This always surprises people, but I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin pie. And like a lot of people who share that opinion, it’s not so much a taste issue for me as it is a texture one. While I don’t care for pumpkin pie, I adore just about anything else pumpkin flavored including pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin bread, pumpkin tarts, pumpkin sauce , ooh, pumpkin pie Blizzards, pumpkin candles (not to eat, to smell) you name it. So pumpkin cheesecake is my dessert of choice on Thanksgiving. It’s a good alternative to pie, and it’s great because it needs to be made ahead of time – forcing you to plan ahead! This Pumpkin cheesecake has all the right spices, a pecan-gingersnap crust, and a caramel topping.
Ingredients and Equipment Notes
- A note about water baths – While cheesecake enthusiasts will tell you it’s essential to always use one, from my experience, some cheesecakes do okay without them (like this Creamy Cheesecake) and others really need them to turn out well. I think it depends on the recipe. This one needs a water bath.
- Roasting Pan – You will need a roasting pan to create a successful a water bath.
- Springform Cheesecake Pan – I love my springform cheesecake pan, so grab one of those as well if you don’t have one already. This recipe is designed for a 9″ pan.
- Heavy Duty Foil – Nobody wants a soggy cheesecake! Heavy duty foil wrapped around the bottom of your springform pan will prevent the water bath from working it’s way in.
- Heat Proof Pitcher or Glass Measuring Cup – You’ll need some hot water for the water bath. Before you get started, make sure you have a good way to transfer the hot water to the roasting pan- a large glass measuring cup, electric kettle, or even a ladle, if necessary.
- Cream Cheese – Regular or low fat is fine. Avoid fat free.
- Gingersnaps – The crust of this cheesecake is made from gingersnap cookies. Get these on the cookie aisle or look for them in seasonal displays, just be sure you are getting the crunchy kind, not soft ginger cookies from the bakery.
- Whipping Cream – Regular or heavy will both work. Heavy whipping cream will hold it’s shape a little better over time.
Instructions
- Start some water boiling for your water bath. You’ll need enough to fill your roasting pan 1 1/2 to 2 inches.
- The crust is one of my favorite parts: a mix of gingersnap cookies and pecans. First, crush the gingersnaps and then pecans in a food processor. We’ll mix those with some butter and brown sugar and press evenly into a 9″ springform pan, extending up the sides about 1 inch.
- Next, melt some white chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, until smooth. While that’s cooling, we’ll mix up some softened cream cheese, sugar and eggs. Then add pumpkin puree, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Lastly, mix in that white chocolate and pour the filling mixture onto the prepared crust.
- Next comes the water bath. Wrap the bottom of your springform pan in several layers of heavy duty foil to keep water out of your springform pan. Place your cheesecake in a roasting pan and place in preheated oven. Carefully fill the roasting pan with hot water, about half way up the sides of your cheesecake pan.
- Close the oven door and bake. Start with 60 minutes and take a peek. Continue baking, if needed, up to about 75 minutes. The center should be just a tad bit jiggly still. It will finish cooking while cooling. When it’s done, remove from oven and water bath and place on a rack until completely cool. Place in the fridge for at least 12 hours. This is a very soft cheesecake so sufficient chilling is a must!
- When ready to serve spread sweetened whipped cream on top, drizzle caramel sauce over it, and sprinkle with pecans, if desired.
Similar Flavors
Looking for more desserts like this? Check out these Our Best Bites Favorites:
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Layered Pumpkin Pie Toffee Cheesecake
FAQs
- What happens if I don’t use a water bath? The purpose of a water bath is to ensure the entire cheesecake comes to temperature and cooks evenly. Without it, the outside of the cheesecake will likely be overdone while you are waiting for the middle to set up. It is also more likely to crack without a water bath.
- I see this cheesecake needs a long time in the fridge. How far ahead of time can I make it? Make the cheesecake up to 48 hours in advance. Leave it in the springform pan after cooling. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and add the toppings right before serving.
Did You Make This?
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Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan-Gingersnap Crust
A long-time reader favorite! This creamy pumpkin cheesecake, topped with whipped cream, caramel, and pecans (optional) is a great alternative to pumpkin pie.
Ingredients
- CRUST
- 1 3/4 cups gingersnap crumbs about 30 small cookies
- 6 tablespoons real butter melted
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3/4 cup ground pecans
- FILLING
- 3 8- ounce blocks cream cheese
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 6 ounces melted white chocolate that's about 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- TOPPING
- 1 cup whipping cream beat with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 4 tablespoons powdered sugar until medium peaks form
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped pecans either toasted or caramelized
- 2 tablespoons jarred caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Start water boiling, enough to fill your roasting pas 1 1/2 to 2 inches.
- For the crust, Use a food processor to crush gingersnaps. Then do pecans. Combine gingersnaps, pecans, brown sugar, and butter and stir well to combine. Press into a 9" spring form pan. Evenly spread across the bottom of pan and up the sides about 1 inch.
- To melt chocolate, place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Set aside. With an electric mixer beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Add pumpkin, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. With the mixer running, slowly add in white chocolate in a steady stream (or steady blobs). Pour mixture on top of the crust.
- For the water bath, place cheesecake pan inside your roasting pan. The larger pan should be at least 2-3 inches in depth. Place in pre-heated oven. With a kettle or pitcher filled with hot water, pour water into the larger pan about halfway up, or approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches.
- Bake for 60-75 minutes or until set. The center should be just a tad bit jiggly still. It will finish cooking while cooling.
- When it's done, remove from oven and place on a rack until completely cool. Place in the fridge for at least 12 hours. This is a very soft cheesecake so sufficient chilling is a must!
- When ready to serve spread sweetened whipped cream on top, drizzle caramel sauce over it, and sprinkle with pecans.
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Questions & Reviews
I made this for thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit. This will now go into regular rotation for Thanksgiving from now on! Thanks for the awesome recipe! LOVE IT.
5 stars, amazing! My new favorite!!!
Do I leave the spring form in the water while it cools?
For a fool-proof way to keep water out of your cheesecake use a cooking bag ! You can use it 2 or 3 times without it leaking, just gather it around the top of your pan & use the twisty to snug it up….sooooo much faster.
Is there a “Print” button like on the toffee pumpkin cheesecake recipe? I want to print this out without the pictures so I can have a paper copy to take into the kitchen.
What size springform pan do you use? I’m at the store and I don’t know whether to get the 8, 9 or 10 inch pan. Thanks!
Julie, the recipe says 9 inch.
I made this yesterday and we are enjoying it this morning! Being my first ever cheesecake the directions were very easy to follow! Thanks so much!
In LOVE with this cheesecake! Yummo!
I made this for Thanksgiving last year, and it is probably one of my most favorite cheesecakes ever! And I’ve tried pretty much every kind from the Factory! I made a trial run before the big day and sent some over to my neighbor. She called two minutes later to tell me she would eat this off the foor, it was so good!
Quick question. Is the cream cheese suppose to be softened first? What is the best way to do that in a time crunch? Thanks!
Yes Shanna, for just about everything it works best to soften the cream cheese. If it’s not at room temp already (and let’s be honest- mine never is!) just remove the wrapper and pop it in the microwave. Heat on 20-30 second intervals, stirring in between until it’s soft and stirs easily.
Is it ok to make the whipped topping ahead of time? I am making it to take to a family reunion and I don’t have 12 hours at home to chill it..
Well, the cheesecake definitely needs to be refrigerated for 12 hours (or at least 8) so it can set up–otherwise, it will ooze everywhere when you try to cut it. You COULD use whipped topping, or you could just whip up the cream when you get to where you’re going. 🙂
I have a probably stupid question….Do you leave the cheesecake in the pan while it’s in the fridge?
Not a stupid question at all! Yes, just leave it in the pan to chill; that’s easiest. It will probably fall apart on you if you try to move it first.
Do you have any recipes for pumpkin butter? I got some from a festival in a small town that was made by some very awesome older country church ladies and I only bought one because I had never tried it before. HUGE MISTAKE!!!! They canned it themselves along with a couple dozen other things like pumpkin syrup, damsen plum preserves (still finishing that jar lol), and other fab concoctions you can imagine. I would love to try to make some pumpkin butter – and syrup – because I found and bought some at the grocery store recently and it was a let down compared to the high standard these ladies set! I crave this stuff every time I make biscuits (frozen bc I have not been able to make good biscuits yet!) and french toast as well as the syrup for my home-made waffles. PLEASE find a good recipe PLEASE!
Many blessings and may the fat never stick to you! Deborah
I’ve never make it, but I’d like to! Maybe I’ll try it out this fall.
helllllo, ladies! i was wandering how you transfered the cheesecake, onto that nice serving plate???
-Eloise
I run a big knife across the bottom of the cheesecake to make sure nothing is sticking and then I use a giant spatula and sort of slide it over!
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was incredible! It is as good as it looks and sounds!
Nope- extra gingersnaps should work just fine- enjoy!
My almost-16-year-old and I have drooled over the pictures since we saw this at Thanksgiving time! She wants this for her birthday next week, but her best friend is allergic to nuts (brothers, too, but her big concern is her friend:) Any reason substituting extra gingersnap crumbs wouldn't work in the crust? Thanks for all the great recipes!
I once made this in a ready-made graham cracker crust because I had one in my pantry that I needed to use. Let me warn you that this cheesecake is MUCH better if you make the gingersnap crust! But if you have to, just use 2/3 of the recipe. Everything converts nicely but the vanilla, nutmeg, and cloves (unless there is such a thing as a 1/3 tsp). Just use 2 packages cream cheese, 1/2 c pumpkin, 2/3 c white chocolate chips, 2/3 c sugar, 2 eggs, 1 1/3 tsp vanilla, less than 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon, and less than 1/8 tsp of cloves. I hope that helps (and I hope I did my math right :))!
Elaine, you probably could make mini-sized, but I'm not sure on the baking time because I've never tried it. They'd be cute though!
No worries Kathleen! It should be just fine. It may take a tad bit longer to bake, but other than that you're good! Enjoy it!
Uh oh! Crying 5 month old and I accidentally put 1 cup of pumpkin instead of 3/4 cup. It is still in the oven, but is it probably ruined??? I am one of only two desserts for our big family meal!
I have also made this delicious cheesecake for the past few years always to rave reviews. I was wondering if it was possible to make into mini-cupcake size portions instead of the large cheesecake?
LaKenda- I'd stick with the homemade crust and springform pan for this one. I'm not sure if it would fit in a ready-made crust either. But if you do try it, skip the water bath, the ready made crust is too short and you'll probably get it waterlogged!
Question: Would this work if I used a ready made graham cracker crust? and would I still need to do the water bath?
I just finished eating the first cheesecake I ever made! Everyone who got a slice loved it and everyone who didn't still wants the recipe due to the reactions of those who did.
WOW, I made this for a party and it was amazing. I highly recommend this dessert for any special occasion.
I used a cheap springform pan with the turkey bag trick (I wasn't sure that my cheap foil was going to do the job.) I also used a deep roasting pan for the water bath as you suggested (I've always used a shallow jelly roll pan and end up spilling water when I remove from oven). My cheesecake came out flawless, no cracks and perfectly done. I baked it for 70 minutes.
Guittard white chocolate chips melted wonderfully.
I also substituted 1 package of neufchatel (reduced fat) cream cheese. I may try 2 next time.
Thank you! I'm going to make this again for Thanksgiving.
Looks great and want to try it! I also hate pumpkin pie, and it's a nice change from my pumpkin ice-cream pie — pumpkin ice cream pie in a graham cracker pie crust, which is also pretty tasty!
So i am pleased to report that even with my dysfunctional chocolate chips this was to die for and have now been assigned to make two of them for thanksgiving! yum!!!!!!
What chocolate chip brand would you recommend for good melting?
Kim-Thanks! I guess I am just really observant!
Bell Family–Yeah, that's not normal. They may have been sitting on the shelf at the grocery store for awhile or an off brand.
so i don't know if my chocolate chips were disfunctional or something but they would not melt, i checked them after every 30 seconds and it just stayed clumpy and gritty and then they burnt on the inside! grrr 🙁