Pumpkin lovers will absolutely adore this fall twist on a classic dessert. This recipe for pumpkin spice cheesecake features a swirl of pumpkin for a show-stopping holiday treat. Just because it looks fancy doesn’t mean it’s difficult to make, though. Here’s what to do!
Find the Right Gear
Before you get started, be sure to check that you have the right gear:
- Springform pan: You need this pan for easy slicing and serving at the table.
- Aluminum foil: Use a few sheets of foil to wrap the pan and protect the cheesecake from the water bath.
- Tall-sided baking pan: Your springform pan should be able to fit comfortably on your baking sheet, along with an inch of water.
- Toothpicks: Use them for making the pumpkin swirl pattern.
Don’t forget to bookmark our Ultimate Cheesecake Baking Guide, too.
Start Baking a Day Ahead
This might be the best reason to make a cheesecake for the holidays: you can prep dessert long before guests arrive! When the cheesecake has a chance to set overnight in your fridge, the flavors mingle and get even better.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 cup crushed gingersnap cookies (about 20 cookies)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened, divided
- 1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the pan
Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Stack two pieces of heavy-duty foil (about 18-inch squares) on the counter. Place the pan on top and wrap the foil around the edges of the pan. This will help prevent the water bath from soaking your crust.
Step 2: Make the crust
In a small bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, pecans and butter. Press onto the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Place the pan on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.
In the mean time, see what mistakes everyone makes when baking cheesecake.
Step 3: Make the filling
In a large bowl, beat 1 package of cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar and the cornstarch until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the remaining cream cheese just one package at a time until it’s smooth. Add the remaining sugar and the vanilla. Add the eggs and beat everything together on low speed until just combined.
Step 4: Assemble the cheesecake
Place 2 cups of filling in a small bowl and stir in the pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg. Remove 1/4 cup pumpkin filling and reserve it for the swirled top. Pour the remaining pumpkin filling over the crust and spread it out carefully. Spoon the remaining plain filling in large dollops over the top of the pumpkin filling and spread it carefully to coat the pan.
Step 5: Finish the swirled top
Use a small spoon to place dollops of the reserved pumpkin filling over the top of the plain cream cheese filling. Use a toothpick or thin skewer to gently swirl the pumpkin into the cream cheese in a pretty pattern. Don’t overswirl, though, or you’ll lose the contrast.
Step 6: Bake the cheesecake
Place the springform pan inside the baking pan and add 1 inch of hot water to the larger baking pan. This will help prevent your cheesecake from getting a cracked top. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until the center is just set and the top appears dull. Remove the springform pan from the water bath and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake, and then cool for 1 more hour. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
Top Your Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
This cheesecake is gorgeous as-is or with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Have you ever made homemade whipped cream? Your guests will be pleasantly surprised with how much better it tastes from scratch!
How Can Kids Help?
You may have heard that cheesecake has a reputation for being difficult. But our recipe is easy enough that kids will be able to help in the kitchen! Here are some easy things for them to do:
- Be “The Crushers:” Pop all the gingersnaps into a zip-top bag and hand your kids a kitchen mallet. Let them get to work crushing the cookies into smithereens!
- Chop the pecans: I’m not suggesting you set kids loose with your kitchen knives. We keep a manual food processor like this in our kitchen for the kids to safely prep ingredients. It works perfectly for nuts, onions and other small ingredients that need to be finely chopped.
- Pat the crust into place: Kids love working with their hands. Have them press the cookie crust into the springform pan. Show them how to pat it out smoothly.
- Be in charge of the mixer: What kid doesn’t love playing with gadgets? Little ones will love being in charge of turning the mixer on and off. Just make sure you’re supervising. Older kids can be in charge of the actual mixing and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Design the pumpkin artwork: Hand over the toothpicks or skewers and let them do the final swirl of the top layer. It’s like painting!
Have kids who love to help? Find more ideas for baking with kids.
See Our Most Gorgeous Pumpkin Desserts
Pumpkin pie does not have to be difficult to make. This recipe has a wonderful taste and will be a hit at your holiday meal. —Marty Rummel, Trout Lake, Washington
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My mother always made these tasty muffins whenever our family got together at her house. Now they’re a family favorite at my house, and my in-laws love them, too! —Carolyn Riley, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
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This beautiful layered cake has a creamy filling with a mild pumpkin flavor and a little spice. It's quick and always turns out so well. The nuts and caramel topping add a nice finishing touch. —Trixie Fisher, Piqua, Ohio
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I combined my two loves, cupcakes and pie, into one amazing treat. These pumpkin cupcakes have a piecrust bottom and a snow white topping. —Julie Herrera-Lemler, Rochester, Minnesota
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I'm one of the cooking project leaders for my daughter's 4-H club, where these soft, delicious cookies were a great hit with the kids. —Marietta Slater, Augusta, Kansas
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I always keep fat-free frozen yogurt on hand. By combining it with just four other ingredients, I can quickly whip up this great-tasting treat.—Anne Smithson, Cary, North Carolina
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My husband loves anything pumpkin, and this creamy, comforting pumpkin pudding recipe is one of his favorites. We make our easy pudding all year long, but it's especially nice in the fall. —Andrea Schaak, Bloomington, Minnesota
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I make these flavorful pumpkin cupcakes each Halloween, but they're wonderful year-round. —Amber Butzer, Gladstone, Oregon
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Put leftover cranberries and pumpkin to great use in this moist quick bread. It’s very good with my "secondhand turkey" casserole for an after-Thanksgiving meal. —Dixie Terry, Goreville, Illinois
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This creamy pie is perfect for any autumn celebration. A store-bought graham cracker crust makes it such a cinch to whip up. —Maria Regakis, Somerville, Massachusetts
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These bars taste like a cross between pumpkin pie and pecan pie—yum! If you can't find butter cake mix, yellow cake mix works. —Sue Draheim, Waterford, Wisconsin
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Even though this dessert is quick to fix, it has a creamy pumpkin taste and golden harvest look...just like traditional pumpkin pie. It's a great dessert for both everyday dinners and special-occasion suppers.—Linda Clapp, Stow, Ohio
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I received this pumpkin bread recipe from a co-worker who made it for an office party. It is so yummy and moist that I now make it every year at the holidays for friends and family. —Sandy Sandaval, Sandy Valley, Nevada
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This recipe really captures the flavor of fall. It's good with or without the gingersnaps.
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These lightly spiced pumpkin brownies are a nice change from the typical dessert. —Iola Egle, McCook, Nebraska
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Tart, juicy cranberries enhance the delicate pumpkin flavor of these muffins. Sometimes I dust the tops with powdered sugar to add a little sweetness. —Sue Ross, Casa Grande, Arizona
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These big, soft spice cookies created by our staff have a sweet frosting that makes them an extra-special treat. Enjoy! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are the ultimate fall treat. But my family likes them so much, they ask me to make them all year long! —Brenda Keller, Andalusia, Alabama
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It takes mere minutes for Leila Flavell of Bulyea, Saskatchewan to ad holiday flair to a no-bake cheesecake. She used canned pumpkin and spices to dress up the mix with thick, creamy results.
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Perk up an autumn morning with one of these hearty muffins. You'll really enjoy the pumpkin-spice flavor and crumbly nut topping&mash;and so will everyone else! —Mrs. Janice Christofferson, Eagle River, Wisconsin
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You can speed up this recipe by using a store-bought pound cake or baking and freezing one ahead of time. The sugared pecans can also be prepared in advance and stored in an airtight container.—Becky McClaflin, Blanchard, Oklahoma
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My husband and two kids are sure to eat the first dozen of these cookies, warm from the oven, before the next tray is even done. A co-worker gave me the recipe for the pumpkin dip, which everyone loves with the cookies. —Kelly McNeal, Derby, Kansas
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It wouldn't be fall without pumpkin bars, and I think everyone has a favorite version. I based this recipe on one of my grandmother's, so sweet memories are baked into every batch. —Mary Wilhelm, Sparta, Wisconsin
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These delightful scones are perfect on a cold winter day with a steaming hot cup of coffee. They also make a wonderful hostess gift arranged in a basket. —Judy Wilson, Sun City West, Arizona
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I belong to a Christmas village collectors' club and we all bring a potluck dish to our monthy meetings. The cake is always a hit. It's one of my family's favorite Thanksgiving desserts, too, and disappears before the pumpkin pie does. —Debby Powers, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
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I keep my freezer stocked for our harvest crew with home-baked goodies like this deliciously spicy, easy pumpkin bread recipe. —Joyce Jackson, Bridgetown, Nova Scotia
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There's more to pumpkin than pie, as this impressive trifle proves. It looks so elegant with alternating layers of gingerbread cake and pumpkin/butterscotch pudding. Try making it ahead of time for a fuss-free dessert when you're planning to entertain guests. —Lyla Lehenbauer, New London, Missouri
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Among all my pumpkin bread recipes, this caramel-glazed creation is the pick of the crop. Often, I'll wrap up a lovely loaf as a homemade gift for teachers and Sunday school leaders. —Brenda Jackson, Garden City, Kansas
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My 2-year-old son, Joshua, especially likes testing—or should I say consuming—these chunky cookies! —Johna Nilson, Vista, California
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A special autumn treat is as easy as rolling up crescent roll dough with pumpkin butter and chopped pecans. Just spread on vanilla frosting and enjoy! —Lori Merrick, Danvers, Illinois
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The post How to Make Our Luscious Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake appeared first on Taste of Home.
Tiffany Dahle