Pumpkin Cheese Pie
With the perfect balance of sweet and salty, this pumpkin and pretzel combo takes traditional pumpkin pie to the next level.
This pie is everything I want traditional pumpkin pie to be. Don’t get me wrong, I like the old fashioned dessert, but it often falls short in my opinion. This Pumpkin Cheese Pie boasts a sweet and salty pretzel crust, a pumpkin filling that is creamy and smooth, and is topped with a cinnamon whipped cream. It feels special and familiar at the same tine, and the best part is it’s easy to make
Tips and Tricks for making Cheese Pie
1.) Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature. By letting the cream cheese come fully to room temp, it will make for a perfectly silky and creamy filling. If the cream cheese is still cool, the filling will be lumpy.
2.) Use a food processor for the pretzel sticks. The pie filling can be made by hand, but a food processor should be used to turn the pretzels into fine crumbs. Using a rolling pin to crush the pretzel sticks would prove difficult, and if done by hand the crust will be too coarse.
3.) Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
4.) Allow the cheese pie to fully chill before cutting. Don’t rush this step. I usually say at least 5 hours, but ideally overnight. The whipped cream can be added right before serving or added once the pie is cold to the touch. If adding the whipped cream beforehand, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the pie to keep the cream fresh.
Pie Substitutions
Instead of the pretzel oat crust, a regular graham cracker or pastry crust can be used. Other cheese pie flavors can be found below.
Pumpkin Spice Cheese Pie—this pie uses a pre-made pumpkin spice crust with a traditional cream cheese center, and is topped with a spiced sour cream layer
Lemon Raspberry Cheese Pie—such a delicious pie that boasts lemon curd, raspberry and cheese pie filling.
Candy Cane Cheese Pie—this pie is such a fun treat during the holidays. It boasts an Oreo crust, a creamy cheese filling and is topped with crushed candy cane pieces.
Final Tip
When the pie is properly baked, it will puff up a bit around the edges, and will have slight to no jiggle when gently shaken. Allow the pie to cool on a wire wrack for a few minutes before placing a piece of saran wrap directly on top of the pie and placing into the refrigerator to finish setting.
Pumpkin Cheese Pie
Ingredients
- 5 ounces pretzel sticks
- ¼ cup old fashioned oats
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup salted butter
- 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 cup whipped cream
- Ground cinnamon, to taste
Instructions
- To make the crust, cut butter into chunks and using a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and set aside to cool.
- Using a food processor, pulse the pretzel sticks until they are the texture of fine crumbs, resembling sand.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the pretzel crumbs, granulated sugar, oats and butter until fully incorporated. Press crust mixture into a 9" pie tin, making sure to evenly distribute the crust, bringing it up the sides of the tin. The crust should be firmly pushed into place. Set aside.
- To make the pie filling, preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- In a mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-low speed for about 1 minute, until nice and smooth. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat on medium-low for another 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice until smooth.
- Pour filling into prepared crust and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the center has risen and the cheese pie is firm—little to no jiggle. Take pie out of the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Let cool and then place in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours before adding the cinnamon whipped cream, if desired.
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