This Sweet Potato Cheesecake recipe is a delicious spin on a classic dessert. With a graham cracker crust and rich filling, it is the perfect holiday dish.
Make-ahead
Beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: A no-water-bath method for creamy cheesecake
Worth It: Festive even without pumpkin
Bonus: Great make-ahead dessert to bring down the holiday stress levels
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Twist on holiday classics – Instead of pumpkin pie or apple pie, this year, serve your guests a delicious slice of sweet potato cheesecake. It is so creamy and loaded with flavor and in my opinion, better than a slice of pumpkin pie.
- Easy cheesecake recipe – This sweet potato cheesecake recipe is super easy because you don’t need to cook it in a water bath for it to be nice and fluffy.
- Best creamy texture – It is made with classic cheesecake ingredients plus cooked and cooled sweet potato. The mashed sweet potato gets blended with the other filling ingredients until its extra smooth and creamy.
Serving Suggestions
This cheesecake is the perfect thing to serve in place of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving! I am not a huge fan of pie, but this rich and delicious cheesecake is still very festive. If you would like to add a pumpkin dessert to complement your cheesecake, try this pumpkin banana bread.
Some of my other favorite Thanksgiving side recipe are Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans Almondine, and Crispy Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts. For your turkey, you could do a dry brine turkey or a turkey breast for a smaller group.
Ingredients
- Cinnamon graham crackers – I love using cinnamon graham crackers to keep it easy, but you can also use regular graham crackers with cinnamon added
- Butter – use unsalted butter for your crust
- Granulated sugar – you will use sugar to sweeten both your crust and the cheesecake
- Sweet potatoes – cook the sweet potatoes until the flesh is tender and mash for the perfect texture for your cheesecake
- Cream cheese – cream cheese adds to the creamy texture and adds a bit of tang
- Brown sugar – use light brown sugar to caramelize and sweeten your cheesecake
- Sour cream – the sour cream will keep everything moist in your cheesecake
- Evaporated milk – using evaporated milk keeps the texture light and fluffy
- Large eggs – the eggs bind together the cheesecake batter
- Cornstarch – use the cornstarch to help hold the cheesecake together
- Vanilla extract – vanilla enhances the flavor of your cake
- Ground cinnamon – cinnamon adds that quintessential fall flavor
- Sea salt – I used sea salt in this recipe, but if you use kosher salt, increase the amount slightly
Ingredient substitutions
It is very easy to make this sweet potato cheesecake recipe gluten free. Just use gluten free cinnamon graham crackers in places of standard ones. Because you are using graham crackers, it eliminates the need for flour in your crust for an even easier recipe.
I love the taste of sweet potato in this cheesecake, but you could also use steamed and pureed butternut squash.
If you want to add more fall flavor, add some nutmeg along with the cinnamon.
How to make
Step 1: Prepare graham cracker crust
To begin, preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 inch round springform pan.
Then, place graham cracker sheets in a high speed blender and blend on medium speed until you are left with graham cracker crumbs. Or just measure out 2 cups of pre-blended graham cracker crumbs.
Then, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Press mixture into the greased spring form pan using the bottom of a measuring cup to create an even layer and press some up the sides.
Step 2: Prepare cheesecake filling
Place the spring form pan in the fridge while you prepare the sweet potato pie filling.
Next, place all filling ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth. I prefer to use a blender rather than an electric mixer for the smoothest texture, but you can also mix it in a large bowl. Place spring form pan with crust on a baking sheet. This is helpful because some butter can leak out while baking.
Then, pour sweet potato puree filling inside pan on crust.
Step 3: Bake, Cool and chill in the fridge
Next, bake at 350F for a total time of 40 minutes or until the edges are set and the center is wiggly like jello. You don’t want the center solid, but you also don’t want it to be too wet.
Then, remove from the oven and allow it to cool COMPLETELY at room temperature on a wire rack before transferring to the fridge. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but up to overnight before slicing and serving.
Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce or candied pecans and enjoy!
Storage and Make Ahead
Allow the cheesecake to cool completely and then transfer to a fridge in an airtight container. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
It is important for this sweet potato cheesecake to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before it is sliced so it is great to make this ahead of time.
I like to make it the day before I want to serve it to eliminate all prep time. That way it can chill in the fridge overnight before it is served. To prevent the cheesecake from sweating, make sure it is completely cool before you place it in the fridge.
Check out these other holiday dessert recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients:
- 14 sheets cinnamon graham crackers or 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 stick 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Filling ingredients
- 2 cups mashed cooked and cooled sweet potatoes see note**
- 2 packs 8oz each full fat cream cheese, room temp
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup full fat sour cream
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ** to prepare sweet potatoes either peel cube, steam and mash OR pierce with a fork and microwave whole wrapped in a wet paper towel for 7 minutes or until soft in the middle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9 inch round spring form pan.
- Place graham cracker sheets in a high speed blender and blend on high until you are left with graham cracker crumbs OR measure out 2 cups of pre-blended graham cracker crumbs.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Press mixture into the greased spring form pan using the bottom of a measuring cup to create an even layer and press some up the sides. Place in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- Place all filling ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Place spring form pan with crust on a baking sheet (some butter can leak out while baking) pour filling inside pan on crust.
- Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until the edges are set and the center is wiggly like jello – you don’t want the center solid, but you also don’t want it to be too wet.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool COMPLETELY at room temperature before transferring to the fridge. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but up to overnight before slicing and serving.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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