Celebrate the season with a sweetly spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake is nestled in a gingersnap crust and topped with light and cinnamon-y whipped cream. This easy to make pumpkin cheesecake recipe is easy to make ahead and perfect for the holidays.

Pumpkin Cheesecake on an turquoise cake plate with a slice of cheesecake on a plate in front of it.


Pumpkin Cheesecake

Whether you like it or not, fall is here in all it’s Pumpkin spice form and I’m ready for it. From the Pumpkin Spice latte to the Pumpkin Energy Bites, we’re about to eat more pumpkin than we really care for. It’s pumpkin or bust here and nobody’s complaining…..yet.

This is, by far, one of my favorite pumpkin desserts for the season. I made this Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe a few years back that’s topped with a Pecan Praline with a kick of bourbon. It’s a southern style cheesecake with pure pumpkin flavor that I can’t get enough of….good thing they’re mini for easy portion control.

But before I even made the mini cheesecakes, I always made this easy Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe to take for holiday gatherings. Cheesecake is surprisingly simple to make but always looks so impressive….especially, when your cheesecake recipe yields perfect results every time.

This Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake recipe is light and creamy, slightly spiced and baked in a gingersnap crust. It’s seriously the BEST Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe EVER made and ensures perfect results every time making it the perfect ending to Thanksgiving dinner.

With pumpkin puree baked right into the creamy filling, you may never make another pumpkin pie again.

Overhead shot of Pumpkin

Ingredients for Pumpkin Cheesecake

  • Ginger Snap Cookies – Homemade Ginger Snap Cookies make the sweet, warmly spiced crust. You can substitute with graham crackers or graham cracker crumbs to make a graham cracker crust, instead.
  • Cream Cheese – Regular cream cheese works best, do not substitute with low-fat or reduced fat cream cheese. Make sure it’s room temperature before you begin.
  • Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract has the best flavor without artificial flavoring.
  • Pure Pumpkin Puree – Homemade pumpkin puree is wonderful in this recipe but you can buy a can of pumpkin puree. Pumpkin Pie Filling is not a good substitute.
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice – For the warm spiced notes, pumpkin pie spice is perfect.
  • Sugar – I like to use regular white sugar but brown sugar adds richness and depth to the filling.
  • Eggs – Large, room temperature eggs work best.

For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with gingersnap crust on an aqua cake plate.

How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake

My easy Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust is always a crowd pleaser and the fact that you can make it in advance saves so much time during the holidays. It’s freezer friendly, too. Make sure you use room temperature ingredients.

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Pulse the cookies or graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar, melted butter and salt until clumps begin to form.
  4. Press the crumb mixture into a springform pan firmly and evenly across the bottom and halfway up the sides.
  5. Transfer the crust to the oven and bake crust until set, approximately 10 minutes.
  6. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool completely. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with foil.
  7. Reduce the oven temperature to 325˚F.
  8. Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment at medium-high speed until fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes. You can also do this in a large bowl with a hand mixer.
  9. Beat in the sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed.
  10. Add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  11. Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust and set in a large roasting pan.
  12. Transfer the baking pan to the oven and fill with water. Bake cheesecake for 60-65 minutes or until set but still wobbly in the center. (Do not open the oven door.)
  13. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 8 hours or overnight.
  14. Beat the cream, powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
  15. Using a piping bag, pipe the whipped cream onto the top of the cake. Sprinkle with crushed gingersnap cookies, if desired.

To avoid a soggy crust, wrap the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil before assembling the cheesecake.

We love this 9-inch Springform Pan for all our cheesecake (and round cake) recipes! It’s leakproof and nonstick making cake release easy and stress-free.

Click to Buy
Pumpkin Cheesecake slice on a decorative plate with a gingersnap cookie on the side.

How To Freeze Cheesecake

You can totally freeze Pumpkin Cheesecake for up to 6 months.

  1. Place your already cooled cheesecake on a baking sheet and freeze, uncovered, until firm.
  2. Wrap your frozen cheesecake tightly in plastic wrap and then wrap, again, in heavy duty aluminum foil.
  3. Place the wrapped cheesecake in a large freezer bag, press out the air and seal.
  4. Freeze your cheesecake for up to 6 months.
  5. To thaw, unwrap your cheesecake and allow to thaw at room temperature for 1 hour. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Slice of Pumpkin cheesecake on a decorative plate with a gold fork.

How To Keep Cheesecake From Cracking

Cheesecakes can crack for many reasons, one being the cheesecake is too dry. This Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe is moist enough that your cheesecake should not crack at all.

However, there are other factors which can cause your cheesecake to crack. Here are a few tips to ensure you end up with a picture perfect Pumpkin Cheesecake.

  • Be sure all ingredients are room temperature. This will help the filling come together easily and smoothly without having to over mix the filling which can contribute to cracking.
  • Grease your pan. Cheesecakes love to cling to the sides of the pan and then shrink when cooling causing crater like crevices to form in the center of your cake. By spraying lightly with cooking spray or greasing with butter, your cheesecake will be able to pull away from the sides easily without cracking.
  • Add the eggs to the filling last and add them one at a time. Eggs are the binding agent and are the main culprit when it comes to trapping air bubbles. Air bubbles can cause cracking. So, by adding the eggs last you help reduce the amount of air bubbles in the filling.
  • Bake your Pumpkin Cheesecake in a Bain Marie….or water bath. To create a water bath, cover the sides and bottom of your cheesecake pan with aluminum foil to provide a barrier from the water. Use heavy-duty aluminum foil, if possible, and wrap outside of the pan as securely as possible. Place the cheesecake pan inside a high sided baking pan and fill the pan with 1 to 2 inches water or until the water is approximately half way up the sides of the pan.
  • Bake your cheesecake at a lower temperature, I’ve found 325 degrees to be the ideal temperate.
  • Resist the urge to over bake your Pumpkin Cheesecake. It will set up completely with the overnight rest in the refrigerator. No worries!
  • Allow your cheesecake to cool completely at room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator. Drastic changes in temperature will definitely cause your Pumpkin cheesecake to crack wide open. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 🙂
Pumpkin Cheesecake with a bite on a golden fork.

How To Know When Cheesecake Is Set

You’ll know your pumpkin cheesecake is done baking by giving the pan a little shake (carefully so you don’t splash the water in your Bain Marie around!). If the cake looks nearly set and just a small area in the center is still wobbly, it is done baking. The center will set up completely while it rests.

See how easy that is? And it’s like a pumpkin spice dream come true! I’ll be eating this easy cheesecake for the next week, which is cool because I’ll need the energy to get me through putting up ALLLL the Christmas decorations. I’m totally skipping the other holidays.

Slice of Pumpkin Cheesecake with a bite on a fork.

More of My Best Cheesecake Recipes

Want even more tasty desserts or easy family dinners? Be sure to follow us over on Instagram!

Overhead shot of Pumpkin

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
8 hours
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Super easy and freezer friendly, this Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust is a must have for all your fall and winter holiday parties.
5 from 5 votes
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Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST

  • 2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs approximately 12 ounces whole cookies
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE FILLING

  • 4 8- ounce blocks cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 15 ounces Pumpkin Puree
  • 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Cinnamon Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 springform pan

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar, butter and salt until clumps begin to form.
  • Press the crumb mixture into a springform pan firmly and evenly across the bottom and halfway up the sides.
  • Transfer the crust to the oven and bake until set, approximately 10 minutes.
  • Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool completely. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with foil.
  • Reduce the oven to 325 degrees.
  • Add the cream cheese to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
  • Beat in the sugar, vanilla, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed.
  • Add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • Pour the filling into the crust and set in a deep baking pan.
  • Transfer the baking pan to the oven and fill with water. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until set but still wobbly in the center.
  • Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 8 hours or overnight.

For the Cinnamon Whipped Cream:

  • Add the cream, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon to a bowl.
  • Beat the ingredients with a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
  • Using a piping bag, decorate the top of the cake with the whipped cream or spread the cream over the top of the cake with a spoon.

Notes

To freezer: Place the baked and cooled cheesecake on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Wrap the frozen cheesecake tightly in plastic wrap and then wrap again in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped cheesecake in a large freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To thaw: Remove the cheesecake from the freezer and unwrap. Place the cheesecake on a platter and thaw at room temperature for 1 hour.
Calories: 439kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 125mg, Sodium: 304mg, Potassium: 175mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 40g, Vitamin A: 6410IU, Vitamin C: 1.7mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 1.5mg
Author: Kellie
Course: Baking, Dessert
Cuisine: American