Decadent, creamy, and perfectly luscious, this sweet potato cheesecake recipe is the best combination of sweet potato pie and cheesecake with even more rich, delicious flavor! The natural sweetness of sweet potatoes blends seamlessly with cozy cinnamon and nutmeg, all swirled into creamy, tangy cream cheese. It’s a foolproof, crowd-pleasing dessert that even beginner bakers can nail with ease!
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Honey, are you on the hunt for a dessert that’ll have your holiday guests talking? Let me introduce you to this Spiced Sweet Potato Cheesecake – it’s the show-stopper you’ve been dreaming of! Packed with those cozy, fall flavors, it’s perfect for every festive occasion this season, from Thanksgiving to those winter gatherings. Trust me, it’s a slice of holiday magic!
If you are craving more Autumn-flavored desserts, check out these Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Bars, Soul Food Sweet Potato Pie, Sweet Potato Coffee Cake, and this Sweet Potato Chess Pie. If you want a classic cheesecake, try my New York-style cheesecake!
Why I Love This Recipe
If you know anything about Grandbaby Cakes, you definitely know that family traditions are super important to me. They are the main ingredient in all of my recipes. As much as heritage is the backbone of everything I do, I am so excited to adopt new rituals that mean just as much to me.
My friends have always been such an important part of my life. That’s why Friendsgiving is becoming so integral to my holiday celebrations each year.
This year, I’m having a couple of Friendsgiving celebration potlucks that I just can’t wait to attend! With a name like Grandbaby Cakes, it goes without saying that I’m usually in charge of dessert.
I love dessert on holidays because I truly believe it is about saving the best for last. I can’t think of a better way for a holiday to end than with a slice of something decadent and sweet as this sweet potato cheesecake served with a side of laughter and love from family and friends.
Why You’ll Love This Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe
- Best of all things old and new. In my family, sweet potato pie is the magical mainstay for the dessert table. We ain’t having Thanksgiving without it! But in keeping with what I truly excel at, I’m remaking this classic into a flavorful holiday cheesecake with all the flavors of the classic and a little bit more!
- A truly indulgent dessert. This cheesecake combines the vintage elements of sweet potato pie with cheesecake in a fresh and modern way. The end result is smooth, creamy, and luscious. When you taste it, you are reminded of pie but with a much richer and indulgent experience.
- An impressive dessert that’s sure to make everyone’s jaw drop! It looks stunning and tastes so silky and smooth.
Ingredients
A successful cheesecake starts with high-quality ingredients. Here’s a look at the main ingredients you will need to grab to make a homemade cheesecake.
- Gingersnaps: The sweet ginger flavor of these crunchy cookies makes the perfect crust for your sweet potato cheesecake.
- Butter: Melted and mixed with sugar to hold the crust together.
- Dairy: Cream cheese and sour cream give the cheesecake its tangy flavor, while heavy cream is added for the richness and creaminess it provides.
- Sugar: This recipe uses a combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar to sweeten the cheesecake. You will also need a bit of regular sugar to make the gingersnap crust.
- Eggs: Provide the structure that helps the cheesecake set up in the oven.
- Mashed sweet potatoes: I prefer to roast the sweet potatoes for this dessert. If you need to cook sweet potatoes, pierce the skin with a fork in several places. Lightly rub oil over the outside and wrap in foil. Bake the potatoes at high heat (about 400 F) for about an hour or until tender. Once it’s cool you should easily be able to peel it and mash it up.
- All-purpose flour: Just a touch to help thicken the cheesecake filling.
- Flavoring and spices: The warming flavors of pure vanilla extract, not imitation, cinnamon, and nutmeg work perfectly with the sweet potato flavor creating a combination that’s distinctive and delicious.
How to Make A Sweet Potato Cheesecake
If you’re new to making homemade cheesecake, don’t worry, it’s actually much easier than you think. Here’s a brief overview! Don’t forget to check the tips below and make sure you read through the recipe card before getting started.
- Whisk together the gingersnaps, sugar, and butter in a medium bowl.
- Press the gingersnap crust into the bottom of a cheesecake pan. Bake it for ten minutes and then set aside.
- Add the cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to your mixing bowl and mix for about 4-5 minutes on high speed.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated before adding the next. Add the sweet potatoes and blend into the mixture.
- Add the flour, vanilla, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg to the bowl. Mix on low just until combined.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into the springform pan.
- Bake your sweet potato cheesecake for one hour. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside with the door closed for four hours. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and refrigerate overnight.
- Garnish your completely cooled sweet potato cheesecake with caramel sauce, nuts, and whipped cream to take things up a notch!
Tips
- Use room-temperature dairy products. Make sure your sour cream, cream cheese, and heavy cream are all at room temperature before mixing so your cheesecake is perfectly creamy without any lumps.
- Make sure to plan ahead and don’t rush things! Cheesecake is a dessert that is best baked ahead of time. It needs plenty of time to set up in the oven and then chilled overnight.
- Bake your potatoes for a richer, sweeter flavor rather than boiling them to make sweet potato cheesecake.
- Use full-fat dairy to make your cheesecake for the best flavor. This simply isn’t one of those desserts where you want to save a few calories because you will definitely sacrifice the rich, creamy, flavor.
- You will need a springform pan to make cheesecake. This type of pan has sides that are removable after baking while the base stays in place for serving.
- This is not an overly sweet cheesecake since it’s served with whipped cream and caramel sauce. If you plan to serve it plain, I suggest increasing the sugar.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Cinnamon and nutmeg. You can replace it with pumpkin pie spice for a more complex blend of spices.
- Add nuts. If you want more nuts, stir in up to a half cup of pecans to the cheesecake filling before pouring it into the pan.
- Change up the crust. While I think the gingersnap crust really adds something special to this sweet potato cheesecake you can swap it for a graham cracker crust or even chocolate cookie crust instead.
What to Serve with It
- It tastes even better with caramel sauce! You can use a storebought sauce or make a batch of my homemade caramel sauce to drizzle over the top.
- For holiday parties and celebrations, consider serving other holiday desserts such as pumpkin swirl cheesecake bars, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie so your guest have some choices.
- Planning a Southern-style Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner? Serve it up with other favorites such as fried turkey, Southern cornbread stuffing, sweet potato casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, giblet gravy, and mashed potatoes.
How to Store It
This cheesecake needs to be stored in the fridge, preferably in an airtight container that won’t stick to the top. If you must wrap in plastic, you can add a few toothpicks over the top to keep the wrap from sticking to the cheesecake.
I highly recommend waiting until the day you plan to serve it before adding the caramel drizzle and pecans. That way, it will look spectacular.
How long will sweet potato cheesecake last in the fridge?
This cheesecake recipe will last up to one week stored in the fridge as long as it’s wrapped well or stored inside an airtight container.
Can I freeze sweet potato cheesecake pie?
Yes, you can! I suggest freezing it on a parchment-lined baking sheet together or separated into individual slices. Once it’s frozen, transfer the frozen pieces to an airtight container and store it for up to one month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can, but I don’t recommend it! It seems like an easy way to save a bit of time but the fresh baked sweet potatoes have a much better flavor. But if time is a factor, use sweet potato puree which is simply sweet potatoes, rather than canned yams or canned sweet potatoes, which are often in a light or regular syrup.
Most importantly, make sure to cook the time directed in the recipe and that your oven is at a consistent temperature. If so, then cooking as directed should yield a perfectly cooked cheesecake. It may jiggle just ever so slightly in the center, and you may notice the sides pulling away from the pan. It’s going to finish cooking in the oven as it slowly cools down.
After allowing your cheesecake to completely cool, run a knife around the edge between the pan and the cheesecake. Go slowly so you don’t damage the sides of the cheesecake. Then release the pan so the side portion opens up, and you can lift it away from the cheesecake. I generally try to go slow here as well, just in case there’s any sticking. Be sure to leave the bottom of the pan under the cheesecake for support. Now you’re ready to store the cheesecake.
Trust me when I say you need this beautiful sweet potato cheesecake pie on your Friendsgiving or family Thanksgiving dessert table. It’s a dessert that will impress all your guests from first glance to the final bite!
More Cheesecake Recipes
- Peach Cobbler Cheesecake
- Oreo Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cheesecake
- No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
- Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake
Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 ½ cups crushed gingersnaps
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
For the Cheesecake:
- 24 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 3 blocks
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup heavy cream room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
- ⅓-⅔ cup granulated sugar See note below!
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes See note below!
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon McCormick pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon McCormick ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon McCormick ground nutmeg
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch spring form pan with non-stick baking spray. Make sure it is completely secure.
- Whisk together gingersnaps, sugar, and butter.
- Press gingersnap crust into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes then set aside.
For the Cheesecake:
- Add cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, brown sugar and granulated sugar to the mixing bowl and mix for about 4-5 minutes on high speed until well mixed.
- Mix in four eggs in one at a time until well incorporated then add in sweet potatoes and blend well.
- Slow mixer down to medium low and add flour, vanilla, ground cinnamon and nutmeg then add mixture into the springform pan.
- Bake for 1 hour then turn off oven and leave cheesecake in the oven with door closed for 4 hours. Remove cheesecake from oven and refrigerate overnight.
- Serve with caramel sauce, nuts and whipped cream if desired.
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Not bad. Can’t wait to slice.
What’s the oven temp for the cheesecake? Is it still 350 like the crust?
Yes the temperature stays at 350.
MY GOODNESS, THIS WAS DELICIOUS. i’M HONESTLY NOT THE BIGGEST CHEESECAKE FAN BECAUSE IT’S SO RICH. buT i HAD SOME SWEET POTATOES AND HAPPENED UP ON A BUNCH OF CREAMCHEESE SO I FIGURED I WOULD TRY IT. iT’S NOT TOO SWEET AND NOT TOO DENSE. I DIDN’T HAVE ANY GINGERSNAPS BUT I HAD SOME WAFFLE CONE MIX, OF ALL THINGS, THAT I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH I ADDED GINGER TO IT AND USED THAT FOR THE CRUST. I DIDN’T HAVE LIGHT BROWN SUGAR SO USED DARK. BUT OTHER WISE I STUCK WITH THE RECIPE. I DID ADD A LITTLE MORE WHITE SUGAR SINCE I WAS NOT GOING TO ADD THE WHIPPED CREAM OR CARAMEL. I ALSO MADE IT IN INDIVIDUAL CROCKS. I ONLY HAD 6 OF THEM SO I PUT THE REST IN A PIE PAN. I DID NOT ADJUST THE BAKING TIME BUT I DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO LET IT SIT IN THE OVEN THE WHOLE 4 HOURS. I LET IT SIT FOR ABOUT 1.5-2 HOURS BEFORE MOVING TO THE FRIDGE. i ADDED PECANS ON TOP BEFORE BAKING. FOR THE ONE IN THE PIE PAN I MIXED THE PECANS IN SOME INSTEAD OF LETTING THEM SIT ON TOP. EVEN WITH ALL MY HACKING THE BASIC RECIPE WAS GREAT FOR MY FIRST TIME EVER MAKING A CHEESECAKE.
So glad you liked it!!
Cake is so yummy and want to try it for my children. Thank you for the recipe.
Absolutely I hope its free.
This recipe is perfect! I am not a baker and they come out perfect every time! Quick question, I am pressed for time can I let it rest for a shorter time and set it in the freezer? If so, what would you recommend? My 3 year old had me frazzled lol
Just make sure that it is cooled to room temp for at least an hour. Then you can put in the freezer for a short time for about 30-60 minutes.
What size pan?
9 inch springform. Full instructions are in the recipe card.
When do you put the cream cheese topping on? And v what’s the recipe for that?
Hi Jennifer, the cheesecake is topped with whipped cream, caramel sauce and nuts.
Hi Jocelyn, Can I use canned pumpkin for this recipe? My family unfortunately are not great lovers of sweet potatoes. Only me (smile) so this recipe would be my guilty pleasure. Many thanks, Bonita
Yes! Canned pumpkin will work great in this recipe!