Home > Desserts > No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake September 22, 2021 | 54 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Delicious No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake is an easy make-ahead dessert that requires very little effort. A thick cinnamon graham cracker crust surrounds a light pumpkin cheesecake filling that’s topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Try some of our other wildly popular pumpkin treats –like these Pumpkin Bars or these glazed Pumpkin Scones. Pumpkin Cheesecake without all the fuss! Throughout the craziness of the holiday season, I am always looking for shortcuts or ways to prepare dishes ahead of time. And No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake is both — a shortcut dessert and it can be prepared in advance. This cheesecake is so much easier to make than a regular cheesecake. In fact, there isn’t even any baking required! Because it’s a frozen dessert, that means it can be made and stored in the freezer for days before serving. There’s no stovetop, no oven, no 20 dirty dishes to bother with– just one bowl, blender (or food processor), and a hand mixer are needed! Cinnamon graham cracker crust The base for No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake is a graham cracker crust. But we add a little flavor twist — we’re using cinnamon graham crackers! A few quick tips Make sure the graham crackers are completely broken down. Large chunks will make the crust difficult to cut and serve properly. Let the melted butter cool a bit first. Don’t add hot melted butter to the graham crackers and sugar; it will melt the sugar and make for a greasier crust. Press the crust down firmly. I like to use the bottom of a metal 1-cup measuring cup to evenly press the crust down and barely up the sides of the pan. Line the pan for easy removal. This helps the cheesecake slices come up easier and look better. How to make No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake The descriptions below correlate with the photos above Add room-temperature cream cheese. Add it to a large bowl. Beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy — this shouldn’t take long with room-temperature cream cheese. Mix in the canned pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and fine sea salt. (The salt balances the sweetness and intensifies the flavors.) Here’s where the spices can be increased if desired. I’d say this is a fairly mild pumpkin flavor, so feel free to add in some additional pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon if you like. Beat the ingredients until combined and smooth. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk. I recommend Eagle Brand® for my No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake (not sponsored). Beat well, until evenly combined with the other ingredients. Here’s how the cheesecake will look with everything but the whipped cream in it. Gently fold in whipped cream: I use Cool Whip® to keep things fast and easy, but feel free to use 2 cups of whipped heavy cream in place of the Cool Whip (how to make whipped cream tutorial). Make sure to thoroughly fold–not stir– the Cool Whip into the mixture — this takes a little bit of patience. Transfer to the prepared crust: Pour everything into the prepared crust and smooth it. And now it’s all just about the waiting game: At least 8 hours in the freezer and this cheesecake will be ready to eat! No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake tips Allow the cream cheese time to come to room temperature: if you use cold cream cheese or try and microwave it, you will end up with unpleasant chunks in your cheesecake. Give it at least an hour sitting at room temperature (or in a warm environment). Allow plenty of time for the filling to set up. The filling takes a good eight hours to be completely firm and frozen; don’t try to rush this. Also, make sure you return any leftover No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake promptly to the freezer. This cheesecake begins softening very quickly at room temperature. Cover cheesecake tightly in the freezer with plastic wrap and then foil to avoid freezer burn. Use a sharp knife for cutting slices. I like to run the knife under hot water, quickly dry it off, and then make a cut. Repeat for each cut; this cheesecake is sticky and firm! Everyone should have some good knives for times like this. (Here are my favorite knives.) Go with full-fat products. Reduced-fat cream cheese and low-fat/sugar-free/fat-free Cool Whip will cause a wet and melty cheesecake that might not set up properly; I don’t recommend any of these ingredients. More delicious pumpkin recipes Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars reader favorite! Pumpkin Bread perfectly spiced and moist! The BEST Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Pumpkin Cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting! Streusel topped and glazed Pumpkin Coffee Cake FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake 4.86 from 14 votes - Review this recipe Delicious No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake is an easy make-ahead dessert that requires very little effort. A thick cinnamon graham cracker crust surrounds a light pumpkin cheesecake filling that's topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake 4.86 from 14 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Delicious No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake is an easy make-ahead dessert that requires very little effort. A thick cinnamon graham cracker crust surrounds a light pumpkin cheesecake filling that's topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Course Dessert Cuisine American Keyword no bake pumpkin cheesecake Prep Time 25 minutes Freezing Time 8 hours Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes Servings 8 -10 servings Calories 335kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $6.74 Equipment9 inch springform pan Ingredients▢ 1 and 1/4 cups crushed cinnamon graham crackers (about 9 full crackers)▢ 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed▢ 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted▢ 1 package (8 ounces) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature▢ 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling and only one cup-not the entire can)▢ 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional▢ tiny pinch fine sea salt▢ 1 can (14 ounces) full-fat sweetened condensed milk▢ 1 container (8 ounces) full-fat frozen whipped topping, thawed (like Cool Whip)US - Metric USMetric InstructionsCRUST: In a blender or food processor, add the graham crackers and process/blend until the crackers are all crumbs. Empty the crumbs into a medium-sized bowl and stir in the brown sugar and melted butter. Spray a 9-inch spring-form pan or pie dish with non-stick spray. Press crust mixture firmly into the prepared pie plate and partially up the sides. Use the bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup to press down the crust firmly. Cover and place in the freezer while preparing the filling.FILLING: Add the room-temperature cream cheese to the bowl and beat for about 45 seconds or until creamy. Add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and fine sea salt. Beat until combined and smooth.FILLING CONT.: Add in the sweetened condensed milk and beat until the mixture is completely combined and smooth. Make sure to scrape the edges of your bowl with a spatula. Fold in the whipped topping until just combined. Be careful to not over mix the whipped topping, but ensure it's well combined with the other filling ingredients.FREEZE: Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared crust and cover the pie with plastic wrap and then tightly with foil (to avoid freezer burn). Freeze overnight or for 6-8 hours, until solid and firm.SERVE: When ready to serve, remove cheesecake from the freezer and cut into slices with a sharp knife. See Note 1. If desired, garnish individual slices with whipped cream and crushed graham crackers or a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.LEFTOVERS: Cover any leftovers tightly and return promptly to the freezer. Video Recipe NotesNote 1: Run a sharp knife under hot water, quickly dry it off, and then make a cut. Repeat for each cut; this cheesecake is sticky and firm! Nutrition FactsServing: 10servings | Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 45.3g | Protein: 5.9g | Fat: 15.3g | Cholesterol: 42.2mg | Sodium: 142.7mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39.4g We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
Wow, I love this. It’s summer in Australia and your frozen pumpkin cheesecake will be perfect for this Yank’s Thanksgiving dinner! Reply
I have to try this recipe. I keep seeing pumpkin cheesecake at restaurants, but I’m too cheap to ever buy dessert, and Reply
I’m always too cheap to buy desserts as restaurants too! That and I always have too many that need to be eaten at my home! Thanks for your comment! Reply
Chelsea, this looks fabulous! I love any kind of frozen pie but pumpkin frozen pie just makes me giddy with pumpkin-loving joy 🙂 Can’t wait to try this out! Reply
Haha gotta get plenty of pumpkin in before its out of season right! Thanks for stopping by Amy 🙂 Reply
Hi Marian! You know, I haven’t tried it without the Cool Whip, but I imagine it would be a lot denser. The Cool Whip lightens it up quite a bit. Your pie would also be a lot shorter, or wouldn’t fill up the springform pan as well. If you want, you could try replacing the Cool Whip with about 1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream (whipping it and maybe adding some sugar before mixing it in with the other ingredients). Let me know what you end up trying and if it works! Reply
This looks so delicious! I love pumpkin and cheesecake, so I’m definitely putting this on my to do list:) Reply
Hi Marian! Is your cake pan a 9 x 13 size? The cheesecake will work fine in a cake pan, it just won’t be as tall or “high-rising” as it would be in a springform pan, instead it will just be a thinner cheesecake. The other thing is the cheesecake will be a little harder to serve. With a springform pan, the cheesecake comes out and serves a lot easier since the sides of the springform pan are removed. If you give it a try in the cake pan let me know how it works out! Reply
I just realized that I also misread, and used the whole can of pumpkin puree…it turned out really tasty, but I wonder if it changed the way it came. Reply
I just found this recipe. Sounds delicious, but at the beginning with all the pictures it says it uses ice cream. There’s no ice cream in the ingredients list or in the recipe, so did I miss something? Why would it melt if left out if there’s no ice cream in it? Thanks!
Hi Donna! So there isn’t actual ice cream in this recipe, but it is close to the texture of ice cream. Its like a cheesecake and pumpkin flavored ice cream pie. When you mix the sweetened condensed milk and whipped topping together it forms a type of ice cream when frozen. So after it’s been frozen and set up, it is now in an ice cream form so it would melt if you left it out. Hope that all makes sense 🙂
Hi Chelsea! So I made the recipe using the ingredients you listed (I did not omit the cool whip). Taste wise, it was delicious! Since I didn’t have the springform pan, I made it in a brownie pan, so it was a square cheesecake instead of the traditional round, so I guess you can call it “bites”. Although the taste was amazing, it was a little strange to me texture wise because it came out more like ice cream as opposed to cheesecake like. I unfortunately made the mistake of taking it out of the freezer and keeping it in the fridge, and it melted, so now it’s like pudding. 🙁 Overall, I really like this recipe, I used a gingersnap crust, which turned out great because of the pumpkin and ginger marriage. I also crushed some ginger snaps and drizzled on top of it afterwards for a crunch. I definitely recommend this recipe, and will refer to it as the “pumpkin cheesecake ice cream” from now! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂 Reply
Hi Marian! Thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out! I’m grateful for your comments. I will make the recipe more clear about 1 cup of pumpkin and about keeping it in the freezer! Thank you so much for your feedback. I think it is a bit ice cream texture wise for sure. Also, the gingersnap crust and gingersnaps on top sounds amazing. I am going to try that next time! Reply
Chelsea, this sounds like such a crowd pleaser! I love making cheesecake but around the holidays time is short so this quick fix is more my style. Thank you for sharing. I’m visiting from Live Laugh Rowe tonight. Pinned! Reply
Hi! Just tried this out last night and it was the best!!. My boyfriend doesn’t like pumpkin stuff usually but he loved this one. Thanks so much Reply
I love pumpkin pie, now the cheesecake looks divine. Your pictures are absolutely beautiful, thanks for sharing. Reply
My family and I love pumpkin pie and I always make a few around the holidays. We also love cheesecake but I usual don’t make cheesecake although one of my daughters will sometime buy the no-bake cheesecake mix and make it. I believe I am going to try this recipe this year in place of one of my pies and see how it goes over. It sounds really yummy. Reply
My husband and I sure loved it! You’ll have to let me know if you end up trying it and what you think! Thanks for stopping by Michele 🙂 Reply
I adore this recipe, but could I use real whipped cream instead of Cool Whip? My husband and I try to stay away from things like that as much as possible. Plus, I’m a “from scratch” kind of girl. Reply
Hey there! Recipe sounds amazing! I’m wondering how long it will keep in the freezer? I’d love to make it for Thanksgiving a few days in advance. Thanks! Reply
Thank you Vanessa!! It should be fine for up to a week in advance (if not longer!) Just cover it tightly and put it on a shelf in the middle of your freezer and you should be good to go 🙂 Hope you love this!! Reply
Do you know what decadent means?… It means decaying, Just saying but awesome recipe sorry I have a thing about that word… Well just for future reference. Reply
Hi Chelsea, This looks great and I want to make it for Thanksgiving but can you tell me what size spring form pan you used? I have a few in different sizes. Thank you. Reply
I typically use a 9-inch springform pan for this recipe, but it’s pretty flexible within the 8-10 inch range 🙂 Hope that helps! Reply
I stumbled upon this recipe last week and all I can say is it is absolutely phenomenal!!! I followed your recipe exactly and loved that it was easy and delicious! Thank you so much! I am hosting a dinner party next weekend and know what I will be serving for dessert. Thanks again, and I am excited to try more of your recipes. Reply
I’m so thrilled you loved this pie Shannon!! Thank you so much for your comment and I hope everyone loves this pie at your dinner party 🙂 I hope you love whatever you try next! Reply
What an amazing recipe, we loved it! I recreated it by adding a bit more pumpkin and cream cheese. Both are great versions. I also credited you for the inspiration 🙂 at http://www.canadiancookingadventures.com Thank you Reply
This is a delicious alternative to traditional pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake. It’s much lighter, less time-consuming to make, can be made in advance, and the leftovers can go back in the freezer. The filling is silky smooth. I made a few changes, but nothing that would have altered the texture of the filling. I subbed whipped cream for the Cool Whip and added cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, molasses, vanilla and bourbon for a bit of a flavor boost. This pairs nicely with salted caramel sauce. Reply
You described this perfectly! Thanks so much for your comment! And those add ins sound delicious! 🙂 Reply
I’m the step by step directions that match the pictures you mention adding vanilla and sea salt, but I don’t see them mentioned anywhere else and I don’t know how much to add. Reply
