This post may contain affiliate links.
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake bites give you everything you love about a creamy pumpkin cheesecake in a perfectly portioned, swirled little cupcake, with a buttery graham cracker crust and a pretty marble top. I make a big batch every fall when the leaves turn because Maddie and Lizzie love having their very own cheesecake, no slicing required. If you love an easy cheesecake, you will also adore our raspberry no bake cheesecake bites.
Baked in a regular muffin tin, these make two dozen mini cheesecakes that are perfect for Thanksgiving, parties, or a cozy fall treat.
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 23 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 38 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 24 mini cheesecakes
- ⚡ Calories: 211kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Creamy and rich with warm pumpkin spice and a buttery graham crust
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our strawberry cheesecake bundt cake
Quick Answer
To make Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake, press a graham cracker crust into lined muffin tins, then beat cream cheese with sugar, eggs, sour cream, flour, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside half the batter, then stir pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice into the rest. Layer the vanilla and pumpkin batters in each liner, swirl with a skewer, and bake at 350 degrees F for 18 to 23 minutes until just set. Cool, then top with whipped cream.
Jump to:
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Cheesecake Recipes
- Easy Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Muffin tin shortcut. Baking in a lined muffin tin gives you 24 perfectly portioned cheesecakes with no springform pan or water bath needed.
- Two batters, one bowl. Setting aside half the vanilla batter before adding pumpkin lets you make both flavors without dirtying extra dishes.
- Graham cracker crust. A quick press in crust of graham crumbs, butter, and brown sugar adds buttery crunch under the creamy filling.
- Pumpkin pie spice. Warm spice in both the crust and the pumpkin layer gives every bite that cozy fall flavor.
- The skewer swirl. Dragging a skewer through the two batters creates that pretty marbled top with almost no effort.
- Bake just until jiggly. Pulling them while the centers are slightly jiggly keeps the cheesecakes creamy instead of cracked and dry.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are individually portioned, so there is no slicing and everyone gets their own.
- The vanilla and pumpkin swirl looks impressive but takes just a drag of a skewer.
- They are make ahead friendly and freeze well, like our no bake butterfinger cheesecake.
Key Ingredients
A handful of simple ingredients make these mini cheesecakes. See the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Cream cheese: The creamy base. Soften it fully so the batter beats up smooth with no lumps.
- Pumpkin puree: Use pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, for the right flavor and texture.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Goes in both the crust and the pumpkin layer for warm, cozy spice.
- Graham cracker crumbs and butter: Pressed together for a buttery crust in the bottom of each liner.
- Eggs, sour cream, and vanilla: Add richness and a silky texture to the cheesecake filling.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Have fun making these mini cheesecakes your own.
- Skip the swirl and make all pumpkin or all vanilla mini cheesecakes.
- Add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar or crushed pecans on top before baking.
- Use gingersnap crumbs instead of graham crackers for a spicier crust.
- Drizzle with caramel sauce before serving for an extra fall treat.
- Top with whipped cream and a dusting of pumpkin spice, like our pistachio cheesecake.
How to Make Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two muffin tins with 24 liners total.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl until combined.
- Evenly divide the crumb mixture among the 24 liners and pack it down firmly with your fingers.
- Beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, flour, and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Scoop out about half of the batter and set it aside.
- Add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to the remaining batter and mix until combined.
- Fill each liner about halfway with the vanilla batter, saving a little for the swirl.
- Fill the liners almost to the top with the pumpkin batter.
- Add two tiny dollops of vanilla batter on top, then drag a skewer through to create a marbled swirl.
- Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, until the cheesecakes are just a tiny bit jiggly in the center.
- Let cool completely on the counter, then serve with whipped cream if desired.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soften the cream cheese fully. Room temperature cream cheese beats up smooth with no lumps.
- Do not overmix after the eggs. Too much air can cause the cheesecakes to puff and crack.
- Use pure pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling is pre sweetened and spiced and will throw off the recipe.
- Pull them while jiggly. They firm up as they cool, so a slightly jiggly center means creamy cheesecake.
- Chill before serving. A few hours in the fridge sets them up perfectly and deepens the flavor.
- Swirl gently. One or two passes with a skewer makes a prettier marble than overswirling.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes are a Thanksgiving and fall party favorite. Because they are already portioned, they are perfect for a dessert table where guests can just grab one.
Top each with a swirl of whipped cream and a dusting of pumpkin pie spice. Set them out next to our strawberry cheesecake bundt cake and snickerdoodle cheesecake bars for a cheesecake lovers spread.
For more easy cheesecake treats, try our raspberry no bake cheesecake bites or our creamy lemon blueberry cheesecake bars.
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake FAQs
Yes, they are a great make ahead dessert. Bake and cool them, then store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Add the whipped cream right before serving.
Absolutely. Freeze the cooled cheesecakes without whipped cream in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Cracks usually come from overbaking or overmixing the batter. Pull them while the centers are still slightly jiggly and avoid beating too much air in after adding the eggs.
No, use pure pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, which will make the cheesecakes too sweet and throw off the texture.
They are done when the edges are set but the centers still have a slight jiggle. They will continue to set as they cool on the counter.
No water bath needed. The small size and muffin tin make these forgiving, so you get creamy cheesecakes without the extra step.
Looking for more fall desserts? Try our snickerdoodle cheesecake bars next.
For a protein packed sweet, bake this easy cottage cheese cake.
In a pumpkin mood? Our pumpkin bars are the easiest fall dessert for a crowd.
Easy Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Filling
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 11 ounces pure pumpkin puree (3/4 of a can)
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the graham cracker crumbs, butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice in a medium-sized bowl and mix together until combined.1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 1/2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Evenly distribute the mixture amongst 2 lined muffin tins (24 in total). Pack down the crumbs with your fingers and set them aside.
- Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until fluffy in a large bowl.24 ounces cream cheese
- Add the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, flour, and vanilla. Beat this until thoroughly combined and scoop out about 1/2 of the mixture and set aside.1 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice to the bowl. Mix until combined.11 ounces pure pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Fill each liner halfway with the vanilla mixture, saving just a tiny amount for the pretty swirl design on top (optional).
- Fill them almost to the top with the pumpkin mixture.
- Place two tiny dollops of the vanilla mixture on top, and with a skewer, drag the orange through the white to create a swirl effect.
- Bake for 18-23 minutes, until the cheesecakes are a tiny bit jiggly.
- Let sit on the counter until cooled completely. Serve immediately with whipped cream if desired.
Notes
- Make sure your cream cheese is really soft, it helps it blend well and not become lumpy.
- Beat the cream cheese first, to make sure that it is smooth, makes everything come together nicely.
- Make sure that these are completely cooled before topping with optional whipped cream.
- Do not over-bake, you still want a slight jiggle to the cheesecakes themselves as it will still cook internally once it’s removed from the oven.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
Can you freeze these? That’s a lot of cheesecake!
These say mini but they’re full sized cupcakes. Have you actually made them as mini cupcakes? I’m wondering the baking time difference. Thanks
I’m making these this year for Thanksgiving… cannot wait- they look delicious!
Yes, they do sink down a little, any cheesecake I’ve ever made does that. Did they sink a LOT?
Thanks! Mine sunk in the middle after a few minutes out of the oven. Any tips?
They are perfect, these are great to make ahead and last a few days in the fridge.
Have you made these the day before? How are they the next day?
8 ounces 🙂
Hi Dana, the cupcakes look delicious.
What size pkg. of cream cheese do you use? Thanks.
Who can pass up cheesecake, let alone pumpkin?! Love this, thanks for the recipe. Pinned!
Oh, those look scrumptious! I think my favorite part is that big ball of frosting, lol! YUM
Oh, those cupcakes look delicious!
Looks delicious! Thanks for linkin’ up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Oh. Dana. These look delicious!!! You were making me drool just looking at the pictures 😉 I looove pumpkin so will definitely need to give these a whirl. Thank you so much for linking them up at our Inspiration Galore Project party this week. You are one of my Features Sunday over at http://www.recreateddesigns.com. Hugs, Lisa
Hi Dana, These cupcakes look incredible! Lovely to look at and eat, I’m sure! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Blessings, Janet