Desserts / Cakes & cheesecakes
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
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Gingersnap crust, spiced pumpkin cream cheese and a tangy sour cream top, all done the day before. Cool it slowly in the oven, chill it overnight, and dessert is the one thing you don't think about on the day.
The short version
Bake a gingersnap crust, beat room-temperature cream cheese with brown sugar and spices, add blotted pumpkin and eggs, and bake at 325°F with a pan of hot water on the rack below until the center wobbles, 60 to 75 minutes. Spread with sour cream, cool slowly in the oven, and chill overnight. Don't skip the slow cool.
What makes ours better
what we fixed so you don’t have to
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Blot the pumpkin. Canned pumpkin is mostly water. Pressing it between paper towels pulls out a few tablespoons, so the cheesecake bakes up dense and creamy instead of soft and wet, and tastes more like pumpkin.
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Steam below, not a water bath. A pan of hot water on the rack underneath keeps the oven humid and the heat gentle, which is most of what a water bath does, without foil, leaks or a soggy crust.
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Gingersnaps for the crust. Graham crackers are fine; gingersnaps bring their own ginger and molasses and stay crisper under a heavy filling. They taste like they were made for pumpkin.
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A sour cream top. A thin layer of sweetened sour cream baked on for the last few minutes adds a cool, tangy contrast to the spice and covers any crack completely.
What you need
the usual suspects
- Gingersnap crumbs1½ cups
- Packed light brown sugar2 tablespoons
- Unsalted butter5 tablespoons
- Pumpkin puree1 can
- Full-fat brick cream cheese24 ounces
- Ground cinnamon1¼ teaspoons
- Vanilla extract1 teaspoon
- Sour cream1½ cups
Crust
Filling
Topping
read it twice. buy it once.
Steps
deep breath. you’ve got this.
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Bake the crust
Heat the oven to 350°F with one rack in the center and one below it. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Stir the gingersnap crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter until it looks like wet sand, then press it firmly into the bottom of the pan with a flat-bottomed cup. Bake until fragrant and a shade darker, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack and lower the oven to 325°F.
About 10 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Set up the steam pan
Set a metal loaf pan or cake pan on the lower rack and fill it halfway with hot water from the kettle. It stays there for the whole bake.
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Blot the pumpkin
Spread the pumpkin in a thin layer over three stacked paper towels on a sheet pan. Cover with two more and press gently. Peel back the top towels and scrape the pumpkin into a bowl; it will be noticeably thicker, about 1⅓ cups.
The towels will look soaked. That's water that would otherwise be in your cheesecake.
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Beat the cream cheese
In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-low, beat the cream cheese until smooth with no lumps, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar, spices and salt and beat until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the bowl and beaters well.
Cold cream cheese stays lumpy, and beating harder to fix it whips in air that cracks the cake. Let it soften on the counter for 1 to 2 hours.
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Add pumpkin and eggs
Beat in the blotted pumpkin and vanilla on low until even. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time on low, mixing just until each disappears and scraping the bowl after each. Pour the batter onto the crust and smooth the top.
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Bake low with steam
Set the springform on a sheet pan on the center rack. Bake at 325°F for 60 to 75 minutes, until the outer 2 to 3 inches are set and slightly puffed and the center 3 inches wobble like set gelatin when you nudge the pan. A thermometer in the center reads 150°F.
Pull it while the middle still wobbles. It keeps setting as it cools, and overbaking is what causes cracks and a dry texture.
About 65 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Add the sour cream top
Whisk the sour cream, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spoon it over the hot cheesecake and spread it gently to the edges with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake 7 minutes more.
About 7 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Cool slowly
Turn off the oven, prop the door open a few inches and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour. Move it to a rack, run a thin knife around the edge so it can shrink without cracking, and let it cool to room temperature, about 1 hour more.
About 60 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Chill overnight
Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, ideally 24. Remove the ring, and slice with a hot, dry knife, wiping it between cuts. Let slices sit out 20 minutes before serving.
About 480 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
Good to know
the stuff I’d tell you over the phone
- Graham cracker crust. Use the same amounts of graham crumbs, brown sugar and butter, and add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Fresh pumpkin works if you roast it, puree it and drain it well; you want about 1⅓ cups of thick puree after blotting.
- No sour cream top? Bake 5 minutes less and serve the cheesecake plain or with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel.
- Make ahead. This is a day-before dessert by design; it's better on day two and keeps well for three.
- Storage. Covered in the fridge, 5 days. Freeze whole or in slices, wrapped tightly, up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
Questions, answered
the questions my cousins text me
Do I need a water bath for pumpkin cheesecake?
No. A pan of hot water on the rack below, a 325°F oven and a slow cool in the turned-off oven give you a creamy, even texture without wrapping the pan or risking a wet crust. The sour cream top covers any crack that does appear.
Why did my cheesecake crack?
Usually it baked too long, cooled too fast or had too much air beaten in. Pull it while the center still wobbles, cool it in the oven with the door ajar, and mix on low once the eggs go in. Running a knife around the edge after the oven cool helps too.
How do I know when cheesecake is done?
The edges are set and slightly puffed, the center 3 inches wobble like gelatin when you nudge the pan, and a thermometer in the middle reads 150°F. It will look underdone; it isn't.
Why blot the pumpkin?
Canned pumpkin carries a lot of water. Blotting it gives a denser, creamier cheesecake with more pumpkin flavor and less risk of a soft, weepy center.
How far ahead can I make pumpkin cheesecake?
Up to 3 days ahead in the fridge, or a month ahead in the freezer. It needs at least 8 hours of chilling anyway, so a day ahead is the minimum.
Can I use an 8-inch springform pan?
Yes, but the cheesecake will be taller and need 10 to 15 minutes longer. Leave room at the top for the sour cream layer, and go by the wobble and the thermometer.
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Published October 26, 2026.