This no-bake pumpkin cheese is good enough to replace pumpkin pie on the dessert table for Thanksgiving and easy enough to make any time you want to celebrate it a regular Tuesday.
This recipe easily converts to a gluten-free dessert if you make sure your vanilla extract is gluten free (most are) and use gluten-free ginger snaps for the crust. No other substitutions or ommissions should be necessary. I use the Mi-Del brand I get from Kroger, but your grocery store probably carries some in the cookie section.
No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
This easy no-bake pumpkin cheesecake is the perfect dessert recipe for fall and also fancy enough to serve instead of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
- Crust
- ● 1 ½ cups gingersnap cookies or (10) graham crackers, crushed
- ● 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ● 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon - if using gingersnap cookies, you can omit the cinnamon if you prefer
- ● 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Filling
- ● 8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese, softened
- ● 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- ● 1 cup (from 15 oz can) pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- ● 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ● 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ● 1 teaspoon maple extract, optional
Instructions
To prepare crust:
1. Crush graham crackers in food processor or resealable bag.
2. Add crumbs to large bowl.
3. Stir in sugar and cinnamon, if using.
4. Melt butter in microwave-safe bowl.
5. Stir into crumb mixture until well combined.
6. Alternatively, you can combine all crust ingredients in a food processor.
7. Press firmly into 9-inch springform pan.
8. Chill for 20 minutes.
To prepare filling:
1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth and creamy.
2. Add pumpkin puree, spice and extracts, beat until smooth.
3. Gently fold in whipped topping a little at a time.
4. Pour cheesecake mixture into pan and spread evenly.
5. Cover with plastic and foil and place in freezer overnight or until solid.
6. Remove from freezer and remove pan rim.
7. Decorate with toppings of your choice, if desired.
8. Cut into slices with a sharp knife.
9. Wrap leftovers with plastic wrap and place in freezer or refrigerator.
Notes
The cream cheese must be room temperature. Leave it out or the fridge an hour or so in advance. Alternately, remove from the foil wrapper, put in a microwave-safe dish and use 50% power feature for 30 second increments until the cream cheese is softened and room temperature. It does not need to be hot or melted. That will add to the required chilling time.
Gluten-free option: Use gluten-free vanilla extract and ginger snaps to easily make this gluten free.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 351Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 385mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 3gSugar: 12gProtein: 8g
All values are estimated and will vary based on the brand of each ingredient you use.
