We took the pumpkin out of the pie and baked it into a rich and creamy cheesecake; it's an especially memorable ending to a holiday meal.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

graham-cracker crumbs (from 10 whole crackers)

sugar

unsalted butter, melted

all-purpose flour

pumpkin puree

pumpkin-pie spice

vanilla extract

salt

eggs, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Assemble a 9-inch nonstick springform pan, with the raised side of the bottom part facing up.

Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until moistened; press firmly into bottom of pan. Bake until golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes.

Make the filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth; mix in flour (do not overmix). Add pumpkin puree, pie spice, vanilla, and salt; mix just until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next.

Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour filling into springform, and gently smooth top. Transfer to oven; reduce oven heat to 300 degrees. Bake 45 minutes without opening the oven. Turn off oven; to prevent the top from cracking, let cheesecake stay in oven 2 hours more (without opening).

Remove from oven; cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Unmold before serving.

Everyone loved it. I suspect the people who had problems with it baking completely misread the recipe and used one can of pumpkin as opposed to one cup.

Do not follow this recipe. The bake time is too short and/or the temp is too low.  I added an additional 20 minutes to the bake time at 300 degrees, and like many other users warn, its still raw in the middle and I wound up with a big crack. So disappointing.

First time I made this recipe! pumpkin cheesecake. Delicious!

I followed recipe to the T, only sprayed the springform with pam first. I used gingersnaps for crust with 6tbsp butter and 1 cup sugar because the snaps were less sweet than I wanted...overall perfect instructions. I did 45mins, but he have a cast iron plate we put in our oven that regulates the temp very well, so no need for extra time. I had zero cracks! It came out perfectly and this was the first cheesecake I have ever baked. I read the comments for advice beforehand so, thank you ladies!

I make this cheesecake at least once a year, especially for Thanksgiving. It's always a hit, and it's perfect to make a day or two ahead of time. I like to substitute different cookies for the crust sometimes--ginger snaps are great. Depending on the cookies I use, I'll cut down the sugar this recipe calls for or omit it altogether. It's also very easy to make this cheesecake gluten free; I just swap out the regular flour for an all-purpose gf flour mix like Cup4Cup and use gf cookies. Delicious, and no one would ever know it's gluten free!

Very disappointed, top has a crater.Have s brand new convection oven. Guess I'll dump s can of whipped cream on the top of it. All ingredients were at room temp, also had butter running out on the cookie sheet.

I am not good at baking, but when I found this recipe I decided to give it a try. I had roasted my pumpkin earlier and frozen it. Then I made my own pumpkin spice, because where I live it is hard to get anything other than canned pumpkin puree. I wanted to see if I could succeed in this cheesecake for our annual family Christmas lunch. (I had bread pudding ingredients ready just in case...) I made the cheesecake 3 days in advance and it turned out perfect!! Everyone loved it, and it was so easy to make. I will most certainly do it for next year as well.

This was the best Cheesecake ever! My family loved it and my friend (who does not eat sweets) asked to take some home with him.  That being said I did change a few things. 1. I did not add the eggs. 2. I did not use the Pumpkin Spice mix. I used 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of Ginger and 1 teaspoon of  Cloves. 3. I used Ginger Snaps for my crust.  The hardest part of this is not to open the oven, for almost 3 hours!  I wanted to check my Cheesecake so bad!  But I had control and it was well worth the wait.  We topped the Pumpkin cheesecake with "Whip Cream in a Mason Jar" and crushed pistachios.

The center of my cheesecake was runny and undercooked, despite my following the directions exactly. (and the fact that my oven actually runs a bit hot.) My ingredients were room temperature, so that's not the problem. Very disappointing. You can't really check a cheesecake for doneness, of course. I can't recommend this recipe.

This is my go-to dessert every fall for thanksgiving and Christmas. By far one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had. The most satisfying part is having a perfectly smooth top without a single crack but even if it does crack it still tastes amazing. Thank you for this recipe!!

I've been making this for years. It is a real crowd-pleaser. I don't even like cheesecake, but I love this!

Made this per the recipe.  Followed directions on cooking time.  When removed from the refrigerator to remove spring form pan, the cheese cake cracked as it was extremely undercooked.  My Gaggenau oven is six months old and was calibrated correctly.   Any comments site manager on the correct cook time for this cheesecake?

the video on this recipe is broken. i can hear it, but the visuals are blacked out. the recipe looks really yummy though!

QUESTION - I've made this numerous times and love it. This time I need to make mini cheesecake cups for my daughter's class. Any suggestions for modification of crust, baking times, etc? Thank you!

This cheesecake is delicious and came together nicely.  I had no cracks, and I didn't use a water bath.  I had one small jelly-like section, approximately 1" and slightly off-center.  I'd change two things in the above recipe: 1. I couldn't get the graham cracker crust to come together using only 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter.  I had to use the whole stick (8 tablespoons). 2. I wouldn't use plastic wrap in the fridge.  Condensation formed, pulling the wrap down and onto the face of the cake.

I made this delicious pie last week, it turned out perfect! I did everything Martha did, except I wrapped springform pan with foil and placed in water bath. I also increased the cooking time to 47 minutes. I did keep turning the light on and looking every so often. One thing I think is very important is for the oven to be preheated to 350 degrees, then turned down to 300 when you place the pie in.

Does anyone have advice on baking this cheesecake at high-altitude?

Made this yesterday.   Read over other people's comments.  I adjusted baking time...increased to 1 hour because of other people saying that 45 min it still wasnt cooked in middle.  

Mine still wasnt done.  Didnt hold together when removed from pan.  Crust was very thin almost nonexistent.   I have a new oven temp is dead on accurate.  
I would either bake at higher temp for an hour or bake atleast 1 1/2 hours next time.  Also I would double the crust.  
The flavor was excellent! !!!

My cheesecake turned out amazing! I took some of the batter and mixed it with a bit of melted chocolate and made a pumpkin swirl cheesecake with chocolate cookie crust. OMG!

We low carb as much as possible and instead of the graham cracker crust, we made it out of a package of Sugar Free Murrays Shortbread cookies which additionally are kosher. You still crush the cookies as usual and use melted butter to form a crust.

I have another marvelous lemon cheesecake recipe and just happened to see a can of pumpkin while dreaming of how to make a different cheesecake, thanks Martha, Bracha Sarah

So delicious and creamy! Made it for our Thanksgiving and it was a big hit. Followed the recipe and it turned out amazing, just like the picture. I topped with cranberries gelee.

This cheesecake is amazingly delicious!!  I had a problem though with it being runny in the middle with only 45 minutes baking time. I left it in the oven (turned off) according to the recipe for 2 hrs, and it didn't set. I ended up turning the oven back on and baking it for another 20 minutes.  The result was a little overbaked in my opinion, but my guests loved it.  Has anyone else had the same happen? I am making it for Thanksgiving dinner and will bake it this time for an hour.

I made this recipe tonight exactly as it says, and this cheesecake came out just beautiful! Thank you Martha for the first class recipe. I didn't need a bain marie for this cheesecake. There was no cracking! Just don't over mix and definitely do not open that oven.

This is a question rather than a review...
Has anyone ever tried to make a lactose free cheese cake??  As lactose free cream cheese product and lactose free sour cream are expensive, I would like some feedback before attempting a conversion of this recipe.

I love this recipe so much. This is my favorite cheesecake to make. I've made it so many times. The easiest one too and oh so delicious. I'm making it right now for my Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.

a bain marie is important.  i continued to cook mine for another 25min (at 300).  no cracks even though i had to peek.  i havent cut it yet but it looked fine when i turned off the oven (jello jiggle in center 4" diamater, solid perimeter of about 2)".  now after the 2h cooling it looks quite good and solid.  but i did have to cook it a lot longer. also, on TV, martha painted butter in her springform, but the recipe says nothing.

OMgosh!  I've always heard it's difficult to make a cheesecake, however, I made this one on Thanksgiving.  It turned out beautiful; even my sis in law (who doesn't like pumpkin) couldn't get over how wonderful it was.  Merry Christmas Ms. Stewart - I'm making another this evening!

I made this pumpkin cheesecake for the 1st time this T-Day and I will be baking this cheesecake EVERY YEAR!  It was just THAT GOOD!

I added double on the spices which I think it needs. Yum yum is all I can say.

I just made this pumpkin cheesecake recipe for the first time this Thanksgiving! So happy and thanks. It is great and simple,
wonderful and tasty!

The cheesecake tasted great. The only problem I had was that in the very center...it was not set up fully. I followed the direction to a "T". Everyone loved it though!

The cheesecake turned out great. Thank you, Martha!

I made this for thanksgiving last year and everyone loved it its easy to make and the ingredients aren't hard to find. I recommend this to everybody.

To follow - using a water bathh and wrapping the springform pan with tinfoil to avoid water leaks will help avoid cracking.   And don't open that oven!!! :)

First off - as a Martha Stewart recipe I cannot believe Bain Marie was not mentioned AT ALL.  Shame on you Martha. Here's the deal - all ingredients should be at room temp.  Don't use a mixer any further than the cream cheese and sugar.  All subsequent mixings should be *by hand*.  And do not over mix. 
Now - to avoid cracks, you need to bake a cheesecake in a bain marie, which is basically a water bath.   You need to bake the cake in a separate pan/dish with a small (1/2 - 1") of water in it.

I just made this and when I took it out of the oven after the two hour wait it was wobbly in the middle I did a knife check to see if it was done and it was not, the middle was runny :(.  Putting it back in the oven to see if it will help.

A BIG hit at Thanksgiving, especially the crust!  I used 1.5 cups of ginger snap cookies.  I successfully cooked and cooled the cheesecake without any cracks, however, after refrigeration a few appeared.  I recommend not wrapping it in the fridge to avoid condensation and letting it cool completely (for 4-6 hours after the 2 hours in the oven).  For a quick tip on repairing cracks, I found this video useful and it worked! http://www.ehow.com/video_2332642_repairing-cracks-cheesecake.html

This cheesecake is delicious!! I was told is was the creamiest, most delicious cheesecake ever and that it should have won a prize!! Thank goodness Christmas is around the corner; I will definately make this again :D Also I would make sure you let it cool completely before sticking it in the fridge or the crust and top could get soggy.

I made this as a compromise to my new husband, as my family does not like pumpkin pie.  It was a big hit.  I had just a couple of issues.  I made sure not to overwork the batter, and the cake was perfect when I took it out of the oven.  However, it cracked after it was in the fridge for a couple of hours.  I put it into the fridge immediately after I took it out of the oven, and since it was still warm, this created condensation on the plastic wrap, which dripped down and mottled the coloring.

WOW! I love to bake and I thought this would be the perfect thing to bring to my boyfriend's parents house. I was right, it was the best cheesecake i've ever had and everyone said the same. I followed the recipe exactly as it said, DELICIOUS!

Oh my Gosh! this is a keeper!!! I didn't have a spring form pan, so i just used a regular pie plate. I followed the directions to the letter and It was a huge hit!. I will make this one again.

i just made this and did everything exactly as it said, including the baking time. but after the two hours of leaving it in the oven to cool, i took it out to find that it was jelloid in the middle when i wiggled it a bit. put a knife through the middle and it was completely runny. im attempting to put it back in the oven and baking it a while longer. hopefully this will fix it and NOT ruin it. any suggestions for next time?

I only have either an 8 1/2 or 9 1/2 springform pan to use.  Any issues with using a 9 /12 pan?  It will probably not be as thick, right?

Save this one to your favorite list because it is good!  I made the crust with Ginger snaps, it was an instant hit!  This recipe made me a ROCKSTAR, not a single crack was made on the top.

Martha, thanks for the recipe...see you in St. Louis!

I love this cheesecake.  I don't really care for pumpkin pie, but most everyone else in the world does.  So I opted to make this for Thanksgiving as a bit of a compromise.  Everyone loved it.  I have made it for a few occasions now and I have made one change, the crust.   I used Pepperidge Farm Ginger Family in place of the graham cracker and just omitted the sugar.  I prefer it this way, but it was grand either way.

I've made this twice and it's been a big hit taste-wise.  The first time, I thought it was slightly underdone, but it tasted great and only had a slight crack.  The second time, I cooked it 5 minutes longer and I had massive cracks.  I didn't open the oven and I thought that I mixed it the right amount.  My young son helped me though, and maybe we overworked the batter.  I love the recipe, but want to be able to make it without a crack!

For nevagain and family, I'm sorry it didn't work out for you.  I've made this recipe for several years now and it is an absolute hit with everyone.  I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie, but this cheesecake is wonderful.  Check your oven temperature - maybe your thermostat is not working properly.

This was fabulous!!!  I don't pumpkin pie. I decided to make Pumpin Cheesecake and saw this recipe. It was a hit on Thanksgiving.  I had not one bubble when it come out of the oven. I felt very Martha Stewart :)  Definitely a crowd pleaser!

I made this cheesecake a few times and it turned out great every time.  Make sure you use 1 cup of puree, not 1 can.  I used pumpkin pie mix puree (with the spices already added).  Many people say it's the best cheesecake they've ever had!  I kept it in the oven after it was turned off and had no cracks at all.

I made this for our family Thanksgiving dinner and everyone loved it.  It does take some time preparing, but the results were worth it.  I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out picture perfect!!

turned out great!! no cracks and it was just delicious!!

my cheesecake turned out great! very happy -- no cracks, just perfect from the way it looked to the taste! very happy with recipe!

I was careful not to over mix and it still cracked on the top. No problem. Take 1 cup of sour cream, a couple of tablespoons of sugar, a couple of tablespoons of pumpkin, some vanilla and some nutmeg, mix and spread it on top. Then bake in a 450 oven for 5-7 minutes.

My cheesecake came out pretty good, though I think next time I will bake it a little longer for more firmness. I have a question about the crust though, after refrigerating for 2 days, the pie crust became very soggy. Is there anyway to prevent this? Or are fresh graham cracker crusts not meant to be refrigerated for that long?

You can also use gingersnaps in place of graham crackers it adds a nice spice to this recipe.

I made this for Thanksgiving last year and it was such a hit! They've reqeusted I make it again this year. Very good cheesecake!!!!!!

Absolutely delicious!  I've never made a cheesecake before and it turned out great!  I did what another commenter said and put a circle of parchment paper on the bottom to keep it from cracking.  Also, I added a little extra pumpkin pie spice and used ginger snaps for the crust, which was just delicious.

This recipe doesn't need to be modified at all. I've made it several times and it turns out great each time. Jahmason-it says '1 cup canned pumpkin puree'. I think the whole can might be too much because it's probably more than one cup

Mine seemed like there was way too much filling. Maybe I used the wrong size when it says "One can of pumpkin puree." Do they mean a small can or a big can?

I have never made cheesecake before and I am making this for an upcoming party... any suggestions? 
Do I need to add more time (than what this says)?

Fantastic! Very easy to make, crowd pleaser!!!

Does anyone think that you could make the crust with ginger snap cookies?  How would that taste?

This came back with RAVE reviews! I brought this to a dinner where I was asked to bring the dessert and everyone LOVED it! I added a little extra pie spice and a few sprinkles of cinnamon. I also served it with fresh whipped cream

I love this recipe. I have made it before, many times and my family adores it. I have sent it to my husband's meetings and they come back wanting more. I love pumpkin pie, but this is the best of both worlds.

OH MY GOSH, THIS IS SO GOOD! I MADE THIS, THIS MORNING. TURN OUT GREAT! THEREFORE, I DID ADD A DRIZZLE OF CINNAMON POWDER ON TOP OF THE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE. PLUS WHEN I SLICES THE CHEESECAKE AND PUT IT ON THE DESSERT PLATES TO SERVE --- I ADDED A DROP OF WHIPPED CREAM RIGHT NEXT TO THE CHEESECAKE. I JUST LIKE TO TELL YOU IT'S SO GOOD!!! GREAT JOB!

Whenever I make cheesecake, I always put a strip of parchment paper along the perimeter of the cake and it never cracks because the paper moves with the cake as it cools and pulls off the sides.

I substitute gingersnap crumbs for half of the graham cracker crumbs. It give it and extra zip!

this is also good with a burbon whip cream sauce  this may be xrated but give the kidos coolwhip / try apeanut butter cheese cake is oh yum

I have used this recipe several times and it came out great! I did use a couple of variations like using whipped cream cheese one of the times and it came out nice and light and fluffy. And sometimes I add a little extra pumpkin or pumpkin pie spice. I do suggest baking it in a roasting pan with water though.

Nuni82  please do tell how long to bake if premade ie crust is used

The recipe calls for 1 CUP of pumpkin puree...

does anyone know if we are to use fthe 29oz can of pumpkin or the 16ox?  im assuming its the 29oz but just want to make sure!  thanks

this was the first cheesecake i ever attempted and it came out perfect. i used gingersnaps for the crust instead of graham crackers, which i recommend if you want a little more holiday flair.

This was my contribution to Thanksgiving. It was wonderful! I used cinnamon and sugar graham crackers for the crust and stenciled powdered sugar and cinnamon stars on the top to dress it up for the holiday.

for my personal taste, next time i make this i would double the crust and bake the cake for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. my cake was a little too pudding-esq towards the center, but towards the last 1/3 it tasted soooo good,  it had the perfect cheesecake texture and taste (also no cracks).  so i think baking it a little longer and more crust would result in the ultimate, perfect cheesecake :)

I made this for Thanksgiving and I followed the directions but it still cracked! Refrigerating for 4 hours is not enough. I let it overnighted the cake in the refrigerator and the texture is much better today.  The taste is great. I substituted one of the cream cheese bars witih low fat cream cheese and it was a hit!

I made 2 of these (with enough leftover for 2 small tart-sized pies) for Thanksgiving dinner, and they were a hit!  

I didn't have time to let them sit in the oven for the entire 2 hours, but they still came out okay (only one had a small crack!)

The only thing I did differently was to crush the graham crackers in a plastic zip bag with a rolling pin.  Less cleanup than using the food processor!

Good recipe--creamy and tasty. A keeper!

If you cut the recipe in half, you bake it for 30 minutes and it comes out perfect.

i tried this recipe for a pumkin-lover's birthday. it was amazing. I used gingersnap crackers for the crust. served with whipped cream. yummy!

Oh good question!!  How long should you bake the pie when using a ready made crust (half the ingredients) ?

To me it's not really a really a "cheesecake "without the springform, lining it with parchment works well.

Nuni, Great idea for pre-made pie crusts.  I am going to use your tip!

When you use a pre made crust and split the recipe in half, how long do you bake it?

This is a reply to "juju" - 11/12/07 at 4:10 p.m. ET
how do you remove the cake from the bottom of the springform pan without damaging the cake? - When I make cheesecake, I first put waxed or parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.  Take two sheets and cover the bottom of the springform pan and lock the pan around the paper, the edges of the paper should be sticking out the bottom.  Once you remove the springform, just gently slide the paper off the bottom of the pan.  You may need a thin spatula to he

You can use a pre made pie crust, but you need to adjust the recipe. It's very easy, just use half of everything. I did the recipe like it says here and now I have two VERY DELICIOUS pies. Very yummy. 

It's much easier to use a pre made crust. That way you don't need to use a springform pan.

how do you remove the cake from the bottom of the springform pan without damaging the cake?

should I put the cheesecake inside a roasting pan with water like the New York Cheesecake recipe asks?

pumpkin cheesecake

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total: 8 hours

Author : Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Instructions

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