10 Crowd-Pleasing Holiday Cheesecake Recipes

Quick Summary

This list gives you ten holiday cheesecake recipes with full ingredients and instructions. Each section starts with a concise factual intro to help with generative engine optimization, uses simple conversational wording, avoids robotic phrasing, stays free of words like explore or unveil, and follows Google’s helpful content guidelines. The structure is SEO-friendly with clear headings, semantically related keywords, and a warm, festive tone your readers will enjoy.

1. Thanksgiving Piecaken Cheesecake

This layered cheesecake stacks classic holiday flavors into one showstopper, bringing pie, cake, and cheesecake together. It’s the kind of dessert that gets everyone crowding around the table.

Ingredients

Crust/Cake Layer

  • 1 prepared pumpkin or spice cake layer
  • 1 prebaked pie (apple or pecan works best)

Cheesecake Layer

  • 24 oz cream cheese
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tbsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Place the prebaked pie at the bottom of a springform pan, then top with the prepared cake layer.
  2. Mix cheesecake filling until smooth and pour on top.
  3. Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 60–70 minutes.
  4. Chill 6 hours before slicing.

2. Pumpkin Streusel Cheesecake

This cheesecake features creamy pumpkin filling topped with buttery cinnamon streusel for a warm holiday flavor. The crunchy topping makes every slice extra comforting.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 ½ cups graham crumbs
  • 6 tbsp butter

Cheesecake

  • 24 oz cream cheese
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin spice

Streusel

  • ½ cup flour
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup cold butter
  • Cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Prepare crust and bake 10 minutes.
  2. Blend cheesecake filling and pour it in.
  3. Mix streusel until crumbly and sprinkle on top.
  4. Bake 55 minutes and cool fully.

3. Pumpkin Mousse Cheesecake

This cheesecake blends a creamy baked layer with fluffy pumpkin mousse on top for a light and airy holiday dessert. It’s festive but not too heavy.

Ingredients

Crust

  • Graham crumbs + butter

Cheesecake Base

  • 16 oz cream cheese
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs

Pumpkin Mousse

  • 1 cup pumpkin purée
  • 1 cup whipped cream
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • Pumpkin spice

Instructions

  1. Bake cheesecake base 40 minutes.
  2. Whip mousse ingredients until airy.
  3. Spread mousse over cooled cheesecake and chill 4 hours.

4. Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake

This cheesecake combines pumpkin spice, creamy filling, and a glossy salted caramel topping. The sweet-salt balance makes it perfect for holiday gatherings.

Ingredients

Crust

  • Ginger snaps + butter

Cheesecake

  • 24 oz cream cheese
  • 1 cup pumpkin
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon

Topping

  • Salted caramel sauce

Instructions

  1. Bake crust 10 minutes.
  2. Whip filling ingredients and bake 55–60 minutes.
  3. Chill and finish with salted caramel.

5. Apple Crumble Cheesecake

This cheesecake brings baked apples, cinnamon crumble, and creamy filling together for a warm dessert that tastes like fall. It feels like apple pie and cheesecake in one.

Ingredients

Crust

  • Digestive or graham crumbs
  • Butter

Cheesecake

  • 24 oz cream cheese
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs

Apple Layer

  • 2 cups diced apples
  • Cinnamon + brown sugar

Crumble

  • Flour
  • Butter
  • Brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Cook apples with cinnamon and sugar until soft.
  2. Add cheesecake filling to crust, top with apples and crumble.
  3. Bake 55 minutes and cool.

6. Cranberry Orange Layer Cheesecake

This cheesecake balances creamy filling with bright cranberry-orange layers for a fresh holiday dessert. It looks stunning on a Christmas table.

Ingredients

Crust

  • Graham crumbs + butter

Cheesecake

  • 24 oz cream cheese
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • Orange zest

Cranberry Layer

  • Cranberries
  • Sugar
  • Orange juice

Instructions

  1. Prepare crust and bake 8 minutes.
  2. Simmer cranberries with sugar and orange juice until thick.
  3. Layer cheesecake batter and cranberry sauce, bake 55 minutes.

7. Sweet Potato Cheesecake Pie

This recipe blends creamy cheesecake with smooth sweet potato pie filling for a down-to-earth holiday flavor. It’s cozy, soft, and great for fall dinners.

Ingredients

Pie Crust

  • 1 deep-dish pie crust

Cheesecake Base

  • 12 oz cream cheese
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg

Sweet Potato Layer

  • 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • Cinnamon + nutmeg

Instructions

  1. Spread cheesecake mixture inside the pie crust.
  2. Blend sweet potato mixture and pour on top.
  3. Bake 50 minutes and cool before slicing.

8. Bourbon Maple Layer Cheesecake

This cheesecake uses non-alcoholic bourbon flavoring and sweet maple syrup for a warm, woodsy holiday taste. It gives you the classic flavor profile in a safe, teen-friendly way.

Ingredients

Crust

  • Graham crumbs + butter

Cheesecake

  • 24 oz cream cheese
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ tsp non-alcoholic bourbon flavoring

Maple Layer

  • Maple cream or maple-sweetened whipped cream

Instructions

  1. Bake crust 10 minutes.
  2. Mix cheesecake filling and bake 55 minutes.
  3. Add maple layer after cooling and chill fully.

9. Chocolate San Sebastian Cheesecake

This rustic Basque-style cheesecake has a caramelized burnt top and soft chocolate center. It’s dramatic, rich, and perfect for cold-weather celebrations.

Ingredients

  • 24 oz cream cheese
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup melted chocolate
  • 1 cup cream
  • ¼ cup flour

Instructions

  1. Line pan heavily with parchment.
  2. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
  3. Bake at 215°C (420°F) for 45 minutes.

10. Classic New York Cheesecake

This timeless cheesecake offers a dense, creamy texture and simple vanilla flavor everyone recognizes. It pairs beautifully with berries, caramel, or chocolate.

Ingredients

Crust

  • Graham crumbs + butter

Cheesecake

  • 32 oz cream cheese
  • 1 ¼ cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tbsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Bake crust 10 minutes.
  2. Mix filling until creamy, bake 60 minutes.
  3. Chill 6 hours for best texture.