November 11, 2019

Easy Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Name: Easy Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 4 h 45 min
Yield: 1 9-inch pie
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 large eggs; 1/2 cup pumpkin puree; 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice; 1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust (store bought or homemade); whip cream, optional

This phenomenal Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake has a thick layer of cheesecake, topped with a layer of spiced pumpkin cheesecake, all wrapped in a graham cracker crust!

A slice of Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with whip cream on a white plate.

Move over Pumpkin Pie, this year it’s time to try this gorgeously layered Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake!

Starting from the bottom we have a graham cracker crust — you can use a store bought crust or make your own.

Then we have a thick layer of sweet cheesecake and a second layer of spiced pumpkin cheesecake on top.

It takes about 10 minutes to whip this pumpkin pie cheesecake together and into the oven it goes!

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake sliced into pieces.

The hardest part is waiting for this pumpkin cheesecake to cool and then chill in the refrigerator.

It needs at least an hour to cool completely on the counter and then into the fridge it goes for a minimum of 3 hours.

So if you are counting, it will take 4 hours after baking for this pumpkin pie cheesecake to be ready to eat!

I know that’s hard, but I usually bake it the night before so then I can sleep through the chilling time. 😉

Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake in bowls.

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Ingredients

Are you ready for this?! You only need SEVEN ingredients for this Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake:

cream cheese
granulated sugar
vanilla extract
eggs
pumpkin puree
pumpkin pie spice
graham cracker crust

And most of the ingredients you probably already have on hand!

Like most pumpkin baking recipes, you want to use pure canned pumpkin puree — not pumpkin pie filling.

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake being sliced into pieces with a pie server.

Graham Cracker Crust for Pumpkin Cheesecake

You can use a homemade graham cracker crust or a 9 inch store-bought one.

Admittedly, I often use a store-bought one out of pure laziness. It’s so easy to grab one and have this pie into the oven in just 10 minutes!

However, if you are a make it all yourself kind of person, below you will find my favorite graham cracker crust recipe to go with pumpkin cheesecake.

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter and cinnamon until well blended .
Press mixture with your fingers evenly into an 9 inch pie plate.
Pour pumpkin cheesecake layers, as directed in recipe below, into unbaked graham cracker crust. Bake as directed.

A slice of Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with bite taken out of it.

How to make Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake:

This recipe is very easy to make with only a handful of ingredients needed.

Start by beating together the cheesecake layer ingredients until smooth.

Add 1 1/3 cups of the cheesecake batter to the graham cracker pie crust.

Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice to the remaining cheesecake batter and whisk until smooth.

Pour it on top of the plain cheesecake layer and pop it into the oven — no water bath needed!

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool and then chill for at least 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream on top!

A slice of pumpkin pie cheesecake with whip cream on top.

Tips to avoid cracks in your cheesecake!

This Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake does not need a water bath, but there are a few tips to keep it from cracking:

Make sure you use room temperature cream cheese and add the eggs one at a time.
Do not over bake. The cheesecake is finished when the center is *just* almost set. It will finish firming up when it chills.
Lastly, make sure you allow this pumpkin pie cheesecake to cool completely before transferring it to the fridge.

If for some reason you do get a noticeable crack, there are two common solutions to try:

Allow the cake to cool for a few minutes, then wet your finger with water and try running it along the crack.
If that doesn’t work, cover it with whip cream and enjoy! In the end, no one cares if it cracked, just that it tastes good!

Pumpkin PIe Cheesecake slice on a sliver pie server.

I can not wait for you all to try this Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake — I just know you are going to love it as much as we do.

My husband is already requesting I make it for Thanksgiving to bring to his families house instead of the traditional pie.

If you are looking for more great holiday recipes, here are a few of my top favorites:

While this cheesecake looks incredibly impressive, it is actually very EASY to make with simple ingredients.

Please leave a review/comment below letting me know how this pumpkin cheesecake recipe turns out for you!