This is the best pumpkin cheesecake recipe to serve guests for Thanksgiving. I used gingersnap cookies, but you could easily swap out and use graham crackers instead. Top with a little whipped cream and rake in the compliments!
Mmm, cheesecake. If you are looking for a great twist on pumpkin pie during your holiday dinner, then this could be it. A pumpkin cheesecake with a gingerbread cookie crust. Oh yeah, move over pumpkin pie there is a new guy in town.
I love all things pumpkin. Except, get this. pumpkin pie! I know, I don’t know what it is. I love pumpkin muffins. I love pumpkin lattes. So on my holiday family table, we don’t have plain old pumpkin pie, we serve this instead.
What makes this pumpkin cheesecake take the blue ribbon at the state fair, is the crust. Instead of crushing up graham cracker crumbs, I decided to crush up gingersnap cookies instead. The cookie crust is what make this cheesecake to me.
This recipe was adapted from Food Network’s ‘Almost Famous’ pumpkin cheesecake. Almost famous because Food Network tried to replicate as best they could from Cheesecake factory’s pumpkin cheesecake. Now I have never tasted the CF’s version so I have no idea if they got it right or not but who cares because this cheesecake is just simply to die for.
Ingredients needed to make this pumpkin cheesecake recipe
For the crust:
- Gingersnap cookies (or graham crackers also work!)
- Sugar
- Butter
- Pinch of salt
For the cheesecake:
- Cream cheese (you will need 4 blocks of FULL fat cream cheese)
- Granulated sugar
- Sour cream (again full fat is best)
- Pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 6 Large eggs (make sure they are room temperature!)
- Vanilla extract – pure vanilla extract is best, or you can try making your vanilla extract!
- Spices – I used a combination of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves
- Garnish: Whipped cream and toasted pecans (optional)
How to make this pumpkin cheesecake:
Step One: Make The Gingersnap Cookie Crust
- Stir together the butter with the crumbs, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
- Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly and evenly.
- Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack, then wrap the outside of the springform pan with foil and place in a roasting pan.
Step Two: Prepare The Pan
- Wrap the cheesecake pan with either foil, and/or a slow cooker liner – or BOTH! I recommend the slow cooker liner because it’s the only method I have found to keep the hot water out of the cheesecake while baking.
Step Three: Make The Cheesecake Mixture
- In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth.
- Add the granulated sugar and beat until just light, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed.
- Beat in the sour cream, then add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt and the spices and beat until just combined.
- Pour into the cooled crust.
Step Four: Prepare The Water Bath And Bake!
- Boil water for the hot water bath.
- Gently place the roasting pan in the oven (don’t pull the rack out) and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan.
- Bake until the outside of the cheesecake sets but the center is still loose, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
- Turn off the oven and open the door briefly to let out some heat. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour, then carefully remove from the roasting pan and cool on a rack. Run a knife around the edges, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
Recipe FAQ’s
Absolutely. This cheesecake will last 3 days in your fridge, as long as it’s wrapped up in plastic. If it’s an airtight container, it will last up to 5 days. Â
Absolutely. A whole cheesecake will keep for about 2 months. Making it a perfect Thanksgiving dessert because you can make it ahead of time. Here is how to freeze:
1. Allow to cool to room temperature for about 4 hours.
2. Freeze for 1 hour uncovered.Â
3. Then wrap in plastic wrap (press-n-seal works best!) and then wrap again in foil or a large plastic bag.Â
To thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, before serving. You can also freeze individual slices in the same manner.Â
It may have cracked due to overmixing or overbaking. Be sure to use room temperature cream cheese so you do not have to mix the batter that much. Also avoid opening the door while baking. Big temperature changes like this can cause your cheesecake to crack. Be sure to bake in that water bath! That slow cooking method will help to prevent your cheesecake from cracking. And although the cheesecake may appear still jiggly in the center when the timer goes off, it is done. Do not continue to bake the cheesecake because this will cause it to become overcooked. It will firm as it cools. If it does crack, simply cover it up with some Whipped Cream!
A cheesecake water bath is essentially a slow way to cook the cheesecake. A cheesecake is type of custard and we want it to cook slowly so the texture is smooth and creamy. To achieve that, we place the cheesecake pan into a second larger pan with water. The water surrounds the cheesecake allowing it cook slowly.
You want to wrap the outside of the springform pan well so water doesn’t seep in. You can use a few layers of tin-foil but for foolproof water bath with no leakage use a slow cooker liner. Once the cheesecake is wrapped well, place it into a large heavy duty roasting pan. Pour your filling into the pan. Then add in hot boiling water into the roasting pan so it comes halfway up the sides of the cheesecake.
Recipe Tips
- Use softened cream cheese. If you use cold cream cheese you will need to mix it longer for it to get smooth which can incorporate too much air into the mixture. And this will make for a smooth creamy filling.
- Same goes for the egg! You want a room temperature egg that will incorporate into the rest of your ingredients and make for a smooth filling.
- Make sure to use pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling. The filling has added sugar and spices already in it.
- Use a waterbath or bain marie as the French call it. Wrap your cheesecake pan several times in tinfoil on the outside of the pan and set the pan inside a larger pan (like a roasting pan) that has been filled with hot water. The key here is make sure your pan is completely covered by tinfoil so no water seeps into the cheesecake, which would result in a soggy crust! I wrap my cheesecake in 3 layers of foil and use a good quality springform pan.
- A great alternative to the waterbath is placing a pan of boiling water on the rack below where your cheesecake is baking. The steam from the hot water will gently cook your cheesecake and you do not have to worry about a soggy bottom!
- Allow your cheesecake to cool in the oven with the heat off for an hour. It will appear that it is not done, and be a bit wiggly in the middle. Just allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for an hour. Then be sure to refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours (up to overnight) at which point your cheesecake will completely set up.
More Recipes To Try
To Make This Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe You Will Need:
- Stand Mixer
- 9- inch Springform pan
- Slow Cooker Liner (or just triple up on some heavy duty aluminum foil for the water bath)
- Food Processor – for the graham cracker crust (or just place the crumbs in a zip-loc bag and use a rolling pin to smash the crackers into crumbs)
- Roasting Pan (for the water bath)
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Cookie Crust
Ingredients
For the crust
- 5 tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 3/4 cups (227 g) gingersnap cookie crumbs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the cheesecake
- 2 pounds (4 blocks) cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (57 g) sour cream
- 1 15- ounce can pumpkin puree
- 6 large eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Brush a 10-inch springform pan with some of the butter. Stir together the butter cookie crumbs, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly and evenly. Bake until golden brown, 10 minutes. Cool on a rack, then wrap the outside of the springform pan with foil and a Slow Cooker Liner and place in a roasting pan.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar and beat until just light, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the sour cream, then add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt and the spices and beat until just combined. Pour into the cooled crust.
- Gently place the roasting pan in the oven (don’t pull the rack out) and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake until the outside of the cheesecake sets but the center is still loose, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the door briefly to let out some heat. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour, then carefully remove from the roasting pan and cool on a rack. Run a knife around the edges, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Bring the cheesecake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Unlock and remove the springform ring. To finish, I like to serve with whipped cream and a few toasted chopped pecans!
Notes
- Use softened cream cheese. If you use cold cream cheese you will need to mix it longer for it to get smooth which can incorporate too much air into the mixture. And this will make for a smooth creamy filling.
- Same goes for the egg! You want a room temperature egg that will incorporate into the rest of your ingredients and make for a smooth filling.
- Make sure to use pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling. The filling has added sugar and spices already in it.
- Use a waterbath or bain marie as the French call it. Wrap your cheesecake pan several times in tinfoil on the outside of the pan and set the pan inside a larger pan (like a roasting pan) that has been filled with hot water. The key here is make sure your pan is completely covered by tinfoil so no water seeps into the cheesecake, which would result in a soggy crust! I wrap my cheesecake in 3 layers of foil and use a good quality springform pan.
- A great alternative to the waterbath is placing a pan of boiling water on the rack below where your cheesecake is baking. The steam from the hot water will gently cook your cheesecake and you do not have to worry about a soggy bottom!Â
- Allow your cheesecake to cool in the oven with the heat off for an hour. It will appear that it is not done, and be a bit wiggly in the middle. Just allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for an hour. Then be sure to refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours (up to overnight) at which point your cheesecake will completely set up.
Biana says
This pumpkin cheesecake looks amazing! Such a perfect fall dessert, will be great with a cup of tea.
Heather says
an afternoon delight!
Jess says
I’ll take a slice of this over pumpkin pie every single time!
Heather says
a nice twist on a classic!
Gina says
Love the gingersnap crust and what a delicious filling! The best of two of my favorite desserts!
Heather says
Oh Gina I couldn’t agree more!!
Carrie Robinson says
This looks like so perfectly creamy! I wish I had a slice of this right now. 🙂
Heather says
Thanks Carrie!
Andrea says
Looks so creamy, smooth and delicious! A perfect dessert for the Fall.
Heather says
thank you Andrea!