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This pumpkin cottage cheese cheesecake is the perfect make-ahead dessert for your Thanksgiving table! Made with cottage cheese and Greek yogurt for extra protein, it’s lighter than traditional cheesecake but still delivers that rich, creamy texture everyone loves. With warm pumpkin pie spice and a buttery graham cracker crust, this delightful dessert will have your guests demanding seconds!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
A Note from Cheryl
This cottage cheese pumpkin cheesecake is about to become your new favorite holiday dessert. We’re talking ultra-creamy, perfectly spiced, and way easier than you’d think. You can serve this delicious beauty with coffee or tea, but I also like to go a bit fancy with a Paleo Peppermint Hot Chocolate, or a Paleo Hot Chocolate (and thereโs also Keto Hot Chocolate if youโre on this).ย
If you need more holiday inspiration, check out all our Thanksgiving and our Christmas recipes!
Why This Recipe is So Good
- Unlike those finicky traditional cheesecakes that crack if you breathe on them wrong, this pumpkin cheesecake with cottage cheese is super forgiving. Just throw everything in a blender, pour, bake, and chill. If you can press graham crackers into a pan, you can make this cheesecake.
- Letโs be honest, Thanksgiving and Christmas can be crazy busy, so this is the ultimate do-ahead dessert. It actually needs to chill overnight anyway, so you can cross it off your to-do list the day before your dinner party and focus on everything else. When dessert time rolls around, just slice and serve.
- By swapping in cottage cheese and Greek yogurt for some of the cream cheese, you’re getting way more protein (we’re talking 8+ grams per slice!) without sacrificing that ultra-creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Your guests will never guess it’s a lighter versionโbut you and I know the truth!
What You Need to Know Before You Start
- The secret to avoiding a grainy texture is blending your cottage cheese for at least 2-3 full minutes in a high-powered blender until you see absolutely zero curds. If you’re using a regular blender, add an extra minute and scrape down the sides halfway through. This step makes all the difference between a professional-looking cheesecake and one that tastes homemade in the wrong way.
- The cheesecake is done when the edges are set and the center jiggles slightly like Jello (not liquid slosh) when you gently shake the pan. Once the edges look matte and golden with just that telltale wobble in the middle, turn off your oven and crack the door open. Let the cheesecake cool slowly in the turned-off oven with the door propped open for about an hour to prevent sudden temperature changes that cause cracks.
- Full-fat cottage cheese (4% milkfat) gives you the best, creamiest textureโlow-fat versions work but sacrifice some richness. Room-temperature eggs distribute more evenly through the batter, which is crucial for a crack-free structure. Let your eggs and cottage cheese sit out for about 30 minutes before you start blending.
- It can be tempting to push the line when it comes to letting the cheesecake set overnight, but doing so allows the texture to firm up perfectly and the flavors meld together beautifully. Slicing becomes dramatically easier after at least 6 hours, but overnight is truly best. If you’re making this for Thanksgiving dinner, prep it Wednesday night and thank yourself on Thursday.
Recipe Variations
Make it Crustless: Skip the graham cracker crust entirely and pour the filling directly into a well-greased pan. This makes it naturally gluten-free and honestly? It’s still incredible.
Gingersnap Crust: Swap those graham crackers with crushed gingersnap cookies for extra spice and a slightly crunchier texture. So good.
Chocolate Swirl: Melt 2 ounces of dark chocolate and drizzle it over the filling before baking. Use a knife to swirl it gently into the batter for that marbled effect.
Maple Version: Replace half the brown sugar with pure maple syrup for a subtle maple-pumpkin flavor that’s perfect for fall.
Individual Servings: Use a muffin tin lined with paper liners instead of a springform pan. Cut the baking time down to 20-25 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Use a regular 8-inch round cake pan or even an 8ร8 square pan. You won’t be able to remove the sides, so you’ll need to slice and serve directly from the pan, but it’ll taste just as incredible.
The cottage cheese wasn’t blended enough. Make sure you blend for at least 2 full minutes on high speed until completely smoothโno visible curds should remain.
Indeed, yes! Wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Make your own! Mix 1ยฝ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ยฝ teaspoon ground ginger, ยผ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and a pinch each of ground allspice and ground cloves.
Small cracks are totally normal and don’t affect the taste at all! They usually happen from overbaking or cooling too quickly. Just cover any cracks with whipped cream, and literally no one will ever know.
You can, but the texture won’t be quite as creamy and rich. If you do use low-fat, stick with full-fat Greek yogurt to maintain some of that richness.
More Delicious Holiday Recipes
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Sweet Potato Bread
- Vegan Pumpkin Donuts with Salted Caramel Glaze
- Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Easy 4-Ingredient Cranberry White Chocolate Cookie Bars
- Sweet Potato Cornbread with Cinnamon Honey Butter
- Healthier Pumpkin Cookies with a Maple Glaze
- Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls
- No-Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Keto White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake (Sugar-Free)
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
High Protein Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cottage Cheese
Equipment
- 8-inch springform pan or 8ร8-inch square pan
- High-powered blender Vitamix, Blendtec, or similar
- small mixing bowl
- parchment paper optional, see recipe notes
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ยผ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- pinch kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the Cheesecake
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- ยฝ cup Greek yogurt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ยฝ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ยพ cup brown sugar packed
- โ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- Optional: whipped cream for topping
Instructions
Make the Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF and grease 8-inch springform pan.
- Combine 1ยผ cups graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar, and pinch of kosher salt in small bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter until evenly moistened.
- Press crumb mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool slightly.
Make the Cheesecake
- Add 2 cups cottage cheese, ยฝ cup Greek yogurt, 3 large eggs, 2ยฝ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, ยพ cup packed brown sugar, โ cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1 cup pumpkin puree to high-powered blender.
- Process on high speed for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth with no visible cottage cheese curds.
- Pour cottage cheese mixture into prepared crust and bake for 30-35 minutes until edges are set and just starting to brown with matte surface. Center should be slightly jiggly but not liquid.
- Turn off oven and crack door open. Let cheesecake cool in oven for 1 hour, then cool to room temperature.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.
- Top with whipped cream if desired and serve chilled.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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