Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Indulge in the perfect fusion of cheesecake and pumpkin pie with this simple and creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe. No messy water bath needed and made completely from scratch!
Ingredients
Cookie Crust
- 22 full sheets graham crackers
- ½ cup pecan halves
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch salt
Pumpkin Cheesecake
- 24 oz (3 - 8 oz) bricks of cream cheese softened to room temperature. Be sure to use brick-style and not spreadable cream cheese
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
Cinnamon Whipped Cream (optional)
- 1 cup whipping cream cold
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Cookie Crust Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Place the pecan halves and the graham crackers in the bowl of a large food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form.
- Transfer fine crumb mixture to a bowl. Add melted butter, white sugar, brown sugar, salt and use a fork to combine ingredients well until crumbs are all moistened.
- Pour into a 9-inch spring-form pan and pack in very tightly. The tighter it’s packed, the less likely it will fall apart when cutting the cheesecake. Use the bottom of a measuring cup or your fingers to pack it into the bottom and up the sides.
- Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- Turn off the oven.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Beat the cream cheese and sugars in a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand-mixer at medium-high speed, for 5 minutes. Mix until combined and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula to ensure ingredients are mixed well.
- Add in pumpkin puree, sour cream, vanilla extract and freshly squeezed lemon juiced until combined.
- Lower the mixer speed and beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated (approx 5 seconds per egg).
- With the mixer on low, beat in the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
- Fill a large rectangular glass pyrex baking dish, ¾ of the way up with room temperature water and place on one rack directly below the middle rack in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Place water filled rectangular glass baking dish in the oven as the oven preheats.
- Spread cheesecake batter evenly over the prepared crust.
- Once the oven is preheated, transfer to the oven on the middle baking rack (one rack above the glass filled glass dish).
- Bake cheesecake for 55-60 minutes or until the center is almost set. When it’s done, the center of the cheesecake will slightly wobble if you gently shake the pan. Turn the oven off, crack the oven door just slightly (you can use a wooden spoon to keep the door slightly open), and allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven for another 1 hour and 30 minutes as it cools down. Pro Tip: Don’t open the oven while cooking! Opening the oven door drastically reduces the temperature, which can slow the baking process and can cause your cheesecake to crack and sink. To prevent cracks do not open the oven during baking to check on the cheesecake. Only open at the end when opening slightly with a wooden spoon at the 55-60 minute mark.
- Remove cheesecake from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Let cool completely to room temperature and then transfer to refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim.
- Before serving, prepare your cinnamon whipped cream. Use a Wilton 1M icing tip to pipe the whipped cream around the perimeter of the cheesecake.
- Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean and dip into warm water between each slice.
- Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Cinnamon Whipped Cream Instructions (Optional)
- Making the Cinnamon Whipped Cream is totally optional! Feel free to use Cool Whip right out of the can for a great quick option to top this delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe!
- Put the bowl of a standing mixer or a large mixing bowl (glass or metal preferred) into the refrigerator to chill for at least 15-30 minutes (or longer).
- Add whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon to the chilled bowl of a stand mixer or chilled mixing bowl.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment whip on medium-high speed until medium to stiff peaks form, about 3–4 minutes. Stopping halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer mixture to a piping bag with a Wilton 1M icing tip to pipe whipped cream around the perimeter of the chilled cheesecake.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
