Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
I’m something of an addict when it comes to food magazines, especially around this time of year when all the holiday themed recipes begin making an appearance. The November issue of Bon Appetit proved particularly irresistible this past Saturday afternoon, when it arrived in my mailbox filled with tempting visions of pumpkin brulee, pumpkin butterscotch pie and pumpkin trifle. Yet of all these mouthwatering morsels, one reigned supreme: the pumpkin cheesecake. Its gingersnap cookie, pecan and brown sugar crust was too much to resist, to say nothing of its filling, which was spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and vanilla. Yes. Please.
As luck would have it, I was in the middle of making the menu for this week. So I added all the ingredients to our grocery list, then on Monday evening my husband and I put the cheesecake together, reveling in the promise of homemade pumpkin decadence. This was, I must tell you, my first experience making cheesecake – and the end result was so satisfying that I think many more cheesecakes will be appearing in our kitchen. The cheesecake was surprisingly easy to make, and although I was a little shocked by how much the filling rose in the oven, in the end it all turned out well. After cooling on the counter for an hour, then overnight in the refrigerator, the filling condensed into the mouthwatering delight you see pictured here. Because its so dense, this is an example of a “New York” style cheesecake. Other variations include the “French” cheesecake, which is whipped and light, and the “Italian” cheesecake, which is made with ricotta instead of cream cheese.
We skipped the marshmallow-sour cream topping that’s supposed to go on top of the custard, opting instead for whipped cream. Also, a few helpful hints: when adding the crust to your pan, fill a small glass (no handle) with coins and use it to gently press the crust onto the bottom and sides, allowing the weight from the coins to do the work for you. Later, when making the custard, add the pumpkin puree to your mixing bowl before the cream cheese, thereby preventing the cream cheese from sticking to the sides of the bowl. After the cheesecake has cooled overnight, cover it with saran wrap. You can also freeze cheesecakes for up to 1 month if you carefully wrap them first in saran wrap, then in tin foil. 
That’s all for now but be prepared for more cheesecake in the future! Now that I’ve made one I plan to experiment with ingredients and techniques – beginning with a visit to the Cheesecake Factory this weekend. One must do proper research, after all.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
From Bon Appetit Magazine, November 2008. Click here for instructions on adding the marshmallow-sour cream topping, which we skipped. Because the cheesecake needs to chill overnight, be sure to make this one day ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator.
Ingredients: Makes 12 servings
- For crust:
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 9 ounces)
- 1 cup pecans (about 3 1/2 ounces)
- 1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
- 5 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
For filling:
Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Grind cookie crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, and ginger in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter; using on/off turns, process to blend. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; press onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake crust until set and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Filling:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on low speed to incorporate each addition. Add flour, spices, and salt; beat just to blend. Beat in vanilla. Transfer filling to cooled crust. Bake until filling is just set in center and edges begin to crack (filling will move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool 1 hour. Run knife around sides of pan to release crust. Chill cheesecake uncovered in pan overnight.
128 Responses to “Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust”
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I’ll help you do research at The Cheesecake Factory as well
That cheesecake looks so lovely, I want to make it instead of pumpkin pie this year.
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Was this your first cheesecake, dd I read it right? Wow! It looks absolutely perfect, crust, filling and topping! Just perfect!
Marce » I’m so glad it came out well Marce! I can’t wait to see your cheesecake on your blog (post a link here?)
This year has been a pumpkin cheesecake year for me…and I NEED to try it with this crust!! I loveee gingersnaps. And I wish more than anything that I liked whipped cream…I don’t know what’s wrong with me!!
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Heavenly combo — I’m loving that gingersnap crust. Beautiful! I’ve been trying to fend off the holiday cooking, but this just about did me in.
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PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE IS THE BEST! Beautiful photo too
I’m also loving the gingersnap crust – even better with the pecans!! So cool that it was your first experience making cheesecake – good for you, in the creativity department – yummmmmmmm
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I just finished making this today. It was absolutely delicious. I left the pecans and cookies in pieces a little bigger than crumbs, it made for a super tasty crust. I loved this recipe and the cheesecake came out perfect!! I topped it off with some home made whipped cream and it’s an instant favorite. I found I had lots of leftover batter after mixing..AND i used a 10″ instead of a 9″ pan..no biggie but I thought I made it wrong at first.
One of my friends absolutely adores pumpkin anything. I’m sending this recipe to her…
I love anything with pumpkin in it, and this cheesecake is now on my must-make list!
I could’ve sworn I commented on this post, but maybe someone else made it. Anyway, I noticed the recipe in my copy of Bon Appetit and was highly intrigued by the gingersnap crust. It looks fabulous, too.
Nice and simple to make just how I like it…however delicious, at least it looks so.
I love it.
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That sounds delicious. Great tip about the glass and the coins. I’ve been making cheesecake for ages and never thought of that (I use a spoon, but your idea is better).
Walmart gave out FREE pumpkins! I grabbed a bunch and made this recipe and another using the puree I made! The method you recommended was so fun and easy to get the puree…and I have never had a more delicious cheesecake in my life! My fiance hates cheesecake (weirdo) and after trying a piece of this I had to cut him off from eating it all! lol This is my fave cheesecake recipe thus far! Thanks again!
Ah well I made this on Saturday and it didn’t turn out as good as I’d hoped. My top cracked and my timer got messed up so I think I pulled it from the oven too soon. And my crust was super cooked, too hard on the bottom edges. I used a blender to crush up everything though because my food processor bowl broke so I don’t know if that had anything to do with the wonky crust.
Kristin (kgroovy) » Sorry to hear it didn’t turn out well Kristin. That has happened to me with recipes too and it’s always a bummer. If you want to try it again, perhaps baking the crust a few minutes less will help? As for the crack, as long as the custard is cooked through I think Alton Brown has the best remedy: whipped cream!
HI Ariela! I just wanted to let you know that I made these for a Thanksgiving potluck at work and everyone absolutely loved them! The crust just made it all the more tasty, especially the fresh crystallized ginger. Delish, thanks! Oh, I changed it up a bit by using a Mini Cheesecake recipe from KAF so that I could make muffin-sized cheesecakes. Since fresh whipped cream topping was not a good option, I simply used some of the leftover crust ingredients to lightly sprinkle on top of each soon after removing them from the oven! This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you so much! Love your blog.
Richard T. » I love the idea of mini pumpkin cheesecakes with gingersnap topping! What a creative way to use the recipe. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post and thank you for taking the time to post this comment – it brought a big smile to my face.
I’m going to make this right now–but I’m gonna have to substitute marscapone for one package of the cream cheese because I just cannot go back to the store tonight. I’ll let you know if it works! (hopefully it does bc I hate making things that aren’t good)
Desiree » Good luck! I’d definitely love to hear how it turns out.
Update on how my pumpkin cheesecake turned out:
It is delicious!!
As I stated, I did substitute marscapone cheese for one of the cream cheeses. I think this had a very subtle effect on the sweetness of the finished product, but I really like it. Other things that I did differently and will adjust when I make this again (because it will definitely be on the Thanksgiving menu next year): I don’t think I used enough ginger cookies for the crust, so I didn’t have enough for the sides, or so I thought. I just did a bottom crust which was actually a little bit too thick for my liking. Lesson learned!! Also, my pan leaked some during the cooking process, causing my oven to fill with smoke, which then got all in my house when I opened it to check on it. Must remember to check the pan for fit before I make this again and to put something underneath it! My cheesecake cracked right at the end of the cooking process, so, I’m not sure how to fix that, but I will be loading up the whipped cream on top when I share it with all the ladies in my show “The Women” tonight. My boyfriend and I loved it, thanks for posting the recipe!!
Desiree » Thank you for posting the results! I love how you used mascarpone for some of the cream cheese, very creative.
I thought this cheesecake was heavenly! I followed the instruction as they were written, with only one small exception, I toasted the pecans, but obviously not necessary, as you bake them anyways. The crust had the perfect flavor combination, the cheesecake itself was not overpowering and the flavor was also right on, smooth and flavorful. My only concern, so to speak, is this is definitely NOT a version for the faint of heart, regarding calories and fat. But I will say it again, for a wonderful taste of the fall season, this is a winner.
The entire family raved, and it was hard to keep everybody inline with only one slice. Good job.
I’m thrilled to find your wonderful blog! I’m adding this yummy cheesecake to my Thanksgiving menu.
My question is, and anyone please give suggestions, Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of all the others? Also, is it a must to use the crystallized ginger and unsalted butter?
This is my first and I am making it for Thanksgiving.
PLEASE HELP!
You can skip the ginger but not the butter – you need the butter to help give the crust structure.
Thanks for the tips. Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of the other spices? And how much?
Thanks
I have celiac disease and must eat gluten-free and dairy-free. I used this recipe to make my Thanksgiving dessert. Pamela’s Ginger Cookies and Earth Balance butter were my substitutions for the crust. Then, I used tapioca flour, gluten-free vanilla flavoring, and Tofutti cream cheese as substitutions in the filling.
Every bite was devoured! If you make a gluten-free cheesecake, I recommend not telling anyone that it’s made from tofu until after they’ve tasted it.
Hey out there,
Christmas is upon us and I want to make a white chocolate
peppermint cheesecake. any one got a good recipe? I want to use chocolate cookies for crust. Sure could use help or link.
thanks