Tools to have for mini pumpkin cheesecake

These are the kitchen items I find most helpful when making this recipe.

• Hand Mixer
• Spatula
• Mini Cupcake Paper Liners
• Mini Muffin Pan
• Measuring Cups & Spoons– (These are my favorite!)
• Rolling Pin
• Glass Mixing Bowls

Other related recipes: Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake, Brown Sugar Shortbread, Classic Sugar Cookies, Cherry Hand Pies, Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread, Nutella Sugar Cookies

You may be wondering, what exactly is pumpkin puree? Believe it or not, it is pure pumpkin that has been cooked and blended until smooth.

When shopping, look on the back of your canned pumpkin and it should say “100% Pumpkin.”

Pumpkin Pie filling, on the other hand, is a pureed pumpkin with added spices and sugar.

Since we are adding our ingredients for our pumpkin cheesecake, be sure to have the plain pumpkin puree. 

What makes these pumpkin-flavored desserts so special is their size! Who can pass up a miniature bite of dessert?! Not me!

And the fact that I can make them in a mini-muffin tin is super easy and way less messy. 

I do own a springform pan, but to be honest, I've only used it once or twice. I find it challenging to bake in a water bath which is the traditional method for baking cheesecakes.

When using a mini or regular muffin pan, all you have to do is line it with paper cupcake liners and you're good to go! 

I also like the ruffled design the paper liners create on the outside of my mini cheesecake. 

For the Crust:
1 ½ c. crushed gingersnap cookies (approximately 25-30 cookies)
2 T. unsalted butter, melted

Pumpkin Cheesecake:

8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 Tablespoon Plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves

How to Make Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24-cup mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or place your mini- cupcake paper liners and set aside.

Put cookies in a large heavy-duty freezer bag and cover with a towel. Pound bag with a rolling pin until cookies are uniformly crushed into very small pieces. To make the process faster, you can also use a food processor.

Transferred crushed cookies to a glass bowl and add melted butter.

Stir with a fork until thoroughly combined.

Divide cookie crumb mixture into 24 equal parts and press into the bottom of each muffin cup firmly with your fingers to form a crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, and salt with a hand-held mixer.

Add pumpkin puree and Greek yogurt to cream cheese mixture and continue beating until combined.

Open egg in a separate bowl before adding to the cream cheese mixture. Then blend in vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.

Continue blending until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated into the batter.

Evenly divide pumpkin cream cheese mixture between the 24 muffin-tin cups, placing on top of the pre-baked cookie crust. Fill each cup slightly higher than the edge of the pan.

Place muffin tin on center rack of the oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and the pumpkin mixture has set.

Remove from oven and cool completely before removing mini-cheesecakes from the tin.

Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.

If you enjoy making this Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe, please help me share the love by sharing on Facebook and Pinterest! 

And be sure to tag us @eatpicks- #eatpicks if you share on Instagram!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get all the latest posts straight to your inbox!

Original post 9/11/19

Updated Post 11/3/20