I like to bake pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap crust because I love that flavor combination, but you could also use a graham cracker crust.
- PREP TIME 15 MINUTES
- COOK TIME 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES
- TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES
This amazing Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce is sure to become your new favorite fall dessert! It starts with a simple homemade gingersnap crust, then a layer of silky pumpkin cheesecake, topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Ingredients
Gingersnap Crust
- 2 cups finely ground gingersnap crumbs about 10 ounces
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Pumpkin Cheesecake:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 packages cream cheese (room temperature!) 8 ounce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- whipped cream for topping
- caramel sauce for topping
Instructions
For the Gingersnap Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Use a food processor to crush the cookies into fine crumbs. Measure out 2 cups of crumbs and pour them into a mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup sugar and melted butter and stir to combine.
- Cover the outside bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with foil, securing the foil partway up the outer sides of the pan.
- Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and about half way up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake the crust for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside while you make the cheesecake filling.
For the Pumpkin Cheesecake:
- In a large mixing bowl combine the room temperature cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg and mix until smooth, but don’t over mix. Pour the filling into the prepared pan.
- Grab a pan that’s larger than the cheesecake pan and fill it with about ½ inch of water, to make a water bath.
- Place the cheesecake pan inside the dish with the water.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the sides of the cheesecake have just set and the center is just barely jiggly.
- Remove it from the oven (it will continue to bake as it cools). Remove the tinfoil and allow the cheesecake to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
- Once cooled, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.
- When the cheesecake has chilled in the fridge, remove the pan sides (I like to gently run a dull butter knife along the inner edge of the pan before I release the springform pan sides).
- Serve with caramel sauce (homemade or store-boughand whipped cream on top, if desired.