Mohamed Shili This Ina Garten Pumpkin Cheesecake is the best straightforward dessert featuring essential ingredients like cream cheese, pumpkin puree, and spices. It has a crust made from gingersnap cookies and walnuts and a filling that combines pumpkin and cream cheese flavors.
The cheesecake is baked in a 10-inch springform pan and consists of two layers: a pumpkin layer and a plain cream cheese layer. After baking and cooling, it’s ready to be enjoyed as a dessert or special occasion treat. It’s simple to prepare and doesn’t require extensive effort.
Ina Garten Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients
- 1-½ cups finely ground gingersnap cookies
- ¼ cup finely ground walnuts
- ¼ cup sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 packages (8 ounces each) of cream cheese, softened
- 1-¾ cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
How To Make Ina Garten Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 500°F. Mix gingersnaps, walnuts, sugar, and melted butter. Press this mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 10-inch non-stick springform pan.
- Cream Cheese Mixture: In a bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth. Add 5 eggs, one at a time, and then add vanilla. Mix on low speed.
- Pumpkin Mixture: Transfer 2-½ cups of the cream cheese mixture to another bowl. To the remaining mixture, add 1 egg, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin. Mix until smooth.
- Layer and Swirl: Pour half of the pumpkin mixture into the crust, followed by half of the plain cream cheese mixture. Repeat and swirl gently with a spoon.
- Baking and Cooling: Bake at 500°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200°F and bake for 30 more minutes. Cover with foil and bake for an additional 1 hour. Let it cool in the oven for 20-30 minutes, then on a rack for 15 minutes. Chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
Tip: To prevent cracking, place a pan of water in the oven while baking.
What To Serve With Pumpkin Cheesecake
Serve your Pumpkin Cheesecake with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce for added sweetness and complexity. Homemade whipped cream or Peach Ice Cream also make excellent accompaniments. Fresh berries offer a lighter, refreshing option.
How To Store Pumpkin Cheesecake
In The Fridge:
To store the Pumpkin Cheesecake in the fridge, place it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. It will stay fresh for up to five days when stored on a flat surface in the refrigerator.
In The Freezer:
For longer storage, wrap the cheesecake tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped cheesecake in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze it for up to one month. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge before serving.
Check out More Recipes From Ina Garten:
Ina Garten Pumpkin Cheesecake
Description
This Ina Garten Pumpkin Cheesecake is the best straightforward dessert featuring essential ingredients like cream cheese, pumpkin puree, and spices. It has a crust made from gingersnap cookies and walnuts and a filling that combines pumpkin and cream cheese flavors.
Ina Garten Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients
How To Make Ina Garten Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 500°F. Mix gingersnaps, walnuts, sugar, and melted butter. Press this mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 10-inch non-stick springform pan.
- Cream Cheese Mixture: In a bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth. Add 5 eggs, one at a time, and then add vanilla. Mix on low speed.
- Pumpkin Mixture: Transfer 2-½ cups of the cream cheese mixture to another bowl. To the remaining mixture, add 1 egg, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin. Mix until smooth.
- Layer and Swirl: Pour half of the pumpkin mixture into the crust, followed by half of the plain cream cheese mixture. Repeat and swirl gently with a spoon.
- Baking and Cooling: Bake at 500°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200°F and bake for 30 more minutes. Cover with foil and bake for an additional 1 hour. Let it cool in the oven for 20-30 minutes, then on a rack for 15 minutes. Chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
Notes
- To prevent cracking, place a pan of water in the oven while baking.
Hi Mohamed, Can Ina’s pumpkin cheesecake be made ahead and frozen?
Thank you
Hi Helen,
Yes, you can definitely prepare Ina’s pumpkin cheesecake in advance and freeze it. Here’s how to do it:
This way, you can enjoy the cheesecake at your convenience without the last-minute baking rush. Happy baking!
Me again! I’m wanting to make this again, but still reading that the temperature starts at 500 and decreases to 200 which was what I read the first time I made it. I’ll try it again tomorrow at. 300.
Hi again, Raydene!
I’m thrilled to see you back on our website, and I appreciate your willingness to give the recipe another try. Your feedback is invaluable to us!
To clarify, the updated version of the recipe is taken directly from Ina Garten’s authentic recipe, which does indeed start at a high temperature of 500°F and then reduces to 200°F. The key update I made was to specify the exact time to bake it at 200°F, which is 30 minutes followed by an additional 1 hour covered with foil. This should help the center set properly.
I hope this clears up any confusion, and I’m looking forward to hearing how it turns out for you this time!
Thank you for being a part of our food-loving community!
Okay, I took it down to 300 and I think? It’s working? Still left this in the oven longer at 300. But perhaps, Ina Garten uses convection? Maybe that’s the difference. I just have a regular Frigidaire. Nothing fancy. Now it’s cooling in the oven but the center still isn’t set (On top at least).
I really enjoy the recipe otherwise… so I’m determined to make it work.
Hi Raydene,
I’m so glad to hear you’re determined to make this recipe work; that’s the spirit of a true food lover!
You bring up an excellent point about convection ovens. Ina Garten may very well be using one, which can make a difference in cooking times and temperatures. Convection ovens circulate hot air, allowing for more even and quicker cooking, which could explain the discrepancy.
If you’re using a regular Frigidaire oven, you might need to adjust the temperature and cooking time slightly. It sounds like you’re on the right track by increasing the temperature to 300°F and extending the baking time.
As for the center not setting, you could try leaving it in the oven to cool for a bit longer, as the residual heat may help it firm up.
Thank you for your persistence and for sharing your experience. It helps us all become better cooks!
Are you sure that the temperature is right? 200 is extremely low, so I even at 250(which I did instead) and extending the times significantly at each stage, the center still never set. I don’t imagine that Ina Garten would want a recipe out online that wasn’t a winner. It did taste great, just soggy in the middle
Hi Raydene Koch
Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and I apologize for the inconvenience caused. You’re absolutely right; the baking temperature and time in the original recipe were not accurate, leading to a less-than-perfect result. I appreciate your feedback and have since updated the recipe to correct these issues.
I hope you’ll give the updated recipe another try! Thank you for your understanding and for helping to make this recipe better for everyone.