Ditch the mushy pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving in favor of this luscious pumpkin spice cheesecake! Creamy and dreamy cheesecake packed with pumpkin and spice flavor with an Oreo cookie crust and topped with sour cream Chantilly cream and toasted pepitas. This fall classic flavor combo will be your new favorite dessert for the holidays!

A close up shot of a slice of pumpkin spice cheesecake being pulled out of the cake

About This Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Recipe

It isn’t fall without pumpkin spice bakes! Give the pumpkin pie a break, and dig in to this decadent pumpkin spice cheesecake recipe. Made with cream cheese and sour cream giving a tangy contrast to the sweetness, this quintessential fall bake is both easy to make and quick to impress. Adding pepitas adds a nice crunch to cut through all the creaminess and dreaminess.

The Origin of Cheesecake

Cheesecake dates back to about 2,000 B.C. and the first cheesecake recipe was written in about 200 A.D. We have the Greeks to thank for the creation of this fan favorite dessert. Used as a source of energy, the Greeks used to eat cheesecake to help them prep for their Olympic games. The recipe itself was very basic including just cheese, honey, and flour, but when the Romans conquered Greece they started adding eggs to the cheesecake recipe. From there, different cultures started adding their own twists to the recipe, but the signature ingredient of cream cheese was not used until the dessert made its way to New York in the 1800’s when cream cheese was invented by accident.

Read all about it here.

A slice of pumpkin spice cheesecake on a small white plate with the rest of the cheesecake in the background

Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients

Pumpkin puree: Canned pumpkin is perfectly fine, and if you have leftover, you can check out my other Pumpkin Bakes!
Sour cream: Use full fat sour cream for this recipe. If you don’t like the idea of sour cream whipped cream, skip out and use double the amount of heavy cream.
Pumpkin pie spice: While you can buy pre-made pumpkin pie spice, you can also make your own! Whisk together 4 parts cinnamon, 1 part allspice, 1 part cloves, 2 parts nutmeg and 2 parts ginger.
Pepitas: Pepitas are a fancy way to call pumpkin seeds, and you can use salted and/or roasted.
Oreo crumbs: If you can’t find Oreo crumbs, you can buy regular Oreos and turn them into crumbs in a food processor.

Major Allergens Present: dairy, gluten, eggs, seeds

Equipment Needed

Hand or stand mixer: Needed to create a fluffy and silky smooth cheesecake. You will use the paddle for a stand mixer and beaters for a hand mixer. Also used to whip up the sour cream Chantilly cream. You will switch to the whip attachment for a stand mixer and continue using the beaters for a hand mixer.
9″ Cake pan (springform preferred): This recipe fits in an 9″ cake pan. I prefer a springform because of it’s ease for removing with the removable sides.

Overhead shot of the pumpkin spice cheesecake after being topped with sour cream Chantilly cream

How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake

What is Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Made out of?

Get ready to cozy up on the couch with a slice of this pumpkin cheesecake recipe! A classic cheesecake recipe using the normal cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, and eggs but with added sour cream, pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice. Also, this recipe uses an Oreo cookie crust instead of the classic graham cracker. However, you will need more sour cream for the sour cream chantilly topping in addition to toasted pepitas. Don’t forget to enjoy with a cup of coffee.

Make the Pumpkin cheesecake batter:

The key to lump free, fluffy cheesecake is taking the time to cream your ingredients. If you don’t cream the cream cheese and subsequent ingredients enough, the batter will have lumps of cheese. So, always start with room temperature cream cheese. I follow a certain pattern when making pumpkin cheesecake batter. Cream the current ingredient until creamy, scrape the bowl and attachments, cream on the highest setting for 60 seconds, add in the next ingredient on medium-low speed, then rinse and repeat. This long mixing process also incorporates more air. More air gives a higher rise to your cheesecake and a nicer texture. You cannot overmix but you can certainly undermix.

Bake in a water bath and why we use one:

Since cheesecakes are technically a custard, they require a water bath! A water bath is baking your dessert in a container filled with water. Fill your container until it is halfway up your cake pan. Since custards use egg proteins to solidify the bake, a water bath aids in even even cooking and coagulation of these egg proteins which leads to silkier and smoother texture.

A water bath also keeps the temperature at 212*F and cooks it using indirect heat. Indirect heat is much less harsh for the delicate custard and egg proteins. Slow and steady wins the race for egg proteins because the slower they coagulate, the better flavors they release. The moisture also helps give rise to the cheesecake and prevents the drying and cracking of the top. Test for doneness by giving the top of the cheesecake a delicate poke. It is done when the top of the cheesecake is firm but has a slight give and light bounce. Alternatively, you can temp to 150*F.

Make the garnishes and finish the Easy Pumpkin spice Cheesecake:

All garnishes are optional of course, but garnishes can add contrasting flavors and textures to give you a better experience. The sour cream Chantilly may sound weird, but I promise it goes so well with the cheesecake, pumpkin, and spice, especially if you add a splash of bourbon. When finishing the easy pumpkin spice cheesecake, you can either dollop or pipe (if you’re feeling fancy!) the Chantilly on top. Follow up with a sprinkle of toasted pepitas and/or Oreo crumbs and enjoy for Thanksgiving dessert.

Looking head on at a single slice of pumpkin spice cheesecake on a white plate

Getting hung up or lost on all the baking terminology? Study up here.

Help Making Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake:

How to Make Silky Smooth Cheesecake:

Use room temperature cream cheese and goat cheese if possible. If not, you can microwave in small bursts to take the chill off or use a blow torch on the outside of the bowl while it is creaming.
Scrape down the bowl and attachments frequently, and let it cream on for a good amount of time in between each additional ingredient.
Make sure to massage any creamy ingredients with a spatula prior to adding to the mix (looking at you mascarpone cheese) and also whisk any cornstarch with granulated sugar prior to adding.
After scraping down the sides of the bowl and attachments, allow to cream on the highest speed for 60 seconds. This will pulverize any remaining lumps and also incorporate air.
Bake in a water bath. This helps with even, slower, and indirect baking which aids in creating a silkier, smoother texture. It also creates moisture in the oven which helps prevent the top from drying out or cracking.

How to Tell When Cheesecake is Done:

Give the top of the cheesecake a delicate poke. It is done when the top of the cheesecake is firm but has a slight give and light bounce. Emphasis is on the word gentle.
Give a temperature check. A cheesecake internal temperature should be 150*F. Make sure the thermometer is in the center of the cheesecake and not too close to bottom or sides of the cake tin. I learned this when I turned into a home baker embarrassingly late in life.

Enhancing This Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Recipe:

You can try a different cookie base like gingersnaps or Graham crackers! I would just recommend leaving out the pumpkin spice or using less if you plan on using gingersnaps or else the final product will be a little too spicy.
Add a couple packets or couple of teaspoons of instant coffee to the cheesecake batter to turn this into a coffee dessert!

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Cheesecake?

Yes, you can freeze pumpkin cheesecake wrapped or covered for up to 3 months.
Store the finished cheesecake in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

A close of a slice of pumpkin spice cheesecake after a forkful has been taken out and resting on the plate

Troubleshooting Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake:

My cheesecake has a crack in the top! You overbaked or did not use a water bath. You can cover up the crack with extra whipped cream. However, next time bake just until set or until an internal temperature of 150*F. See my tips above for knowing how to tell when a cheesecake is done.
My cheesecake has white lumps in it! You did not mix the cheesecake batter enough, especially the cream cheese. Use room temperature cream cheese and make sure you are scraping down the bowl and attachements frequently. Blowtorch the sides of the bowl to assist. Also, mix on high speed before and after adding the next ingredient.

Something else going wrong? Reach out and we will troubleshoot together!