This Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe is easy and tastes like pumpkin pie! It's gluten free and topped with cinnamon caramel sauce.
This Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce is easy to prepare and it's light, fluffy, and gluten free but still has that decadent quality that we expect from fall desserts.
We're coming up on fall baking season and I'm pretty happy about it. Fall baking means all kinds of apple and pumpkin desserts. When it comes to desserts, my heart definitely belongs to pie.
For my money, there's almost nothing better than a scratch-made pumpkin pie and a strong cup of coffee.
Baking a pumpkin pie from scratch is a bit labor intensive, though. Sometimes it's nice to bake a dessert like this Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake that doesn't involve rolling out pie crust and scooping out pumpkin innards.
Best of all, it tastes a lot like pumpkin pie!
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How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake
This crustless pumpkin cheesecake recipe is super easy - I promise. It's a Japanese-style cheesecake which means that it's extra light and fluffy.
There is no crust and the texture ends up kind of soufflé-like. It's not dense like a New York style cheesecake. I love cheesecakes of all kinds but this one is fun because it's a bit different.
- The first step is to heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. As the oven heats, separate 6 eggs into two different bowls - Yolks in one bowl and whites in the other.
- Next up is to whip 1 8 oz. package of gluten free room temperature cream cheese with a hand mixer or a KitchenAid mixer until it's light and fluffy.
- Add the whipped cream cheese to the egg yolks along with 1 cup of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), ½ cup sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix until completely combined.
It's very important that the cream cheese is room temperature or the mixture will become chunky, which results in a dense cheesecake.
How To Make Cheesecake Light and Fluffy
Next up is to make some meringue with the egg whites.
- Whip the egg whites using the whisk attachment on a Kitchen Aid mixer on medium-high speed. This process should take about 7 to 8 minutes. The egg whites will form stiff peaks when finished.
- Once the meringue is formed, add it to the pumpkin mixture a scoop at a time.
- Fold the meringue into the pumpkin batter slowly until it is completely incorporated. Don't mix aggressively or the meringue will lose its 'springiness' and the mixture will fall flat.
The egg whites help to keep this cheesecake light and fluffy, as opposed to a thick, creamy style of cheesecake.
Looking for more desserts? Don't miss these!
- Old Fashioned Blueberry Buckle
- Baked Lemon Doughnuts
- Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
- Buttermilk Rhubarb Cake
- Scandinavian Almond Cake
- Irish Cream Chocolate Doughnuts
- Baileys Ice Cream Affogato
Bake The Cheesecake In A Water Bath
- Now it's time to get that cheesecake in the oven. Spray a springform pan generously with cooking spray. Don't be shy with the cooking spray - you don't want your glorious creation to stick.
- Pour the pumpkin cheesecake batter into the pan and spread evenly. It's best to bake the cheesecake in a water bath so that it cooks evenly.
- Wrap the springform pan tightly with aluminum foil and place it into a rectangular cake pan.
- Pour an inch or so of water into the pan (careful not to get any in the batter).
Why Bake Cheesecake In A Water Bath?
This will keep the cheesecake moist, prevent it from drying out, and help it to cook evenly.
- Carefully place the cake pan(s) in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or so.
- Once the 40-minute mark hits, turn the oven off and keep the cheesecake in there for another 15 minutes.
- At this point, the top should be nice and golden and the cheesecake should be finished cooking. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
How To Make Caramel Sauce
Now for the really good stuff - the caramel sauce that gets drizzled on top. This caramel sauce gets spiced up a bit with some cinnamon. Caramel sauce may seem intimidating but it's super easy to make.
I love adding caramel sauce to pumpkin desserts. It adds a nice bit of richness.
Much of the sweetness in this dessert comes from the caramel so I highly advise not skipping it!
- To make the sauce simply melt 3 Tbsp. of butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat.
- Add ¾ cup packed brown sugar and slowly let the sugar melt into the butter. Stir the mixture with a whisk.
- Once the sugar has melted, slowly add ⅓ cup or so of heavy whipping cream, whisking constantly. Let the caramel simmer on a low heat until it reaches a creamy consistency.
- Add ½ tsp. cinnamon and a generous pinch of salt. The key to caramel is to stir constantly so that it doesn't burn. Once it's nice and creamy remove from heat.
Looking for more fall desserts? Check out these recipes!
- Cast Iron Apple Crisp
- Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie
- Gluten Free Apple Pie
- Maple Bourbon Walnut Pie
- Apple Galette
- Ina Garten Apple Crisp
- Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake
- Streusel Apple Muffins
What To Serve With Pumpkin Cheesecake
Once the cheesecake has cooled it's time to serve! Cut a slice and drizzle with the desired amount of the cinnamon caramel sauce. The spices in the caramel sauce give this cheesecake its characteristic 'pumpkin pie' flavor.
You can also add some ice cream, crème anglaise, or homemade whipped cream to this cheesecake.
How Long Does It Last In The Fridge?
Any leftovers may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Be sure to allow the cheesecake to cool completely before transferring to the fridge for storage.
Can It Be Frozen?
I do not recommend freezing this pumpkin cheesecake.
I'll always gravitate toward my favorite pie recipes when it comes to fall baking but I'll make an exception once and while. This Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake is one such exception.
Love pumpkin? Check out these recipes!
- Pumpkin Bread Pudding
- Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Waffles
- Pumpkin Scones with Maple Caramel Sauce
- Caramel Pumpkin Panna Cotta
Looking For More Pumpkin Desserts? Don't Miss These!
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Perfect Pumpkin Cookies
Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie
Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten Free)
Equipment
- Springform Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 6 large eggs separated
- 8 oz. cream cheese room temperature, full fat
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- generous pinch kosher salt
- cooking spray
Instructions
For The Pumpkin Cheesecake:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Separate 6 eggs. Place the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl.
- Whip one 8 oz. block of room temperature full fat cream cheese with a hand mixer or KitchenAid mixer until light and fluffy.It's very important that the cream cheese is room temperature, or the cheesecake will be chunky and dense.
- Add whipped cream cheese to the egg yolks along with 1 cup of pumpkin puree, ½ cup sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.
- Place the egg whites into a Kitchen Aid stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment for 7 to 8 minutes or so or until the meringue has formed stiff peaks.
- Add the meringue to the pumpkin batter one scoop at a time. Fold the meringue in slowly until it is all incorporated. Be careful not to mix too vigorously or mixture will fall.
- Spray a springform pan generously with cooking spray.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the sprayed pan and spread evenly.
- Wrap the springform pan tightly in aluminum foil and place into a rectangular cake pan. The round cake pan should fit snugly into the cake pan. Pour an inch or so of water into the rectangular cake pan being careful not to get any water in the cheesecake batter.
- Carefully place the cake pan into the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Once it has baked for 40 minutes, turn off heat and keep in oven for an additional 15 minutes.
- Once the cheesecake has baked remove from oven and let cool completely.
For The Caramel Sauce:
- Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add ¾ cup or so of brown sugar into the butter, stirring constantly. Once the sugar has melted, slowly add ⅓ cup or so of heavy whipping cream. Whisk this mixture constantly to prevent burning. Once the caramel sauce has reduced a bit and is creamy add ½ tsp. cinnamon and a generous pinch of salt. Remove from heat.
- To Serve: Cut the cooled cheesecake into pieces and drizzle with the desired amount of the caramel sauce.
Kelly Asche
I love how much lighter this is than regular cheesecake. Thank god, because it tastes great and I can have more than one slice and not feel horrible.
Ben Myhre
There are a lot of good flavors in this cake and I love cheesecake.
Sues
I love everything about this! Especially that cinnamon caramel sauce 🙂
Ben Myhre
I am not sure that I am on the Pumpkin Spice train like so many are, but good is good. And this cheesecake looks ridiculously good. Thanks for sharing!
Christine
I hear you - The Pumpkin Spice craze is out of control but I definitely can't resist a good pumpkin dessert!
EA The Spicy RD
I've never heard of Japanese style cheesecake before~this looks divine! And, I'm pretty sure I could eat that Cinnamon Caramel Sauce all on its own. Yum!
Christine
It's definitely a little lighter in texture than a traditional cheesecake and it is definitely all about the sauce! 🙂