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Home » Recipes

Pumpkin Cheesecake (+ Other Holiday Recipes)

Pumpkin Cheesecake & Other Holiday Recipes on 100 Days of #RealFood #Thanksgiving #pumpkin

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Today I've got a tasty new recipe for you that happens to be the final installment in our blogger #RealFoodHoliday progressive dinner series! I don't know about you, but I've personally never been a fan of pumpkin pie (is anyone really?), but I do LOVE some pumpkin cheesecake.

Pumpkin Cheesecake & Other Holiday Recipes on 100 Days of #RealFood #Thanksgiving #pumpkin

I think this is such a great update to the traditional dessert we've all seen year after year, and with the pecan crust you can easily accommodate any gluten-free guests you might be entertaining.

For another holiday favorite, make this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread!

Pumpkin Cheesecake on 100 Days of #RealFood

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Crust

I've never been a fan of pumpkin pie, but I do LOVE pumpkin cheesecake. I think this is such a great update to the dessert we've all seen year after year.
13 Reviews / 4.2 Average
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 1 hour hr
Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Course: Holiday, Treats
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Servings: 8 people
Save Recipe Saved!

Ingredients
  

For the Crust

  • 2 cups pecans (plus more for garnish if desired)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter (softened)

For the Cheesecake Filling

  • 1 pound cream cheese (softened, 2 - 8 ounce blocks)
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (found in the baking aisle)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree

For the Whipped Cream Topping

  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • In a food processor, process the pecans and salt together to the consistency of coarse crumbs. You could also chop by hand. Mix in the softened butter until the crust mixture comes together.
  • Using your fingers, press the pecan crust into the bottom and sides of a pie pan until it's in one even layer. It helps if you get your fingers wet first. Bake the crust by itself until it turns a rich brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. When it's done, remove it from the oven and turn the temperature down to 350 degrees F.
  • Meanwhile, use an electric mixer to beat together the cream cheese and maple syrup until smooth. Add in the pumpkin pie spice and then one by one, add each of the eggs. Lastly, add the pumpkin puree and beat together just until mixed.
  • Pour the cream cheese mixture into the baked pie crust and stick it in the oven on 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Lower the heat to 325 and bake until the edges of the cheesecake are puffed and begin to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Put the pie in the fridge and let it cool completely for several hours before adding the whipped cream.
  • To make the whipped cream, use an electric mixer to beat the cream and syrup together until fluffy. Use a pastry bag or cookie press with decorating tips to decorate the pie. See the picture just below for how I used the whipped cream to cover up some cracks in the surface! Garnish with chopped pecans if desired.

Notes

We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Crust
Amount Per Serving
Calories 558 Calories from Fat 450
% Daily Value*
Fat 50g77%
Saturated Fat 20g125%
Cholesterol 159mg53%
Sodium 301mg13%
Potassium 322mg9%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 17g19%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 6025IU121%
Vitamin C 1.6mg2%
Calcium 126mg13%
Iron 1.6mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Want weekly REAL FOOD meal plans made for you?→ Check It Out

#RealFoodHoliday

So here's what this whole holiday progressive dinner thing is all about...a few of us food bloggers thought it would be a fun idea to take turns sharing a different real food recipe that you could add to your holiday table this year. And since I happen to be the last one on the list, here is a little summary of what's been featured so far:

  • Deliciously Organic: Apricot Zingers
  • Super Healthy Kids: Wild Rice Stuffing
  • $5 Dinners: Rosemary Maple Glazed Turkey Breast
  • Kitchen Stewardship: Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies
  • 100 Days of Real Food: Pumpkin Cheesecake (This dessert recipe of course!) :)
  • The Fresh 20: Apple Crumble
Pumpkin Cheesecake & Other Holiday Recipes on 100 Days of #RealFood #Thanksgiving #pumpkin

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7.4K shares

About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Rhonda S says

    November 26, 2020 at 4:51 pm

    1 star
    This is the first recipe from 100 Days that did not receive rave reviews from my family. I served it today at Thanksgiving. I wish I had went with my regular homemade pumpkin pie.

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      November 27, 2020 at 9:12 am

      Hi Rhonda, I'm sorry to hear it wasn't a hit. Could you please let us know why it didn't receive good reviews from your family? Was it taste, texture, etc.? I know when it comes to those classic recipes that are usually loaded with sugar, it can be a little different to get used to when it's a real food approved recipe. - Nicole

      Reply
  2. Jessica Flory says

    January 22, 2020 at 9:00 pm

    Hi, Lisa!! Just wanted to let you know that we made your lemon blueberry cheesecake from your cookbook today and it was TO DIE FOR!!! We put your homemade whipped cream and raspberries on top. I was in cheesecake heaven!!

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      January 24, 2020 at 9:57 am

      Thanks for letting us know! Glad to hear you liked it. :) - Nicole

      Reply
  3. Stacey Sheldon says

    November 16, 2017 at 8:04 pm

    I was wondering if I can use a springform pan for this recipe?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      November 26, 2017 at 8:53 am

      Other readers have.

      Reply
  4. Alison says

    November 21, 2016 at 11:29 am

    5 stars
    Happy Thanksgiving 100 Days Team! I've made this before and it is AMAZING! My deep pie dish that I used to use broke this year. Have you ever tried making this in a spring form cheesecake pan? Any tips for using a pan like that would be helpful as I only have shallow pie pans.

    Reply
    • Paulette says

      November 23, 2016 at 2:24 pm

      I've made it in a springform and it came out fine....a little messy when cut, but tasted delicious!

      Reply
  5. Elizabeth K says

    November 18, 2016 at 4:51 pm

    Please excuse me if this has been asked before. But, could I double the recipe and use a springform pan? Thank you for your help! :)

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      November 27, 2016 at 8:13 am

      Hi. We've not tried doubling this. These threads might help: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20141011102836AAMvOPU and http://www.chowhound.com/post/double-cheesecake-recipe-533551.

      Reply
    • Corey Bohler says

      November 22, 2017 at 5:58 pm

      Hi,

      I just baked in a 9" springform pan and the base recipe works fine. No need to double IMO.

      Best,

      Corey

      Reply
  6. Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

    February 24, 2016 at 9:11 am

    Hi Emily. I don't see why that wouldn't work.

    Reply
  7. Emily says

    February 17, 2016 at 8:53 pm

    Could I omit the crust and make it a crustless cheesecake?

    Reply
  8. Tamara says

    January 10, 2016 at 8:23 pm

    Hmm, maybe m using a deeper pan, but my cheesecake has been in for at least twice the amount of time and is still not set. Smells yummy so I'm hoping that it still works out. Anyone else have this trouble?

    Reply
  9. Jamie says

    December 28, 2015 at 3:49 pm

    5 stars
    I've made this for the past two Thanksgivings. The recipe gets rave reviews and guests appreciated the level of sweetness. Only change I made was to add a couple TBS coconut sugar in the crust. It was perfect!

    Reply
  10. Jenna says

    November 08, 2015 at 10:22 am

    Is it possible to make this a normal cheesecake?
    One of my family members has a pumpkin allergy and
    another one has a pecan allergy.
    Is it possible to substitute the ingredients so it will be a normal cheesecake?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      November 20, 2015 at 10:02 am

      Hi Jenna. Lisa also has this recipe: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2014/01/28/recipe-individual-cheesecakes/. Hope it helps.

      Reply
  11. Irene says

    October 23, 2015 at 11:19 am

    5 stars
    This pumpkin cheesecake got amazing reviews at last night's dinner party! I didn't even make the whipped cream and it was delicious. I had a little extra filling, perhaps my pie dish is small, but i just baked the extra separately in a ramekin and my one year old gobbled it up! Her own personal, crust-less pumpkin cheesecake :-)

    Reply
  12. Christina says

    December 06, 2014 at 7:15 pm

    Is there another alternative for the crust? We have an allergy to all nuts.

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      December 08, 2014 at 11:29 am

      Here is another possibility: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2014/01/28/recipe-individual-cheesecakes/. ~Amy

      Reply
  13. Shinoosh says

    December 04, 2014 at 9:13 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for Thanksgiving and LOVED it!! It was light and delicious without being too sweet, heavy or overpowering. I baked it in a water bath, which prevented any cracking afterwards. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  14. Julie says

    December 02, 2014 at 4:55 pm

    3 stars
    I loved that it didn't have sugar, however, I heard from multiple Thanksgiving meal partakers that it wasn't sweet enough and didn't have enough pumpkin flavor. :(

    Reply
  15. Shawna says

    December 01, 2014 at 3:07 am

    5 stars
    I just made this the other day! It was absolutely delicious. I did have some trouble with the crust so I had to try again, but made sure they were crushed really good in the blender. Also, I didn't bake it as long as it says because the first one was practically black when I pulled it out of the oven.
    Anyway, I was able to make two pumpkin cheesecakes with this recipe. Everyone loved it!

    Reply
  16. Gail says

    December 01, 2014 at 1:00 am

    3 stars
    I was excited to try this recipe for Thanksgiving, but unfortunately I was a bit disappointed in it. The texture was fine (including the crust) but it just wasn't sweet enough for me. It didn't compare to pumpkin cheesecakes I'd made in the past (which used sugar, of course). I went back to compare recipes, and they all called for 1 to 1 1/2 cups of sugar, as opposed to your 1/2 cup of maple syrup. As much as I love pure maple syrup, you would have to use it 1:1 to sweeten as much as sugar I guess.

    To use the recipe as is, it would definitely require the (sweet) whipped cream topping; however, in my mind, a good cheesecake should be able to stand alone.

    Reply
  17. Irene says

    November 30, 2014 at 10:09 pm

    5 stars
    I made this in a springform pan, didn't even bother with the whipped cream and it was amazing! Got rave reviews all around my Thanksgiving table

    Reply
  18. Anna says

    November 28, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    4 stars
    The filling was divine and amazing for having no white sugar. The crust get mixed reviews, but the filling made up for it.

    Reply
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Meet Lisa! Lisa is a best-selling cookbook author, wife, mother, and passionate home cook. Lisa began blogging in 2010 and has created a community of millions of people who share her love of healthy living, real food ingredients, and family recipes.

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