Pumpkin Cheesecake (No Bake)

Creamy cheesecake made with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, with a buttery spiced biscuit base and whipped cream decoration

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Cheesecake

Prep Time 45

Setting time 4

Total Time 4 45

Servings

Calories 441kcal

Author thebakingexplorer

Ingredients

For the biscuit base

300 g Digestive biscuits
135 g Butter or baking spread melted
½ tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Ground ginger
¼ tsp Nutmeg

For the cheesecake filling

600 g Full fat cream cheese I use Philadelphia
300 g Pumpkin puree
125 g Icing sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Mixed spice
¼ tsp Ground ginger
¼ tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Vanilla extract
300 ml Double cream

For decoration

150 ml Double cream
½ tbsp Icing sugar
½ tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp Demerara sugar
¼ tsp Cinnamon
Fondant pumpkins optional

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

To make the base, use a food processor to blitz the biscuits until they turn into crumbs. Or you can put them in a bag or a bowl and bash them up gently with a rolling pin
Place the biscuit crumbs into a mixing bowl, stir in the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
Add the melted butter and mix in, then press the mixture into the bottom of a 23cm springform tin until compact and even, put it in the fridge to chill while you make the filling
To make the cheesecake filling, use an electric mixer to mix together the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, icing sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice and nutmeg until it is smooth with no lumps
Add the double cream and whisk more until the mixture thickens considerably. You want it to get to a stage where you can scoop some up with your spatula or spoon and you have to give it a tap on the side of the bowl or slight flick of the wrist to get the mixture off the spoon. If it’s sloppy and slides right off the spoon without any encouragement needed, then you need to mix it more
Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the biscuit base and smooth it over. Then put it back into the fridge to set overnight, or for at least 4 hours
Remove the cheesecake from the tin and put on your serving plate. Smooth the sides with a butter knife to create a neater finish if needed
Whip the double cream together with the icing sugar and vanilla, then pipe it around the edges using a piping bag fitted with a nozzle
Mix the demerara sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle it all over the cheesecake, then add the fondant pumpkins around the edge if using
Serve immediately, store any leftovers in the fridge and eat within 2-3 days

Notes

It is really important to stick to the ingredients and use full fat cream cheese and double cream (a cream with a 48% fat content), both of these ingredients are essential to ensure the no bake cheesecake sets. If you want to make a low fat version, I suggest doing this in small dessert glasses or ramekins as they will not set well enough to be sliced.
I am based in the UK and I find that Philadelphia cream cheese is the thickest and best quality cream cheese to use for no bake cheesecakes. I have made many cheesecakes with supermarket own brand cream cheeses too, and they have worked great. If you can though, I think it is worth spending a little more for Philadelphia (and no they haven't paid me to say this!)
For the biscuit base I used digestive biscuits and added some spices, you could also use gingernut biscuits.
You can use either butter or baking spread for the biscuit base, I find that baking spread makes the cheesecake easier to remove from the tin as it doesn't make the base set as solidly.
If you live in a place where pumpkin pie spice mix is easily available, then you can use 3 tsp of that instead of the mix of spices I've listed in the recipe. I live in the UK so pumpkin spice mix is not something that's sold here.
You can find lots of answers to common no bake cheesecake questions on my How To Make A No Bake Cheesecake guide. If you've never made a no bake cheesecake before, I highly recommend reading through my guide first!
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

Nutrition