Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
Give your Thanksgiving table a glow up with this easy pumpkin spice cheesecake recipe! Creamy and dreamy cheesecake packed with pumpkin and spice flavor boasted with an Oreo cookie crust and topped with sour cream Chantilly and toasted pepitas. This pumpkin cheesecake is definitely better than your store bought pumpkin pie!
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. 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.
Pumpkin Spice 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: Pumpkin seeds are also called pepitas! 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.
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. This also 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 and bake the Oreo cookie crust:
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. This 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 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.
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 if Your 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.
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!
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
Equipment
- Stand or hand mixer
- 9" Cake Pan preferably springform
Ingredients
Oreo crust (if making from scratch)
- 200 g Oreo cookie crumbs
- 1½ Tbs Butter, unsalted melted
- 2 Tbs Granulated sugar
Pumpkin cheesecake
- 375 g Cream cheese
- 94 g Granulated sugar
- 1½ Tbs Cornstarch
- 2 ea Whole eggs
- 1 ea Egg yolk
- 82 g Sour cream
- 200 g Pumpkin puree
- 1 Tbs Pumpkin pie spice
Sour cream chantilly cream
- 75 g Sour cream
- 75 g Heavy cream
- 2 Tbs Granulated sugar
- 1 splash Bourbon optional
- 1 pinch Cinnamon, ground
- 1 pinch Nutmeg, ground
- ¼ cup Pepitas Toasted
Instructions
To prepare the Oreo cookie crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your 9" cake pan with parchment paper and pan spray.
- Mix the Oreo cookie crumbs with the melted butter and sugar.
- Pour into your prepared cake pan and pack down tightly.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool.
To prepare the cheesecake:
- Lower the oven temperature to 250°F, and place a sheet pan halfway filled with water in the oven.
- With your stand mixer and paddle or hand mixer and beaters, cream the cream cheese until soft and creamy. Scrape down the bowl and attachments, and mix on the highest speed for high for 60 seconds. Lower the speed to medium low.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and sugar then add to the cream cheese. Mix until fully incorporated with no lumps. Scrape down the bowl and attachments, and mix on the highest speed for high for 60 seconds. Lower the speed to medium low.
- Add the eggs and yolk and mix until fully incorporated with no lumps. Scrape down the bowl and attachments, and mix on the highest speed for high for 60 seconds. Lower the speed to medium low.
- Add the sour cream, and mix until fully incorporated with no lumps. Scrape down the bowl and attachments, and mix on the highest speed for high for 60 seconds. Lower the speed to medium low.
- Add the pumpkin puree and spice, and mix until fully incorporated with no lumps. Scrape down the bowl and attachments, and mix on the highest speed for high for 60 seconds. Lower the speed to medium low.
- Pour into your cake pan and place in the prepared water bath in the oven.
- Bake in your prepared water bath for 60-75 minutes or until set or until the internal temperature reaches 150℉. Allow to cool before placing in freezer for a minimum of 4 hours to remove the pan and liner and slice.
To prepare the sour cream Chantilly:
- Combine all ingredients and whip until stiff peaks. Keep cold until needed.
- Decorate the top of the chilled cheesecake as desired and sprinkle the toasted pepitas on top.
Nutrition
Loved combining my love for cheesecake with my love for pumpkin and spice. The oreo crust made it even better!