Even though this is supposed to be a “copycat recipe” of The Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake, it’s superior in many ways because you choose where the ingredients come from, and you know they’re the fresh and the real thing.
This cheesecake is probably one of my most popular recipes — and for good reason — it’s AMAZING!
It’s really hard to properly enjoy a dessert like this after a full meal.
That’s why they hope you’ll spend 6-8 bucks on a slice, or better yet take home a whole cake.
But you can make it at home for a fraction of the cost, and you can be assured that your ingredients are the freshest and healthiest too.
Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake Copycat Recipe
Ingredients:
- 12 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 3/4 cups sugar
- Salt
- 2 pounds room temperature cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
- 6 large room temperature, lightly beaten eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger, ground
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves, ground
- 2 cups whipped cream, sweetened
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped, toasted pecans
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Directions for Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit with rack in the center position.
2. Using some of the butter, coat a 10-inch springform pan.
3. In a bowl, mix the rest of the butter with the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of the sugar and a pinch of salt.
4. Packing it tightly and evenly, press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
6. After cooling on a rack, wrap the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil.
7. Place the wrapped pan into a roasting pan.
8. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil.
9. While waiting for water to boil, using a mixer; beat the cream cheese until smooth.
10. Add the rest of the sugar and beat until just light. Scrape down bowl sides and beaters as needed.
11. Whip in the sour cream.
12. Add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt and the spices.
13. Whip until just mixed and once done, pour into the cooled crust.
14. Without pulling the rack out, gently place the roasting pan in the oven.
15. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan.
16. Bake the cake about 1 hour 45 minutes, or until the outside of the cheesecake sets but the center is still loose.
17. Turning off the oven; open the door briefly to let out some heat.
18. After leaving the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour, carefully remove the springform pan from the roasting pan.
19. Cool on a rack for at least an hour.
20. Run a knife around the edges to loosen it somewhat, and then cover pan and place in refrigerator for at least 8 hours or even overnight.
21. 60 minutes before serving, bring the cheesecake to room temperature.
22. Unlock and remove the springform ring.
23. Place a spoonful of the whipped cream on each slice.
24. Top with a sprinkle of the toasted pecans.
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- 12 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 2½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2¾ cups sugar
- Salt
- 2 pounds room temperature cream cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
- 6 large room temperature, lightly beaten eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger, ground
- ¼ teaspoon cloves, ground
- 2 cups whipped cream, sweetened
- ⅓ cup roughly chopped, toasted pecans
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit with rack in the center position.
- Using some of the butter, coat a 10-inch springform pan.
- In a bowl, mix the rest of the butter with the graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup of the sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Packing it tightly and evenly, press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
- After cooling on a rack, wrap the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil.
- Place the wrapped pan into a roasting pan.
- In a medium pot, bring water to a boil.
- While waiting for water to boil, using a mixer; beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the rest of the sugar and beat until just light. Scrape down bowl sides and beaters as needed.
- Whip in the sour cream.
- Add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt and the spices.
- Whip until just mixed and once done, pour into the cooled crust.
- Without pulling the rack out, gently place the roasting pan in the oven.
- Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan.
- Bake the cake about 1 hour 45 minutes, or until the outside of the cheesecake sets but the center is still loose.
- Turning off the oven; open the door briefly to let out some heat.
- After leaving the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour, carefully remove the springform pan from the roasting pan.
- Cool on a rack for at least an hour.
- Run a knife around the edges to loosen it somewhat, and then cover pan and place in refrigerator for at least 8 hours or even overnight.
- minutes before serving, bring the cheesecake to room temperature.
- Unlock and remove the springform ring.
- Place a spoonful of the whipped cream on each slice.
- Top with a sprinkle of the toasted pecans.
Suheiry Feliciano says
November 18, 2014 at 3:25 pmOh my goodness. This combines so many of my favorite things. I’m pinning this, and I’m actually going to try making it.
Jennifer says
November 18, 2014 at 3:53 pmHee hee. Your family will thank you. This cheesecake really is quite delicious. Have fun making it and be sure to come back and tell me how you liked it 🙂
Darla says
November 24, 2016 at 1:20 pmFollowed directions exactly…. cake is not cooked through?! ?
The Jenny Evolution says
November 27, 2016 at 9:55 amI would definitely check your oven settings… cheesecake it very finicky. If your oven isn’t getting to the set temperature, it makes a big difference. (We had an oven that was consistently about 10 degrees cooler than what we were setting it for….)
Adrienne dickey says
November 22, 2017 at 11:05 pmI am having the same issue. My oven is brand new and electric. Could it be because electric isn’t as hot as a gas oven? At 1 45 minutes it looks like my whole cake is set but when I cut into it its not done. Should I leave it in longer?
Paula F. says
November 11, 2018 at 12:10 pmIt’s not the electric. It’s your oven. Get a oven gauge, turn your oven on 350°F, set or hang gauge in oven. When oven gets to 350°F check your guage. More than likely your oven heat isn’t as hot as what you set it as. It’s easy to fix. Google on how to get your electric oven higher. That’ll fix your problem! That’s what I had to do!!
jess hackett says
November 18, 2014 at 9:52 pmcant wait to try this
Jennifer says
November 19, 2014 at 8:09 amPlease do! And be sure to let me know how you liked it 🙂
Audrey says
October 20, 2015 at 5:44 pmCheesecake? Pecans? SWOOON!
Thanks for sharing on Creative K Kids’ Tasty Tuesdays link up. Hope to see you back next week.
Jennifer Hughes says
October 21, 2015 at 8:29 amHa! It is a fabulous combination…. and the holidays are the perfect time to indulge 😀
Felecia says
October 21, 2015 at 8:27 amHi Jenny! Wow! The cheesecake looks delicious! I sure wished my family liked pumpkin! I need to find someone who will help me eat this so I can make it! Thanks for sharing! Blessings from Bama!
Jennifer Hughes says
October 21, 2015 at 8:36 amThey don’t like pumpkin! Oh that is a tragedy. I guess you’ll just have to eat the whole darn thing yourself 😉
Chelsea @ The Johnsons Plus Dog says
October 26, 2015 at 12:25 amI love the Cheesecake Factory! Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty – hope to see you again next week.
Theresa @DearCreatives says
October 27, 2015 at 11:41 pmThanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Shared. Have a great rest of your week.
Sharon says
November 9, 2015 at 7:09 pmThis looks great. However I’m not a fan of cloves. Any substitutes? Thanks
The Jenny Evolution says
November 9, 2015 at 9:30 pmI can’t really say there’s any substitute for cloves. But I did see on a couple of recipe message boards that people skip the cloves sometimes and their pumpkin recipes still turn out tasty.
nancy whitehead says
January 26, 2018 at 6:35 pmYou can use Nutmeg instead of or with Cloves I usually use both.I have not had any complaints so far ..
The Jenny Evolution says
February 11, 2018 at 5:02 pmGreat tip. Folks always have their own stylized taste.
Jami anderson says
November 19, 2015 at 11:30 pmCan this be frozen?
The Jenny Evolution says
November 20, 2015 at 10:03 amI don’t see why not! Just be sure to leave enough time for de-thawing. There’s nothing like cutting into the cheesecake and discovering the center is still frozen. ha!
Jessyka says
November 25, 2015 at 4:03 pmI don’t have a 10 inch Springform pan.. can I Bake this in a 9 inch? If so how long do I bake this for? Thanks in advance!
The Jenny Evolution says
November 26, 2015 at 1:42 pmI don’t know why you couldn’t bake this is a 9-inch springform… but I don’t know the exact baking timing. I would try it and watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t get overdone.
Vanessa says
December 24, 2015 at 1:21 pmI work at the cheesecake factory in the bakery and I have to say this is very very close to our pumpkin cheesecake!
The Jenny Evolution says
December 26, 2015 at 3:16 pmHahah! Thanks for letting me know my recipe is so close!
pentastarr says
September 6, 2016 at 5:44 pmHello,
I have always made my cheesecakes in a 3 inch round cake pan…never had any issues….do you see any reason this cheesecake would not work in the cake pan?
The Jenny Evolution says
September 6, 2016 at 8:18 pmYou could make it in a cake pan; it’s more about getting the cheesecake out when you’re done. Springforms are just that much easier to get your cake or cheesecake out.
Charlotte Wilson says
September 8, 2016 at 9:45 pmLooks pretty spot-on to the slice that my bestie & I shared @ lunch, today …. about the only thing I’d do differently is to use gingersnaps (instead of graham crackers), for the crust – thank you for posting this!
The Jenny Evolution says
September 10, 2016 at 9:22 amOoo. Using gingersnaps would taste awesome!
Charlotte Wilson says
February 2, 2017 at 11:16 pmGingersnaps are wonderful for this particular type of cheesecake – I also do this, for pumpkin pie (throw in some chopped crystallized ginger, for added chew and zing!)
We wound up using some gluten-free gingersnaps (from Trader Joe’s, which already have chunks of crystallized ginger; for non gluten-free crust, go ahead and use their ‘triple-ginger’ gingersnaps *or any decent gingersnap cookie, really!*) and they worked fine.
My only issue, here, is that this recipe called for WAAAAAY too much butter, for the crust! Next time, I think I will cut the butter down to 3 or 4 tbsp! Otherwise, the cheesecake, itself, was pretty much spot-on! 😀
Sara says
November 20, 2018 at 8:37 amI couldn’t agree with this reply more! We use GF ginger snap cookies for our crust! We also had to remake the cheesecake due to way too much butter the first time it seeped through the springform pan all over the oven. Cut the butter back to 4 tablespoons and it was perfect!
you're welcome says
September 23, 2016 at 1:24 pmI just saw on Pinterest that someone used your picture – the pumpkin slice photograph with your site name across the bottom – she cut off your words, but it’s clearly your image.
The Jenny Evolution says
September 26, 2016 at 12:45 pmDo you happen to have the Pin URL? Thanks.
Steven says
October 4, 2016 at 8:30 pmAfter cooking for the 1 hour 45mins and turning off the oven, can I just leave the cheesecake in the oven over night or do you think it’s best to take it out and put it in the fridge?
The Jenny Evolution says
October 5, 2016 at 10:49 amI definitely wouldn’t keep cheesecake in the oven overnight… personally I’d wait until I had to remove it from the oven (before bed) and then move it to the counter to cool down.
Krista says
October 8, 2016 at 6:28 pmIs 1 tsp salt right? I just made the filling and it tastes awfully salty. It doesn’t specify in the ingredients list, but the instructions say 1 tsp. Thanks
The Jenny Evolution says
October 9, 2016 at 1:08 pmIt is 1 tsp. in the filling… but make sure you’re using unsalted butter for the filling as well.
Ness says
October 9, 2016 at 8:45 pmThis recipe turned out so well! Made it into cheesecake cupcakes and baked it for 30-35min. Will definitely make this again!
The Jenny Evolution says
October 10, 2016 at 8:36 amWhat a fun idea and new twist! Happy eating 🙂
arielle Berna says
November 11, 2016 at 2:01 pmAre you actually baking this essentially in water? or do you leave the roasting rack in the pan as Well?
The Jenny Evolution says
November 12, 2016 at 8:30 amYes, you are basically baking this in the water… the springform goes in the roasting pan… and the water comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan.
Leslie says
November 11, 2016 at 8:40 pmHow much water do you use, doesn’t say!
The Jenny Evolution says
November 12, 2016 at 8:29 amFor the recipe, you pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan.
Danielle says
November 15, 2016 at 8:54 pmHow long would this last in the fridge? I want to make it on Wednesday morning for Saturday afternoon. Thanks and can’t wait to try this!!
The Jenny Evolution says
November 16, 2016 at 8:21 amFood generally lasts 3-4 days in the fridge, so you should be okay. But if you can make it closer to the date you’re serving it, the fresher it will be. Enjoy the recipe!
Patty Glogowski says
November 17, 2016 at 12:02 amCan I substitute gluten free graham crackers in the crust using all the other same ingredients?
The Jenny Evolution says
November 17, 2016 at 11:47 amI’ve never really worked with gluten free graham crackers and don’t know their consistency. If you do try it, let us know how it turns out!
Patty Glogowski says
November 17, 2016 at 7:11 pmHas anyone else reading these reviews used the gluten free graham crackers?
Jessica says
November 22, 2016 at 11:55 pmI am making it with a gf crust right now. I will let you know how it turns out.
Crystal says
November 23, 2016 at 11:19 amWould this recipe work with a gluten free pre-made graham cracker pie crust? I’m sure I can cut the ingredients so there’s pie filling left over, but I wasn’t sure if the consistency would work still in a normal crust…?
Thanks in advance!
Melissa says
November 22, 2016 at 7:19 pmI have looked up other cheesecake recipes and haven’t seen the water thing … what is the purpose of that?
Charlotte Wilson says
February 2, 2017 at 11:24 pmHi, Melissa!
Some folx use a ‘water bath’ to keep the top of the cheesecake from cracking, on top. I’ve had mixed results, using such, plus you can always make a semi-sweet sour cream topping, or whipped cream, to disguise any cracks, if need be – it’s going to taste great, regardless! 😀
Lisa Schenk says
October 25, 2017 at 6:17 pmThis is in the oven now, used a 10″ spring form pan, I had way too much filling, had to make another small one. What went wrong? 2lbs would be 4-8oz blocks right? Hoping this turns out.
Lori says
October 31, 2017 at 5:51 amWhat size springform pan should be used?
Melanie says
November 13, 2017 at 9:53 pmCan extra cheesecake filling be stored in the refrigerator? Or does it all have to be used right away?
Tammie Leeman says
November 17, 2017 at 6:30 amWould this freeze well? Would like to make it ahead of time for Thanksgiving, but keep it fresh. 6 days away!
Erica says
November 17, 2017 at 2:05 pmI want to make mini cheesecakes in a muffin pan. How would long would I have to cook them? And how many do you think I would get from your recipe?
Kurisha says
November 18, 2017 at 7:02 pmTrying this tonight! Question: What is the point of the roasting pan and boiling water?
Meg says
November 21, 2017 at 7:22 amDo you put the springform pan inside the water bath?
Amy Cassel says
November 22, 2017 at 10:08 amI made this cheesecake this past weekend for a mid thanksgiving dinner. We were finally able to enjoy it last night. It was AMAZING!!!! It even made my teenage daughters snapchat story so it must have been a win! I felt it was a bit undercooked but I’ll adjust a few temperature things and it will be perfect next time!
The Jenny Evolution says
November 22, 2017 at 11:50 amThat’s awesome! Yeah 😀
Megan says
November 22, 2017 at 1:25 pmDo you put the springform pan in the water?
Caitlyn says
November 22, 2017 at 4:31 pmI seem to be the only one around here that likes cheesecake (crazy right?) so I halved the recipe. Do you know about how long I would bake it for? Thanks!
Jamie says
November 22, 2017 at 7:47 pmI’m making this now & just realized I only used 1lb of cream cheese. ? I don’t know how I spaced that. Is it ruined? Or can I just bake it longer?
Jaime says
November 22, 2017 at 8:42 pm12 tbsp of butter for the crust? Is that right?? I had butter pooling and dripping everywhere… eek!
Yessi says
December 23, 2017 at 10:35 pmAmazing!!
Dawn says
May 28, 2018 at 4:56 pmCan’t watt to try this. Do you think a chocolate ganache would work?
The Jenny Evolution says
June 30, 2018 at 4:20 pmHonestly I have no idea! But if you try it, let me know 🙂
Jennifer says
October 29, 2018 at 11:17 amThis is the most perfect pumpkin cheese cake ever. Love all of the spices in it. Followed the directions exactly and it turned out perfect. Thank you so much!
Carol McCall says
November 19, 2018 at 1:02 pmCan this be made ahead and frozen?
Mommy Evolution says
November 19, 2018 at 1:08 pmAbsolutely! Be sure to give it enough time to properly de-thaw though! And be sure to REALLY wrap it before freezing — you don’t want freezer burn on your gorgeous cheesecake 🙂
Rochelle says
November 21, 2018 at 12:53 pmHi,
I don’t have a pan wide enough to place the springform pan into with the boiling water. Am I able to skip this process? I understand its to prevent cracking, however will the cook time vary without this step? Any tips?
Chattywife says
November 21, 2018 at 1:30 pmYou didn’t say when to add the pecans and you should make clear not to add the whipping cream to the cake batter. Have a separate section for making whip cream as a topping later. Hope my cake isn’t ruined.
James R. says
November 21, 2018 at 6:45 pmMaking this for the second time, just delicious
Mommy Evolution says
November 26, 2018 at 2:11 pmYeah! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe 🙂
Abby says
November 21, 2018 at 6:54 pmIs baking it in water absolutely nessacary? I just realized I do not have a roasting pan big enough to fit my 10” spring pan! Oh no!! What do I do??
Tina says
November 25, 2018 at 5:57 pmI made this pumpkin cheesecake recipe but I didnt bake my crust a head of time like it says to do in the recipe.I also put my water in the pan in the oven while the oven was preheating and I baked the whole cheesecake in the water bath at 475° for 15 minutes then I lowered the temperature to what it states in the recipe to bake it at. It turned out great. No cracks at all in my cheesecake. It was delicious.
Mommy Evolution says
November 26, 2018 at 2:10 pmGreat adjustment tips for folks who want to try a different way. Thanks for sharing!
Jen Wojdyla says
November 25, 2018 at 6:44 pmThis turned out AMAZING!!! Lots of rave reviews. Definitely adding to the family cookbook! My question is can I make different flavors? Can I substitute things for the pumpkin? Do the remaining ingredients cook great without the pumpkin?
Mommy Evolution says
November 26, 2018 at 2:10 pmYou know… I don’t know! The pumpkin does add the moisture needed so I fear if you take out the pumpkin it might be drier than you’d like. If you try it, let me know!