This easy Pumpkin Cheesecake made with greek yogurt and a graham cracker crust is the perfect balanced dessert. Each slice offers a harmonious blend of warm spices and luscious pumpkin, topped with a dollop of whipped cream for an irresistible finish.
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Pumpkin pie season, meet cheesecake!
We took the base recipe of my internet favorite Greek Yogurt Cheesecake, added some pumpkin + pumpkin pie spice and your new favorite holiday dessert has arrived!
This is the best pumpkin cheesecake recipe and it’s easy to make! Make sure to keep reading for tips on how to get the perfect cheesecake, gluten-free substitutions and more.
What Makes This Cheesecake Healthier?
We’re using less sugar than traditional cheesecake, adding in some Greek yogurt (or sub in Skyr) to replace some of the cream cheese you would normally need, and then of course there is the addition of pumpkin!
Don’t worry, I really don’t think anyone will even know the difference.
This pumpkin cheesecake is easier than it seems – you just have to be patient.
And your guests will thank you for your patience too. Trust me, it’s worth it!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients
- cream cheese & plain Greek yogurt – you can use reduced fat cream cheese here and 2% yogurt if you’d like, but think the texture is best with full-fat cream cheese. You can also use Skyr in place of Greek yogurt. Siggi’s makes a great Pumpkin yogurt this time of year. If using sweetened yogurt, you can reduce the granulated sugar by two tablespoons if you’d like.
- canned pumpkin – I used canned pumpkin in this recipe so I can’t say for sure how homemade purée would work, as the water content is much different compared to a can. If you do use homemade, I would strain it to remove any extra liquid.
- sugar – using 2/3 cup of granulated sugar here will give you a decently sweet cheesecake. If you want less sweet, you could use 1/2 cup. You can also replace the sugar with something like Swerve.
- eggs – helps provide the cheesecake with structure when baking.
- vanilla extract – a hint of floral sweetness goes a long way.
- pumpkin spice – you can use store bought or make homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- flour – Adding flour to the cheesecake can help keep the cheesecake from cracking and aides in the structure of the cake, getting you a cleaner slice. A 1:1 gluten free baking flour can be used.
Crust Ingredients
- graham crackers or crunchy cookies – use gluten-free graham crackers or Simple Mills makes a crunchy cookie that is perfect for a grain-free and gluten-free crust. You just need enough to make 1 cup of crumbs.
- unsalted butter – to help the crust form and bake properly
- granulated sugar – just a touch in the crust but you could omit if you’re looking to reduce the sugar in the overall recipe.
Recommended tools
- 8″ springform pan – for an easy release and pretty edge.
- electric mixer (hand or stand) – to get the cream cheese nice and fluffy. This is a must.
- blender or food processor – to get nice fine crumbs for the crust. Alternatively you can put the crumbs in a sealable bag and pound it with a rolling pin.
Baking Steps
Cheesecake comes together fairly easily, but you do have to be patient waiting for ingredients to come to room temperature, and not over-mix the filling.
1. The first step is to make the graham cracker crust, which needs to bake for about 8 minutes at 350ºF, then take it out and let it cool while you prepare the filling.
For the filling, you’ll be working in specific steps to make sure you end up with a nice fluffy cheesecake filling that won’t crack when baking.
2. To make the cheesecake filling, use a large bowl to beat together the cream cheese with the yogurt. Then add in the pumpkin purée, granulated sugar and vanilla. Next you’ll gently beat on low speed, adding the eggs one at a time. And finally you’ll mix in the pumpkin pie spice and flour.
Cheesecake Tips
ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS. This is absolutely key in getting a smooth cheesecake batter with no lumps. If you’ve attempted baking cheesecake with cold cream cheese or even somewhat room temperature cream cheese with cold eggs, the batter doesn’t get smooth. So make sure your cream cheese, yogurt, eggs and pumpkin are all set out beforehand and get to room temperature before beginning.
DO NOT OVER-MIX. Over-mixing the batter will create too much air and could lead to cracks when baking because the filling will likely rise too quickly then fall once it cools.
BAKE IN A WATER BATH. Now this step isn’t 100% necessary but it will give your cheesecake a nice smooth top and will help prevent cracking. I go over all the step-by-step information for a baking a cheesecake in a water bath here.
CHILL CHILL CHILL. Cheesecake must chill for at least 4 hours so you get clean slices and a set middle.
How to Make Cheesecake Gluten-Free
This pumpkin cheesecake recipe can easily be made gluten-free with a couple ingredient swaps.
The Crust. You can use gluten free graham crackers here – Pamela’s has gluten-free options – OR I’ve also made crusts like this with Simple Mills Crunchy Cookies, which are grain-free and gluten-free. They also have sweet thins that would be a grain-free graham cracker alternative. Use the saame ratio of butter as written in the recipe.
The flour. The flour helps to stabilize things. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour which is gluten-free. I did not test with a grain-free flour but I am guessing tapioca flour or cassava flour would be a fine substitute.
Topping Suggestions:
- Whipped cream, as pictured.
- Chocolate ganache, if you like chocolate and pumpkin flavors.
- Caramel Sauce, for a sweeter touch.
- Mascarpone Whipped Cream, which is also delicious.
More Cheesecake Recipes to Try
Let me know if you make this recipe! Leave a review and comment here on the blog! I love hearing from you and it helps other readers too! Xx Ashley
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
CRUST
- 1 cup graham cracker* crumbs, about 9 sheets – see notes for gluten-free options
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
FILLING
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2% or full-fat is best
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup cane sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tablespoons flour, whole wheat white, all-purpose or a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free blend
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease 8" springform pan with butter; set aside.
- Make crust: In medium bowl combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and sugar; stir until thoroughly mixed. Press evenly into bottom of springform pan, use back of measuring cup to flatten. Bake for 8 minutes; remove from oven to cool before wrapping edges/bottom tightly in foil. Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF.
- Meanwhile prepare the cheesecake filling: using paddle attachment of stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat together cream cheese until smooth for about 2 minutes. Add in granulated sugar, greek yogurt, pumpkin and vanilla, beating again until completely smooth. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing on low-medium speed. Then add in flour and pumpkin pie spice. Use large rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Try not to overmix here. Stop mixing as soon as last egg is incorporated.
- Bake: Pour cheesecake filling onto pre-baked crust in foil-wrapped springform pan; place pan in bottom of roasting pan with 1″ hot water. Carefully transfer to oven and bake at 325ºF for 45-55 minutes or until middle has just set. The middle should jiggle slightly (like jell-o) but look firm. If you skip the "water bath" step the cheesecake may crack, but you could also cover with a chocolate ganache if you'd like.
- Cool: Turn off oven, crack door, and allow cheesecake to cool in oven for 1 hour before covering and transferring to fridge and chilling for 8 hours.
- Serve: Keep cheesecake chilled just before serving. Enjoy!
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