These mini pumpkin cheesecakes are made with a lotus biscoff cookie crust, filled with an easy pumpkin cheesecake filling, and topped with whipped cream and cinnamon!
If you like pumpkin desserts, check out our pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting, banana pumpkin muffins, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin snickerdoodles, and pumpkin cheesecake.
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Why this recipe works
- They are made without a water bath.
- These mini cheesecakes are made with pumpkin puree and delicious fall spices!
- This recipe is perfect for the holidays and parties.
- The crust is made with a lotus biscoff cookie which compliments the pumpkin flavor perfectly.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
For the crust
Biscoff cookies- we used biscoff cookies for this because we like the caramelly taste of biscoff cookies, but you can use any kind of cookie batter cookies or ginger cookies.
Melted butter– melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds pulses, to make sure that the butter doesn’t boil up and explode in the microwave (been there done that), or melt it on the stovetop.
For the filling
Cream cheese- use full-fat cream cheese, and make sure that it’s at room temperature.
Pumpkin puree- we like making our own pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkins. You can use either canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree, make sure that you strain the extra liquids from your fresh pumpkins. You will need 1 cup of pumpkin puree.
Brown sugar-Â adds a nice texture and a rich flavor to the cheesecakes.
Sour cream- we suggest using full-fat sour cream for this recipe. The sour cream makes the cheesecake batter creamier and lighter.
Cinnamon- we love adding cinnamon to pumpkin-flavored desserts, it adds so much flavor that compliments the pumpkin flavor.
Ginger- use ground ginger for this recipe. You can add any of your favorite fall spices like cloves, allspice, and pumpkin spice.
Nutmeg- use either ground nutmeg or fresh nutmeg in this recipe.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Salt– We used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give them a salty taste, it helps to enhance the flavor.
Instructions
Prepare a muffin tip with paper liners, and preheat an oven to 180c (350f).
Pulse lotus biscoff cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form. If you don’t have a food processor on hand, place the cookies in a Ziplock bag and smash them with a cup until fine crumbs form.
Into a small to medium mixing bowl, add the crumbs, and melted butter. Mix with a spoon until the crumbs are coated with butter.
Scoop about 1 teaspoon of the crumbs and place it in each muffin tin, pressing evenly and firmly into the pan.
Bake the crust in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 5-8 minutes. Keep an eye on the crust and make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the crust out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Lower the temperature to 140c (280f).
In a big mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese, cinnamon nutmeg, ginger, vanilla extract, kosher salt, and brown sugar, and mix with an electric hand mixer until the cream cheese is creamy.
Add the sour cream and pumpkin puree and mix until well combined.
Add the eggs and mix until just combined.
Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust, filling each mold until it’s almost full, and release air bubbles by tapping the pan onto a flat surface.
Bake the cheesecakes in a preheated 140c (280f) oven for about 15 minutes or until the edges of the cheesecakes are set, but the middle is a bit jiggly. Keep the oven door closed for 5 minutes.
Open the oven door halfway, and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature for 1-2 hours.
After the cheesecake is cooled, wrap the cheesecake with a plastic wrap tightly, and place the cheesecake in the fridge to cool completely for at least 5 hours.
Top the cheesecakes with whipped cream, cinnamon, and chopped pecans.
Expert Tips
- Make sure that you are using room-temperature cream cheese in this recipe, this step makes it easier to mix the cream cheese with no unnecessary lumps, we don’t want that.
- Use a nonstick cupcake or muffin pan. We use nonstick pans for all of our mini cheesecake recipes. This makes sure that your cheesecakes will be easy to release from the pan.
- Use high-fat cream cheese or the well-known Philadelphia cream cheese. Using full-fat cream cheese ensures that your cheesecake will be stable and will not crack.
- Let your cheesecake cool in the fridge for at least 5 hours. We know it’s very hard to resist eating this delicious cheesecake right away, but you have to let the cheesecake cool and set it in the pan. We like to let the cheesecake sit in the fridge overnight.
- For a smooth and creamy cheesecake, make sure that you are using room-temperature ingredients. Before you begin to make this cheesecake, make sure that your cream cheese is completely soft, and that your eggs are at room temperature.
- Don’t overbeat the mixture! It’s really easy to overbeat the mixture, and that is one of the most common mistakes. To avoid overbeating your mixture, make sure that you lower the speed of the hand mixer and add each egg at a time.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that has no cream cheese lumps.
- Don’t open the oven door before the cake is fully baked or about to be baked! Drastic changes in the temperature of the cake while baking can cause the cake to collapse or crack.
Faq's
Overbaking cheesecake is a common mistake that causes the cheesecake to crack or even burn.
These cheesecakes will last up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
We like making our desserts with fresh pumpkin puree, but this is a personal preference. Canned pumpkin puree will give you pretty much the same result.
Storing
Store this dessert in the fridge (because it contains dairy) covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 4 days.
Freezing
To freeze these cheesecakes, bake them according to the instructions, then cool them according to the instructions in the fridge.
When the cheesecakes are completely cooled, you can freeze them covered in a few layers of plastic wrap or foil. These cheesecakes will freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the cheesecakes in the fridge overnight.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the biscoff lotus biscuits with gluten-free graham crackers.
Variations
Spices- you can add your favorite warm fall-themed spices for these like cloves, pumpkin spice, etc.
Gingersnap- use gingersnap cookies for the crust instead of lotus biscoff cookies!
More fall desserts
Cinnamon bundt cake- This cinnamon bundt cake is moist, buttery, and has a tender crumb. It is made with a cinnamon swirl and topped with a velvety cream cheese frosting.
Caramel pecan cheesecake- This caramel pecan cheesecake is made with a cinnamon crust, creamy cinnamon cheesecake filling, and a caramel pecan topping.
Apple crumble cake- This apple crumble cake is made with a buttery cinnamon spiced cake that is filled with fresh chopped apples, and topped with crumble topping!
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📖 Recipe
Easy Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups Biscoff cookies crumbs
- 60 g Butter melted
Filling
- 450 g Cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 1 cup Pumpkin puree unsweetened, not pumpkin pie filling.
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ cup Sour cream
- 2 Eggs
Instructions
- Prepare a muffin tip with paper liners, and preheat an oven to 180c (350f).
- Pulse lotus biscoff cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form. If you don’t have a food processor on hand, place the cookies in a Ziplock bag and smash them with a cup until fine crumbs form.
- Into a small to medium mixing bowl, add the crumbs, and melted butter. Mix with a spoon until the crumbs are coated with butter.
- Scoop about 1 teaspoon of the crumbs and place it in each muffin tin, pressing evenly and firmly into the pan.
- Bake the crust in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 5-8 minutes. Keep an eye on the crust and make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the crust out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Lower the temperature to 140c (280f).
- In a big mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese, cinnamon nutmeg, ginger, vanilla extract, kosher salt, and brown sugar, and mix with an electric hand mixer until the cream cheese is creamy.
- Add the sour cream and pumpkin puree and mix until well combined.
- Add the eggs and mix until just combined.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust, filling each mold until it’s almost full, and release air bubbles by tapping the pan onto a flat surface.
- Bake the cheesecakes in a preheated 140c (280f) oven for about 15 minutes or until the edges of the cheesecakes are set, but the middle is a bit jiggly. Keep the oven door closed for 5 minutes.
- Open the oven door halfway, and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- After the cheesecake is cooled, wrap the cheesecake with a plastic wrap tightly, and place the cheesecake in the fridge to cool completely for at least 5 hours.
- Top the cheesecakes with whipped cream, cinnamon, and chopped pecans.
Notes
- Make sure that you are using room-temperature cream cheese in this recipe, this step makes it easier to mix the cream cheese with no unnecessary lumps, we don’t want that.
- Use a nonstick cupcake or muffin pan. We use nonstick pans for all of our mini cheesecake recipes. This makes sure that your cheesecakes will be easy to release from the pan.
- Use high-fat cream cheese or the well-known Philadelphia cream cheese. Using full-fat cream cheese ensures that your cheesecake will be stable and will not crack.
- Let your cheesecake cool in the fridge for at least 5 hours. We know it’s very hard to resist eating this delicious cheesecake right away, but you have to let the cheesecake cool and set it in the pan. We like to let the cheesecake sit in the fridge overnight.
- For a smooth and creamy cheesecake, make sure that you are using room-temperature ingredients. Before you begin to make this cheesecake, make sure that your cream cheese is completely soft, and that your eggs are at room temperature.
- Don’t overbeat the mixture! It’s really easy to overbeat the mixture, and that is one of the most common mistakes. To avoid overbeating your mixture, make sure that you lower the speed of the hand mixer and add each egg at a time.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that has no cream cheese lumps.
- Don’t open the oven door before the cake is fully baked or about to be baked! Drastic changes in the temperature of the cake while baking can cause the cake to collapse or crack.
Deb
These look so yummy so I tried the recipe. I had so much batter left over after the first 16 mini cupcakes, I had enough for another 20 minis. What did I do wrong??
RichandDelish
Hi! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. That is ood, I had leftovers for another 2 or so, but not for another 20 minis. Maybe you didn't fill them to the top? But you can always make extra crust for more cheesecakes!