Break out the oversized sweaters and light your cozy candles—it is officially pumpkin spice season! If you’re looking for the ultimate autumn dessert that will instantly make your house smell like a crisp October afternoon, look no further than this Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Cookie Crust.
Forget dense, heavy sliceable bricks—this cheesecake is impossibly velvety, rich, and bursting with all the warm spices of fall. The secret star of the show? That bold, zesty gingersnap crust. It adds a deep, buttery crunch that cuts right through the creamy pumpkin filling.
What makes this pumpkin cheesecake standard-setting isn’t just the pumpkin—it’s the balance between sharp spice, rich dairy, and deep, caramelized sugar notes.
The Flavor Profile
- The Fiery, Snappy Crust: Swap out standard graham crackers for gingersnaps, and the base becomes a main feature rather than just structural support. The cookies bring a punchy, sharp bite from real ground ginger and blackstrap molasses. When combined with melted butter and extra cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, the crust bakes into a fragrant, caramelized anchor that cuts through the creaminess of the filling.
- Real Pumpkin & Tangy Cream Cheese: Pureed pumpkin has an earthy, subtle sweetness on its own, but its high moisture content can dilute flavor if not properly balanced. Pairing 24 ounces of rich cream cheese with a splash of sour cream creates a dense, velvety custard base. The lactic acid in the sour cream brightens up the pumpkin’s earthiness, preventing the cake from tasting overly heavy.
- Warm Brown Sugar Depth: Rather than relying solely on refined white sugar, a generous portion of light brown sugar introduces natural molasses into the batter. This gives the pumpkin filling a soft butterscotch undertone that makes the pie spices taste richer and more rounded.
- A Balanced Spice Blend: A heavy hand with warm spices transforms this from a plain cream cheesecake into an autumn classic:
- Cinnamon: The sweet, woodsy backbone that anchors the whole dessert.
- Ginger: Adds a bright, peppery warmth that echoes the crust.
- Nutmeg & Cloves: Used in smaller doses to provide a sharp, aromatic finish without overpowering the delicate pumpkin notes.
- The Creamy Finish: Topped with pillowy whipped cream and a drizzle of buttery salted caramel sauce, every bite hits all five main taste sensations—sweet, salty, rich, tangy, and warm spice.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Cookie Crust
Created by Sue Mun
Makes one, 9 inch cheesecake
Ingredients:
For the Gingersnap Cookie Crust:
- 8 oz. gingersnap cookies
- 3 tbsp. (40g) sugar
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Batter:
- 24 ounces (678g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 170g light brown sugar
- 100g granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 15 oz. can pureed pumpkin
- 1/3 cup (70g) sour cream
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325˚ F and place an oven rack in the lower-middle position. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan tightly with two pieces of foil. Grease the cheesecake pan with Pam spray and line the bottom with a circle parchment paper.
- To make the gingersnap cookie crust, add the gingersnap cookies in a food processor. Pulse everything together until the cookies are finely ground. You can also place the cookies in a gallon ziplock bag and crush the cookies using a rolling pin.
- Pour the crushed cookies in a medium mixing bowl and add in the melted butter, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix everything together until the crumbs resemble wet sand.
- Pour the crumbs in the prepared cheesecake pan and spread/press the crumbs evenly on the bottom of the pan using a measuring cup.
- Bake the cookie crust until fragrant and browned at the edges, about 10-12 minutes. Let the cookie crust cool for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, make the pumpkin cheesecake batter.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the room temperature cream cheese on low speed until smooth and creamy. Then add in the sugar, brown sugar, and cornstarch and cream together until smooth and lump free.
- Add in the room temperature eggs, one at a time until smooth. Try not to over mix or else you will incorporate too much air which will result in a cracked cheesecake.
- Then add in the pumpkin puree, sour cream, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Pour the cheesecake filling into the cheesecake pan over the cookie crust and smooth the top. Place the cheesecake pan on a baking sheet and place the entire tray in the oven.
- Being careful, pour enough hot water around the cheesecake pan until the hot water reaches the top of the baking sheet pan. Push the pan back into the oven and bake at 325F for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the edges of the cheesecake is set but the center is still jiggly like Jell-O.
- Turn off the oven, but leave the cheesecake inside with the oven door cracked slightly open with a wooden spoon to allow the cheesecake to cool down slowly in the oven for 1 hour.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven (and from the water bath, if you opted to use one) and cool on the counter until room temperature. Transfer the cooled cheesecake to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight before slicing and serving with freshly whipped cream and salted caramel sauce.
