My easy, creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe is made completely from scratch WITHOUT a water bath! I’m including lots of tips and tricks to prevent cracks so yours can turn out just like the pictures. Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Perfect Cheesecake For Fall
You’re not getting tired of cheesecake yet, right? I know I’m not. I’ve received quite a few requests for how to turn my classic cheesecake into a pumpkin cheesecake, so I figured it was about time I re-shared this recipe. This one is just as easy as my classic recipe, and of course, it’s made WITHOUT a water bath…yay!
We’ll be serving our pumpkin cheesecake on my homemade graham cracker crust and topping it off with a cinnamon version of my homemade whipped cream. It’s a perfectly spiced fall cheesecake that would make a great Thanksgiving dessert (and, in my opinion, it’s WAY better than pumpkin pie!).
Why you should try my recipe:
- No water bath needed. Let me repeat that: No water bath!
- Classic cheesecake flavor infused with just the right amount of pumpkin.
- 100% from-scratch!
- Includes tips on how to prevent cracks.
What You Need
Take note of these ingredients before starting the recipe–they’re important!
- Cream cheese. As with all of my cheesecake recipes, you want to make sure you use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese and not the kind the comes in a tub, which can cause the cheesecake to not bake properly.
- Pumpkin puree. Do NOT use pumpkin pie filling, which has additives and flavoring that we do not want in our cheesecake! We’re looking for the plain, 100% pumpkin that’s often (confusingly) sold right beside the pie filling.
- Sour cream. I’m a staunch believer that cheesecake without sour cream simply isn’t worth wasting your time on. Sour cream gives you rich depth of flavor that is critical for that classic cheesecake flavor. And critical for guaranteeing that your guests ask for the recipe after they’ve tried a bite.
- Eggs. It’s best if they are are room temperature and give them a light mix with a fork so they incorporate easily.
- Pumpkin pie spice. This gives our pumpkin cheesecake a beautiful spiced flavor that complements the pumpkin SO well. If you don’t have your own, now is the time to whip up a batch of my homemade pumpkin spice.
SAM’S TIP: I like to remove my eggs, cream cheese, and sour cream from the fridge at least an hour before I begin making my cheesecake. They will combine more evenly this way, which makes for a uniform batter and reduces the risk of cracks.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Prepare your graham cracker crust and set it in the fridge to chill.
- Cream together the cream cheese and sugars until well-combined.
- Stir in the sour cream, then add the vanilla, pumpkin, and pumpkin spice.
- Add the eggs on at a time and mix until just combined after each.
- Spread the batter into your crust and bake for 40 minutes.
- Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 6 hours.
- Top with cinnamon whipped cream and enjoy!
SAM’S TIP: It’s important that the eggs are fully incorporated into the batter, but don’t overdo it. Stir the batter on low-speed just until each egg has been incorporated.
Tips for a Crack-Free Cheesecake
Like my other cheesecake recipes, this cheesecake is made WITHOUT a water bath. If you’ve made any of my other recipes, like my chocolate cheesecake, you’ve already seen these, but they’re worth repeating. To avoid cracks, make sure you follow these tips:
- Use room temperature ingredients. Set your cold ingredients out beforehand and don’t try to soften/warm them up quickly in the microwave (you can end up melting your ingredients this way!).
- Don’t over-beat your eggs! Not only can this make your cheesecake crack, but it can also ruin the texture and make it mealy and dry.
- Don’t open the oven! Opening the oven door drastically reduces the temperature, which can slow the baking process and can cause your cheesecake to crack and sink.
- Cool slowly! Rapid cooling is a surefire way to end up with a big crack in the center of your pumpkin cheesecake (even if it was smooth when it first came out of the oven!). Let your cheesecake cool slowly! I let mine cool on top of the oven where it’s still warm, but you can also leave it in your (turned off) oven with the door open to let it come to room temperature before refrigerating.
- Mind the crust! When you’re pressing your crust into the pan, press it up the sides, too, as high as you can! Cracks are most often caused by tension that happens as the cheesecake tries to contract in the pan. The edges are usually stuck to the side, and the tension of trying to shrink but not being able to can cause cracks. I actually can’t believe it took me so many years to learn this tip, it’s an absolute game changer and I didn’t realize how obvious it was until I developed my lemon cheesecake. If you only try one of these tips to avoid cracks, make it this one. Oh, and if you didn’t get your pumpkin cheesecake crust up quite as high as you needed to, just immediately after baking run a sharp knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan.
SAM’S TIP: If you follow all my tips and your cheesecake still cracks, don’t panic–it will still taste amazing! You can simply cover it with your cinnamon whipped cream or top it with chocolate ganache, and no one will even know!
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t recommend it, as most store-bought crusts come in small pie tins that aren’t large enough to hold the amount of batter that this recipe makes. You would need at least two store-bought crusts, and the baking time would be reduced quite a bit.
I suggest you use my homemade crust instead; it takes just a few ingredients and a few minutes of your time to make and will fit the pan perfectly!
You can store your cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Make sure you cover your cheesecake with plastic (or store it in an airtight container) to keep it from absorbing other odors in the fridge. You can also freeze your pumpkin cheesecake (after it’s cooled as indicated in the recipe) for several months. I like to cut mine into slices and wrap and freeze them individually.
I leave mine in the springform pan until I’m ready to serve, then I remove the ring and serve. When I need to store it again, I’ll put the ring back on.
If you’d like to remove your pumpkin cheesecake onto a pretty platter, use a spatula to gently pry the bottom up from the bottom of the pan and very gently slide it onto a serving platter.
I hope you love this fall twist on my classic cheesecake 🍂
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 graham cracker crust (prepared according to recipe in 9" or 10" springform pan, not pre-baked). Click the link for recipe.
- 24 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature, be sure to use brick-style and not spreadable cream cheese (680g
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed (150g)
- ½ cup sugar (100g)
- ⅓ cup sour cream (80g)
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin puree¹ (244g)
- 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten, room temperature preferred
Cinnamon Whipped Cream
- ¾ cup heavy cream (175ml)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (30g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C)².
- Prepare graham cracker crust in a 9″ springform but do not bake. Place in refrigerator to chill while you prepare your cheesecake filling.
- In a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand-mixer), beat together softened cream cheese and sugars, scraping down the sides with a spatula occasionally to ensure ingredients are mixed well. (beat on medium-speed about 1-2 minutes, scraping down side occasionally).
- Add sour cream and stir well, pausing once to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spice and stir until well-combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just mixed after each addition (and scraping down the sides after each addition).
- Spread cheesecake batter evenly over prepared crust.
- Transfer to oven and bake on 350F for 40 minutes or until center of cheesecake is set and bounces back to the touch.
- Allow pumpkin cheesecake to cool to room temperature and then transfer to refrigerator and chill for 6 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, prepare your cinnamon whipped cream.
Cinnamon Whipped Cream³
- For the cinnamon whipped cream topping, combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon in a clean medium-sized bowl.
- Use an electric mixer to stir on low-speed. Gradually increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Pipe or dollop whipped cream over chilled cheesecake. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
¹Pumpkin note
Be sure to grab pure pumpkin puree (the only ingredient on the can should be “pumpkin”) and not “pumpkin pie filling”, which contains other ingredients and is usually sold right beside the pumpkin puree.²Video note
Whoops! The video says to preheat the oven to 375F but this cheesecake should actually be baked on 350F (as the written recipe indicates) instead.³Whipped cream
I used a Wilton 2D tip to pipe the whipped cream onto my cheesecake.Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Pumpkin cheesecake may also be frozen for several months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This recipe originally published 10/13/2017, while the recipe remains the same, the post has been updated and improved and a video has been added!
Related Recipes
My pumpkin cheesecake recipe was originally published in 2017. The recipe remains unchanged, but I’ve updated the photos, added a video, and updated the blog post to make it more helpful.
Samantha
I don’t have a springform pan, but I do have a premade graham cracker crust… could I use that?
Sam
Hi Samantha! You can use a premade crust, but you will have a some excess batter and your bake time will be shorter. 🙂
Perry
I made this last week for our holiday dinner party on Saturday and it is the best cheesecake I ever ate. No kidding, delicious. Followed the instructions to the letter, after baking the center seemed very jiggly, but the touch felt right. Overnight in the fridge, perfect. I don’t like pumpkin pie, but I’ll eat this pumpkin cheesecake again and again. The difference is the puree versus the pie filling.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for giving our recipe a shot, Perry! We are so happy you enjoyed the cheesecake ❤️
Mel
Does the canned Libby’s pumpkin need to be…drained?
Sam
Hi Mel! Your canned pumpkin puree shouldn’t have that much water in it.
Andrea
It’s says the can of pumpkin is 244 grams. All the small cans seem to be 425 g. Was this a typo?
Sam
Hi Andrea! You only need 1 cup of the pumpkin puree not 1 can. 🙂
Stan
I made two of these day before thanksgiving. Everyone loved it including myself. Just when I think I have found the next best thing I try something like the pumpkin cheesecake. People couldn’t believe I made it. Finding Sam and her YouTube channel has been a very fun and rewarding experience. I am definitely hooked.
Deb
I made this for Thanksgiving–it was a big hit! Your cheesecake was the first cheesecake I’ve made (I made cheesecake cupcakes once but never a whole cheesecake). I did something wrong because I had a LARGE crack in the center. What to do? I toasted whole pecans and opened a jar of caramel sauce. Poured the caramel sauce all over the top, then sprinkled the pecans over that. No one was the wiser! It was delicious!!!! Thank you! (I’m the person who made homemade pizza for the first time thanks to your easy pizza dough recipe). Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We like your thinking, Deb! Sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks for trusting our recipes 🥰
Allison
It was perfect and so easy to make. I doubled the crust recipe.
Jessica
Hi, I wanted to make this in two smaller cheese cake pans do you know if it would take the same amount of time to cook? Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jessica! It will take less time in smaller pans. We hope you love it! 😊
Alex
In our video recipe you say
to “pre-heat oven at 375 degrees” then before your going to put the cheesecake in the oven you say
we will bake the cheesecake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes..
which is correct? 375 degrees or 350 degrees for 40 minutes..
which i
Sam
I’m sorry for the confusion, Alex! When in doubt always follow the written recipe. Sometimes I misspeak when filming and don’t catch it until it’s too late.
Megan Mollett
So excited to make this! Weird question, do you think I could swap the 1 cup pumpkin purée with 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes?
Thoughts?
Sam
Hi Megan! I think it could potentially worked with pureed sweet potato prepared similarly to the pumpkin, but I’m not sure how mashed sweet potato would go.
Eileen
Do you have a suggestion for an alternative to the graham cracker crust? Thank you, Sam! Love all your recipes 🙂
Sam
Hi Eileen! You could do a gingersnap crust. 🙂
michelle ruggiero
Shucks don’t know what happened. I followed directions exactly with zero changes. This took so much longer to set. It was very loose after 40 min . I kept adding 5 min until I reached 65 min of cook time at 350. I checked my oven temp and it was spot on. It tasted fine but i could not dicern any difference from a pumpkin pie to this cheesecake minus the graham crust. What on earth went wrong?
Katie
I just pulled mine out of the oven but had the same experience. 40 minutes at 350 was not enough. Mine took closer to an hour as well..