Keto pumpkin cheesecake in 20 minutes! These easy no-bake pumpkin cheesecake cups are deliciously creamy with a ginger cookie crust.
Confession: I don’t really love pumpkin pie. I don’t dislike it, but it’s definitely not my favorite kind of pie. That honor goes to keto pecan pie, without question.
Pumpkin cheesecake, on the other hand, is a holiday dessert I truly enjoy. I love the creamy texture, the warm spices, and the beautiful light orange color. And I love the way it says “fall is here, time to get cozy!”.
And this No Bake Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe is a super easy way to get those delectable flavors and textures into your life. It comes together in 20 minutes and tastes like pumpkin heaven!
Ginger cookie crust
This recipe has the perfect balance of creamy cheesecake and crunchy crust. I used some crispy keto ginger cookies from HighKey, which complemented the filling delightfully.
And the crust is so easy to make. Simply crush the cookies into crumbs, toss with a little butter, and press into the bottoms of dessert glasses, small jars, or ramekins.
HighKey is offering my readers 10% off with code FOODDREAMER. Trust me, you need to try these limited edition cookies for the holidays. I love a lot of HighKey snacks but the flavor and crunch of these gingersnaps blew me away.
They’re great on their own, of course. But they are fun for other keto desserts. The minute I tried them, my brain went crazy with ideas. And Easy Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake won me over instantly. I know you will love it too!
Ingredients you need
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- Keto cookies: This recipe was inspired by the new Ginger Spice Cookies from HighKey. They are amazingly crispy and delicious, and I knew they would make a fabulous crust for keto pumpkin cheesecake. But knowing that they are limited edition, and that not everyone can get them, I have listed alternative crust options in the Expert Tips section and in the recipe notes.
- Butter: A little melted butter helps the crust hold together a little better.
- Cream cheese: You can’t have cheesecake without cream cheese!
- Powdered sweetener: Using a powdered sweetener eliminates any grittiness in the cheesecakes. I recommend using Swerve Confectioners.
- Pumpkin puree: I used canned pumpkin puree for this recipe. If using homemade, try to make sure it’s on the thick side, so your cheesecake filling isn’t watery.
- Pumpkin pie spice: This spice mix is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Vanilla extract
- Whipping cream: Whipped cream gives the cheesecake added structure, and create a light, airy texture.
Step by step directions
1. Crumble the cookies: Crush the mini cookies in the bag using a kitchen mallet or a rolling pin. You can also do this in a food processor. They should be fine crumbs with a few larger pieces.
2. Prepare the crusts: Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and toss with the melted butter. Divide the mixture between 4 dessert glasses, pressing firmly into the bottom.
3. Beat the cream cheese and pumpkin: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with ¼ cup of the powdered sweetener until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and vanilla extract.
4. Whip the cream: In another bowl, beat the cream with the remaining sweetener until it holds stiff peaks. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the whipped cream for the tops of the cheesecakes. Fold the remaining whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture until no streaks remain.
5. Pipe into the glasses: Spoon or pipe the pumpkin cheesecake into the jars, then refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Top with a little dollop of whipped cream and a mini ginger cookie.
Expert tips
I specify room temperature pumpkin puree so that it doesn’t make the cream cheese clump up. I don’t normally use a whole can of pumpkin for a recipe, so I often store the rest in the fridge. If you do the same, make sure to let it come to room temperature before adding it.
Cookie options for the crust: I know not everyone has access to the HighKey Cookies. Really, you can use any crisp keto cookie here, either store bought, or homemade. You will need about 2 to 3 ounces of cookie for this recipe.
Here are a few homemade options you could try.
- Keto Gingerbread Cookies
- Butter Pecan Cookies (egg-free!)
- Espresso Shortbread (Yum, like a pumpkin spice latte!)
- Keto Graham Crackers
- Speculoos Cookies (Dutch Spice Cookies)
Frequently Asked Questions
The conventional version, which contains sugar and flour, has about 42g of carbs per serving. However, this Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake has only 6.7g of carbs and 3g of fiber. Which means it has 3.7g net carbs per serving.
Pumpkin is an acceptable choice on keto in small quantities. Half a cup of pumpkin puree has 12g of carbs and 4g of fiber. When buying canned pumpkin, make sure you are choosing unsweetened puree, rather than pumpkin pie filling.
These mini Keto Pumpkin Cheesecakes should be stored in the fridge in the jars or dessert cups. They are good for up to 5 days, as long as your ingredients were fresh.
No Bake Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Equipment
- 4 small glass dessert cups (about ½ cup capacity each)
Ingredients
- 1 bag HighKey Ginger Spice Cookies See blog post for alternatives
- 1 ½ tablespoon butter melted
- 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6 tablespoon Swerve Confectioners divided
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 mini cookies for garnish
Instructions
- Crush the mini cookies in the bag using a kitchen mallet or a rolling pin. They should be fine crumbs with a few larger pieces. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the melted butter.
- Divide the mixture between 4 dessert glasses, pressing firmly into the bottom.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with ¼ cup of the powdered sweetener until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and vanilla extract.
- In another bowl, beat the cream with the remaining sweetener until it holds stiff peaks. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the whipped cream for the tops of the cheesecakes. Fold the remaining whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture until no streaks remain.
- Spoon or pipe the pumpkin cheesecake into the jars, then refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Top with a little dollop of whipped cream and a mini ginger cookie.
Kim says
What could you use in place of the whipping cream? I am lactose intolerant.
Lisa says
I love this! So easy- and really tasty!
I skipped the crust and made just the ‘pumpkin fluff’! Delicious.
I prefer things that are not very sweet- so I used just 2.5 tablespoons total of the Swerve (I used the granulated product as it was all I had available). I put 2 tbs. into the pumpkin mixture and just .5 tbs. into the heavy cream.
When finished and ready to eat, I topped each serving with just a bit of fresh lemon zest and a few crushed toasted almonds & pecans.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Anita B. says
So dang good! I used Simple Mills Honey Cinnamon Sweet thins (could not find high ket at my market) and the whole thing was so good! Will be making again very soon!
Diane Simmons says
Could I crush PK cinnamon cereal (and add a bit of ginger) for the crust or is it too dense?
Carolyn says
Absolutely!
Jessica says
Might be a silly question but do you think this recipe would fit into a standard 8 or 9 inch glass pie dish? or would I need to scale it up for that?
Carolyn says
You would need to scale… probably by 3 times!