No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
This no-bake pumpkin cheesecake is incredibly silky and creamy. It’s flavored with pumpkin and cinnamon spice all while sitting in a crunchy gingersnap cookie crust. This combination makes this my favorite cheesecake flavor! A no-bake cheesecake means you’ll have a delicious cheesecake with way less hassle than a traditional baked cheesecake.
Overview
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Components Used: Basic Whipped Cream, Cookie Crumb Crust
This dessert is a variation on my easy no-bake cheesecake recipe. The warm flavors of pumpkin and cinnamon spice are added to the creamy cheesecake filling while sitting in a crunchy gingersnap cookie crust. This combination makes this my favorite cheesecake flavor!
A no-bake cheesecake is the fastest way to enjoy that luscious creamy flavor when you don’t have the patience to make a traditional cheesecake. A traditional cheesecake (like my favorite New York style cheesecake or this baked pumpkin cheesecake) has a more dense velvety texture while my no-bake cheesecake is more light and airy.
Your friends and family will love this dessert so much that it’ll be your new Thanksgiving staple in no time.
Tips for perfectly smooth cheesecake
- Cream cheese must be room temperature! I find it takes (at minimum) a full hour out of the refrigerator for cream cheese to become soft. If it is slightly too cold then you’ll have tiny lumps in your cheesecake that are difficult to remove.
- Don’t deflate the whipped cream! When adding the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture, be gentle and use a spatula to fold it in by hand. Do not use the machine to combine these components.
- Chill! When in doubt, chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for a little longer. I recommend chilling it overnight to ensure the filling sets up properly.
How to make no-bake pumpkin cheesecake
There are 2 components to this dessert: the cookie crumb crust and the pumpkin filling. A no-bake cheesecake filling is essentially whipped cream folded into whipped cream cheese creating a silky smooth filling.
Make the crust
For this cheesecake, I’m using my classic cookie crust recipe. This recipe can be used with any type of crunchy cookie like oreos or graham crackers. To pair with the pumpkin filling, I highly recommend using gingersnap cookies.
Combine the cookie crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture into a springform pan and firmly press the crust into the bottom and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the pan. The bottom of a glass or a measuring cup can be helpful to press the crumbs into an even layer.
For a more toasted flavor, bake the crust at 375°F/190°C for 8 minutes and then set aside to cool while you prepare the filling. This step is completely optional. You can also skip baking the crust and refrigerate it while you make the filling.
Make the filling
Place the cold heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer. Begin whipping on medium speed until stiff peaks are formed. Set aside.
In a separate bowl using a hand mixer, whip the room temperature cream cheese until soft and light. It is very important that the cream cheese is soft and not cold. If it’s cold you will end up with lumps in your cheesecake. Add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and powdered sugar. Whip together until combined.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture using a rubber spatula. Be gentle to avoid de-flatting the whipped cream.
Pour the filling into the springform pan and smooth out with a rubber spatula.
Chill
Chill for at least 6 hours or (preferably) overnight before un-molding and slicing. When ready to un-mold, use a butter knife to run around the sides of the pan to ensure that it doesn’t stick.
Garnish with whipped cream and additional cookie crumbles if desired.
Storage
A no-bake cheesecake can be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To keep it longer, wrap it in plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!
If you loved this recipe, you might like to try other delicious pumpkin recipes!
If you’re looking for other cheesecake recipes, look no further!
No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
This creamy no-bake cheesecake is flavored with pumpkin and cinnamon spice all while sitting in a crunchy gingersnap cookie crust. This combination makes this my favorite cheesecake flavor!
Ingredients
For the crust
- 200 grams (7 ounces, about 2 cups once made into crumbs) gingersnap cookies
- 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 113 grams (½ cup, 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
For the filing
- 452 grams (2 cups, 16 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
- 227 grams (1 cup) canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (store bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice blend)
- 150 grams (1 ¼ cups) powdered sugar
- 235 grams (1 cup, 240 milliliters) heavy cream, cold
Instructions
Prep:
- You will need a 9 inch (23 cm) spring form pan for this recipe.
- At least 1 hour before preparing the cheesecake, remove the cream cheese from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. It is extremely important for a creamy cheesecake that your cream cheese is not cold.
Make the crust:
- Place the gingersnap cookies (200 grams/ 7 ounces) into a food processor and pulse until you have cookie crumbs. Alternatively, you can place them in a zip top bag and use a rolling pin to roll back and forth over the cookies until they are crumbs. Pour the crumbs into a medium bowl.
- Stir in the granulated sugar (50 grams/ ¼ cup) and the melted butter (113 grams/ ½ cup) until all of the crumbs are completely coated with butter.
- Firmly press the crust into the bottom and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the spring form pan. The bottom of a glass or a measuring cup can be helpful to press the crumbs into an even layer.
- For a more toasted flavor, bake the crust at 375°F/190°C for 8 minutes and then set aside to cool while you prepare the filling. This step is optional. You can also skip baking the crust and refrigerate it while you make the filling.
Make the filling:
- Place the cold heavy cream (235 grams/ 1 cup) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer. Begin whipping on medium speed until stiff peaks are formed. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl using a hand mixer, whip the room temperature cream cheese (452 grams/ 2 cups) until soft and light. Add the pumpkin puree (2267 grams/ 1 cup), pumpkin pie spice (1 ½ teaspoons), and powdered sugar (150 grams/ 1 ¼ cups) and whip together until combined.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture using a rubber spatula.
- Pour the filling into the springform pan and smooth out with a rubber spatula.
chill
- Chill for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight before un-molding and slicing.
- Garnish with whipped cream and additional cookie crumbles if desired.
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8 Comments on “No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake”
How much sugar do you use for this recipe?
There is a half of cup of sugar. I edited the recipe to list it. Sorry for that mistake, thanks for letting me know!
Sorry, is there anything i can use to substitute the heavy cream?
The heavy cream is most of what thickens this recipe up to hold it’s shape since it is not baked. You are basically whipping the cream, like you would a whipped cream, into the cream cheese to thicken it. Why are you wanting to substitute it? Honestly, for this particular recipe, the heavy cream is pretty essential. A lower fat milk will not thicken properly.
I have a Jell-O no bake real cheesecake dessert I’m wondering could I use this to make the no bake pumpkin cheesecake
I’d like to add some real dark maple syrup to this. How much could I add before it would be too much, or would I need to bump up the cream cheese? Or save the maple syrup for another day? Thanks
Since this recipe uses pumpkin puree, I’m wondering if I can use fresh pumpkin?
Have you ever thought of using the filling between 2 layers of cake? Do you think that would work, or would it be runny?