Pumpkin Cheesecake With Pecan Streusel
A creamy pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap cookie crust and a crunchy pecan streusel topping. Make this instead of the usual pumpkin pie for your Thanksgiving feast.
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Cheesecake was always one of those decadent desserts I thought took a lot of skill to make. I have come to discover it doesn't, and it's tough to mess one up. Unless you experience a mishap like I did.
This Ginger Snaps Pumpkin Trifle: Easy No-Bake Dessert is another easy-to-make pumpkin dessert. It has layers of ginger snaps, pumpkin filling, and whipped cream.
A Cheesecake Disaster
It was my daughter Deidra's 21st birthday. She was home from college, and my mama was visiting from South Louisiana. Since their birthdays are one day apart, they sometimes get to celebrate together, and this was one of those special occasions. I spent a good part of the day preparing a meal and making a cheesecake at Deidra's request.
Not much makes me happier than having our home full of friends and family. I enjoy every bit of hosting, especially cooking their favorite dishes, then sitting around the dining room table feasting and catching up with them. We visit for hours until we just have to get up and clean the kitchen before they rush off. This birthday celebration was much like that. At least that's how I had planned it.
It was time to put the freshly decorated cheesecake with chocolate-covered strawberries in the refrigerator. My mama was at the kitchen sink, and I was at the opposite end of the kitchen. I headed toward the refrigerator with the glass cake stand in hand that held the cheesecake when all of a sudden I turned too quickly to open the refrigerator door. I felt the cheesecake slide off the glass stand, going the opposite direction I intended. Sadly, it landed splat on the kitchen floor. I remembered hollering, "Mama!", but it was too late. Nothing could save that birthday cheesecake. So we did the next best thing: grabbed spoons and ate what didn't touch the floor. It was the least we could do to soothe the loss of a delicious, creamy, homemade birthday cheesecake.
The sweetest thing that evening wasn't the cheesecake, but when Deidra's older brother, James, offered to run to the store and buy her whatever cake she wanted. So sweet!
A Cheesecake To Give Thanks For
When the weather starts getting cooler, the days shorter, and the leaves golden, I start thinking of the foods that go along with the changing season. Of course, pumpkin comes to mind, and its taste soon follows. I like using it in different recipes because of its health benefits and the moisture and texture it adds to foods.
Pumpkin is everywhere these days, and after making a couple of boxed pumpkin cheesecakes, I decided to add pumpkin to my own recipe and jazz it up. I also swapped the graham cracker crust for a gingersnap cookie crust and added a pecan streusel on top. It is so good, easy to make, and much better than the boxed ones that I just have to share the recipe with you.
Print📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Cheesecake With Pecan Streusel
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
A creamy pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap cookie crust and a crunchy pecan streusel topping. Make this instead of the usual pumpkin pie for your Thanksgiving festivities.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs, approximately 20 cookies
- ¼ cup butter, melted
For Filling
- 2 blocks of 8-ounce cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 can (15-ounce) pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Topping
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup gingersnap cookie crumbs, approximately 10 cookies
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
For Crust
- Mix cookie crumbs and butter together in a bowl and press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan.
- Set aside.
For Filling
- Cream the cream cheese in a large bowl with beaters until smooth.
- Mix in sugar and one egg at a time making sure all ingredients are incorporated well.
- Add pumpkin and mix just until mixture is blended.
- Then stir in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.
- Pour onto the crust in the pan and place into the hot oven.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven.
Topping
- Mix together sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Top cheesecake with sour cream mixture.
Streusel Topping
- Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave oven.
- Add cookie crumbs, brown sugar, and pecans to butter and stir to mix well.
- Sprinkle streusel onto the sour cream mixture on top of the cheesecake.
- Bake at 375 degrees for another 10- 15 minutes.
- Let the cheesecake cool for a couple of hours in the oven with the door cracked open.
- Remove the cake from the oven and pass a knife between the side of the pan and the filling, separating the cheesecake from the pan.
- Remove the sides of the springform pan and allow the cake to cool.
- Refrigerate the cake for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- Slice into wedges and serve cold.
Notes
To make crumbs, process cookies in a food processor or put them in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Use the bottom of a glass to help spread the crumbs evenly in the pan. Do not press too firmly. This helps you cut the cake easily from the pan.
Place the filled springform pan on a foil-lined cookie sheet for easy cleanup in case the pan leaks.
If you've never made a cheesecake before, I hope you consider this one. There's really no way to mess it up. Even if it doesn't turn out as pretty as you'd like, I'm sure it won't hurt the taste. Unless you drop it on the floor, then you may not get to eat as much of it. So be sure to handle with care. It's well worth it!
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Have a nice day!
"God says to give thanks in everything. That doesn't mean you need to give thanks FOR everything. You don't need to give thanks FOR that bad day. Or FOR that bad relationship. Or being passed over at work. Financial hardship. Whatever it is - you are not to give thanks FOR the difficulties, but rather IN the difficulties. That is a very important distinction, and one I think we often miss. Giving thanks IN everything shows a heart of faith that God is bigger than the difficulties and that He can use them, if you approach Him with the right heart and spirit, for your good and His glory." -Tony Evans
More Desserts & Sweets
This looks so good. Thanks for putting one in the auction. Yum yum
Thanks and it's my pleasure!
So I did infact accidently swirl the sour cream topping in with the cream cheese topping and then baked that for 50-60min and it was insanely good 🤣
Sounds like a winner! I may try that method next time. Thanks for letting us know!