Ever since I published plain no-bake cheesecake, I’ve had requests for this flavor! This no-bake pumpkin cheesecake is smooth and creamy with extra spiced flavor. It sits in a crunchy gingersnap cookie crust that provides the best textural contrast to the fluffy mousse-like filling. There’s absolutely no oven required—the dessert sets up in the refrigerator, making it a convenient make-ahead option this fall season.
There aren’t many seasonal desserts that top pumpkin pie. A dessert tradition this time of year, pumpkin pie features a smooth spiced filling sitting in a wonderfully flaky pie crust. It’s hard to compete with this kind of perfection.
But I found something that comes shockingly close. Let me introduce you to no-bake pumpkin cheesecake. A recipe that skips the oven, says goodbye to pie crust, and waves toodaloo to any sort of cheesecake water bath. It tastes like cheesecake mousse with the deeply spiced flavor of pumpkin pie. This is a great place to use homemade pumpkin pie spice!
Sitting in a flavorful gingersnap cookie crust, this ultra creamy dessert is unforgettable. If you don’t fall in love, I’ll happily take your leftovers.
Why You’ll Love No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake:
- Texture: crunchy crust, light & creamy filling
- Flavor: cinnamon gingersnap crust and pumpkin spiced filling
- Ease: no water bath, no baking, no cheesecake cracks on top, no worries
- Convenience: save precious oven space for other dishes
- Make-ahead: filling sets and flavor tastes better
No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Video Tutorial
Gingersnap Cookie Crust
With more flavor and crunch than a graham cracker crust, a gingersnap cookie crust isn’t just there in the background. Instead, it’s a whole other layer to savor. You need gingersnap cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. To make this crust a cut above the rest, I suggest adding cinnamon and ginger too. This is exactly how I prepare the crust for my (baked) pumpkin swirl cheesecake, though you need a little more of each ingredient for this recipe.
3 Success Tips:
- Type of cookie: The type of gingersnap cookie you use will make or break the recipe. (Literally.) I’ve never had luck using homemade gingersnaps. Pick up a box/bag of store-bought gingersnaps, such as Stauffer’s brand. You can find them in the cookie aisle of most grocery stores. You want extra crunchy, hard, and somewhat dry cookies. If they’re too moist, your crust won’t set up.
- Pack it in: The tighter you pack in this crust, the less likely it will fall apart when cutting the cheesecake. I recommend using the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it into the bottom and up the sides of your springform pan.
- Briefly freeze to set the crust: After you pack in the crust, place it in the freezer while you prepare the cheesecake filling. Remember, we aren’t baking this crust—the freezer gives the crust a chance to set before you add the filling on top.
Don’t want to use gingersnap cookies? Use the graham cracker crust from my plain no-bake cheesecake.
Overview: How to Make No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- Whip heavy cream: In the 1st bowl, beat heavy cream/heavy whipping cream into stiff peaks. This is the most important step in this entire recipe and *the secret* to a thick no-bake cheesecake filling. It has proved successful in strawberry cream cheese pie and blueberry cream cheese pie also.
- Mix the other filling ingredients together: In a 2nd bowl, you need cream cheese, canned pumpkin, confectioners’ sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, spices, and salt. In my recipe testing, I used my plain no-bake cheesecake as the starting point. Pumpkin thins the mixture out, so I had to play with the amount of cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. Thrilled with the developed recipe below—spiced, thickened, and perfectly pumpkin-y.
- Fold in the whipped cream: Remember our whipped cream? Gently fold it into the pumpkin cream cheese mixture. Avoid over-mixing because we don’t want to deflate anything.
- Spread into crust: Smooth the filling into the crust. I like using a large or small offset spatula to make the job easier.
- Refrigerate: Instead of the oven, use the refrigerator to set this cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate the prepared cheesecake for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.
Pictured on the left below: the whipped cream. On the right below: the pumpkin cream cheese mixture.
Pictured on the left below: the whipped cream and pumpkin cream cheese mixture combined. On the right below: spread into our gingersnap cookie crust.
With No Baking, How Does This Cheesecake Hold Its Shape?
- Make sure you pack the crust in tightly.
- As I mention above, the most important ingredient is the whipped heavy cream. Fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin cheesecake filling gently so you don’t deflate all the air. The air creates a deliciously fluffy mousse-like consistency and, more importantly, helps the filling set in the refrigerator.
- For a clean and sturdy slices, refrigerate it for at least 8 hours, but 12+ hours is ideal. Not only does the time in the refrigerator solidify the filling, it also gives the flavors a chance to mix and mingle. Flavor is incredible the next day.
Skip these 3 steps and you’ll be eating pumpkin soup for dessert. Avoid that mess!
Smaller Serving Alternatives
- For 24 cupcake size no-bake pumpkin cheesecakes, use the crust and filling ingredients below and the instructions for my mini no-bake cheesecakes. Feel free to halve the recipe if you don’t need quite as many.
- You can use this recipe to make 6 8-ounce or 10 6-ounce cheesecake jars. Halve the crust recipe below because we don’t need as much crust for the jar dessert. Use the full recipe for the filling. Follow the instructions for my no-bake cheesecake jars. Top with salted caramel, chocolate ganache, heath bar toffee bits, more gingersnap cookie crumbs, or homemade whipped cream.
And if you love both pumpkin pie and cheesecake, you’ll want to try my pumpkin cheesecake pie next.
See Your No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecakes
So many of you have tried this recipe. Feel free to email or share your recipe photos on social media.
PrintNo Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Whipping
- Cuisine: American
Description
This fluffy no-bake pumpkin cheesecake sits in a crunchy gingersnap crust. The most important steps are whipping the heavy cream into stiff peaks before folding into the filling and refrigerating the cheesecake long enough so it can set.
Ingredients
Gingersnap Cookie Crust
- 2 cups (200g) gingersnap cookie crumbs*
- 1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger and ground cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar or brown sugar (packed)
Cheesecake
- 1 cup (240ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (227g) pumpkin puree*
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Optional Toppings
- Whipped Cream and/or Salted Caramel
Instructions
- Make the crust: Stir the gingersnap crust ingredients together. Pour into a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan and pack in very tightly. The tighter it’s packed, the less likely it will fall apart when cutting the cheesecake. I recommend using the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it into the bottom and up the sides. You can watch me do this in the video above. Freeze for 10-20 minutes as you prepare the filling.
- Make the filling: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until perfectly smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the pumpkin, confectioners’ sugar, and brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed to help combine. Add the vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt and beat until combined, creamy, and smooth. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. If there are lumps, keep beating until smooth.
- Using your mixer on low speed or a silicone spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling until combined. This takes several turns of your silicone spatula. Combine slowly as you don’t want to deflate all the air in the whipped cream.
- Remove crust from the freezer and spread filling into crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth down the top.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. For best results, at least 12 hours is best. I chill mine overnight. The longer refrigerated, the nicer the no-bake cheesecake will set up. I don’t recommend using the freezer to set this cheesecake filling.
- Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean between each slice.
- Serve cheesecake with optional toppings. I used Ateco 849 piping tip for the whipped cream in the pictured cheesecake. Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: This cheesecake can be made 1-2 days in advance. It can be refrigerated in step 5 for up to 2 days before serving. You can also make the crust 1-2 days ahead of time. Freeze for up to 1 hour in step 1, then cover tightly and refrigerate for 1-2 days before adding the filling. Another way to make this cheesecake ahead of time is to freeze it. After it sets in the refrigerator (step 6), wrap the whole pan (you can remove the sides if desired) in 1 layer of plastic wrap, then 1 layer of aluminum foil. No-bake cheesecake freezes wonderfully for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then slice and serve.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | 9-inch Springform Pan or 10-inch Springform Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Small Offset Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Ateco 849 Piping Tip
- Pan: To make slicing easy and neat, use a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. If you don’t have one, a 9 inch deep dish pie dish (at least 2 inches deep) works. Chill the cheesecake for at least 12 hours to help guarantee the cheesecake slices neatly.
- Gingersnap Cookies: Store-bought gingersnap cookies are ideal as they are the most dry. The ONLY brand that I’ve had issues with is the Nabisco gingersnap cookies. They’re delicious on their own, but they’re too moist for a gingersnap cookie crust. I love Stauffer’s brand. You need about 30. Alternatively, you can use the graham cracker crust from my regular no-bake cheesecake instead. Feel free to add or reduce the amount of cinnamon and ginger based on your taste preference.
- Pumpkin: I strongly recommend canned pumpkin, not fresh (homemade) pumpkin puree in this recipe. I like to use Libby’s brand. Fresh pumpkin puree will prevent the cheesecake from properly setting. Do not use pumpkin pie filling. If you can’t find canned pumpkin, use 1 cup of sweet potato puree. Boil 2 medium sweet potatoes until soft, then peel, slice, and puree/mash them with a blender or mixer until smooth. Measure and use 1 cup. Make sure the puree is room temperature or cold before using.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. Increase cinnamon to 3/4 teaspoon.
- Can I Make Mini No-Bake Cheesecakes? Yes, use this crust and filling recipe and follow the instructions in my mini no-bake cheesecakes, which are made in a standard muffin pan.
Hi! Do you think this would work with butternut squash? I can’t get pumpkins where I live this time of the year.
Hi Anna, We haven’t tried this with butternut squash but mashed / puréed (unsweetened) sweet potatoes can typically replace pumpkin purée in most recipes. We haven’t tested either with this particular recipe, but it should work out just fine.
So good an addicting! My family loved it , but I think it was the best cheesecake I’ve ever tasted! It was so light and fluffy, so much better than a regular denser cheesecake! And the gingersnap crust, genius! I love all your recipes Sally!
I served this No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake on Thanksgiving and everyone raved about it. I used Trader Joes Ginger Snap Cookies with ginger bits. The cheesecake was creamy and delicious! This will be a definite keeper and repeat for many occasions!
The ginger snap crust was delicious and the taste of the filling was great. However, mine didn’t set up. It chilled for about 18 hours and I had to spoon it out of pie plate. I think my issue was with the heavy whipping cream. I started off with a cold kitchenaid mixer bowl and cold cream. I whipped it to stiff peaks and set it aside in refrigerator while making pumpkin portion. When I got the whipped cream out, it was totally deflated. I tried to whip it again to no avail. I started with fresh cold heavy cream and thought it whipped ok. After folding it in, it seemed deflated. It tasted great, I ended up “deconstructing” it and putting it in a trifle bowl with the broken up crust on top. Still a success but it didn’t look like yours! Not sure why it didn’t work for me.
I made this for our small family Thanksgiving dinner. I omitted the extra ginger in the crust as I’m not a fan of ginger but did use the ginger snap cookies. Definitely need to serve straight from the fridge but it was delicious!
Made the mini versions of these for Thanksgiving, and they were delicious! I used maple-flavored Oreos for the crust, which turned out to be a winning combination. Unfortunately, the filling didn’t quite fully set for me, even though I chilled the mini cheesecakes for more than twice the amount of time called for. If you’re making the mini cheesecakes, I recommend making it the day before just to give everything enough time to set. We ended up kind of just scooping the cake out with spoons like we were eating trifles, so they were delicious either way!
There is way too much cloves in this recipe – I can only think this is a type-o as the regular pumpkin pie recipe had far less cloves. I’ve never bought pumpkin pie spice – always made my own and I’ve always used 1/8 tsp cloves- this recipe called for 1/2 tsp. My gut instinct said no but I went with it and with an uncooked pumpkin cheesecake, all you can taste is cloves. Such a disappointment as it’s ruined and will have to feel thrown away after requiring quite a few ingredients.
Hi Stephanie, thank you so much for trying this recipe. I appreciate your feedback. This is always helpful as I work to develop new recipes. Thank you again.
I made this using half the batch, as a 3 inch cheesecake and 2 cheesecake jars. I haven’t made a pumpkin cheesecake before and this is only my second time making a cheesecake in a spring form pan so I was a little inexperienced but thanks for your helpful tips and video it worked out! Shared with my Mum, so refreshing and flavourful! Thanks Sally 🙂
I made this recipe (in mini form) for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! My mom was particularly appreciative of the light texture, and my dad loved the gingersnap crust! I also made the “plain” mini no-bake cheesecakes and I noticed that they set up a little firmer than the pumpkin ones.
Great flavor! So I am doing a low carb lifestyle but still love my treats! I used the recipe as a base and subbed the crust for an almond flour crust that I added pumpkin extract and subbed the sugar for monk fruit. Was delicious! Obviously better with the other crust but I’ll take it! I froze half and came back to it a few weeks later as was great! Even tasted great before it was fully thawed kind of like frozen custard . Another great recipe find on the site!!!
Thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Christine!
The crust is the finishing touch on this tasty cake that is also toddler approved!!
Made this dessert to add to my family’s traditional pie desserts for Thanksgiving. Family enjoyed it. It was an easy recipe. Although my cheesecake didn’t set firmly. It was a mess cutting into it. Not sure what went wrong. But it was delicious!
Thanks so much for giving it a try, Randi! I’m glad your family enjoyed this recipe. For a firm cheesecake, be sure not to deflate the whipped cream by over-mixing it into the batter. That, along with plenty of chill time, should help!
I made this for Thanksgiving and my family loved it! It was so light and siry, not like a heavy cheese cake, with so much flavor.
This was a hit for Thanksgiving. A light, fluffy, cool, sweet after a heavy meal. I love the No Bake version.
I’m so pleased to hear this was the perfect Thanksgiving dessert for you, Eda – thank you for making my recipe!
Easy, delicious, pumpkin…what more could you ask for?!
Perfection 😉 I’m glad you loved this one, Laura!
I tried this. The flavor was super good, however the crust stuck to the bottom of my pan and the sides crumbled. I’ll try again bc the flavor was there. Just need to practice.
Made this for Thanksgiving! It was delicious. I even went to World Market for the Stauffer’s brand gingersnaps as they didn’t have them at my local grocery store. I think I prefer the texture of baked cheesecake to no-bake, but this was a perfect easy make-ahead recipe.
This cheesecake was an absolute hit at my Thanksgiving dinner!!! The ginger snap crust combined with the creamy cheesecake was perfect! Definitely making this again
I made this for our Thanksgiving dinner since it was just us and I’m not a big pumpkin fan. It has a subtle pumpkin flavor and the ginger snap crust is delicious! My tips are to use the measuring cup to press the crust straight away (I started with my fingers first, unsuccessfully). I’m in the UK and used double cream, which took much less time to whip up (I whipped it almost to butter the first time because I thought it would take a few minutes).
I have a question.. so I’m making this for my dads birthday and the whipping cream isn’t becoming whipped cream would be bad or ruin the cheesecake if I just buy whipped cream?
Hi Isabella, are you using the correct product? When whipping heavy cream, it will become whipped cream. Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) have about 36% milk fat. You don’t want anything less.
This turned out excellent and my family loved it! For the crust, I used Trader Joe’s Triple Gingersnap Cookies and omitted the extra powdered ginger since the cookies already have bits of candied ginger in them. I also didn’t have pumpkin pie spice or allspice but it still tasted delicious with nutmeg, clove & extra cinnamon. I was worried about the canned pumpkin leaving too much of a tin can flavor since I had that issue making a different no-bake pumpkin cheesecake before, but that wasn’t a problem at all with this recipe. I’ve made Sally’s pumpkin pie from scratch before and I have to say this was actually a lot tastier (and a lot less time consuming!)
This cheesecake was delicious! The texture was smooth and creamy and the flavor was great. My husband who isn’t a huge cheesecake fan loved it!
I had to comment on this TWICE because not only is it easy and fun to make but it has to be said that after careful evaluation, this easily beats pumpkin pie in my book. Also, I learned that: 1) It sets nicer in a 10 inch pie pan than springform pan, 2) It is delicious in a graham cracker crust too and 3) the salted caramel is so worth the extra time for looks and taste. I can’t wait to not-bake this every Thanksgiving. 🙂
This was light, fluffy, and very mousse-like. I had to change the way I called it to my family who just kept looking at me like I was crazy when I used the word “cheesecake.” But the flavor was delicious, and the cake set up beautifully. It held its shape when I took it out of the springform and when serving up a slice. I had chilled it about 48 hours before serving. I may try to experiment with adding more pumpkin (or maybe a pumpkin extract…?) for a stronger flavor, but even without changes, I would make this again.
Made this for my solo Thanksgiving. I started looking for gingersnaps when you published the challenge and took several weeks to find only the Nabisco brand. This was delicious, very creamy and I love the ginger. I served with bourbon infused whipped cream and praline bourbon sauce. It was easier to slice the second day when I started delivery slices to my neighbors today. I plan to make again with Stauffer gingersnaps to see the difference. A very easy recipe to make.
This was pretty easy to make the night before Thanksgiving, and nice not to have dessert to worry about while preparing turkey and fixings. The instructions and notes are super easy to follow. I used a hand mixer and it turned out perfectly! The salted caramel and whipped cream are the perfect pairing!
This was a very easy recipe to follow and the flavor was very good. I used biscoff cookies for the crust and topped with homemade whipped cream and salted caramel which I definitely do not think is optional!
Soooo good! My family and I love this cheesecake! It was super light and fluffy while also being creamy and decadent! Not to mention the crunch from the gingersnap crust! I loved it all!
This is the best new tradition for my thanksgiving table! So delicious!
We made this for Thanksgiving and it was fantastic! I loved being able to make it the night before and not need to use the oven for it. It will go into our regular Thanksgiving dinner rotation, thanks!