Featured on Good Morning America, this No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake is easy and tasty. With a cinnamon graham crust and creamy pumpkin inside, it’s finished with whipped cream and a touch of cinnamon. A simple, delicious treat.
Try some of our other wildly popular pumpkin treat like these Pumpkin Bars or glazed Pumpkin Scones.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Without All The Fuss
Last week on Good Morning America, Jennifer Garner whipped up and raved about this amazing No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake. Amidst the bustling holiday season, we all seek shortcuts and dishes that can be prepared in advance, and this cheesecake ticks both boxes.
Not only is it simpler than a traditional cheesecake, but there’s also no baking involved! It’s a frozen dessert that can sit in your freezer, waiting for the perfect moment. Forget the hassles of using the stovetop, oven, or dealing with a pile of dishes. All you need is one bowl, a blender or food processor, and a hand mixer. So enjoy ease and flavor this season with this standout dessert.
Ingredients In No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Cinnamon Graham Crackers & Brown Sugar: These make the crust, giving it a sweet and slightly spiced flavor. Press the crust down firmly so it doesn’t fall apart when cutting.
- Melted Butter: Helps hold the crust together. Mix it well with the crumbs for even coverage.
- Cream Cheese: Makes the filling creamy and rich. Let it sit at room temperature so it blends smoothly.
- Pumpkin & Pumpkin Spice: Add flavor and smoothness to the filling. Use pure pumpkin, not pie filling.
- Vanilla Extract & Sea Salt: Boost the overall flavor by balancing sweetness. A small pinch of salt helps bring out the flavors.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Sweetens the filling and makes it creamy. Scrape the bowl well to mix it all in.
- Frozen Whipped Topping: Fold it in gently to keep the filling fluffy.
How To Make No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Start with room-temperature cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat until smooth.
- Mix in canned pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt. Beat until combined and creamy.
- Add sweetened condensed milk, and blend well.
- Gently fold in Cool Whip® (or 2 cups whipped heavy cream). Ensure thorough folding for even distribution.
- Pour mixture into a prepared crust and smooth the surface.
- Freeze for at least 8 hours, and it’s ready to serve!
No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Tips
- Use room-temperature cream cheese to avoid lumps. Don’t microwave and give it at least an hour sitting at room temperature.
- Allow at least 8 hours for the filling to set. Return leftovers to the freezer quickly as it softens fast.
- Wrap cheesecake in plastic, then foil, to prevent freezer burn.
- Cut with a warm, sharp knife for clean slices. (Here are my favorite knives.)
- Always choose full-fat products for the best consistency and taste.
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
No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
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.
Equipment
- 9 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)
Instructions
- CRUST: 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 Notes
Note 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
Serving: 10servings | Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 45.3g | Protein: 5.9g | Fat: 15.3g | Cholesterol: 42.2mg | Sodium: 142.7mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39.4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!
Thanks so much for stopping by Jelli!
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!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
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!
What size can of pumpkin?
I used a small can of pumpkin, but not the whole can. Just one cup 🙂
Oh gosh- thank you! I just skimmed the recipe before and misread!!!
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.
I will fix the recipe to make it more clear! Glad you still liked it! 🙂
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 🙂
I don’t have a springform pan, can I use a regular cake pan?
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!
This looks so delicious! I love pumpkin and cheesecake, so I’m definitely putting this on my to do list:)
Thanks Ginnie! You’ll have to let me know how you like it! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
how will the recipe change if I omit the cool whip?
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!
This looks amazing! I need to try this for Thanksgiving 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Erin!
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!
Haha gotta get plenty of pumpkin in before its out of season right! Thanks for stopping by Amy 🙂
I have to try this recipe. I keep seeing pumpkin cheesecake at restaurants, but I’m too cheap to ever buy dessert, and
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!
Wow, I love this. It’s summer in Australia and your frozen pumpkin cheesecake will be perfect for this Yank’s Thanksgiving dinner!
Thanks Maureen 🙂 I’m jealous you are enjoying summer! We just had a huge snowstorm last night!