Pumpkin Cheesecake – A Beautiful Mess

Happy fall, ya’ll! I love all things pumpkin but this pumpkin cheesecake recipe really takes the cake. Lol. I’ve been using this recipe since 2013 because it’s simple, easy to make and absolutely delicious. If you are in need of a pumpkin cheesecake recipe this season, this is it!

This pumpkin cheesecake has a graham cracker crust and a thick and creamy cheesecake that is perfectly spiced for the season. This is like if pumpkin pie and cheesecake got together and had an easy-to-bake baby.

Related: Love pumpkin? Next, try Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Pasties, Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Butter or Pumpkin Juice. You may also want to make your own homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Ingredients

• Graham crackers
• Butter
• Cream cheese
• Granulated white sugar
• Brown sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Vanilla extract
• Pumpkin puree
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Eggs
• Salt

You will also want whipped cream for the topping.

How to make Pumpkin Cheesecake

First, make the crusts by grinding up the graham crackers. This is super easy in a food processor. Stir together with the melted butter. Press into your pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.

Cream together the softened cream cheese, sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the flour and pumpkin puree. Stir in the spices, vanilla extract and salt. Now stir in the eggs, one at a time until it is all just combined. Do not overmix this, but watch out for any lumps. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as you can should cut back on those pesky lumps.

Pour batter over the prepared crust. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate until chilled (about 3 hours).

Tips & Substitutions

• I line the square baking pan with one square piece of parchment that is larger than the pan and then I cut slits in each corner. Another option is to line the pan with two pieces of parchment cut into rectangles and overlapping each other in the center.
• Pumpkin puree is not the same as pumpkin pie filling, but the cans look very similar at the grocery store. Pumpkin puree should only have one ingredient: pumpkin.
• To soften cream cheese, I leave it out on my kitchen counter overnight, still in the package. Another option is to microwave it in a microwave-safe container for 30-45 seconds until soft. You want it softened as this will help prevent lumps in your cheesecake.
• This cheesecake will look puffed up after baking, but as it cools it will settle back down.
• If you’d like even more seasonal flavor you could swap the graham crackers for gingerbread or gingersnap cookies. Any dry cookie, like a graham cracker, can work in this recipe.
• You can bake this pumpkin cheesecake recipe in a standard 9-inch springform cheesecake pan if you prefer. Simply reduce the baking time to 1 hour instead of 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• You can store this cheesecake covered in the refrigerator for at least 3 days and likely longer. I would wait to add whipped cream until you are ready to serve.

More Seasonal Recipes

Serve cold with a little fresh whipped cream on top. Enjoy! xo. Emma

Note: Back in 2013, when I first published this recipe, I baked it as individual cheesecakes in a special pan I got as a wedding gift. It wasn’t a standard pan, not easy to find, so although this recipe hasn’t changed all that much it has been retested for a standard 8×8 square baking pan, which is much more common and easy to find. I hope this update makes this recipe all the more accessible. That being said, many of the older comments reflect questions around that original pan or the individual cheesecake size.