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Hi Bold Bakers!
WHAT YOU GET: The perfect recipe to welcome in fall is my Pumpkin Cheesecake With Pecan Praline Sauce. The creamy cheesecake has that wonderful pumpkin pie flavor you love, topped off with a deliciously sticky pecan praline sauce.
If you want to impress your guests with none of the stress, you simply have to make my homemade Pumpkin Cheesecake With Pecan Praline Sauce! It’s the perfect fall treat and a great dessert to serve during the upcoming holidays — especially because this cheesecake recipe is absolutely foolproof!
This is a recipe for a baked pumpkin cheesecake, and I definitely think baked cheesecakes are one of the more forgiving recipes. I also love the texture of baked cheesecake compared to no-baked cheesecake. Its texture is so smooth and creamy! And all you need to do is beat all of your ingredients for the cheesecake together.
For the base of this recipe, I use a classic cookie crust. I like to use ground Graham crackers for my pumpkin cheesecake crust (you can make Homemade Graham Crackers, too!), but you can use Digestive Biscuits or whatever cookies you like to make your pie crust.
What really makes this recipe big and bold is my homemade pecan praline sauce. My pecan praline sauce is made with dark brown sugar, giving it a wonderful, sticky caramel flavor and toasted pecans. This sauce, alone, is well worth your time — try it on bread pudding or ice cream too!
Pumpkin Puree Vs. Pumpkin Pie Filling
This recipe calls for pumpkin puree, not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are very different!
You can make homemade pumpkin puree or buy a can of pumpkin puree. Canned pumpkin puree is canned during peak season and at peak ripeness and should be 100% pumpkin — nothing else. Check the ingredients on the can to ensure nothing else has been added.
Pumpkin pie filling, however, is pumpkin that has been blended with sweeteners and spices. I don’t use pumpkin pie mix in my recipes, as I like to know how much sugar and spice I am adding to a recipe.
What Is Praline Sauce?
My pecan praline sauce is a southern-American inspired sauce made with butter, heavy cream, dark brown sugar, a touch of salt, and toasted pecans. It tastes like a caramelly, nutty, sticky sauce. To me, it’s the perfect amount of sweetness that I want on a dessert.
I like to toast my pecans before adding them to my praline sauce. To toast pecans, place them on a baking tray and roast them for about 7-10 minutes in a 350°F (180°C) oven. The nuts are toasted when you can smell their nutty aroma in the air.
You can pre-make this praline sauce too! It can keep in your fridge for 2-3 weeks. I keep this sauce in my fridge for ages to put on ice cream.
Tools You Need To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake With Praline Sauce
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- 9-inch springform pan
- Stand mixer or handheld electric mixer
- Saucepan
Want More Of The Best Pumpkin Recipes?
- Chewy Maple Pumpkin Cookies
- Simple Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
- How to Make Pumpkin Pie
- Homemade Glazed Pumpkin Donuts
Try These Recipes!
Watch The Recipe Video!
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Sauce
Ingredients
Cookie Crust
- 1 ¾ cups (7.5 oz/ 200 g) Graham crackers smashed into crumbs
- ½ cup (4 oz/120 g) butter, melted
Pumpkin Cheesecake Batter
- 3 cups (1 ½ lbs/675 g) cream cheese , softened
- 2 cups (15 oz/420 g/ 1 can) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1 ½ cups (10 ½ oz/ 300 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pecan Praline Sauce
- ½ cup (4 oz/ 115 g) butter
- ½ cup (4 fl oz/ 120 ml) heavy cream
- ½ cup (4 oz/ 115 g) dark brown sugar
- ½ cup ( 3 ½ oz/100 g) pecans, toasted and chopped
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- Whipped cream to serve
Instructions
To Make the Cookie Crust
- In a medium bowl, combine crumbs with the melted butter and mix until all crumbs become moist with the butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside in the fridge.
To Make the Pumpkin Cheesecake Batter
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). In a stand mixer (or using an electric hand mixer), beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.
- Slowly add the eggs and sugar until combined. Add the pumpkin puree, pie spice, and vanilla, and continue beating together until well combined and thickened. Pour into the prepared pan and spread out evenly.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. It should have a slight giggle to it when it’s baked.
- Remove from the oven and let sit at room temperature to cool down for about 45 minutes. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours but preferrably overnight so it can fully chill and set.
To Make the Pecan Praline Sauce
- In a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the butter, heavy cream, brown sugar, and pecans; bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the sauce thickens, for about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside to cool.
- When serving your cheesecake, spoon over the sauce and serve with whipped cream. Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Hi Gemma!
I made this today for our family Thanksgiving get together and it was a huge hit! Everyone raved about how amazing this cheesecake was. Thank you for yet another delicious recipe! Also, I LOVE watching your videos. I have learned so much. Keep up your inspiring work!
Awesome recipe Gemma, thank you! Very esay to make! This one is a keeper.
I made it for our dinner guests on thanksgiving and they all liked it.
Excited to make this for Thanksgiving this year! Would you recommend using a water bath (wrapping the springform pan in heavy duty aluminum foil first, to prevent water leakage), or is that not necessary for this recipe? Thanks!
Delish! I didn’t have dark brown sugar so I added 1tsp of molasses to give the sauce a darker color. I made this for my sister-n-law’s birthday (She doesn’t like cake and pumpkin pie is her favorite dessert.) She said “Don’t bother making any other dessert for my Birthday!” Thanks Gemma!
Hi, can this cheesecake be frozen?
Hi Gemma,
I’m trying to make an almond-hazelnut praline paste. If I use this pecan praline sauce recipe, should I cut back on the cream, and then blend everything with the nuts? Or should I follow your almond praline recipe with a little less water?
Thanks for all your recipes and tips.
I made it and it was definitely a hit!the praline was devine!
First of all I love Pumpkin anything so thank you for this recipe. Secondly I made a mistake and used brown sugar instead of white sugar. I continued baking it but have not tried it yet. Thirdly my Pecan Prelaine is quite runny even though I followed your directions. I can’t rate this recipe for taste yet but making it was very easy.
Hi, this looks amazing! Can you make it 2-3 days in advance and refrigerate? Thanks
Could the sauce be made ahead of time and kept in fridge?
Would like to take it to a dinner, so won’t be able to make it there.