Two fall favorite desserts – pumpkin pie meets velvety cheesecake in this scrumptious marble pumpkin cheesecake. The perfect dessert for your Thanksgiving dinner party.
A month away from Thanksgiving and I’m still struggling with the menu. It’s a funny story actually. If you had asked me two weeks ago I would have told you I have everything ready for Thanksgiving. I had written down when I have to go shopping, what I have to buy, when I should start my cooking and how many days in advance I could start baking. I was all set.
Until few days ago when I came home with 5 cans of pumpkin puree.
Seeing the pile of pumpkin cans at the local store made me realize how much I miss if I just move on to the peppermint. All the pumpkin recipes I have pinned but haven’t tried any. All the classic Thanksgiving desserts I haven’t yet made.
The idea of this marble pumpkin cheesecake started after making these chocolate pumpkin bars. As I mentioned in that recipe, the pumpkin layer is actually a pumpkin cheesecake. With cheesecake being my favorite dessert it was obvious I would make a pumpkin cheesecake with some of the pumpkin I just bought.
Just like other cheesecake recipes, it starts with the crust. It depends on my mood what I use for the crust. I may go all graham crackers, other times I made the crust using oats or nuts, even pie crust. This time, I used both graham crackers and gingersnaps.
The gingersnaps give a little something to the crust. The spicy flavors blend in the rich creamy filling. Of course, if you prefer just graham crackers, go ahead. Leave the gingersnaps out.
I have seen a couple of recipes where the crust is baked for a couple of minutes before filled with the pumpkin cheesecake filling, but I skipped this step and just refrigerated the crust while mixing the filling.
The pumpkin cheesecake filling may sound a little complicated, but if you follow the easy steps it’s actually a breeze to make it. And you may even make prettier swirls.
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Happy baking,
Roxana
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Oh my… your pics make me want to eat my computer screen — STOP — nope, go ahead and make/post the wonderful recipes that you are sharing — love them and thanks! 🙂
I am not ready for peppermint either. Your swirls are so pretty. My father in law is a big fan of pumpkin cheesecake. This would be the perfect treat the next time we visit.
I love the marbling in your beautiful cheesecake!
This is such a beautiful dessert! I love pumpkin cheesecake!
Cheesecake is the first thing I hit up if it is on a dessert table! I love the marble affect you did to this! Looks delicious!
WOW! My jaw is on the floor! GORGEOUS!!
You just created my absolute favorite fall dessert. Love this! Pinned.
Have you made this a day head? I would like to make it for thanksgiving but won’t have time the day of.
Hi Janae,
Yes, you can make the cheesecake 1-2 days ahead. Just make sure you keep them in the fridge, preferable covered, until needed.
I just baked my first pumpkin treat this weekend and it was nowhere near as decadent as this cheesecake. Two desserts I love in one. Brilliant!
This is gorgeous and it looks delicious. Pinning… I think I might make it for Thanksgiving!
So pretty Roxana! The marbling is gorgeous! Pinned!
Wow does that look great!
I love cheesecake though I have never had pumpkin cheesecake. Yours looks delicious and so professionally done!
Is there an alternative to heavy cream? I don’t want to buy a carton just for 2 Tbsp :/
Hi Nicole,
You can use whole fat milk instead.
Roxana
I made this tonight and the taste is great but it cracked while in the oven for an hour with the door open. Also my crust falls apart and is crumbly, I may use a tad more butter and bake it for a few minutes before adding the filling.
Thanks for the recipe, just a little bit of tweaking on my end 🙂
next time try a water bath, just make sure you put tinfoil around the pan to prevent water leaking in.
I only have a 10′ round pan. Would that work for this recipe or do i have to tweak it a bit. I’m freaking out because I’m making it for my in-laws and thanksgiving is just around the corner.
Hi Angela,
You can use a 10″ round pan, just keep an eye on the cheesecake since it will take less time to bake. maybe check the cheesecake 10-15 minutes earlier)
Thanks,
Roxana
How much suger,cream cheese,eggs,pumpkins to make pumpkin cheesecake bars?
Hi Donna,
If you want to make cheesecake bars, use the same amount of ingredients but bake the cheesecake in a 8X8″ baking pan.
For a 13X9″ baking pan, double the recipe.
Thanks,
Roxana
Can I skip the hour with the oven door open and go straight to the fridge?
Hi LeighAnn,
If you skip the cooling time in the oven, the cheesecake will most likely crack.
Is this the larger or smaller pumpkin filling can? My husband insists I’m using too much with the bigger can, but the first batch turned out pretty good (albeit goopy, despite the fact that I ended up giving it another 10-15 minutes in the oven).
Hi Pamela,
the recipe calls for just 1 cup of pumpkin puree, not a can.
1 cup equals 8 oz while a can has either 15 or 28oz.
Thanks,
Roxana
everything looks great… ready to go and bake till i’m happy with the results… hoping for the best… thanks bunches…
i made this last night for my family. Everyone loved it and I got a lot of compliments. I was worried I over baked it since I had never made a cheesecake before but it was perfect. My marbling wasn’t quite as good as yours, but still delicious!
I cant wait to make this for my family on Thanksgiving!! Question….what is all included in the “pumpkin spices”/??
Hi Sarah,
Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. Depending on the manufactured, it slightly depends the quantities f the spices, but you can make your own to fit your taste.
Thanks,
Roxana
This beauty is in the oven now. I’m so excited to try it! Thanks for the great recipe.
Made this for my husband’s birthday and everyone loved it! I also used gluten free vanilla and gingersnap cookies for the crust. Thank you!
Just made this last night and it is delicious! I made it without a mixer because mine recently broke, but it was still ready and turned out great! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I was so excited to make this. I guess I should have made sure the reserved cream cheese mix was warmer because I ended up little globs of cream cheese.:/
Hi Patti,
If you ended up with little globs of cream cheese it means your cheese was not at room temperature when you mixed it with the other ingredients.
To bring cream cheese to room temperature, I leave the packages on the counter for an hour or so
Gorgeous! I saw this the other day and decided to make it for Thanksgiving this year. I’m so excited!
I have a 9 inch pie pan can I use that instead of a springform pan? If yes, do I need to make any changes to the recipe and/or baking time? Thank you it looks delicious this will be my first cheesecake ever!
Hi Karli,
The cheesecake is not too tall, so you don’t need to make any changes 🙂 It will fit inside your pie plate
Happy baking,
Roxana
Does this recipe require salted or unsalted better? Does it make a difference which one I use?
So excited to make this for thanksgiving!
Hi Julie,
most of the recipes on the blog use unsalted butter, unless otherwise stated 🙂
Happy holidays,
Roxana
Am I missing something?? I no longer see the recipe listed and I’m freaking out! Lol I have all the ingredients ready to go from reading this previously and now I can’t see it…
Hi Mallory,
Doing some work at the backend. All recipe cards should be working now. Thanks for your patience
Roxana
Nevermind ! It loaded 🙂 phew!!!
Hi! I was trying to make this cheesecake and I was having trouble with the crust..is it 1&1/4 cup of the ginger snaps and graham crackers combined or 1&1/4 of each? Also I accidentally bought pumpkin pie filling instead of pure pumpkin…is that okay?
Hi Jennifer,
I used 1 1/4 cup COMBINED. If you’re using 1 1/4 cup each you’ll end up with a thicker crust plus you’ll need to double the butter as well.
As for the filling, you will need 100% pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling which is already flavored and sweetened.
Roxana
ive never made a cheese cake before, it seems a little soft after 25 minutes.. anyone else have to bake longer
Hi Diane,
The center of the cheesecake is just set when you turn the oven off. As it cools down, it’s no longer jiggly. Keep in mind not to rush the cooling process. Let the cheesecake cool in the warm oven before placing it in the fridge.
Roxana
Can I use heavy whipping cream instead of heavy cream? Every store I’ve been to does not even have it (I know there’s not much difference in them).
Hi Mollie,
Yes, of course you can use it!
Can half and half be substituted for heavy cream?
Hi Sara,
the recipe calls for only 2 tablespoons, so yes, you can use half and half or even whole milk.
Roxana
I made this according to the directions, but after I baked it for a full 25 min the inside of the cake was uncooked but the top was set. I can’t figure out what I could have done wrong, otherwise it just needs to baked for at least twice the time.
Hi Laura,
A cheesecake is fully baked when the center is set. As it cools down it’s not jiggly anymore and you can slice it with nor problems.
I would love to help you narrowing down why yours was not set. Please email me and we can work together.
Roxana
If i dont have one of the pans where the bottom comes out, can i use a regular pie dish? I bought all the ingredients not realizing i didnt have the pan and dont have time to go to the store, if not maybe ill do the bars instead?
Hi Jennifer,
yes, you can use a regular pie pan. You’ll have to cut the cheesecake while in the pan, or at least the first couple of slices 🙂
Happy baking
Roxana
i made this about 4 times already first i baked it too much.,, newbie here and i waited till its hard on top which resulted in a crumbly cheesecake but it was still wonderful., next i made it with strawberry and uhmmmm sooooo good., 3rd and 4th i made it with mango and its such a hit! its soo easy and simple recipe but it taste wonderful., keep up the good work!
This looks sooo good! I love the marbling. It just makes it seem that much more delicious.
Hi! I made this yesterday and it was simple and looks beautiful! However, it seems like it’s missing something. It tastes more like cream cheese and not cheesecake. Was the list of ingredients supposed to include vanilla extract? I tripled checked as I was making this because it didn’t seem right not to have vanilla, but I went ahead and made it as written. Everyone else thinks it’s yummy, as do I, but something seems off to me, lol. Probably because the chef is their own worst critic, right?
Hi Ann,
I think you’re too hard on yourself. And you can add vanilla extract to almost all sweet recipes, it will just add a vanilla flavor, it won’t ruin the end result.
Roxana
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Hi Melanie,
Yes!! Just leave the cheesecake to thaw overnight in the fridge.
Roxana
Can I use a pre-made graham cracker crust bought from the store?
Hi Jennifer,
You could, but you still need to mix it with butter and press it into a round 9″ pan. There’s too much cheesecake filling to bake it into the store-bought pie crust pan.
Roxana
I made this a few weeks ago and my husband and I LOVED it. It was easy and quick to make and wasn’t overly sweet. It was a delicious cheesecake! I’m making it again for Thanksgiving! Thanks for a keeper!
Thank you for this recipe it’s amazing!! The only thing I didn’t include was the gingersnaps. My husband already made me make this twice. He said it was better than his moms..????????????