If there was ever dessert that had fall and holiday written all over it, it would be these mini pumpkin cheesecakes! The pumpkin cheesecake filling is layered on a caramelized, buttery sweet graham cracker crust piped with homemade whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin pie spice!
These little pumpkin cheesecake bites are the cutest and perfect for the holidays. I find these easier to make than a full size pie! That being said, you will have some pumpkin puree leftover, which you could use to make pumpkin streusel coffee cake, pumpkin pie cupcakes, or pumpkin ice cream!
If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year, use our easy smoked turkey recipe to cut down on the stress and free up your oven! You can also use this cranberry jello salad to wow your guests, and it only takes 10 minutes to prep. Fill the rest of the dessert table with simple recipes like Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce, Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies, or a classic cheesecake.
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Why You’ll Love This Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
- Less prep work than the traditional pumpkin pie and cheesecake.
- Bakes more quickly than a pumpkin swirl cheesecake.
- Can be made ahead of time and decorated just before serving.
- The perfect size after a big holiday meal.
🎃 Ingredients:
- graham cracker crumbs – I like to pulse my own from graham cracker sheets (they taste fresher to me), but you can also use ready-made crumbs.
- granulated sugar – use in the graham cracker crust base to caramelize and bind together the crumbs and butter. Also used to sweeten the cheesecake filling.
- salted butter – add a dash of salt if you are using unsalted butter
- cream cheese – bring the cheese to room temperature so it’s easy to mix and not lumpy, we use full-fat cream cheese, but you can use a reduced fat if you wish.
- eggs – room temperature eggs make the filling nice and creamy. Don’t overbeat or your cheesecakes will puff and then crack.
- pumpkin puree – make sure you don’t accidentally grab pumpkin pie filling, it’s not the same! we used canned pumpkin purée.
- vanilla extract
- pumpkin pie spice – you can also use your favorite combination of warming spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.
- all-purpose flour – flour helps thicken and stabilize the cheesecake filling
- heavy cream – makes a nice rich whipped cream topping, feel free to use spray whipped cream if you wish.
- powdered sugar
- Ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
Whipped cream and a sprinkle of spice is our preferred garnish for these individual size pumpkin cheesecakes. For an extra garnish, you can place mini gingersnaps on top!
Substitutions and Variations
- Use our pumpkin swirl cheesecake recipe to make a whole cheesecake or make mini swirled cheesecakes.
- Prepare this pumpkin cheesecake recipe, but bake in a standard springform pan – find bake time/temp instructions in our classic cheesecake recipe.
- Use our no bake cheesecake recipe, but add in pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice seasoning to make a no bake version of these bite-sized pumpkin cheesecakes.
- Substitute gingersnap cookies for the graham crackers to make a gingersnap crust.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Line the muffin pan with parchment liners and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 1: Pulse graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and sugar and pulse a few more times until even crumbs form.
Step 2: Place one tablespoon of crumbs into each liner. Use your fingers or the blunt end of a kitchen utensil to compact the graham cracker crust into each muffin tin compartment.
Step 3: Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
Step 4: Mix in the pumpkin puree, vanilla, pumpkin spice, and flour.
Pro Tip: When making mini cheesecakes in muffin tins, parchment wrappers are much easier to peel compared to the paper liners.
Step 6: Carefully stir in the eggs one by one.
Step 7: Divide the cheesecake batter into the muffin liners.
Step 6: Bake cheesecakes for 20-25 minutes, remove from the oven, and let them cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack. Transfer them to the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours.
Step 7: Whip the powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream together until stiff peaks form. Just before serving, pipe on the top of the cheesecakes and dust with pumpkin pie spice or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites Recipe Tips
- Chill the baked cheesecakes in the muffin pan in the fridge. This will make them much easier to lift out.
- The crumb crust caramelizes with the butter and sugar, making the flavor out of this world!
- Mini cheesecakes do not puff and crack as much as the standard size. To reduce puffing and cracking, avoid over mixing the batter. This is why we recommend stirring the eggs in by hand. They will puff a bit while baking but will sink back down as they cool.
- Want to use a water bath to be on the safe side? Add a couple of inches of water to a shallow dish beneath the muffin tin in the oven.
- Whipped cream doesn’t store well, so top just before serving.
- If you are using a stand mixer, the paddle attachment works well for the filling. Be sure to switch to mixing by hand when you add the eggs.
- To save time, use whipped topping in the can.
Fun Fact
October 21st is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day! Be sure to celebrate!
If you love mini desserts, you should also try our mini blueberry cheesecakes, mini cinnamon rolls, and our mini pumpkin pie recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. To freeze, place the muffin pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, then transfer to a container or freezer for up to 3 months.
Yes! Just be sure it has completely cooled before adding it to the batter.
I have a delicious swirled pumpkin cheesecake recipe on the site that makes a gorgeous presentation. The recipes are very similar, and you can simply use the filling here in this recipe for a traditional pumpkin cheesecake. The cook time and details will vary with a full cheesecake, and a water bath will be necessary. I also use less butter in the graham cracker crust of my full cheesecake as it turns out too soggy. In these miniature cheesecakes, however, the crust caramelizes and turns out extra yummy.
If you try these Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
More Delectable Cheesecake Recipes
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1½ cup granulated sugar divided
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- Ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Fill muffin tins with 18 cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, ½ cup sugar, and graham cracker crumbs until mixed.
- Divide the graham cracker crumb mixture (about 1 tablespoon per cupcake wrapper) into the muffin tins.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup sugar until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Beat in pumpkin puree, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and flour until well mixed.
- Gently stir in eggs until well mixed.
- Divide the cheesecake batter between the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the cheesecakes appear matte across the tops.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before placing in the fridge to cool completely. Chill at least 2 hours to set before serving.
- Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Pipe or dollop the whipped cream onto the cheesecakes and dust with pumpkin pie spice.
Notes
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 5-7 days or freeze up to 3 months. Notes: If you WANT to use a water bath, fill a shallow baking dish with a couple inches of water and set it on the rack beneath the muffin tins. I recommend topping with whipped cream just before serving as whipped cream doesn’t store as well.
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Comments & Reviews
Dawn says
These are delicious! I’m wondering it they could be made in a mini muffin tin? If so, how long would you recommend baking?
Stefanie says
They probably can, Dawn, but I haven’t tried. I would guess around 20 minutes, but if you try it, let us know how it turns out!
Vikki says
This may be a silly question but can we make the whipped cream and store it overnight if we are making these the day before a party and then top them before serving?
Stefanie says
Whipped cream tends to lose its air after sitting for too long. It gets runny. I would make the whipped cream right before serving – an hour or two before would be okay also – store in the fridge.
Hannah Offenberg says
It says 1 cup divided and then 2/3 cup sugar. Can you clarify how much sugar is needed for the recipe? Thank you so much.
Stefanie says
Hi Hannah, Down in the recipe card, it will give you the specific amounts – there is 1/2 cup granulated sugar that gets mixed in with the graham cracker crumbs and butter to make the crusts and then an additional 1 cup of granulated sugar goes into the pumpkin cheesecake batter. There is also powdered sugar which is used to sweeten and stabilize the whipped cream. Happy baking!
Tammy says
Is it okay to double this recipe and can they stay out on the table for a few hours?
Stefanie says
Hi Tammy, Yes, double the recipe! These are one of my absolute favorite recipes I’ve created. You’ll want to chill them initially for a solid few hours, but then they can sit out for a while. As long as they’re not in the hot sun. If you put whipped cream on top, it will probably only look nice for 30-45 minutes then it might really start to droop. I wouldn’t keep them out of the fridge more than a couple hours.
R says
Hi I made this recipe for the first time today. I had some of them end up sinking in the middle after cooling. What caused this? I even ended up baking for 30 min.
Stefanie says
That’s normal, they will sink a little. You can fill them a little further next time or be careful not to overmix – which will cause more rising – but it’s pretty standard for them to sink as the filling solidifies with cooling.
Nancy says
How many minis does this recipe make?
Stefanie says
It makes 18 mini cheesecakes, Nancy. Enjoy!! One of my favorites!