Pumpkin Cheesecake
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This Pumpkin Cheesecake is a not so classic creamy cheesecake infused with just the right amount of pumpkin and ricotta cheese over a walnut crust, served with a dollop of pumpkin whipped cream.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
This pumpkin cheesecake is not your run of the mill cheesecake. It’s different but so delicious. I’ve put lots of thought in every single element of this cheesecake and the end result is incredible.
The walnut crust is nutty, but cake like because we’re not using graham crackers, as in traditional cheesecakes, but flour. I’m also spicing this crust up a bit with some cinnamon which just brings all the flavors together nicely. The cheesecake part is where you’ll notice the big difference. I’m combining ricotta cheese with cream cheese together.
If you’ve never used ricotta in cheesecake before, you have to try it. The ricotta makes the cheesecake much lighter but we still get all the creaminess from the cream cheese. Of course it is a pumpkin cheesecake so there’s lots of pumpkin in the cheesecake batter plus some pumpkin spice.
Finally, our last element of this cheesecake is this wonderful pumpkin whipped cream which also has canned pumpkin, pumpkin spice and a bit of cinnamon. I actually made double the recipe just because I like to add a dollop or so to my morning coffee, who needs Starbucks!! Trust me, it will turn your boring morning coffee into a delicious pumpkin spice latte, eh?
When all these great layers come together, you end up with a wonderful pumpkin cheesecake that will impress your family and friends and will make you love this time of year.
Ingredients In Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Walnut Crust – walnuts or pecans, cinnamon, sugar, butter, flour and a bit of salt.
- Pumpkin Cheesecake – ricotta cheese, cream cheese, both white and brown sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla extract, canned pumpkin, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and a bit of salt.
- Pumpkin Whipped Cream – whipping cream or heavy cream, canned pumpkin, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin spice and cinnamon.
How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Make the crust: Add the walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, butter and flour to a food processor and pulse until everything is well mixed together and the walnuts are finely ground. Spread this walnut mixture over the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, pressing down to cover the entire surface and a little bit up the side. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
- Mix the egg whites: In your mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Place in a bowl and set aside.
- Make the cheesecake batter: In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and set aside. To the bowl of your mixer add the ricotta cheese and cream cheese and mix together until smooth. Add the pumpkin and mix until well incorporated. Add the egg yolks, vanilla extract and mix well. Mix in the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites, a third at a time.
- Bake: Pour the pumpkin cheese mixture into the cake pan over the walnut crust and bake an hour to an hour and a half. It really depends on your oven. You need to bake it until the center is firm. Cool completely before slicing into it.
- Make the whipped cream: Add the whipping cream to the bowl of your mixer and mix until it forms soft peaks. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Add the whipped cream topping to the cheesecake and serve.
Optional Toppings For Pumpkin Cheesecake
Besides my amazing pumpkin whipped cream there are other toppings you can add. Here are some suggestions:
- Caramel sauce
- Chocolate sauce
- Toasted pecans or walnuts
- Plain whipped cream
- Cinnamon
- Cocoa Powder
How To Keep Your Cheesecake From Cracking
- Make a water bath. A water bath basically means that you place the springform pan in a large pan such as a roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with hot water at least an inch. This method is used because cheesecakes thrive in a humid environment and it prevents the cheesecake from cracking. This method also helps to make the cheesecake extremely smooth and creamy.
- Avoid opening the door while the cheesecake is baking since big cracks are caused by drafts or temperature changes.
- Once the cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven, open the door and let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door open.
How To Store Leftover Cheesecake
Store the cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you don’t have an airtight container big enough for the cheesecake, wrap it with plastic wrap and it will last up to 3 days in the fridge.
Can You Freeze Cheesecake?
Yes! To freeze your cheesecake, cut it into individual slices and then wrap them in foil or plastic, then place them in freezer plastic bags. It will last 4 to 6 weeks in the freezer.
Thaw your frozen cheesecake slices overnight in the refrigerator. If in a rush, cheesecake slices can be unthawed on the counter in 30 minutes.
More Must Try Delicious Cake Recipes:
- Cheesecake Recipe
- Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake
- Meyer Lemon Cheesecake
- Red Velour Cake
- Zebra Cake
- Tres Leches Cake
- Easy Strawberry Cake
- Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake
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Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
Walnut Crust
- 2 1/2 cups walnuts (or pecans)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter (melted)
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Pumpkin Ricotta Cheesecake
- 1 pound ricotta cheese
- 10 ounce cream cheese
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 5 large eggs (separated)
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 15 ounce canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Pumpkin Whipped Cream
- 1 cup whipping cream (or heavy cream)
- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Make the crust: Add the walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, butter and flour to a food processor and pulse until everything is well mixed together and the walnuts are finely ground. Spread this walnut mixture over the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, pressing down to cover the entire surface and a little bit up the side. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
- Mix the egg whites: In your mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Place in a bowl and set aside.
- Make the cheesecake batter: In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and set aside. To the bowl of your mixer add the ricotta cheese and cream cheese and mix together until smooth. Add the pumpkin and mix until well incorporated. Add the egg yolks, vanilla extract and mix well. Mix in the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites, a third at a time.
- Bake: Pour the pumpkin cheese mixture into the cake pan over the walnut crust and bake an hour to an hour and a half. It really depends on your oven. You need to bake it until the center is firm. Cool completely before slicing into it.
- Make the whipped cream: Add the whipping cream to the bowl of your mixer and mix until it forms soft peaks. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Add the whipped cream topping to the cheesecake and serve.
Equipment
Notes
- Store the cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you don’t have an airtight container big enough for the cheesecake, wrap it with plastic wrap and it will last up to 3 days in the fridge.
- To freeze your cheesecake, cut it into individual slices and then wrap them in foil or plastic, then place them in freezer plastic bags. It will last 4 to 6 weeks in the freezer.
- Thaw your frozen cheesecake slices overnight in the refrigerator. If in a rush, cheesecake slices can be unthawed on the counter in 30 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
This sounds delicious! If using fresh pumpkin instead of canned, are the proportions still the same?
Yes!
I’m getting ready to try this recipe I love ricotta cheesecake and my sons been asking for a pumpkin cheese cake unfortunately I have to tweak some of the ingredients with what I have on hand and I was wanting yourethoughts so here we go I only have a 15 ounce container of whole milk ricotta Instead of 16 ounces also I only have an 8 ounce block of Philadelphia cream cheese but to that I was going to add an additional 2 ounces of mascarpone my question is to make up for the other ounce of ricotta should I add another ounce of mascarpone or just leave it out? Help
Yeah you can definitely do that, 15 oz ricotta, 8 oz Philadelphia, and 3 oz of mascarpone. It should be just fine.
I had frozen pie crust and whipped cream at home so I used those and just made the pumpkin ricotta cheesecake filling. It makes enough to fill up two store bought frozen pie crusts. It was a hit. Light in texture, not overly sweet. Really delicious! Keeping this recipe!!
This was excellent!!
Excited to make this! But can you tell me about all the flour it calls for in the cake? Is it because you use more pumpkin than most recipes? Thank you.
Yes exactly. The pumpkin will add a lot of moisture to this cake and would result in a runny consistency without the flour.
I’ve seen 2 versions of your ricotta cheesecake online. One recipe calls for 1/4 cup flour and 1 tsp. pumpkin spice. The other calls for 1 and 1/4 cups flour and 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice. Which is correct? I’d love to make this for Thanksgiving.
You may have seen it on someone else’s site. This is the correct version, at least for Jo Cooks.
Excited to try this, but I’m wondering about all that flour in it. Is it because you use more pumpkin than a lot of recipes? Thanks.
Yes exactly. Without the flour the cheesecake would have a very runny consistency with all that pumpkin.
Hi. I have this great looking cake in the oven . I am concerned it has too much flour. Is it the correct amount of 1cup and 1/4 cup of flour (1.25 cups) ?
Hi Darlene, yes that’s correct. How did it turn out?
The crust is epic! I will definitely make again, and use this crust for any cheesecake I’m making. I did have a lot of cracks on the top, but I didn’t really mind. I will try the water bath next time if I have time.
Hi there! Love your website.
I was wondering if this recipe called for a water bath for when the filling bakes.
Thank you in advance.
I didn’t actually use a water bath, but it’s not a bad idea. The water bath will ensure even baking, and lessening the likelihood of cracking on top. Great idea!
I am making it now and I did put the springform pan in a water bath. I am concerned the water will seep into the pan. Did I do it right?
You just need to make sure that you have a good quality springform pan. You can test it by pushing the pan down in water before adding the batter to it to see if it leaks!
I made it last week with some amendments and it was delicious 🙂 Thank you
I made this cheesecake yesterday, I just made my own simple pie crust with flour, sugar butter and some almond extract, all else the same as the recipe. It was really delicious, my only complain is that ricotta, stayed in pieces that didn´t incorporated to the batter and therefore the result was not homogenous as the pictures in this recipe, to prevent this, I´ll process it with an electric hand blender next time.
My husband wanted to make an Italian cheesecake and I wanted to make a pumpkin pie so we settled on this. Still in the oven and looks delicious. This may be the perfect Thanksgiving desert.
LOL Great compromise! Hope you like it. 🙂
I baked the cheesecake for 1 hour at 350 and as it cooled the top began to crack. What did I do wrong?
Cracking usually happens when you overbeat the batter because additional air gets in.
Just made this cake and it looked terrific when it came out of the oven. Not serving it until thanksgiving day. Does it ave to be refrigerated until then?
Yeah I would definitely refrigerate it, because of the cheese. 🙂
Thanh you!
This is great