This easy pumpkin cheesecake recipe is failproof and made in a muffin pan! They have a delicious and easy homemade chocolate cookie crust and can be made gluten-free, whole wheat or with all-purpose flour.
First of all, if you need a vegan version, try my vegan pumpkin cheesecake! It’s also paleo and so, so delicious.
Does everyone already have their Thanksgiving menu planned? I haven’t planned a thing.
I don’t even know of anyone hosting a Thanksgiving dinner this year (if that sounds strange, it’s because I live in Germany!). I suppose I could host one myself but I did that one year and that was enough.
That means that I’m not making anything huge. No full-sized cheesecakes or anything else for that matter. Probably some sweet potato mac and cheese, turkey, gluten-free cornbread and half the recipe below! 6 mini cheesecakes sounds good for the two of us. :D This Thanksgiving punch also sounds great.
So what makes this recipe so easy? Full-sized cheesecakes often require a water bath or cooling in a special way to prevent cracks.
Sometimes you take all those extra steps and the cheesecake still cracks! Not these.
They don’t need the chocolate ganache on top but I thought they looked so pretty that way. Plus it went really well with the crust.
The crust in this easy pumpkin cheesecake recipe is the same one I used in my mini Irish cream cheesecakes. I’ve made that crust so many times over the last year!
You can use all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or for a gluten-free version, you can use buckwheat flour. A 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour would probably work, but I haven’t tried it.
Buckwheat flour keeps this easy pumpkin cheesecake recipe whole grain and the buckwheat doesn’t have a strange taste at all. There’s so much cocoa powder and sugar that covers up the taste!
I haven’t tried replacing the butter in the crust for anything else. I figured there’s already cream cheese in there so no need to try out a coconut oil version. I’m almost certain it would not work!
You’d likely need to decrease the amount of fat to make that work. But the butter version is really delicious so I recommend sticking with that!
If you try out this easy pumpkin cheesecake recipe, I’d love to hear how you like it!
Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake (gluten-free, whole grain options)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 12 cheesecakes
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (75 grams) raw sugar, granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 6 tablespoons (49 grams) whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour or use buckwheat flour for a gluten-free version
- 6 tablespoons (43 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 4 1/2 tablespoons (63 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- pinch of salt
- 1 8-ounce package (225 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar or coconut sugar (that will make the cheesecakes darker)
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 cup (240 grams) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 3 large (50 grams each, out of shell) eggs
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) whipping cream or heavy cream
- 1 cup (170 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the crust:
For the filling:
For the ganache:
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and line a pan with 12 muffin liners. Note that this crust recipe does not work in regular pie pans and only as mini cheesecakes.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Using an electric hand mixer, beat in the butter at low speed until thoroughly combined and a dough forms. If you have trouble incorporating it, use your hands. It'll be sticky.
- Divide the dough between the muffin liners (I used 19 grams of dough per liner).
- Press the dough down with the bottom of a shot glass. If using whole wheat flour, gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour or all-purpose flour, bake for 11-13 minutes or until the surface of the crust no longer appears wet. Move on to the next step. If using buckwheat, bake for 14 minutes. The crusts will appear very bubbly and liquid. Remove from the oven, let cool for a minute, and then use the shot glass again to lightly press down (which will remove the holes).
- After baking, the crust will still be soft but will firm slightly as it cools. Let cool for 10 minutes while you prepare the cheesecake.
- Turn the oven down to to 325°F (162 °C).
- With an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the brown sugar, molasses, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, salt and pumpkin pie spice and beat on low until well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low after every addition until thoroughly incorporated. Do not over mix!
- Fill each muffin liner to the top with cheesecake batter and bake for 20 minutes or until the middles of the cheesecakes are set and don't jiggle when the pan is tapped.
- Remove from the oven and let the cheesecakes cool in the pan.
- Once completely cool (about 1 hour), remove the cheesecakes from the pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. The wrappers come off neatly before and after refrigeration.
- Refrigerate the cheesecakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the cream just until hot, steamy and on the verge of simmering. Remove from the heat.
- Pour this over the chocolate chips and stir until all the chocolate chips are completely melted.
- Let cool for about 20-30 minutes or until room temperature before pouring over the chilled cheesecakes.
For the crust:
For the cheesecake:
For the ganache:
Source: My post on My Baking Addiction - Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
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48 comments on “Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake (gluten-free option)” — Add one!
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Hi! These are absolutely beautiful! For the sake of time, do you think it would work to just use a crushed oreo crust? (oreo crumbs and butter) And just, then, fill and bake once? That way I could make a few gf with gf oreos and the rest regular. Thanks!
I haven’t tried it, but I think if you used a regular Oreo cookie crust recipe, it’d work here. And yes, bake once. :)
It says for the filling instructions to add brown sugar & granulated but it doesn’t say how much granulated?
Thanks so much for catching that! I’ve fixed it. There’s no granulated sugar in there. I just adapted this recipe from another one of mine and failed to remove that part from the instructions. Thanks again!
The instructions don’t say when to add the pumpkin pie slice??
Sorry about that! I fixed it. Thanks for letting me know! You add it in the order listed in the recipe, so right after the salt.
Can this recipe be used for a regular sized cheesecake? I’ve made them in muffin form, but want to make it faster!
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it, sorry. It could be that the crust and filling amounts are totally off and I’d have no idea of the baking time. I recommend finding a regular cheesecake recipe unless you’re okay with experimenting. :)
I love how those chocolate chips add those cute little curls on top! What a great dessert for fall parties. :)
So do I! Thanks. :)
These are adorable! I’m not a big pumpkin fan, but I’m wondering if I could replace with sweet potato, or pureed butternut squash?
Thanks! I haven’t tried it but I imagine that would work, as long as the consistency is like canned pumpkin. If you try it out, I’d love to hear how it goes. :)
they are so adorable, and I *would* say great for portion control, but I wonder if I could eat just one!
It’s not easy! ;)
Can you freeze these?
Definitely! And sorry for the slow reply. I just got home from the hospital after having a baby (it was a long stay!).
Can you replace the cocoa powder with cacao?
Should work fine!
Wow, these are gorgeous!! The addition of the ganache on top accented with the chips…fantastic! Your photos are gorgeous!
Thanks so much, Colleen! :)
LOVE these – the mini aspect for portion control is great for our diabetic-friendly Thanksgiving’s dessert course. The sugars are lower glycemic index sugars & since the cakes are wee & served after a protein-based meal I think we’ve got a WINNER! A few bites of modest sugar once in a while can be rewarding without being habit-forming: thanks SO much, Erin!
Oh, I’m so happy to hear that! I hope that your family will enjoy them. I know very little about diabetic-friendly baking so it’s great to know that at least one of my desserts qualifies. :) Thanks so much for the kind comment and have a great Thanksgiving!
These look amazing. I love everything about them — pumpkin, cheesecake, that crust. Mmm. Until last year, I hosted Thanksgiving every year, and practically had it down to a science. But when my kids and I moved away from the rest of our family, it wasn’t practical anymore. Maybe once I buy a house that will change though … But for now? We’ll just celebrate a few times.
I hope you can enjoy a year off from hosting. :) It’s nice to take a break!
Ug. Why must I see these right before bed? Oh well… breakfast! :)
Sounds good! Pumpkin does has vitamins. ;)
These are pretty much the cutest little cheesecakes I’ve ever seen, and I love the pumpkin chocolate combo. I have no clue why it was funky for you this time, but I definitely wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t said anything…they look pretty darn perfect.
Thanks so much! I’m just happy they turned out tasty. :)
These have to be the cutest cheesecakes ever. They look perfect and gorgeous for Thanksgiving!! Love the spongy crust too. Yum!
Thanks, Cyndi! :)
Oh my gosh, these are ridiculously gorgeous!
Thanks, Michelle!
I have no idea what I want to make for Thanksgiving this year. I’ll probably just make everything I think of and save the leftovers for myself :P These look perfect, chocolate + pumpkin are truly soul mates :)
Haha. I love your plan. Making everything sounds like the easiest way of deciding what to make. :D
These are the prettiest little cheesecakes. Like little cups of art, and I want to gobble them all up!
Aww, thanks! What a nice thing to say. :)
WOW, those look amazing!! Love the use of buckwheat flour, it’s something I’ve used once or twice but really should do some more experimenting with it!
I only like it in chocolate goodies! But in those, it’s great. :)
OHMYGOSH I’m drooling over these mini cheesecakes – they look perfectly amazing!
Thank you and thanks for sharing on FB! :)
I have been stalking these cheesecakes on social media ALL DAY! They are soooo perfect!
Haha. Why, thank you! :)
My husband LOVES chocolate and he loves cheesecake. HA! Never have put them together.
We usually got to our sons next door and our daughter in law’s family comes too. This year we are going to visit our youngest son instead. I just want to get away from that huge meal. I get tired of that kind of food very quickly.
Ooh! You have to put them together. Do it for your husband. ;) Your son lives next door? That’s convenient! :D
They look cute and absolutely delicious!
Thanks, Medeja!
Ugh I remember hating hosting people in our little apartment! so I just never did it LOL oh these looks so good right now! They came out perfect! Anything mini always looks so cute :)
That’s been my method of dealing with it for the last several years. My life is so much easier now. ;)