Cheesecake and pumpkin pie combined! A cheesecake layer is topped with a pumpkin pie layer and then a layer of streusel in this holiday worthy Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie.
Photos updated November 2014
Originally posted December 28, 2007 – A few months ago when a few friends and I got together to bake pies, I had a thought that I really wanted to work on my pie making skills. So the plan was to make a pie a month. I technically made this pie for the first time in October, but was having a very off day in the kitchen and it didn’t work out like I wanted it to. I didn’t want to feel defeated, so I had to try again. Luckily, the second time around it turned out perfectly. I’ve actually made this pie several times over the last few years, and I love that you get both cheesecake and pie in one. It’s great for people that are indecisive like I am! This Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie is sure to be a hit at any holiday celebration!
I should be posting about another Cookbook of the Month recipe from this month’s book – Candymaking – but I don’t have another recipe to share!! This last week has been busy and lazy at the same time. When I haven’t been busy, I’ve just wanted to take it easy. I did set out to make some chocolates yesterday, but because I still haven’t bought a new candy thermometer, I ended up overcooking the centers, and instead of starting over, I just gave up. I think I just wasn’t in the mood. So no candy recipes today, but instead, I bring you a pie!
This Christmas was a little different for me. We had the big meal on Christmas Eve at my in-laws, and Christmas day was really low key. Growing up, it was never like this. My mom’s birthday is on Christmas Eve, so we always had a birthday celebration for her on her birthday, and Christmas was the big day. So celebrating on Christmas Eve this year was a bit different. Although I did love the low key Christmas. We mostly just hung out at home – just the two of us – and played with our new Christmas gifts. Whenever we have a big meal at my in-laws, I am usually given free reign as to what I want to bring. This year, my mother-in-law wasn’t making any pies, so I decided to go the pie route since Christmas isn’t Christmas without pies!!
I started looking through some of my new cookbooks for inspiration, but nothing was clicking for me. There were all kinds of inventive, “new” desserts, but nothing felt right. So I went to one of my older cookbooks – the Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book. And here I found two pies that sounded perfect (or a pie and a tart!). This is the first of the recipes – a Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. (I’ll post about the tart later). I have been seeing recipes for pumpkin cheesecake pies for years, but have never tried one. This seemed perfect because I had the traditional pumpkin pie, but with a little twist to it.
I started out that morning with the crust. I had thought about trying a different crust recipe, but decided to stick with the crust I’ve been using for years. But the only problem was that I couldn’t find my recipe card with the recipe!! So instead of calling my mom for the recipe, I went to a family cookbook that I have, and found my Grandma’s recipe. It sounded similar – at least the ingredients were, but I wasn’t sure about the quantities of the ingredients. I figured that Grandma would never lead me astray, so I went with it. I don’t know what happened, but this was the worst pie crust that I have ever worked with. The original recipe made 4 crusts, so I did cut it in half, and maybe that was my problem. The dough seemed quite soft when I first made it, before refrigerating it for a few hours, but I figured it would firm up a bit after the chilling time. But when I went to roll it out (using 2 sheets of waxed paper), it was still pretty sticky. I attempted to put it into my pie plate, but it stuck too badly to the waxed paper. I have worked with some bad pie crusts before, but I have never had to re-roll a crust. But I had no other option this time. I put the dough in the freezer for a few minutes to let it chill a bit more, and then tried to roll it out without the waxed paper. It rolled out fine, but when I went to put it in the pie dish, it completely tore in into pieces. I was really frustrated by this point, and I didn’t have enough time to start over with another recipe. So I just put it in the dish and tried to press the edges together and I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
Good thing the filling for this Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie went a lot smoother. A cream cheese layer is put on the bottom of the crust, then refrigerated for 30 minutes. Then a pumpkin mixture is poured over the top, followed by a pecan-crumb topping after it is partially baked. In true Deborah-fashion, I doubled the crumb topping, because I like the crumb toppings!! Back into the oven it went. I mis-read the recipe, thinking it only had to be in the oven for 25 minutes before adding the crumb topping and cooking for an additional 10-15 minutes. Mine was not done at this point, and I ended up keeping it in the oven an additional 30 minutes. Well, reading through the recipe now, I see that it was supposed to bake 25 minutes with the crust edges covered, then an additional 25 minutes uncovered before adding the topping. That would make sense!!
Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the inside of the pie. We were so full after dinner that we almost didn’t even eat any dessert. We ended up taking a piece of this Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie and my other tart to-go, so I did get to sample them later. I had a bite of this at home that night, and it was still a little warm. I tried it again the next morning, after it had been in the fridge all night, and I preferred it chilled. My mother-in-law said that she really liked it warm with a bit of whipped cream on top. Either way, this Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie was really good. The crust was definitely not the best, but hopefully the filling was good enough so that everyone overlooked the bad crust!!
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
Cheesecake and pumpkin pie combined! A cheesecake layer is topped with a pumpkin pie layer followed by a crumb topping. Perfect for any holiday!
Ingredients
- 1 single pie crust
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 slightly beaten egg
- 1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cold butter
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Roll out the pie crust and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Trim and crimp the edges as desired. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla and beaten egg and beat until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Spread the mixture into the bottom of the pie crust.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, evaporated milk, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Beat until smooth, then very carefully pour the mixture over the cream cheese layer.
- Place the pie in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Cover the edges of the pie with foil, then bake an additional 25 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and butter. Cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top of the pie. Return to the oven and bake another 10-15 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean.
- Cool the pie for 1 to 2 hours, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely.
Recipe Notes:
I like to place the pie on a baking sheet. Not only does this make it so I don’t have to worry about the pie making a mess if it cooks over, but it’s easier to transfer into and out of the oven. It also makes it easier to not have to worry about spilling as much when you add the streusel topping.
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book
Becky says
Can you use a store bought crust??
Deborah says
Of course!
Josh says
I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this pumpkin pie/cheesecake combination before! It sounds delicious! I’m not normally one to comment on recipes since I tend to adjust ingredients, but I followed this recipe almost exactly.
I used a pre-made graham cracker crust (I’m TERRIBLE with pie crusts) and a fresh baking pumpkin for the puree. Aside from those two changes, every ingredient was used exactly as the recipe called for.
I just took the pie out of the oven, and it looks and smells delicious. The cheesecake and pumpkin layers stayed separate, and the pecan topping adds a great layer of texture.
This was a bit of a test run to see how it would turn out, and needless to say, I will definitely make this again for Thanksgiving.
Fantastic recipe!
Thank you so much!
Shawn says
Hi-
I absolutley love this pie, although I have personally never made it myself soooo here I go. One question, should I par bake the crust before I put cheesecake filling in?
Deborah says
I don’t par-bake the crust – it will bake as the pie bakes. Good luck!
Dana says
If you have a hard time making pie crust,try using a crumb crust ( graham cracker,ginger snaps,etc.) equally as good and pretty much fail proof
Judy says
I have been making this pie for over 20 years but without the strusel topping
Jenni says
Great….thank you so much! I appreciate your help =)
Jenni says
I am on the lookout for a good pie crust recipe….that one looks delicious…did you make that by hand?
Deborah says
Yes – this one is my all-time favorite! https://www.tasteandtellblog.com/basic-pie-crust/
Jenni says
oh, great!! Thank you! I am going to use that pie crust recipe when I make this pie for a co-worker’s birthday =) I currently use my grandma’s recipe but I never have the good results with it that she gets. I am amazed by how neat you are able to do the crust…when i try to pinch the edges it looks like a 5 year old did it =(. I also have a hard time rolling the dough out right so that the edges aren’t already jagged when you are trying to crimp them and make them look nice. No matter how much flour I use, the dough always gets caught on the roller and it creates holes that i have to patch back together. Do you have any tips!?! I think the fact that your recipe calls for the dough to chill should help out with these areas?
Deborah says
I usually chill the dough, but I my biggest help is to roll the dough out between two sheets of waxed paper. You don’t have to worry about the dough sticking to your rolling pin, and it’s a lot easier to transfer to the pie plate. Just roll the dough between 2 sheets, peel the top piece off, and place the dough in the pan, exposed side down. Then gently peel off the other piece of waxed paper. I definitely don’t make the prettiest pies, but they are getting better with practice. For the edges, I like to fold the excess dough under, making the edges a little thicker than the rest of the pie. It helps to avoid the jagged edges, and makes it a little easier to shape. Hope that helps!
Ashley Teague says
Making this pie for the second time in few weeks.It is so GOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
Deborah says
Wow – so glad you love it!!
Carrie says
We made this for Thanksgiving this year. Simple to make and tasted amazing!! Definately a keep for the holiday!!!!
Deborah says
I’m so glad you loved it!!
Tammi says
About to try this! *crossing fingers*
Vanessa says
Have you ever had trouble with the cheesecake coming to the top while baking? I added some red food coloring today to make it pink to announce we are having a girl. That may be why, but just wondering if I did something else wrong? Happy Thanksgiving!!
Deborah says
I haven’t had that problem, so I’m not sure what happened! I hope it tasted good, anyway. And congratulations on the girl!
Samantha says
I’m making this right now! It’s going great, but I can’t fit all of the pumpkin filling in, does this happen to you? I followed everything to a ‘T’ and probably have about a 1/4 of the mixture left.
Deborah says
Strange – that has never happened to me before! I would just pour your extra filling into ramekins or an oven proof dish and bake it – then you can have some pumpkin pie filling to snack on!
Karen W says
This sounds delicious. I am wondering if my pumpkin-pie-loving husband would like this. Will have to surprise him with it.
Have a great day
Angelyn @ Everyday Desserts says
this looks like the perfect Thanksgiving dessert – yum!
Jen says
Is the first egg mentioned in the recipe supposed to be just the yolk??
“1 slightly beaten egg”
The written instructions for the cheese layer says combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk.
Thanks!! The pie looks amazing!
Deborah says
Hi Jen,
Thanks for catching that! The original recipe calls for just the yolk, but I have been making it with a full egg. I have updated the recipe. 🙂
Chels R. says
That looks pretty amazing if I do say so myself. What a great combo.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Whoa. This looks so delicious! I love the crumble on top too…totally takes this from great to AWESOME!
Baby June says
Now that is an EXCELLENT dessert combination. Loving that crumb topping too 🙂
Virginia (Jenny) says
I've made that pie before and all of us loved it! It's a fantastic pie. 😀
Anonymous says
I just made this for (Canadian) Thanksgiving, and it was a huge hit!
Katie says
mmmmm pumpkin and cream cheese that sounds yummy.
pumpkinpie says
Our family has made a similar pie for Thanksgiving ever since I can remember. My husband calls it ‘his pie’ and insists we make decoy pies for the other guests so he can have this one all to himself.
Kevin says
This pie sounds really good. Cream cheese, pumpkin pie, and pecan and brown sugar topping…mmm… I haven’t had much luck working with pie crusts yet… I guess I will just have to try more often! 🙂
Glenna says
Mmmm…htat looks so good! You know, sometimes Gene and I used to do the low-key Christmas or Thanksgiving thing too and it can be very uplifting, I think for a couple. I love having my family around me but there’s something to be said for just the two of you hanging out together too, spending some time together where you don’t have to do anything, be anything, or get things done. Glad it was restful for you!
Anj says
My goodness, that looks like one great pie. I think a food processor is the key to a good pie crust as well, less handling that way — I just don’t have one — LOL. Looking forward to more good recipes from you in the coming year.
Emiline says
Oh the horrors of pie crust-it can really be a nightmare.
At least it tasted delicious! The picture looks great. I love crumb toppings, too.
Judy says
What a delicious combination of flavors. I will definitely give this a try.
Kelly says
This looks delicious! I must try it, thanks for the recipe.
Bellini Valli says
This pie sounds so luxurious! I have resorted to making pie crust in the food processor..it just works out less frustrating for me. I wouldn’t want to give up pie making because I am “crust-phobic”.
eatme_delicious says
Sounds like a yummy pie and an interesting take on pumpkin pie! Definitely saving this recipe. Too bad your pie crust didn’t work out as you’d hoped.
Peabody says
Wow…this sounds amazing…and I have a ton of pecans now. I might have to make a version of this. And I need to check out that cookbook.
Oh and it took me years to get a handle on pie crust and I am still not that great at it.
glamah16 says
It’s amazing how pie crusts can vary but yet seem so similar.Regardless it looks good. We did the whole Christmas Eve thing as well and chilled part of Christmas day before going to anothers house.Happy New Year.
Mary says
If it makes you feel better, I can’t make a pie crust to save my life. I’m really terrible at them. It could be that I usually don’t eat them anyways. The filling on your pie sounds yummy!