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 (680 g) cream cheese softened to room temperature, be sure to use brick-style and not spreadable cream cheese
- ¾ cup (150 g) brown sugar packed
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (244 g) pumpkin puree¹
- 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten, room temperature preferred
Cinnamon Whipped Cream
- ¾ cup (175 ml) heavy cream
- ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C)² (see note).
- Prepare graham cracker crust in a 9″ springform but do not bake. Place in refrigerator to chill while you prepare your cheesecake filling.1 graham cracker crust
- 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 and lump-free.24 oz (680 g) cream cheese, ¾ cup (150 g) brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- Add sour cream and stir well, pausing once to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream
- Add vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spice and stir until well-combined.1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup (244 g) pumpkin puree¹, 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just mixed after each addition (and scraping down the sides after each addition).3 large eggs
- Spread cheesecake batter evenly over prepared crust.
- Transfer pan to a foil lined baking sheet and place in center rack of 350F (175C) oven. Bake for 40 minutes or longer (see note!), until center of cheesecake is almost set (center may jiggle very slightly, edges should be set and may be slightly puffed or very slightly cracked).
- 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.¾ cup (175 ml) heavy cream, ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 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.Baking time
Exact bake time can vary depending on your oven, whether you bake your cheesecake on a baking pan or not, the color of your springform pan (light or dark), and even the precise temperature of your ingredients. Because of this I recommend checking your cheesecake at 40 minutes (the amount of time it takes me) and adding time as needed. Some readers have reported needing to bake their cheesecake upwards of an hour! Follow the cues indicated in the recipe to tell that it’s done, you can use an instant read thermometer to check that it’s done if you aren’t sure, the temperature should exceed 160F (70C).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.
Merry Fauve
I didn’t use a springform pan. I went rogue and used a fluted edge tart pan. It came out beautifully and no worries about leaky spring form pan. I wanted to add that mine turned out on the light and fluffy because I may have beat it too much and my ingredients weren’t at room temp. Next time I will pay attention to those details….but geez….it was FANTASTIC! 😊
Susan
I made this with a gingersnap crust (1 full bag of Stauffer’s gingersnaps, no added sugar or spices and 1 stick of butter) pressed in a 10 inch springform pan. I followed the written directions perfectly and it came out beautifully..I have yet to taste it (Thanksgiving is tomorrow) but it looks spectacular. I’m feeling pretty confident it will be a hit! thank you so much for this recipe!
Gema
I also had the issue with the temperature. I recommend updating your video since so many have had the same complaint.
I overbaked 2 cheesecakes. Then tried for a third since they were so badly cracked.
About 25 minutes in, I realized the temp said 350 on the recipe — then lowered the temp to 350 without opening the oven. The cake turned out better, but still cracked in the middle.
I’m still waiting on the cake to cool before tasting.
Sam
Hi Gema! I’m sorry about the confusion on the temperature in the video. I do say it properly later in the video. These videos are more to show you how it’s done than for you to bake along with them. I do have an entire section in the post on how to prevent cracks in the cheesecake that you may find useful next time. I hope you still enjoy it!
Marina Higby
I need to say thank you for adding the measurements of each ingredient at each step. This is the first time I’ve seen this on an online recipe. It’s so helpful. Thanks so much!
Sam
I’m so glad it was helpful, Marina! I hope you loved the cheesecake! 🙂
Murphy
I have been making this for the last 5 years or so. I make it 3/4 times a season. It’s always requested for Christmas as well!
This recipe is great – have you ever used this recipe, but replaced the pumpkin with anything else? Wondering if it’s been tested and versatile as a base cheesecake recipe?
Also, for all the comments saying it makess too much batter – it’s meant to go over the crust. Letting the cake cool to room temp and then refrigerating overnight should allow the spring form to come right off of it – I have never even had to use a knife around the edges.
Sam
Thank you so much, Murphy! I am so glad you enjoy it! I do have many variations that are possible, if you have something specific you’d like to do I could provide more specific instructions. 🙂
Pam
I have a counter oven i.e. small. I tried your recipe, it came out awful. My fault,not the recipe. Because the pan is so much closer to heating elements I think it cooks faster. Besides being overcooked it was tasteless. The batter tasted great before.baking. Do you have any suggestions ? P.S. The butter did not run out of the pan, I have made cheesecakes before and the butter has never run out of pan.
Sam
Hi Pam! with a counter oven this could be tricky, I think I would either try making this as mini cheesecakes (you’d get about 24, you can double the crust and follow the baking instructions in my mini cheesecake recipe) or maybe even try baking it in a pie plate which is more shallow and not as close to the heating element. If you do it in a pie plate, you’ll have much too much batter for a single pie plate and would probably need to divide it into two pans (you’d want to double the crust to do this). You could also try reducing the oven temperature to 325F, which could help, too! I really hope that helps!
Nathalie
I made this recipe exactly as stated. I had no issues with too much batter. I got nervous reading about the butter leaking, so I did prebake the crust, then let it cool before filling. I cooked mine for 50 minutes. Can’t wait to try it with the yummy cinnamon whipped cream! I gave it 4 stars because I have not tasted it yet.
Sam
Hi Nathalie! So glad everything went smoothly for you! The batter created should easily fit in a 9″ springform pan for anyone else worried about this (I re-tested the recipe myself on Friday just because the “too much batter” comments had me scratching my head, too, was relieved to confirm it fits fine). Thank you so much for trying my recipe and I can’t wait to hear how you like it once you try it!
Sandy
I just put the cheesecake in the oven and I agree. For a 9″ springform pan it is too much batter. It is at the top of the crust. I ended up tossing some of the batter out. If I ever make it again I will make more of the graham cracker crust.
Sam
Hi Sandy! I’m confused, is the batter overfilling the cheesecake pan? If it’s not, it’s not too much batter. While this recipe does make enough crust that you should be able to push it high enough up the pan that the cheesecake batter is below it (my photos and video were done using this exact recipe), it’s totally fine if the batter ends up going higher than the crust and not worth stressing over (or discarding batter over!). Just run a knife between the cheesecake and the pan after it’s finished baking to minimize the risk of cracks. I hope you love the cheesecake!
Monica
So I had a TON of batter as well. I mixed just as written and it exceeded the height of the crust. The crust recipe should probably be doubled or at least 1.5x’d because it will NOT cover the full height of the 9” springform pan.
It’s very difficult to get the cheese to go to room temp – left out for HOURS!!
I also have no idea how to tell when it’s done. I googled and YouTubed but many videos were regarding those which used a water bath.
Because of the excess batter, it cracked at the top just above the crust because it was really tall I guess. Currently waiting for it to cool so I can try it for real.
Sam
Hi Monica! That’s so disappointing to hear! It’s ok if the crust doesn’t go all the way up the pan you will just want to make sure to loosen it from the sides with a knife when it’s done baking as I mention in the post. How long the cream cheese takes to soften depends entirely on the temperature of your kitchen. To speed it up you can unwrap it and cut it into pieces. Are you using a 9″ springform pan and my graham cracker crust recipe? Are you using a shallow pan? This does make a lot of batter but it does fit in the pan, did yours not? I use all of these measurements in the video and to make the cheesecake in the photos and you can see how mine turned out. I do provide instructions in step 8 for how to tell if it’s done baking. 🙁
Katherine M Rivera
I really liked your recipe for your Pumpkin Cheesecake. I plan on serving it at our Thanksgiving gathering this year. I’ve followed similar recipes for this type of cheesecake but was disappointed how they turned out.
I will see if adding the eggs separately and the sour cream will make the difference.
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Katherine! 🙂
Brenda M
I worked in a kitchen for 37 years. I tried this recipe. I had a lot of batter and not nearly enough crust to go all the up the sides. I made it for a church gathering tomorrow, I pray it comes out ok.
Sam
Hi Brenda! I’ve never run into this issue before. Are you using a 9″ springform pan? You can see in the video the crust is enough and the batter fits neatly in the pan, did yours not? How did it turn out for you?
Erin
can I use a store bought crust? I’m new to the baking game and don’t want to make one LOL
Sam
Hi Erin! A store bought crust will work, but you will have too much batter for it. They will bake for less time. The batter will likely fill 2 of those store bought crusts. 🙂
Shannon Worthy
I don’t own a springform pan and don’t enjoy making the crust so I used 2 store bought crusts when I made this last year. If I remember right I think they cooked a bit faster (maybe 30 minutes?). Came out perfectly! I had one for Thanksgiving and then froze one for Christmas/New Year’s. Both were amazing! I’ll be making 2 again this year.
Amber
I ended up with an incredibly large amount of batter… I’m not sure what I did wrong. I just finished baking it and I’m not sure it’ll be edible. 😔
April
That happened to me as well. Maybe too much batter. Hoping it will be okay.
Sam
Hi April! What size pan did you use? You shouldn’t be getting a lot of extra batter for a 9″ springform pan unless you increase some of the ingredients.
Ginger M
Just made this for my daughter’s birthday. It was a 10 out of 10!!!!! I’m fairly certain I overbaked it based on my fear of anything being undercooked. I was afraid it would be dry. It was excellent. Not too dense, my biggest fear with cheesecakes. Not too sweet, and the flavor was out of this world. Definitely will make again and am now a fan of this site. Thank you SOOOOO much!!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Ginger! Welcome to the site and I hope you love everything you try! 🙂
Donna
Hi I am making this now b But in your video, you said to preheat the hour to 375, then later on in the video.You said to put it in yout 350. oven And bake it for 45 minutes it is a good thing I rechchecked thr video or I may of burnt my cheesecake also in the recipe it does say 350 either way I hope it turns out
Sam
Hi Donna! There are a few notes in the recipe card about this but you will want to bake at 350F. I hope that helps and I hope you love the cheesecake!
Marilyn
I made the cake by following along with your excellent video. In the beginning of the video you said to preheat the oven to 375 degrees. At the end and in the recipe you said 350 degrees. Which is correct? I cooked mine for 40 min on 375 and the top browned a bit. Also it cracked around the edges because the batter went above the crust line a little. After 40 min the center jiggled but didn’t bounce back. After reading the comments I just put it back in for 10 min. How do I know if it’s done? Should a toothpick come out wet or dry? Thanks.
Sam
I’m so sorry for the confusion, Marilyn! This is a much older video. It should be baked on 350. When in doubt, always refer to the written recipe below the video. You will want the center to wiggle a little bit but bounce back when touched gently. The toothpick test doesn’t really work for a cheesecake. I hope you still enjoyed it!
Syrus
why no written portions for ingredients is useless if you don’t know how much to use and a pic with a bunch of unknown sized bowls is equally useless
Sam
Hi Syrus! The picture of the ingredients is purely just to show you what goes into the cheesecake. It is not there so you can bake from it. You can find all of the written amounts and instructions lower on the page. 🙂
Leanne
I had the same issue as the last 2 commenters with the leaking butter! About half an hour in, I said “what smells like smoke…?” I knew the cheesecake was not in nearly enough time for it to have started burning. Same thing – opened the oven to black smoke. I’ve always pre-baked my graham cracker crust, but decided to try this new method (I prepped my crust then put it in the fridge to set while I prepped the filling). I’ve never had an issue with the butter leaking in the past – and I’ve always used the same springform pan. Is there a reason you don’t recommend pre-baking, even for a few minutes? All that to say – the cheesecake did turn out amazingly, and I was holding my breath until I could test it out the next day (I was super worried it would taste smoky, but nope!). It was just a bit stressful, especially because I was trying so hard not to open the oven!
Sam
Hi Leanne! Hmm, was the springform pan securely locked? I’m honestly not sure why it would be leaking, this is my go-to graham cracker crust and I have never personally had any issue with it leaking (and I make it quite a bit). Pre-baking the crust wouldn’t prevent leakage unfortunately and would ultimately just make the crust more crisp than I personally wanted for this recipe. I am adding a note to the recipe to recommend baking the springform on an aluminum foil lined pan, just to keep anyone from having to deep clean their oven in the future, though. I am really happy to hear that ultimately you did still get to enjoy the pumpkin cheesecake, though!
Mark
Hi Can I use an 8 in pan?
Sam
Hi Mark, this is a bit too much batter for an 8″ pan. You would likely have to discard some excess and bake the cheesecake longer.
Nancy Ortiz
I baked my cheesecake in a springform pan as directed, the video nor the instructions said to place the springform pan on a baking sheet so l baked it directly on the rack in my oven. I set my timer for the 40 minutes & when l went to check on it thick smoke billowed out of my oven choking me & burning my eyes. My smoke alarms all went off it was so bad. The bottom of the oven almost caught fire & the only thing l can think of is that the butter in the crust leaked thru the springform to the oven bottom. I wouldn’t think that enough butter would have leaked from the graham cracker crust but what else would it have been. Can you place a cookie sheet on the rack below the springform pan when baking a cheesecake?
Sam
Hi Nancy! I’m so sorry to hear this happened! Step 8 does tell you to bake it on a foil lined baking sheet in case of leaking.
Courtney Horne
I wish I had seen this comment before I baked my cheesecake! I tried this recipe tonight and right at the end of the baking time there was a small fire in our oven! Tons of smoke filling out and burning our eyes. Highly recommend cooking on a tray or using a water bath in the future. I’m pretty sure that ruins the cheesecake, what a bummer!
Sam
Hi Courtney! Unfortunately springform pans often leak, it can be so frustrating! Because of this, the recipe has you place the cheesecake on a foil lined baking sheet before baking (see step 8), that way if any leaks do happen you don’t end up with a smoky mess. I wouldn’t recommend skipping this step this in the future. I hope you are still able to enjoy the cheesecake!
Michelle
Can the sugar be substituted with Splenda and same for the brown sugar with Splenda brown sugar? My husband is diabetic. Thx!
Sam
Hi Michelle! I haven’t tried it personally so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. If you do try it, I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
P Elder
How come only some of us are having the issue of butter dripping out the bottom of the springform pan? Are we doing something wrong or do we just have lousy springform pans?
Sam
It’s just your springform pan. Some of them just don’t seal well. You can always place your springform pan on a cookie sheet when baking to help save the mess. 🙂
Erin
40minutes is not enough time to bake this! I just served raw cheesecake.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this, Erin! Every oven can be different which is why step 8 gives you clues on how to tell if it’s done. However, mine has always finished baking in the time indicated. It’s important to always check your baked goods to make sure they have completely finished baking. Also, did you let the cheesecake cool completely and refrigerate it overnight before serving?
Taryn Clark
Absolutely irresistible. I brought this one to work since my husband and I already ate the whole regular cheesecake and we didn’t need to eat this entire pumpkin cheesecake ourselves. Everyone RAVED about it, I’m basically famous now. Perfect as always
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are SO happy it was such a hit, Taryn! Thanks for giving this one a try 🧡