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How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Cheesecake! - Easily! With Step-by-step Directions, Photos, Ingredients, Recipe and Costs

Yield: 7 to 9 pint jars

Click here for a PDF print version

You've drooled over Pumpkin cheesecake at restaurants like the Cheesecake Factory, now you can make your own, and even better! You can use fresh the best possible flavor or canned pumpkin to save time! All I can say about this recipe is WOW!   It is incredibly good!  And I even used fat free cream cheese, so the recipe is no-fat and relatively low sugar! If you make it with Stevia, my preference (or if you prefer, Splenda), it is an actual HEALTHY dessert that tastes sinfully good!

Directions for Making Pumpkin cheesecake

This makes one 10 inch springform pan or 2 nine-inch deep dish pies

Ingredients and Equipment

  • 2 cups of fresh cooked pumpkin (see this page to make your own from a fresh pumpkin)
    OR 1 can of commercial canned pumpkin (about 12 ounces)
  • 3 packages (8 ounces each) of cream cheese, at room temperature (I used the fat free cream cheese and it tasted GREAT, even my junk-food junkie friends raved about it)
  • 2 cup sugar (or 2/3 cup Stevia if you prefer, or 2 cups of Splenda; or a mixture)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • A graham cracker pie crust in a 10 inch diameter, 3 inch deep springform cheesecake pan or in two 9-inch deep-dish pie plates, unbaked (make your own crust, easy and much better than store bought - click here for directions!)
  • dash salt
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger*
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg*  (or substitute 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for these spices)
  • 2 cups evaporated milk (I use fat-free)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F  (175 C).
  2. Make a graham cracker crust in one springform cheesecake pan (10 inch diameter, 3 inches deep) OR in two 9 inch deep pie dishes (see this page for instructions - or use a purchased deep dish graham cracker crust)



    Cream Cheese Layer:
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine the 3 packages of cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract - mix well!



  4. Beat in 4 eggs; (either beat them separately, or directly with the other inredients)





  5. Pour the mixture in the pie crust.





    Pumpkin Layer:

  6. In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin, 1 cup of sugar, a dash of salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg  (or, instead of these spices, separately; just 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice).


  7. Light beat 3 eggs and blend them in.



  8. Mix in the 2 cups of evaporated milk.



  9. Pour the pumpkin mixture over cream cream cheese layer that is already in the pie crust.  Neither stir it in, nor worry about floating it on top.  Just gently pour it in.




  10. Bake the pumpkin pie in the oven at 350° for about an 70 minutes; possibly another 10 minutes (until it has firmed up).  The cream cheese layer will bubble up to the surface some; that's fine; it gives it the characteristic appearance.


  11. Cool the pumpkin pie and refrigerate it!  It won't really firm up unless you refrigerate it (it IS a cheesecake!)

It's great with a little whipped cream or topping. Let me know whether you agree (or disagree) that this is the best pumpkin cheesecake ever!

Comments and Feedback

  • A visitor writes on November 28, 2011: "I made the Pumpkin Cheesecake for Thanksgiving this year and it was a huge success!! Instead of a graham cracker crust I used the Triple Ginger Cookies from Trader Joes. It was my first time combining pumpkin pie and cheesecake and it was a to die for recipe!!! My entire family loved it and it will definitely be making an appearance at gatherings for many years to come!! I can't wait to make it again!"

  • A visitor writes on January 02, 2011: "I made your wonderful Fresh Pumpkin Cheesecake for our Traditional American Thanksgiving here in Italy this year. I had left over Cranberry Sauce and I did not want to throw it out, as it is difficult to come by here in Italy, so I froze it. I wanted to make another Cheesecake for New Year's, so I defrosted the cranberry sauce, strained it with cheesecloth to take out some of the liquid and added IT to the cheesecake recipe instead of the pumpkin pulp and spices. IT WAS WONDERFUL. I only had the jellied kind, but I think it will be even more spectacular with the whole berry. Thanks!"

 

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