No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

This no bake pumpkin cheesecake is rich and creamy and utterly foolproof. No oven or water bath needed – it sets up perfectly right in the refrigerator. Be warned, though. Once your friends and family get a bite of the perfectly-spiced cheesecake filling and the sweet, crisp graham cracker crust, they’ll beg you to make this cheesecake for every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and autumn weekend.

🍰 What Makes This Recipe So Good

• No bake pumpkin cheesecake is quite possibly the perfect dessert for autumn. The flavors are amazing, the texture is incredible, and it’s so unbelievably easy to make that it’s literally foolproof. There’s no oven, no water bath, and no worries of cracks all across the top of your dessert.
• The cheesecake filling is made with rich cream cheese and real pumpkin purée that’s seasoned with a little cinnamon, ginger, clove, and nutmeg. An easy homemade whipped cream gets folded into the filling so it’s deliciously airy and fluffy, not at all dense or heavy. That’s all surrounded by a crust made from sweet cinnamony graham cracker crumbs mixed with a little butter, make everything taste extra warm and cozy. Seriously, if pumpkin spice season is your thing, you will be in pumpkin spice HEAVEN.
• No bake pumpkin cheesecake is GREAT if you need a make-ahead option. The longer it chills in the fridge, the more it’ll set up. It needs at least 6 hours, but you can make it as much as 48 hours before you intend to serve it! Perfect for Thanksgiving dinners that take over every inch of your kitchen and don’t allow for a lot of last-minute, day-of dessert making.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• Use a measuring cup to press and pack the graham cracker crust into the springform pan. The more packed the crust is, the less likely it is your no bake pumpkin cheesecake will crumble as you slice into it. The bottom of a measuring cup will cover more surface area than the tips of your fingers, making for a much tighter press.
• Use canned pumpkin purée and NOT canned pumpkin pie filling! The pumpkin purée is just pure pumpkin, with nothing added. The canned filling has spices and sugar added to it that can really throw off the flavor of the cheesecake.
• Be careful not to over-mix the heavy cream. If you go past the “stiff peaks” mark of whipped cream, you sail right into grainy, gritty, not-quite-cream, not-yet-butter territory. Not what we want here. For a light and fluffy no bake pumpkin cheesecake filling, it’s important that your whipped cream be just right.

🧁 More Delicious Dessert Recipes

• Pumpkin Ice Cream
• Bacon Cookie Butter Cookies
• Pumpkin Muffins with a Spiced Crumb Topping
• Cookie Butter Creme Brulee
• Keto White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake (Sugar-Free)
• No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
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• Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (Bakery Style)
• Keto Lemon Bars
• Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Salad
• Soft & Chewy Butterscotch Cookies
• Paleo Pumpkin Pie
• Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
• Paleo Pecan Pie

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

5 from 2 votes

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

Prep 45 minutes minutes

Chill 6 hours hours

Total 6 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Rich and sweet, light and fluffy, smooth and creamy. This easy no bake pumpkin cheesecake with a graham cracker crust combines some of the very best flavors of the season into one simple-to-make dessert that sets up beautifully in the fridge overnight!

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12 slices

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Equipment

• Small microwave-safe bowl optional if medium bowl is microwave-safe
• medium mixing bowl
• Silicone spatula
• 9-inch round springform pan
• large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl
• Hand mixer or stand mixer
• whisk attachment for hand mixer or stand mixer
• paddle attachment for hand mixer or stand mixer
• offset spatula or silicone spatula
• Plastic wrap or aluminum foil
• Knife

Ingredients

For the Graham Cracker Crust

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 cups graham cracker crumbs approximately 12-14 full graham cracker sheets
• ▢ ½ packed cup dark brown sugar

For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

• ▢ 3 8-ounce blocks full-fat cream cheese at room temperature; 24 ounces total, cut into smaller pieces
• ▢ 1 cup confectioners sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice store-bought or make your own
• ▢ 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin purée see Notes
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream very cold but not frozen

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

• ▢ whipped cream
• ▢ ground cinnamon
• ▢ graham cracker crumbs
• ▢ cinnamon sticks

Instructions

For the Graham Cracker Crust

• Place ½ cup unsalted butter in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave butter in 15-second increments, stirring between each, until butter is completely melted but not burnt or bubbling.
• Add 2 cups graham cracker crumbs and ½ packed cup dark brown sugar to medium mixing bowl, followed by melted butter. Gently mix together ingredients until fully combined.
  
• Once all ingredients are incorporated, transfer crust mixture to 9-inch springform pan. Tightly pack graham cracker mixture into pan, covering bottom and sides of pan completely in one even layer. Use bottom of measuring cup as needed to pack and press graham cracker crust into pan.
  
• After molding graham cracker crust into springform pan, place pan in freezer until ready to fill.

For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

• Add 3 8-ounce blocks full-fat cream cheese and 1 cup confectioners sugar to medium mixing bowl. Fit mixer with paddle attachment and beat cream cheese and sugar together until fully incorporated into smooth mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed with spoon or silicone spatula.
  
• Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin purée, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract to mixing bowl. Starting on low speed, beat ingredients together 15 to 30 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and mix until smooth, with no lumps of cream cheese or pumpkin purée remaining. Set aside.
• Add 1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream to clean mixing bowl. Fit mixer with whisk attachment and insert whisk into bowl of cream. Whisk cream on low speed 5 to 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high. Whisk cream 4 to 5 minutes or until cream forms stiff peaks. Be careful not to over-mix or whipped cream will become grainy.
• Transfer whipped cream into bowl of cream cheese mixture. Very gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, working slowly to prevent deflating or over-mixing whipped cream. Continue until whipped cream is fully incorporated into cream cheese mixture and mixture is smooth and just combined.
  

For the No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

• Remove springform pan from refrigerator. Transfer cheesecake filling into prepared crust and use spatula to carefully spread filing out evenly across bottom of crust. Smooth top of cheesecake filling, then cover cheesecake with sheet of plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
  
• Place covered cheesecake in refrigerator. Chill, covered and undisturbed, at least 6 hours, up to 48 hours.
• Immediately before serving, remove cheesecake from refrigerator and discard plastic wrap or foil covering. Carefully run knife around inner edge of springform pan to loosen sides of cheesecake, then release springform latch and remove pan. Transfer cheesecake to cake stand or serving plate.
• If desired, decorate cheesecake with dollops of prepared whipped cream, light dusting of ground cinnamon or graham cracker crumbs, or 1 to 2 cinnamon sticks placed on top. Serve cheesecake chilled.

• Mixer Attachments: For an easier time whipping the heavy cream into stiff peaks, refrigerate the bowl and the whisk attachment until you’re ready to make the whipped cream.
• Pumpkin Purée: Be sure to use canned pumpkin purée, not canned pumpkin pie filling (or canned pumpkin pie mix).
• Chill Time: The longer the cheesecake is in the fridge, the more it will set up. I prefer to chill mine 8 to 12 hours, but anywhere from 6 hours to 48 hours is fine.
• For Clean Cuts: Wipe off your knife after loosening the sides of the cheesecake and after each slice of cheesecake is cut.
• Leftovers: Refrigerate leftover cheesecake in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1sliceCalories: 517calProtein: 6gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 308mgPotassium: 165mgTotal Carbs: 39gFiber: 2gSugar: 26gNet Carbs: 37gVitamin A: 877IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 2mg

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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