If you’re looking for the perfect little fall dessert, these Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts are exactly what you need. They start with a crisp, buttery gingersnap crust, filled with a silky pumpkin cheesecake filling that’s perfectly spiced with warm fall flavors. Baked in muffin tins for individual servings, they’re easy to make, simple to serve, and absolutely irresistible topped with a swirl of whipped cream. Whether you’re making them for a party, Thanksgiving dessert table, or just a cozy fall treat, these tarts are as easy as they are impressive.
Ingredients Needed
- gingersnaps – you’ll need to blend or process these into crumbs
- butter
- cream cheese – softened to room temperature
- canned pumpkin
- sugar
- pumpkin pie spice
- vanilla extract
- eggs – we always recommend large for baking
- heavy whipping cream
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- whole pecan halves – optional
How To Make Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts
- Preheat oven and prepare muffin tin.
- Pulse cookies to crumbs.
- Combine crumbs and butter to form a crust. Place a small amount of crust into the bottom of each pan.
- Mix the cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, spices, and vanilla until smooth, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Pour into muffin tins and bake until set, then cool and chill completely. Before serving, whip the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
- Top each tart with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
Storage & Other Tips
- Store cooled tarts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. This keeps the creamy filling smooth and fresh. If doing this, do not top with whipped cream until right before serving.
- You can fully bake and chill the tarts a day in advance. Store refrigerated until just before serving, then top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin spice.
- These taste great cold or brought to room temperature for about 15–30 minutes—either way, the filling stays silky and delightful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! While gingersnap crumbs add that perfect spicy-sweet crunch, you can easily swap in graham crackers or Biscoff cookies for a different flavor twist.
They’re ready when the tops look set and just slightly puffed, with maybe a tiny jiggle in the center. Overbaking can lead to cracks, so pull them out as soon as they’re set.
Absolutely. Bake and refrigerate the cheesecakes up to 2 days in advance. Add whipped cream and spices just before serving for the freshest look.
Yes! Freeze the fully baked and cooled cheesecakes without the whipped cream. Wrap tightly and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
You can make your own by mixing cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to taste—or just use cinnamon alone in a pinch.
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 gingersnaps blended or processed into crumbs (about ⅔ cup)
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Additional pumpkin pie spice optional
- Whole pecan halves optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners or spray well with cooking spray.
- Combine cookie crumbs and melted butter and toss until evenly combined. Gently press about 1 scant tablespoon of the cookie crumb mixture into each prepared cup and set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla and mix with an electric mixer until completely smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing completely after each addition.
- Pour the mixture evenly into each muffin tin and bake 20-30 minutes or until they appear just barely golden and set on top. Remove from oven and cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
- Before serving, combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Lightly dollop over each cheesecake, then sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie seasoning and top with a pecan half.
Questions & Reviews
Made as mini cakes. Was able to get 3 dozen in mini tart pans baked for 20 min. Freeze very well. Just added canned whipped cream before serving. These are a hit.
Made these in a “mini” size for a party, they were a huge hit!!
I always use a whip cream dispenser for desserts and they were perfect!!
I ended up doubling the recipe, and have filling left over I’m wondering if anyone knows if I could freeze this?
Or how long it would last in fridge to make more…
cheesecake freezes beautifully!
These were amazing. Had to sub the ginger snaps for graham crumbs. Not too cheesy or pumpkiny even pumpkin pie haters will love!
P.s. I plan to top them with a pecan praline and caramel sauce.
Yum
I think you might be my new best friend. Looks delicious.
Made these and they are delicious!
Yay!!! I’m so glad !
I love some pumpkin-spiced items, but I am not crazy about it like some people. Cheesecake is on my good list. I think I might leave the gingersnaps whole, though, and use one per mini-cheesecake as a crust. I’m all for taking the easy route!
Thank you for not making the crust out of Nilla wafers! And also I love gingersnaps. These are so so cute!
Ditto with the pumpkin. And the spice. took me years to be able to eat pumpkin pie without gagging, I still don’t really love it. But, I do enjoy pumpkin bread, and these little tarts look really yummy, so, going to try it 🙂 my family will think I am the best ever, haha
I’m with you on the pumpkin spice thing! Such a relief to know that I’m not the only one in the world. These adorable little cheesecakes look amazing though.
So basically this is pretty similar to one of my favorite recipes of yours that I make every year on thanksgiving, (because pumpkin pie is gross) but minus the white chocolate and in mini form? I am on board. Portion control though? See. They are so tiny I will pop them in my mouth like tiny little cheesecake vitamins.
“Cheesecake vitamins”! Ha ha! My thought exactly. In my world, mini does not = portion control. These look great though! 🙂
These look like a Thanksgiving miracle.
Ooooh, yummy. I have everything at home except the gingersnaps, but I do have oreos I could use for the crust – opinion??
Absolutely!! If you like the chocolate/pumpkin combo, go for it!
I’ll take apples and cinnamon any day over pumpkin.
This looks great. Also, your story/article was super fun! Thanks for all.
These mini pumpkin cheesecake tarts look incredible! I need them in my life!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I am guessing that you removed these from the muffin tin after the last refrigeration period. After spraying with cooking spray, were they easy to remove? I mean I guess the crumb bottom stayed together and that you ran a knife around each cup first? My muffin tin is pretty notorious for sticking, and I know I can use cupcake cups to prevent this, but then each one would have to be peeled off before serving and I am not sure how that would go either. Thanks for the yummy looking recipe!
I used a silicone pan and with the cooking spray, they came right out (after I ran a knife around the edges.) If you want to use liners, I really recommend the foil liners for things like this. Hope that helps!
Any particular silicone pan you recommend? They are on my Christmas list, but I want to get good ones. And I’m TOTALLY with you on the pumpkin spice thing. If it was eggnog, however, I would be on it like a wild beast. These look delicious though!