is halfway up the side of the springform.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes. Though the center will be jiggly, the edges should be set and slightly browned.
- Turn the oven off totally and let it rest for one hour.
- After an hour, carefully remove the springform pan from the water bath and remove the outside foil. Let it cool for two more hours on a wire rack.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least six hours before serving!
Serving suggestions
- A dollop of homemade whipped cream makes this an American classic.
- My favorite homemade salted caramel sauce is perfect drizzled over a slice of this pumpkin cheesecake! You will NOT be disappointed!
- Crumbled gingersnap cookies add a nice crunch and a cleaner ginger flavor than the crust itself.
How to avoid cracking your pumpkin cheesecake
- If overmixed, air bubbles form in the filling and pop while baking. Make sure to stop your mixing as soon as things look smooth.
- Overbaking can also be the culprit, as the eggs begin to cook, leaving you with a dryer, fluffier, filling. This is common with cheesecakes since the center can look so jiggly!
- You can unintentionally make your cheesecake crack by opening the oven too often so try to avoid that!
- Sometimes the weather outside, the insulation in your house, or your oven itself can be the culprit, and you just can’t get the perfect surface you want. Remember that no matter what, a big dollop of whipped cream on top will hide any cracks!
Swaps and variations for this pumpkin cheesecake
- You can use vegan cream cheese, butter, and egg replacements for this, though the filling may come out a bit thinner.
- Plant-based sweeteners are great options if you are looking to cut sugar or make this more keto-friendly.
- Gluten-free cookies work well for the crust as well, though they are a bit drier and you may need to add more butter.
- For the chocolate lovers in your life, the homemade Oreo crust I use for this Chocolate Cream Pie is an awesome swap for this pumpkin cheesecake.
- Store-bought graham cracker, gingersnap, or Oreo crusts work really well, too.
Storage information and tips
- Refrigerating: Fully wrapped in plastic wrap, this pumpkin cheesecake will be great in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freezing: Once fully cooled, you can wrap this cheesecake in plastic wrap, and an outer layer of aluminum foil, and it will live happily in the freezer for about two months. (When you’re ready to eat it, let it thaw in the fridge!)
- Prep in advance: You can prepare the crust and press it into the pan ahead of time, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months, making sure to thaw it before throwing it in the oven.
- Gifting: After freezing this to be sure it sets, you can wrap this cheesecake in plastic wrap and deliver it to loved ones in a decorative box or with nothing but a bow!
Ready for more? Pumpkin, cheesecake, and other treats!
Join the BEB Bake-Along!
To tackle pumpkin cheesecake and bake along with me this month, simply do the following:
- Make the pumpkin cheesecake! I know pumpkin has been difficult to locate, so if you still want to try your hand at cheesecake, have a go at the New York Cheesecake we did back in the spring!
- Snap a picture and either share it on social media (#BEBbakealong on Instagram or Twitter), upload it to the BEB Facebook group, or email it to me.
- Check-in on Instagram and Facebook throughout the month to see everyone’s cheesecake and cheer each other on!
- You can view all past bake-along recipes here.
I would absolutely love it if you made this pumpkin cheesecake for dessert (for the holidays or ANY day!); if you do, please stop back and leave a rating and let me know how you liked it! ENJOY! 😍
Pumpkin Cheesecake
This perfectly decadent pumpkin cheesecake has a gingersnap crust and a thick, creamy filling. Using common pantry items, boxed cookies, and canned pumpkin, this delicious recipe is a simple crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 cups (200 g) gingersnap cookie crumbs, about a 14-oz package of cookies
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- Pinch (Pinch) of salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Cheesecake:
- 32 ounces (907.19 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- 15 ounces (490 g) canned pumpkin
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 2½ tablespoons (2.5 tablespoons) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground allspice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Double-wrap the bottom and outside of a 9-inch springform pan with heavy-duty foil.
- Prepare the Crust: Mix together the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bring a pot of water to a boil for a water bath.
- Prepare the Filling: Beat together the cream cheese and the sugars on medium speed until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. Add the pumpkin and mix on low until completely incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well until fully incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice and mix on low to incorporate.
- Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Place the pan into a larger pan (a roasting pan is great for this) and pour the boiling water into the larger pan until it is about halfway up the springform pan.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the edges are set, but the middle still jiggles a little. Keeping the oven door closed, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven, carefully remove it from the water bath, remove the foil and place the cheesecake on a wire rack to cool completely, about an additional 2 hours. Once completely cool, refrigerate for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).
- Cover any leftover cheesecake with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Wrapped, the cheesecake can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Calories: 527kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 36g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 157mg, Sodium: 464mg, Potassium: 286mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 7670IU, Vitamin C: 1.7mg, Calcium: 123mg, Iron: 2.4mg
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
[Photography by Dee Frances]
I made this for Thanksgiving. My first cheesecake ever!
The directions were very clear and easy to follow.
I did use a thermometer to check the center temp vs just the jiggle test.
The cheesecake was beautiful and so delicious.
My family insists that this BEB recipe join the permanent dessert rotation!
Hi Michelle,
I made this and while the cheesecake was delicious, I couldn’t get the crust to lift off the pan base. What did I do wrong? Any suggestions?
Hope your Thanksgiving was delicious.
Marcia D.
I have been making this recipe since 2013. I was in search of a holiday recipe the celebrated the season with excitement and deviated from the norm. It instantly became a crowd pleaser.
By a happy accident, having an excess of crust and not enough filling for another pie, I created mini cheesecakes in lined muffin tins. The liner comes off easily and allowed me to serve the infamous cheesecake as bite size treats.
I love this recipe for so many reasons, but especially for how creamy and indulgent it is and the caramelized crust created by the ginger snap crust. This recipe would not be complete without the crust, I definitely would not swap it out or change it.
I have way too much filling for the crust-about 1 cup extra. I think my pan was smaller than yours…. 8 inch instead of 9 . How long do I bake it?
oh my gosh! Already drooling and only reading this recipe! This will be a show stopper on our Thanksgiving table! I am all about the spice. Fall has the most flavorful recipes! The cookies shown look like a delicious shortbread/snickerdoodle/gingerbread. Did you bake these also? I am interested in this recipe as well. Or are they store bought and what is the brand? I often bake specific cookies for the purpose of crushing into crusts for pies, cakes etc. Prefer to ‘spice’ it up a bit home-made style. Thanks! Look forward to your reply :)
*A tip for a non-soggy Cheesecake crust.*
I’ve read but never tried this…
Wrap a Crock-Pot liner or an oven roasting bag around the springform pan to prevent water from seeping in. The liner is much larger than the pan so you will need to gather the excess and tightly knot it. For extra protection add a layer of foil over the liner.
Hope this tip helps. No one likes a soggy crust…especially after all of the work that goes into a beautiful delicious cheesecake.
Approximately how long after baking will this cheesecake last before spoiling?
Hi Armando, You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
I made this cheesecake, and it was phenomenal!
I’m wanting to make this again minus the ginger snap crust.A graham cracker crust would be fine but not sure of a proper recipe. Hope you can help! :)
Hi Jenny, I love the ratios in this recipe: https://www.crazyforcrust.com/perfect-graham-cracker-crust/
Hi Michelle!
I loooove your blog and all of your recipes. Thank you for all the hard work you put in to help us non experts replicate your great recipes. I’m sooo looking forward to serving this cheesecake to my friends for my thanksgiving dinner, but where I live in Italy I don’t find gingersnap cookies to make the crust. I’ve never tried them so I don’t know if any ginger cookie recipe will do or if it has to be gingersnap…I searched your recipes and saw you have one for soft and chewy gingersanp cookies but I would think that I need crunchy ones to make crumbs for the crust, right? Could you advice or recomend a good substitution? Thank you very much. Ps: your family is adorable!! (fury friend included) and CONGRATS on the soon to be new arrival :)
Hi Carolina, Thank you so much for the kind words :) The cookies should be hard/crisp for the crust. You could always substitute graham crackers and add a few pinches of cinnamon and ground ginger! I hope you enjoy the cheesecake! :)
I’m wondering how you were able to get the crust around the sides of the cheesecake?
Hi Shelley, I just pressed it up the sides with my fingers.
I have been making your pumpkin cheesecake for about 4 years now (every Thanksgiving) and my whole family LOVES it – my uncle even calls ahead to make sure I’m making it! We’re all Polish, and typical Polish cheesecake is made from a crumbly-type of cheese. Until I brought this masterpiece to the table, none of the adults had ever tried cream cheese-based cheesecake (everyone was skeptical, too). One bite and their minds all changed!
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
This is the first (and absolutely successful) attempt at a non-original NY style cheesecake I have ever made. I like mine thick, dense, yet creamy, so I was very pleased with the result of this great recipe, which I sort of combined with my own go-to recipe for a plain cheesecake that I have already perfected over time. I didn’t use a gingersnap crust – which, I realize, is possibly the key to this recipe -, remained faithful to the crust I usually make, basically a mix of graham crackers and vanilla wafers, with a touch of cinnamon. Delicious, promised! Then I did in fact compose the filling with the ingredients listed above, with a few variations: I used sour cream in place of heavy cream because that’s what I had in my fridge, plus I really like the extra tang it provides to the cheesecake; I folded in 3 whole eggs and 1 yolk, instead of 4 eggs; finally, since I only had cinnamon and ginger on the shelf, I went ahead and left out the other spices listed. The cheesecake came out beautifully! Perfect texture, so silky and smooth, just the right balance of flavors. And what I really want to underline is that the pumpkin does not overwhelm the taste at all, on the contrary it’s very delicate. Try it with a caramel topping, it’s fantastic! Thanks!
Hi Michelle,
I’d really love to bake this but live in Australia where I can’t seem to find canned pumpkin. Can I use fresh pumpkin and steam it before mixing it in? If so would I still need 2 cups or would the amount change? By the way, I just made your salted caramel apple pie and OMG it is amazing!
Thanks so much for your recipes!
Yes, you can use homemade puree, just be sure to drain it REALLY well before using it. And yes, use the same amount.
The cheesecake was sticking to the knife while slicing – how do I avoid that?
Hi Joan, Try running the knife under very hot water then wiping clean immediately before slicing. Alternatively, you could try slicing with (unflavored) dental floss – if you Google it, you’ll find tons of YouTube videos and tutorials!
My darling my darling. I made this lovely delicious pumpkin cheesecake this past Sunday for Thanksgiving (none of us are American and we live in the Caribbean but my friends and I decided to have Thanksgiving dinner because well food and I volunteered to make dessert. Everyone loved it ^_^ .
Hi! Love your recipes!! I used two last year around the holiday season.i wanted to know can I use a regular aluminum pie pan instead?
Hi Malissa, Unfortunately not… there will be way too much batter.
I am so excited to try this for my family this year for thanksgiving! I unfortunately picked up by accident the Neufchâtel instead of regular cream cheese. Should I just go back to get the full fat version? Also do you think I can make this Tuesday and it still be okay for dessert on Thursday or would Wednesdaybe the earliest you recommend?
Thanks so much!!!
Hi Elizabeth, I would recommend going back for the full-fat cream cheese; it definitely makes a difference. You could make it on Tuesday and it would be fine for Thursday. Enjoy!
Got invited to Thanksgiving Dinner and since this is on my to-make list for November I volunteered to make this dish. I am happy I can make it a couple days in advance in case I mess up and need to make something else.
Beautiful looking (no cracks), Loved the texture, creamy, but not too soft makes an impressive presentation when drizze;d with carmel sauce. My only suiggestion is to decrease or omit the vanilla. It tended to overpower the spices. Will be making this and taking to friends for Thanksgiviong.
Made this a few days ago – without the water bath (there was a crack, yes, but it didn’t make it taste any less delicious). Turned out FANTASTIC – shared it with many people, all of whom expressed delight. Waiting for it to cool for so long was the biggest struggle, but it was definitely better after the first day! Found this tasted really good with whipped cream on top. Thanks so much for the fantastic recipe, it is now going to be a staple in my kitchen! Though, perhaps only once a year, as it is sinfully unhealthy…..
I’ve done the first cheesecake on my cheesecake list and this is #2 which I will be doing in the first/second week of November. I am excited.
Good morning! You know, I can’t decide if finding this website is the best or the worst thing that has happened to me in the past year – I’ve had so much fun making so many of your delicious recipes, but they are absolutely ruining my diet. Oh well, I’ll just run a little further in the mornings. I do have a reason for finally breaking my silence and commenting this morning, I am looking forward to making this cheesecake for Thanksgiving this year and I was wondering if you had any thoughts about whether the recipe could be modified to add in a maple swirl? I think it could be done by removing a portion of the batter before adding the pumpkin and spices (and maybe the extract as well?), and then flavoring the smaller portion with maple and the larger with pumpkin, but I am not sure about the ingredient modifications to retain the right consistency for the batter. Sorry for such a long-winded question, and thank you so much for sharing your recipes and fun anecdotes (which help inspire me to indulge and create)!
Hi Joanne, I’m so happy that you’ve been enjoying the site! I haven’t played around with any cheesecake swirls, so any direction I’d give would just be a guess on my part. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
Made this tonight for my brother’s birthday party tomorrow. The only change I made was that I used gluten free ginger snap cookies so that the celiac in our family could eat it. Not a wise idea to start it after work the night before the party, but that’s the time I had. First problem was the crust, I couldn’t get it to go up the sides evenly – after about 20 minutes of pressing and redistributing, etc., I finally just gave up and baked it as is. As my mom always says, it doesn’t matter if it tastes good, right? I baked the crust for 10 minutes, but it didn’t seem any browner, and it was really greasy. Once it cooled it looked less greasy. When I poured the batter into the pan, I noticed that globs of cream cheese hadn’t mixed in even though I had scraped down sides numerous times. My cheese cake has been cooking for 95 minutes now, and the center is still more than “a little jiggly” and it’s more that just the center – the first 2 times I checked it, only about a half inch of the sides wouldn’t move. I saw one other poster mention that it took longer, so I’m not the only one. I wish I had known that this was going to be closer to 30 minutes of prep and 4 and a half hours for the cooking/post cooking time I wouldn’t have started it at 7:45 PM – the cook time should reflect the 3 hours of post-cooking and the longest time it may take to cook (in my case, 105 minutes). It’s a pain to check it every 10 minutes because of the water bath, it sloshes around so much. I hope it doesn’t cause leaking through the foil. I just wanted to share my experiences in case anyone else has the same issues.
So, I waited to take it out of the oven before I posted this comment, and yes, water seeped into the foil even though I had 4 sheets of foil covering the bottom. I had to bring the pan to the sink and tip it so that water could drain out of it. And, there’s a ~1.5″ crack in the top, so that was a complete waste of time and foil and now the crust will be soggy :-( It’s 11:43 PM, and I’m supposed to wait ANOTHER 2 hours before I put it in the refrigerator – that’s not going to happen. I hope, after all this, that it tastes amazing, but I’m not holding out hope with the soggy crust.
Sorry if this is a silly question, but is 32 oz of cream cheese a weight or volume measurement? Would I convert to cups or grams? Thanks!
Hi Julia, You would convert to grams.
Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe. I made this for thanksgiving and my family now says its their favorite dessert!
I decided to make mini cheesecakes so they would be easier to serve. I didn’t have to change very much. I just scooped a heaping tablespoon of the crust mixture into a muffin pan and flattened. Then baked for about five minutes. I ended up using almost 1/3 cup filling in each muffin cup and then baking for about 25 minutes. I didn’t do a water bath so they had a few cracks but otherwise came out fine. It ended up making about 30 minis. I topped with caramel sauce and your cinnamon candied pecans. My family (who will not even touch pumpkin pie) raved about them!
I’d like to cut the recipe in half as there’s only 4 of us this Thanksgiving.
Do you foresee any problems with this? Will I need to modify the cooking time?
I’d live anyone’s recommendation-I’m not a great baker and I know it a science
Hi Sandy, Baking time will depend upon the size pan (or pans) that you use, but will almost certainly need to be reduced.
Hi, this cheesecake looks wonderful and I’d like to make it for Thanksgiving. I live in Colorado at 6000 ft. Does this recipe need any modification for high altitude?
Hi Elena, I have not baked at altitude before, but I would imagine if any other cheesecake you’ve made has needed adjustments, then this one would, too. This page has some tips I have collected that might help you: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/high-altitude-baking/
Hi – – – Does the recipe change if a pre-made crust is used, or does everything stay the same? Thanks!
Hi Jodi, No changes!
This looks perfect for fall! Fall is definitely my favorite season, and I get WAY too excited about everything pumpkin. My question is, can I bake a 1/2 batch in a pie pan? I don’t have a springform pan, and quite frankly it would be a lot easier to keep it looking nice in a pie pan. Would I still use a water bath, and do you have any advice on how to adjust baking time? Thanks so much!!!
Hi Caiti, I have never taken a full cheesecake recipe and cut it and baked it in a pie pan. I’m unsure of the results you’ll obtain, but you would probably not do a water bath, and the baking time would need to be significantly decreased.
This turned out to be absolute perfection. I topped it with caramel sauce, whipped cream, and candied pecans. My boyfriend couldn’t stop raving about it!
Okay this is the BEST freaking thing I have ever tasted. I am a chocolate lover and have never liked cheesecake. So my friend made this and I thought “well I like pumpkin pie so I’ll give it whirl”….well I ended up making my own the next day and then a week later…haha! This was my baby girl’s first birthday cake because she loves it so! I have tried it with the water bath and it cracked both times but it is so delicious I don’t mind a bit. My question is I just bought Wilton 4-inch springform pans (just to make this into mini cheesecakes…can you imagine the cuteness overload?). And I was reading other recipes and they say to bake 300F for 40-50 minutes….but that seems a bit long and low? Would you recommend keeping it at 325F (like you do for the cupcake size) and do 30-40? Just checking with what you think since you are my cheesecake guru. Seriously the best dessert ever! Thanks!
Hi Jenny, I haven’t made this into mini cheesecakes, but usually when I go mini I keep the temperature the same but reduce the time. Good luck, let me know how they turn out!
I made this to take over a friend’s house for Thanksgiving.
I don’t like cheesecake because of the heaviness, but LOVE this! It’s more like a rich souffle…light and creamy….and the taste is wonderful.
It’s easy to make.
I did the water bath, but it did crack a little.
This is the BEST cheesecake I’ve ever made.
This cheesecake is amazing! I have made it 4 times now and everyone loves it. just make sure you wrap it really good with tinfoil, if the water seeps through the crust is a little soggy… still good tho:)
I just had to share that I made this cheesecake today and it is the most beautiful cheesecake I have ever made! And probably the first one that didn’t crack. Thanks for a great recipe. I can’t wait to serve it tomorrow!
I tried this recipe tonight, when pouring it into the pan I had way more mix than room in the pan. :/ I’m not sure what I did wrong, hoping it turns out good.
hello,
am i whipping the heavy whipping cream and the vanilla until its like a whip cream? this is the first attempt at a cheese cake ever!
Hi Julia, No you definitely do not want whipped cream. You just mix them into the batter until they are incorporated, maybe 30 seconds to 1 minute.
We totally just shared your recipe with our followers for National Pumpkin Cheesecake day! http://www.facebook.com/yourstrulymepersonalshoppers
xo
OH MY GOSH! I just made this for a co-workers birthday and it is SO good! Thanks for sharing!
this is definatly on my list after having read all the comments, ;o)))
maybe I will amaze my family here in europe
and now I return to your blog, amazing
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was AMAZING! I garnished with whipped cream and candied pecans, which made for the perfect touch.
My only question is, how did you get your crust to stay up the sides? In the instructions it says to press the crust in the bottom, but in your photos the crust is up the sides of the cake. I tried to push the crust up with a drinking glass, but it kept crumbling. More butter perhaps?
Hi Lily, I just use a measuring cup to press the crust up the sides, no real trick to share unfortunately.
I just made this for my second time yesterday. The first time I baked in a water bath and it was perfect. I double wrapped it nice and tight in foil, but some water still got inside and soggy-ed up the crust a bit. I like the idea of using an oven bag! unfortunately I didn’t read that comment until right now. The second time( yesterday) I did not use water bath and it did crack a bit on the top. I’m just going to whip up some cream cheese frosting to pipe around where the cracks are :) This cheesecake is WONDERFUL!
…I also did not leave it in the oven for an hour after. I hope that doesn’t effect the outcome. I guess we shall find out
If I only have Pumpkin Pie spice instead of the individual spices – would that work. I think it would be roughly 3 tsp. Will that greatly change the flavor?
Hi Sami, That will definitely work! Enjoy the cheesecake!
Do you have a vegan version of this recipe?
Hi Julianne, Unfortunately I do not.
this cake looks delicious, definitely going to make but is it okay to use reg. brown sugar instead of light?
Hi Jasmine, What most people recognize as “regular” brown sugar is usually light brown sugar. There is “light” (which is the default brown sugar used in baking) and then “dark”, which has more molasses in it, and is therefore sweeter.
Hey there!
Love the blog. How would you adapt this for a mini-cheesecakes recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Rennie, I don’t do mini cheesecakes often, but you would just need to reduce the baking time. It all depends on how mini you make them.
Ah – thank you for this recipe! I made it this weekend and it was delish! I was on the hunt for a beautiful, tall pumpkin cheesecake, and this totally fit the bill. When it said 2 lbs of cream cheese, I knew I was on the right track. No wimpy cheesecake here – it looks like it could be served in a restaurant! Mine took quite a bit longer to cook, though. Eventually, I got tired of waiting and cranked up the heat. It ended up looking a little brown on top, so to hide it, I slathered on some homemade apple butter. Not only did it help the cheesecake’s aesthetics, but it also tasted great! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes – you are my go-to blog!
Hello
if making this recipe without a water bath would the baking instructions be different?
Hi Annie, No you could bake it the same way, you just might experience some cracking on top. The water bath helps to keep that from happening.
I cant wait to try this out on my family! When should i remove the cheesecake from the spring form pan so it doesn’t break??
Hi Monika, I always remove the sides of the pan once the cheesecake has chilled, but leave it on the base.
Can you please let me know what you used for the caramel drizzle?
Hi Sue, I think it was a seasonal topping from Smuckers – pumpkin caramel spice topping, or something similar.
Michelle, I made your pumpkin cheesecake for our Thanksgiving dessert
http://bigmamashomekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/11/thanksgiving-2010.html
Oh My Goodness! It was fabulous! This is the best cheesecake recipe I have ever tried. I can’t wait to try some of your others. I needed to add some pumpkin into our desserts and cheesecake is my family’s absolute favorite. I found your blog from your google image, and I’m so glad that I did. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
You are welcome! It looks like you had a fabulous Thanksgiving, so glad this cheesecake was a part of it!
I made 2 of these for Thanksgiving – we usually have 2 stops to make each Thanksgiving, so I decided to bring it to both families. Everyone loved them, in fact, the regular pumpkin pies didn’t get touched at all! (Sorry). I served them with a choice of Salted Butter Caramel Sauce or Bourbon Caramel Sauce and it just put these desserts over the top. I’ll definitely be making them again. Like you said, these are not your typical cheesecake – they are very light and fluffy. The tanginess of the cream cheese pairs very well with the pumpkin. My only problem was cutting them, the filling is so light that it was sticking to the knife a lot while slicing. The slices didn’t always look as nice as yours did, but they were still wonderful. Finally, I decided to make the crusts with 1/2 gingersnaps and 1/2 graham crackers since some of my family wouldn’t like the spiciness of the full recipe, and it worked just fine. I would also like to recommend an alternative to the foil on the bottom of the pan- an oven roasting bag (like for roasts or turkeys) works very well around the pan and has no chance (if the bag isn’t ripped) of leaking at all. Works great, and can be re-used a few times. Thanks for the great recipe, Michelle.
Oh gosh, bourbon caramel sauce?! Swoon. And thank you for the tip on using the oven bags!
I’m going to plan on making this for Thanksgiving. Looks AMAZING! One thing though, care to share which brand of gingersnap cookies you used? I tried a recipe once using a gingersnap crust and it was just too overpowering. How is your’s? I could always sub a graham cracker crust… Thanks for sharing! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your recipes and site!
Hi Lesa, I actually used the general Wal-Mart brand of gingersnaps! I thought it was a nice complement to the pumpkin filling, but I’m sure a graham cracker crust would be great too!
Sorry I’m bit late on commenting lately… But, I had to let you know that this pumpkin cheesecake looks fantastic. I will absolutely have to give it a try!
YUM! looks so good! I just did a german pumpkin cheesecake myself…can’t go wrong! :)
http://damegoodeats.blogspot.com/2010/11/german-pumpkin-cheesecake.html
Cheesecake is my favorite dessert and pumpkin is my absolute favorite flavor in the fall…I know I would devour a slice (or two) of this!
I never had pumpkin cheesecake before, I made this one yesterday, my husband and I just had a piece it is out of this world, I didn’t have gingersnap cookies so I had to use graham crackers I added a little bit of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and ginger to the crust and mine did crack a little even with the water bath, that’s ok, it gets eaten anyway. I will be making again for Thanksgiving. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome Dawn, so happy you both enjoyed it! Happy early Thanksgiving!
By far, the pumpkin cheesecake recipe is my favorite.
I read so many food sites but this recipe is devine!
Wow. That looks divine.
Just look at the height on that cheesecake! It looks as though it is light as air.
I would like to see recipes ‘recycling’ Thanksgiving turkey, potatoes, side dishes. I hate to waste food but don’t want to have to eat all the leftovers for a week!
michelle…i have baked many of your cheesecake recipes & they all have been fabulous!
happy fall, happy thanksgiving & happy me with this wonderful addition to your cheese cake repertoire…& now mine!
beautiful presentation & post!
Thank you Linda, awesome to hear you’ve been enjoying the cheesecakes!
Love the height of your cheesecake.
This is what they will serve in heaven I should think. SO excited to try this recipe! :)
Gingersnap crust! Pumpkin and cream cheese! I cannot seem to get enough pumpkin! I would love an excuse to make a whole cheesecake! This is to die for!
You are so right… combine pumpkin and cream cheese and you can’t go wrong. Gorgeous photo too!
I’m just loving your fall goodies Michelle – what a beautiful cheesecake! Sounds super-yummy too. :)
Wow, that looks so light and fluffy…not to be taken for granted with cheesecake!
This looks amazing! I love pumpkin and more importantly I love pumpkin cheesecake. Pretty sure this will be my choice for the pumpkin cheesecake I am planning on making for Thanksgiving.
Perfection! So creamy and light looking. Definitely bookmarking. P.S. Your photos are gorgeous!
This looks AMAZING! I’m going to have to make it to take to Thanksgiving! Thanks for sharing!
You’re most welcome! Enjoy!
Oh this looks heavenly! The pumpkin really does seem to lighten up the cheesecake. Perhaps I can convince myself that a lighter in texture cheesecake equals a lighter in calories cheesecake?
I’d buy into that logic :)
Out of all the pumpkin cheesecakes I’ve seen recently this has the best presentation. The drizzle makes it look just so mouthwatering.
Thank you Kelsey!
That looks fabulous!
That cake looks so good! I need to find people to make this for! (Even though I could probably eat it all myself..)
That looks delicious, Michelle!
The way you describe it does make it sound like the perfect cheesecake! Ship me a slice!
Here’s another fabulous pumpkin cheesecake recipe to try:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Pecan-Cheesecake-4662
The praline-y topping is lovely.
Thank you for sharing Holly!
I love pumpkin cheesecake. It’s the perfect fall treat!
Yum! I don’t think there’s anything that wouldn’t be good as a cheesecake.
it looks soooooooo yummy!!!! may I have one piece??? :D
Absolutely!
I love love love the caramel drizzle on top! Great job on the cheesecake!
What an incredible cheesecake! Thank you for sharing these gorgeous photos and your awesome recipe!
Great pictures! I love the idea of the caramel sauce. :)
Great idea, may I ask if it is strictly necessary to bake the cake in a pan of boiling water or can it be done the normal way?
Hi Silvia, No the water bath is not necessary. It tends to help the cheesecake bake more evenly and not crack on top, but you can definitely bake it without the water bath if you prefer.
Oh my goodness! This looks so delicious! I want some right now…but for the sake of my thighs, I think I’ll wait until Thanksgiving to make this. :)
Pumpkin Cheesecake is always fabulous, but with a ginger snap crust and caramel drizzle it’s over the top! I have to try this.
This looks amazing! Now I just need a good excuse to make this. Thanksgiving, perhaps…yum. Thanks for posting!
This looks delicious! I’ve been wanting to make a pumpkin cheesecake for a while now, I just need an occasion to make it for. Your photos are amazing!
pumpkin cheesecake is one of my favorites! yours looks spectacular!
This is gorgeous. I love a pumpkin cheesecake – the one I make (the recipe is over on my blog!) has lots of spices and a dash of bourbon – never a bad idea in my book. I love the idea of a gingersnap crust! Will definitely try that next time.
Oooh bourbon – what a great addition!
cream cheese and sweet pumpkin….mmm I want NAO! it looks fabulous!
-Amalia
http://buttersweetmelody.wordpress.com
I love it! Simply divine. I am not one to use a water bath for my cheesecake though. Do you think that it improves the quality that much more?
Hi Jason, I have found since trying the water bath method that the consistency of the cheesecake itself is much creamier and I get absolutely no cracks on the top. I still have no problem baking it without, though.
Oh good deal! I loked all over my kitchen for something to make a water bath out of that was big enough for my springform pan to fit into and was also oven safe and couldn’t find anything! So I bit my lip and went ahead and baked it without. Turned out great even with all my fretting. :) Wonderful recipe!
oh heavens this looks good! I’d make it if only I knew my husband would eat it because I couldn’t (or shouldn’t) eat the whole thing. Unfortunately, he doesn’t like cheesecake OR pumpkin. Crazy, right? :)
This cheesecake looks absolutely perfect. I wish it were in my kitchen right now!
I love how thick and creamy this looks!
Stuffing photos!!
i love pumpkin cheesecake and don’t know why i haven’t made one yet this year!
You are right on this being an impressive dessert! Each of the components, from the gingersnap crust to the pumpkin filling and caramel or whipped cream sauce sound divine! I love it
Been reading for awhile, have bookmarked many recipes (and tried several), but I think this is my first comment!
This made me think … I know you love cheesecake (and this one looks amazing!) and that you’re a fan of David Leibovitz’s ice cream recipes—as am I. I found this adaptation of his cheesecake ice cream, Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream. OMG, amazing. If it piques your interest, I would love to hear your take on it! (I want to stress that this is not my blog or recipe!)
Thanks for a great blog!
Oooh thank you so much for sharing! I will DEFINITELY be trying that out!
Looks divine, especially with the caramel drizzle. Yum
I made this for Thanksgiving, and it was a hit! The gingersnap crust was delicious!
I served the slices drizzled with caramel sauce and topped with whipped cream and pecans.