Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Sliced pumpkin cheesecake topped with piped whipped cream on a white marbled cake plate on a dark wood background.

5 from 3 votes

Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

This Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe is truly exceptional! It's ultra-creamy, perfectly spiced, and uses a whole can of pumpkin purée! Paired with a buttery speculoos cookie crust, this easy-to-make, delectable dessert will be a must-try for Fall!

Prep Time45

Cook Time1

Water Bath Cool Down Time45

Total Time2 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Jennifer

Equipment

Ingredients

Speculoos Cookie Crust

2 cups Speculoos or Biscoff Cookie Crumbs 1, 8.8 oz Package, processed into fine crumbs
4 tbsp Unsalted Butter melted and slightly cooled

Pumpkin Cheesecake Batter

32 oz Cream Cheese softened and at room temperature
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Full-Fat Sour Cream room temperature
15 oz Canned Pumpkin Purée
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
3 Large Eggs room temperature

Whipped Cream Topping (optional)

1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar sifted
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Speculoos Cookie Crust

Adjust your oven rack to the center or middle position and preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Using a flour-based baking spray, grease a 9-inch springform pan. Cover the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper, then set aside.
Using a food processor, pulverize the speculoos cookies into fine crumbs. Add in the melted unsalted butter and pulse until the mixture has formed. It should be a similar consistency to wet sand.
2 cups Speculoos or Biscoff Cookie Crumbs, 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
Press the speculoos cookie crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, then place it in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes at 325ºF.
When done, remove the speculoos cookie crust from the oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
While you make the pumpkin cheesecake batter, you can leave the oven on if you wish, or turn it off and reheat it to 325ºF when you're ready to bake the cheesecake.
When cool to the touch, wrap the bottom and up the sides of the pan with 5-6 overlapping layers of aluminum foil (or heavy-duty aluminum foil), then (optional additional step) wrap the pan in a regular or extra-large-sized slow cooker liner. Both measures are to prevent water from sneaking into the cheesecake while it sits in the water bath.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Batter

Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the balloon whisks or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until it’s soft and fluffy. It should be the consistency of frosting.
32 oz Cream Cheese
Add the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, sour cream, pumpkin purée, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon, beating together until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar, 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, 1/2 cup Full-Fat Sour Cream, 15 oz Canned Pumpkin Purée, 2 tsp Vanilla Extract, 3 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice, 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Switching the mixer to its lowest speed, add in the eggs one at a time until each one is just blended with the cheesecake batter. Be careful not to over beat the batter, which can lead to cracks in your cheesecake.
3 Large Eggs
Pour the pumpkin cheesecake batter into the baked speculoos cookie crust (make sure the springform pan is prepped with the foil and optional oven liner), then place the cheesecake in the roasting pan. Open the oven door, place the pan on the oven rack, then carefully fill the pan with boiling or really hot water until it reaches almost halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Close the oven door, then bake the cheesecake for 55-60 minutes at 325ºF.
When done, turn off the oven, but keep the oven door closed. Then allow the cheesecake to cool in the water bath for 45 minutes.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven (the cheesecake will still be slightly jiggly) and place it on a few oven pads. Then, very carefully (with oven mitts), remove the cheesecake and place it on a few oven pads or a kitchen towel. Carefully remove the aluminum foil layers and the slow cooker liner from around the springform pan, then place the pan onto a cooling rack to continue cooling to room temperature. This will take 2-3+ hours.
Once the cheesecake has completely cooled (do not put it in the fridge before then), cover the top of the springform pan with a paper towel and an upside-down plate, then place it in the refrigerator to set overnight. If you are serving the cheesecake on the same day as when you baked it, allow at least 4 hours in the fridge for it to set.

Whipped Cream Topping (optional)

I recommend chilling your mixing bowl in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before starting the chocolate whipped cream.
Add in the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to your chilled mixing bowl. Beat the mixture on low speed until all of the ingredients are blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 1-2 minutes or until stiff peaks form with the whipped cream. If you can scoop it out with a spoon and it holds its shape, it's ready!
You dollop or pipe the whipped cream onto the cheesecake before or after it's been sliced. For piping, I recommend using a large piping bag fitted with a decorative tip like the Wilton 1M or Ateco St. Honore.

Video

Notes

Pumpkin Cheesecake Batter

Having a water bath creates a nice steam bath inside your oven, similar to a small sauna, and all that moisture helps keep your cheesecake from cracking. Don't skip this.
Add the aluminum foil layers and a regular or extra-large-sized slow cooker liner around the springform pan. The liner is an extra precautionary step in case water still sneaks past the aluminum foil and into your cheesecake.
Keep the oven door closed as your cheesecake bakes and after as it cools down inside the oven.

Substitutions

Full-Fat Sour Cream. In place of full-fat sour cream, you can use whole-milk ricotta cheese or whole-milk plain Greek yogurt. This is a 1:1 substitution.
Speculoos (or Biscoff) Cookies. You can use gingersnap or graham cracker cookies as a substitute for speculoos cookies in the pumpkin cheesecake crust. For a graham cracker crust, you can check out my Lemon Cheesecake or S'mores Cheesecake recipes.
Sugars. Instead of using granulated sugar and light brown sugar, you can substitute the amount of light brown sugar with an equal amount of granulated sugar.
I did not test this recipe using any sugar, egg, dairy, or gluten-free alternatives.

General

When ready to chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator, I highly recommend covering the cheesecake with a paper towel and placing a dinner plate (upside down) on top. This will prevent any condensation from forming on the surface of the cheesecake.

Nutrition