This creamy Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake has 2 distinct layers of both cheesecake and pumpkin, with a beautiful swirl decorating the top.
Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts, so this time of year I always make a pumpkin cheesecake. Both cheesecakes and pumpkin pies are creamy, velvety and luscious but when they are both combined, the flavor combination is AMAZING. This is a perfect dessert for Thanksgiving, but I keep a stash of pumpkin puree and continue making it until it runs out, since it's SO delicious.
What I especially like about this cheesecake is that there are 2 separate layers of cheesecake alone and pumpkin cheesecake. This way, you get to enjoy each in each bite. The pumpkin swirls on top of the cheesecake make it look extra festive and pretty.
Cheesecake is wonderful to make for a holiday meal because you can make it in advance and it'll be hanging out in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it. It's so creamy and tender, you can serve the cheesecake just the way it is or add some whipped cream on top.
Ingredients
(Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the Printable Recipe with measurements)
Cheesecake crust:
- graham crackers
- Instead of the graham crackers, you can use gingersnap cookies, which pair so well with the pumpkin.
- You can also use vanilla wafers.
- butter
- sugar
Pumpkin Cheesecake:
- cream cheese (room temperature)
- for the best results, use whole fat cream cheese
- sugar
- eggs (room temperature)
- vanilla
- cornstarch
- pumpkin puree
- canned pumpkin but not pumpkin pie filling
- cinnamon
How to make Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush a 9 inch springform pan with melted butter.
- Make the crust.
- Make crumbs from the graham crackers by placing them in a ziplock bag and using a rolling pin/mallet, or use a food processor and pulse until you have small even crumbs. You should have about 1 ½ cups of cookie crumbs.
- Combine the crumbs with the melted butter and sugar, mixing until they are evenly mixed and have a sandy consistency.
- Prebake the graham cracker crust.
- Press the crumb mixture into the springform pan, covering the bottom and partially up the sides of the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, make the cheesecake batter.
- Mix the softened cream cheese with the sugar and cornstarch in a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time.
- Now, make the pumpkin cheesecake.
- In another bowl, place the canned pumpkin.
- Add 2 cups of the cream cheese mixture to the pumpkin puree, add the cinnamon and mix to combine.
- Set aside 1 cup of the pumpkin mixture.
- Assemble the cheesecake.
- Wrap the springform pan with two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil around the outside of the springform pan.
- Pour the rest of the pumpkin mixture over the crust.
- Top with the cream cheese mixture.
- Place dollops of the reserved pumpkin mixture over the cream cheese mixture. Run the butter knife through the pumpkin dollops.
- Bake the cheesecake.
- Place the springform pan into a roasting pan that is already in the oven, then pour in boiling water until there is 1 - 1 ½ inches of water in the roasting pan. (See note below why to use a water bath.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour to an hour and 10 minutes. The center of the cheesecake should still jiggles slightly. Turn off the heat and open the door of the oven slightly, letting the cheesecake cool slowly in the oven for at least 30 minutes. I usually just let it sit there until it cools off completely.
- Chill completely before serving.
Serving and Storing the Cheesecake
You can make the cheesecake up to 3 days in advance. Store in the refrigerator, covered.
How to remove the cheesecake from the springform pan?
After baking and letting it cool in the turned off oven, run a very thin and flexible knife all the way around the cheesecake in between the cake and the sides of the springform pan, making sure to reach all the way to the bottom.
Store the cake in the springform pan in your refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Remove it from the springform pan. Since you ran a knife around the sides of the cheesecake the day before, the cheesecake should come out very easily from the springform pan when you remove the sides. Then, run a thin metal spatula under the crust all the way around and carefully transfer the cake from the bottom of the springform pan to your serving plate.
Let the cheesecake come to room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving for the best texture. Serve with whipped cream, if you'd like.
Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
To make your own pureed pumpkin, take out the seeds and cut the pumpkin into sections. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees until you can pierce the pumpkin easily with a fork. You can also steam the pumpkin, or even cut the flesh into pieces and cook it in water until it's soft and can be pierced with a fork or knife. Place in a food processor and pulse until the pumpkin is pureed.
Cheesecakes tend to crack if they are overcooked. When the cheesecake is submerged in the hot water, it prevents the cake from rising about 212 degrees, since that is the temperature where water is converted to steam. Also, since the water evaporates, it creates a humid atmosphere inside the oven and protects the cake even more.
Yes. Wrap the cheesecake really well in at least 2 layers of plastic wrap then in a large freezer ziplock bag or aluminum foil. You can also freeze slices of cheesecake in an airtight container or separate slices of cheesecake with parchment paper to keep them separated.
Thaw in the refrigerator before serving. The cheesecake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
1. Use room temperature cream cheese and eggs, so the batter mixes evenly and easily.
2. Don't over whip the cheesecake mixture. If you add too much air, it will puff up too much in the oven and then be more likely to crack.
3. Don't over bake the cheesecake.
4. Use a water bath. (See note above)
5. Cool the cheesecake slowly and let it finish cooling in the oven. Sudden temperature changes are another reason for cheesecakes cracking.
If all else fails and the cheesecake cracks, cover up the top of the cheesecake with whipped cream and no one will ever know:). It will still taste delicious.
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
This creamy Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake has 2 distinct layers of both cheesecake and pumpkin, with a beautiful swirl decorating the top.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: 10
- Category: Sweets
Ingredients
Cheesecake Crust
- 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups crushed graham cracker cookies (about 8-10 graham crackers)
- 5 Tablespoons melted butter
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
Cheesecake
- 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush a 9 inch springform pan with butter.
- Make the crust first. Place the graham crackers in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin/mallet to make crumbs, or use a food processor and pulse until you have small even crumbs. You should have about 1 ½ cups of cookie crumbs.
- Combine the crumbs with the melted butter, sugar and salt, mixing until they are evenly mixed and have a sandy consistency. Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until fragrant, golden and set. Cool.
- Meanwhile, mix the softened cream cheese with the sugar and cornstarch in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer until the mixture is creamy and smooth. (Don't over mix.)
- Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, until you have a smooth batter.
- In another bowl, place the canned pumpkin. Add 2 cups of the cream cheese mixture to the pumpkin puree, add the cinnamon and mix to combine.
- Set aside 1 cup of the pumpkin mixture.
- Pour the rest of the pumpkin mixture over the crust.
- Carefully top with the cream cheese mixture.
- Place dollops of the reserved pumpkin mixture over the cream cheese mixture.
- Run the butter knife through the pumpkin dollops and create swirls.
- Place the springform pan into a roasting pan filled with about an inch of of hot water.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour, to an hour and 10 minutes. The cheesecake should jiggle a little in the middle. It will continue to bake even after you turn the oven off. Turn off the oven, crack open the door and let it cool off gradually, for at least 30 minutes.
- Cool the cheesecake, then chill for at least a few hours or overnight before serving.
- Serve with whipped cream.
I made the cake yesterday. Followed everything and it did not crack but the center was not as cooked as the sides. The center was more "raw" I would say.
Hi Rymma. Next time you can cook it a little bit longer. Every oven is different at the timing could differ a lot. Since you're cooking the cheesecake in a water bath and then slowly cooling it off and the oven temperature is on the lower side, it should still be gentle enough not to over cook.
I love your recipes. Gonna try the pumpkin cheesecake recipe. I will use my sweet pumpkins I put out for Halloween. My first Mother-in-Law ( Loved her to death) taught me do many things. Made my first pumpkin pies with her using real pumpkins. I learned how to can Everything under the sun. Tomatoes, beans, corn. Thank you for your time.😁👻🎃🦃
Thank you, Sue! What a wonderful mother in law you were blessed with. The people that teach us to cook usually have a special place in our hearts.
Do you serve this warm or chilled? Can I make this a day earlier? Thanks
Cheesecake is best served cold and even better if you keep it in the refrigerator overnight.
Is it really necessary to use a springform pan?
If you want to get the cake out of the pan, then it is necessary, Michelle. If it's doesn't matter to you, then you can use a regular cake pan.
This was ultimately the best Cheesecake that we've ever had! Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes and for suggestions on the "Thanksgiving Meal Planner". It was so helpful!
I made this cheesecake the other day, amazing!!!! Thank you Olga. I love all your posts. God bless you. 🙂
Olga, is the cinnamon absolutely necessary in here, or can it be omitted??? i am getting ready to make this for tomorrow, and wondering if i can skip the cinnamon 🙂 Thanks in advance for the reply.
No, Ilona, it's not necessary. Use your own judgement. I like cinnamon, and think it goes really well with the pumpkin. If you don't like it, don't use it.
Thank You. i ended up using cinnamon and oh boy, it was delicious. I thought that the cinnamon will overwhelm the taste but like you said it goes well with pumpkin. I love the design idea too.
This looks so good! I usually make an apple cheesecake in the fall but can't wait to try this one 🙂
Cream cheese and pumpkin are two of my favorite things, so I can imagine this cheesecake is AMAZING;)
I love the natural design made by swirling. It almost looks like little leaves!;)
Wow! I absolutely love pumpkin and cheesecake is my favorite so putting them together is pure heaven. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Very beautiful cheesecake.
Oh my this is such a beautiful presentation .. I love the design on top. Cheesecake is my alltime fave dessert, so will b making this soon.. Olga, how were u able to take the bottom of the Springform out when serving the cake ?? I usually serve the cake on it, because the crust sticks to it .
Ilona, if you spray the pan with baking spray or spread it with melted butter, you shouldn't have a problem getting the crust to come off the pan. If it's being stubborn, just serve it the way it is:).