Pecan Pie Cheesecake
You’ll go nuts for a heavenly slice of Pecan Pie Cheesecake with a pecan graham cracker crust that combines two classic desserts into one sinful bite. Serve it as dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
When I think of pie for the holidays, I often think of pecan pie. It’s a Thanksgiving alternative to pumpkin pie and a strong contender for Christmas dessert.
I’ve post variations with German Chocolate Pecan Pie and Small Pecan Pie and thought what else could I make?
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody I came up with Pecan Pie Cheesecake with a pecan graham cracker crust.
As the name states, it’s a cross between pecan pie and cheesecake.
The bottom is a homemade graham cracker crust with ground pecans.
In the middle is a classic cheesecake filling.
The topping is what you’d find in a pecan pie – pecans, corn syrup, and cream.
All together it makes a deliciously decadent Pecan Pie Cheesecake recipe.
And since cheesecake needs to sit overnight, you can bake it the day before Thanksgiving or Christmas then you’ll have one less recipe to make during the actual holiday.
What is pecan pie?
As the name states, pecan pie is pie crust filled with pecan nuts mixed with butter, sugar, and corn syrup.
It’s often a very sweet pie thanks to the sugar and corn syrup, so it’s usually a love it or leave it dessert. I have a big sweet tooth, so of course I’m all in.
Instead of pie crust, I made a cheesecake with pecan crust. Then I poured what is usually the pecan pie filling on top.
Ingredients For Pecan Pie Cheesecake
To make your easy pecan pie cheesecake, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Graham cracker crumbs: The most traditional crust for cheesecake. Use a food processor to finely chop your graham crackers.
- Pecans: You’ll need two types – finely ground for the crust and chopped for the topping. Use the food processor to finely grind the pecans then use a knife to chop the rest.
- Butter: Melted butter is used to bind the crust while tablespoons are used in the topping.
- Cream cheese: Use full-fat blocks of cream. Using whipped or low/no fat may result in a watery filling.
- Sugar: Balances tanginess of cream cheese
- Eggs: Gives the filling its custard-like texture as well as helps the batter to rise
- Vanilla: Enhances all of the other flavors
- Brown sugar: Helps sweeten the filling as well as adds caramelization
- Corn syrup: In addition to sweetening, corn syrup prevents sugar crystallization which means your topping won’t be grainy.
- Heavy cream: Helps loosen the topping you can pour it over the cheesecake
- Salt: Although pecans are salty, you’ll still want a little more salt to balance the flavors.
Can you substitute the corn syrup?
I get it. We’re raised to believe corn syrup is bad for you but the kind you buy at the store is not high fructose corn syrup. Really it’s just liquid sugar that helps prevent crystallization when baking.
Pecan pie is synonymous with corn syrup, so I highly recommend buying it and using it for best results. Please don’t leave it out.
If you can’t find it at the store, check next to the maple syrup. I often find it there and not in the baking aisle.
Which pan should I use to bake pecan pie cheesecake?
You always want to use a springform pan for cheesecake because it’s too fragile to flip out of a cake pan.
The springform pan allows you to remove the pan without damaging your dessert.
For this particular pecan pie cheesecake recipe, I recommend covering the outside of your pan with foil then placing it on a baking sheet. Because the pecan pie topping is liquidy, the pan may leak a bit.
How To Make Pecan Graham Cracker Crust
Typically cheesecakes are made with a graham cracker crust. Because we’re talking pecan pie cheesecake, I added ground pecans for some extra nuttiness. It’s subtle but it’s a nice touch.
The easiest way to make your pecan graham cracker crust is to use a food processor. This makes really fine crumbs that can easily bind together.
Don’t have a food processor? You can also crush them inside a freezer bag with a rolling pin.
Once your crumbs are ready, mix them with melted butter then pat into the bottom and roughly 2 inches up the side of a springform pan.
How To Make Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Before you get started, make sure your cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature. If they’re too cold, they’re more likely to seize up while mixing, creating a lumpy cheesecake batter.
Sometimes I’ll even microwave the cream cheese (without the aluminum wrapper!) for 5-10 seconds to ensure it’s not cold.
Here’s how to make your pecan cheesecake:
- Mix graham cracker crumbs, ground pecans, and melted butter to make a crust then press into your springform pan.
- Beat cream cheese and sugar until super smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Beat in eggs one a time, being careful not to overbeat then add the vanilla. Transfer the batter to your crust then place a baking sheet.
- Whisk brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, butter, and salt in a large saucepan then bring to a rolling boil.
- Cook for 3 minutes, whisking often to prevent bubbling over. Remove from the heat then stir in the vanilla and pecans. Pour over cheesecake.
- Bake at 350F for 45 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 150F. The center will still jiggle slightly but will firm as it cools. It’s important you don’t overbake it as it’ll crack if baked too long.
- Cool completely then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 1 week.
Tips For A Lump Free Cheesecake
- Use room temperature cream cheese. It should not be cold to the touch. If it’s been sitting at room temperature and still a touch cold, you can carefully microwave it in 5-10 second increments (without the foil wrapper! Do not microwave the foil wrapper).
- Use a cream cheese brand you trust. I’m not endorsing any brands here, but I usually have better luck with Philadelphia cream cheese than store brand cream cheese. Feel free to try out different brands until you find one you like.
- Use room temperature eggs. Nothing will ruin your batter more than cold eggs. If needed, warm them up in some water while they sit on the counter.
Pecan Pie Cheesecake FAQ
Yes! This recipe would work well with walnuts, almonds, or even pistachios.
Don’t overbake your cheesecake. Use a digital thermometer to ensure it bakes to 150F.
Yes, you can make your cheesecake up to 2 days ahead of time.
No, you don’t need a water bath for this particular recipe!
More Cheesecake Recipes
Enjoyed this recipe for pecan pie cheesecake? Here are more flavors to make:
- German Chocolate Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Carrot Cake Cheesecake
- Gingerbread Cheesecake
- Peppermint Cheesecake
- Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
You’ll go nuts for a heavenly slice of Pecan Pie Cheesecake with a pecan graham cracker crust that combines two classic desserts into one sinful bite. Serve it as dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup finely ground pecans
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 24 ounces (3 blocks or 24 tablespoons) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature and not cold to the touch (do not sub fat free)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pecan Pie Topping
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Cover the outside bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with foil then place on a baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, ground pecans, and melted butter. Pat into the bottom and roughly 2 inches up the side of the pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, for 1 minute each.
- Add the vanilla then beat for an additional 1-2 minutes. Spread the batter into the crust.
- Next, make the topping: In a large saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, butter, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil.
- Once boiling, cook about 3 minutes, whisking often to prevent bubbling over. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and pecans.
- Pour the topping over the cheesecake then bake 45 minutes. or until the internal temperature reaches 150F. The center will still jiggle but will firm as it cools.
- Cool 1 hour in the pan then carefully run a knife along the edge to loosen the cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the pan side before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Enjoyed this recipe? Check out my Small Pecan Pie and German Chocolate Pecan Pie.
- Want more cheesecake? Check out my recipes for Classic Cheesecake, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Gingerbread Cheesecake.
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First published on November 14, 2016
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I have a wonderful maple pumpkin cheesecake I make for the holidays, but, this looks SO Good! I will have to try it this year. Do you think that it would be okay to freeze? I usually cut my cheesecakes in half or quarters and freeze some for later. Any thoughts on how the pecan pie topping would freeze? Thanks.
I haven’t personally frozen it, but I do know you can freeze pecan pies in general, so I’m guessing yes it’ll be fine. Make sure it thaws enough so it isn’t rock hard when serving.
I would really love to try out your recipe! I’m sure it’s delicious .
Just one question… the pecan top can I pour it after the cheesecake has cool down and is ready to serve? Or do I have to necessarily put it in the oven while the cheesecake is cooking??
Idk if it can get rock hard since it’s sugar
The topping is very liquidy and not meant to be served as a sauce. It’ll harden as it bakes but won’t be rock hard (unless you overboil it).
Wow! Sounds and looks incredibly decadent and delicious guys
This might be a silly question… but, do you think it would be possible to use (at least) two 4″ spring-form pans for this recipe? Or would it have a negative outcome on texture, etc. Thanks!
I don’t think it’ll affect texture if you divide the batter evenly. You may also need to reduce the baking time, probably bake 25-30 minutes. A 9-inch springform pan is roughly 10 cups in volume. One 4-inch springform pan holds 1 1/2 cups in volume. If I had to guess, I’d cut my recipe in half then divide among three 4-inch pans.
Do you have to worry about the topping getting overcooked before the cheesecake itself is done? I have read a few other recipes for a pecan pie cheesecake and they place the topping over the cheesecake once it is cooked and cooled.
Nope! It works fine the way it is written (I promise I would have published it differently if it did get overcooked). It may look underdone after baking, but it’ll firm up once it cools. Make sure you use full-fat cream cheese as sometimes low fat and fat free are too watery for the cheesecake batter.
I made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving dinner and it was absolutely amazing!!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
Oh wonderful! Glad you enjoyed dessert and hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I make a pecan pie every year for a friend of mine this year I am making this one. thank you.
Oh awesome! Let me know how it turns out. Share a photo on social media if you’re on there.
I am the cheesecake baker in my family, and my sister-in-law saw this recipe and wanted me to make it. I made this last night, it was super easy But the topping on mine came out like peanut brittle, it’s not gooey at all. It has a very good taste to it but I’m afraid that the topping is going to be too hard for my older family members to eat. I followed it to the letter and it was nice and soft and gooey when I poured it on to the cheesecake mixture but after baking and pulling the cake out of the oven, I noticed that it was going to set up differently than what I expected. I have not cut into it yet and I’m sure the crust in the inside are going to be very good but topping did not turn out. I was very careful to not let the topping mixture go very long before I took it off the heat and added the remaining ingredients. I won’t say that I’m disappointed in the recipe but something didn’t go right and I’m going to make it again at another time to see if I can figure out exactly what happened. Thanks for the recipe and Happy Thanksgiving.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that happened. It sounds like maybe you overcooked it? That would cause it to harden like brittle.
UPDATE: Normally, I would say that you were correct because that has happened, but I made sure that my oven temperature was spot on and timers were set to the second. When we made it to our destination, I did not put the cheesecake back in the refrigerator but left it out so it would come to room temperature. The topping softened some and was very easy to cut, and as I thought that it would, it had a very good flavor. After all was said and done the family was in agreement that they preferred the crunchy topping to a softer/gooey topping, that it was a good contrast to the soft cream cheese, and graham cracker/pecan crust. My mother-in-law also commented that she felt that the pecans had a more toasted taste to them which would be attributed to the peanut brittle-like texture. It was decided that this will be one of our yearly Thanksgiving desserts and will be one of my go-to recipes. For the family’s sake, I only hope that the topping turns out this way every time. I apologize if it was made to seem like the recipe was off, because I knew the recipe was going to work out it was just the topping did not come out the way I expected, but in the end it turned out for the best. For anyone wanting to try it, it is a very good cheesecake and the topping, whether gooey or crunchy, works out well. Thanks again for the recipe and I hope you had a great holiday.
Thank you for clarifying! Happy to hear the cheesecake worked out after all.
Made it for last night to take to my mothers for Thanksgiving. It was “destroyed”,not able left. Everyone loved it! I will make this again and again.
Oops⬆️ “not a bite left”⬆️
Glad it was a huge hit!
I’ve been making this for a couple seasons now. The last couple I have made the topping just sinks down when I pour on top. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks!
Hi Saxon – I don’t have enough information to help you troubleshoot. Are you saying the recipe worked the first few times but now it’s not? What exactly are you using for ingredients? Did you make ANY substitutes, including the cream cheese? Did you use full fat or did you low or no fat? What size pan did you use? Did the topping IMMEDIATELY sink when you added it to the top or did the unbaked cheesecake sit there while the oven was preheating and the topping sunk before you could bake it?
Hi! This cheesecake looks great! I just have a concern, since the cheesecake is liquidy, I would think the topping would tend to sink into the batter. Could that happen?
The filling is thick enough so it’ll sit on top. It may sink slightly on the top, but it won’t sink to the bottom.
Hi! This looks amazing! I am planning to make this cheesecake for family dinner today, but where I live, it is very hard to find corn syrup :((( Is there anything else I can use as a substitute? Thanks a lot!
I haven’t worked with substitutes, but try this: https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/cooking-questions/substitute-for-corn-syrup
I haven’t made cheesecake before and want to try this one. I thought cheesecakes required cooking with water in the oven. Is this not needed for this recipe because of the topping?
Not all cheesecakes do! The recipe I adapted this from did not require a water bath and have made variations of that base recipe at least 25 times if not more (all of my cheesecakes are based off of it). None of them crack unless you overbake it or use too small of a pan. I can’t speak for other cheesecake recipes as to why they need a waterbath. I know it’s related to the cheesecake batter rising too high then sinking back down, causing a crack as it does (my guess all of the air beaten in and/or amount of eggs which causes the batter to rise). And in this particular case, the topping does help weigh down the batter. All of that to say – you’ll be fine following the recipe!
The recipe was so simple and easy to follow that this will definitely be added to our Thanksgiving dinner every year! I’ve got it in the oven baking now and it smells heavenly!!! The hardest part is waiting! Ahhhh! Lol. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Happy Thanksgiving! Let me know how it turns out after serving :)
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit! It turned out perfectly despite me accidently leaving out 1 of the blocks of cream cheese! I also made a 2nd batch of the topping because 1 didn’t cover the entire thing and we saved the little bit leftover as a dip for apples. I will definitely be serving this every Thanksgiving from now on and will make it whenever I need a dessert to impress. Thank you!!!
Glad it still worked out for you! I’m not sure why you had to make a double batch of topping because it should’ve been enough. What size springform pan did you use? If it was larger than 9 inches, it may have been too wide for the topping. Or perhaps you made a really thick layer of topping instead of spreading it out? Also I’m sorry you felt this recipe only deserved 1 star. It sounded like you enjoyed it!
OMG two favourites in one! Do you know if it works with light cream cheese? thanks for this recipe and love your blog!
I haven’t tested it with light cream cheese, but I do know light and fat free cream cheeses have a higher water content. Fat free cream cheese usually doesn’t work well in cheesecakes. I’ve heard success with using neufchatel, but I don’t have any personal experience with it.
Based on all the positive comments and reviews on this recipe, I know i want to make this cheesecake. We have an event coming up where it would be better to serve dessert in individual servings. I have 50 small 7cm by 2cm aluminum pie molds that i want to use. Would this recipe be enough for that amount? Also, would the cooking time change?
To be honest, I have no idea. I’ve only made this recipe in a 9 inch springform pan, which has a volume of 10 cups. You’ll have to figure out the volume of your pie molds then decide if 10 cups is enough. I’m also not sure about pie molds because cheesecake is fragile, but I guess if you’re serving them individually, you don’t have to worry about unmolding. My guess is cooking time would be less because individual servings are much smaller. I highly recommend doing a test batch before your event. Let me know what you end up doing! I’m curious how this will work out for you.
Has anyone tried this with a regular pie crust instead of the graham? Any idea on how to change the bake time/method if I do?.
I haven’t, but if I had to guess I would do a blind bake first before adding the cheesecake batter. That way the crust is baked and hopefully not soggy. Again, this hasn’t been tested but: Add the pie crust to your springform pan. Line the pie crust with foil (lightly grease the side that goes down) on top then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and weights then bake another 5 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown and no longer looks uncooked. Time may vary because I haven’t done it with a springform pan, but the key is it no longer looks wet. Then continue with the recipe as directed for the batter and topping. Please let me know if you try it and whether it works or if you adjusted it.
I made this cheesecake last night – it came out exactly as it said it would – except it wasn’t very sweet? I know cheesecake isn’t supposed to be overtly sweet – but the topping offsets the savory if the cheesecake – what can I do to up the sweetness?
I’m a little surprised simply because I’m always hearing the opposite for this LOL You can bump up the sugar in the batter to 1 cup instead of 3/4 cup.
Hello! I have made this cheesecake about 6 times now, and it is amazing! However, the past two times that I have made it, it has overflowed the pan while baking and have left hardly any pecans on top. I haven’t done anything different any time that I have made it. Could you possibly help me with this? I am wanting to make it for Thanksgiving this year.
Hmm that’s strange! Did you change any ingredient brands or use a different pan? Maybe a new mixer or changed something in technique? The only other thing I can think of is you may have overbeaten the batter (esp after adding the eggs), which adds extra air to your batter. Extra air means it’ll rise more which means it’ll overflow.
Very delicious. We love pecan pie & cheesecake & this was perfect (I have 2 photos to post but won’t let me post here)
Glad you loved the cheesecake! Unfortunately you can’t upload photos to the comments here, but you can either post on Instagram and tag me @homemadeinthekitchen and #HITKrecipes and/or share in my Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/homemadeinthekitchen
I just made this recipe, and when I poured the hot pecan pie topping, it just totally sunk into the cheesecake layer. It is not sitting on top at all like the picture. Should the recipe say to cook the cheesecake part first before adding the topping?
How did it turn out after baking? You do not need to bake the cheesecake first. The syrup will spread and maybe seep down just a little but it shouldn’t sink into the middle or anything.
I’ve made this recipe the last few years, and after reading the comments, I do think I may be over beating the cheesecake filling which is causing the pecan topping to sink. In the directions, can you specify if it should be beat on low, medium, or high? I’m guessing it’s medium but this is the only time I ever make cheesecake! I really want to attempt this again but afraid it may still sink to the bottom.
If you have a stand mixer, I do level 4 which is a medium. If you’re using a hand mixer, then you’d likely want a higher speed as stand mixers typically beat faster than hand mixers.
The topping on mine is a little burned. Is there any way to salvage it?
Unfortunately no. If it’s inedible, you can try scraping it off or cutting it off the cheesecake completely.
This recipe was sooooooo good!!! The pecan pie topping was so buttery tasting and the cheesecake was the perfect texture!! Not too dense and not too fluffy!! Knowing the internal temperature was a game changer!!! I hope that is true with all cheesecakes!? No water bath too is a game changer for me! I hate them!! Thank you so much for a wonderful Thanksgiving dessert!! ❤️
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Yes, the internal temperature is the same for all cheesecakes. The water bath is not as universal. All of my 9 inch cheesecakes don’t use a water bath, but other recipes may call for it.
We’ll be traveling about 1 hr. and 45min. out of town to a family Christmas gathering. I would love to take this for our dessert. Would you suggest leaving this in the pan and freezing beforehand or do you think the refrigerated cake would survive the drive okay?
I haven’t personally tried it, but I think freezing it then surrounding it with ice packs in a cooler bag (grocery stores sometimes sell insulated reusable bags that would fit it) will likely get it there safely.
Made this for my husband after he had a similar one in the south. He confirms this one was way better! Other than removing it from refrigerator for at least a 30 min before enjoying, PERFECTION!!! Thank you for sharing with us
Happy to hear the cheesecake was a success!
Hi, can I know the measurements for cream cheese in grams?
678 grams
Thank you for this recipe! I made it for a Christmas dinner party and it was a big hit. I worried that the pecan topping would sink or be too hard….trust the recipe, it turned out perfect. I will be writing this one on a card for my recipe box for use in the future!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hello!! This looks so delicious!
Do you know if you can make this into mini-cheesecakes? I moved to a country that doesn’t have ovens widely available but I bought a very large toaster oven that perfectly holds my mini-cheesecake molds. I would LOVE to make this tonight and ready for New Years Eve!
I haven’t tried it with this recipe. However, I do have a separate mini cheesecake recipe you can compare. I’m thinking if you divide this recipe by 3, you can make 5-6 mini cheesecakes (or keep it as is and make 18 minis). https://www.chocolatemoosey.com/mini-cheesecakes-small-batch/
Oh soooooo delicious! The salty from the nuts, the sweet, the decadent! I tried this as mini-cheesecakes and it was absolutely perfect! I usually make a spiced pumpkin cheesecake this time of year but my husband wanted a New Years Eve cheesecake and I chose this recipe!
I followed everything exactly, with the exception of cook time (because of the mini-cheesecakes) and I used maple syrup instead of corn syrup. I used two of the 6 large silicone muffin trays and had just a bit left over to make my husband a pre-don’t-you-dare-touch-this-before-it’s-New-Years-Eve-celebration bites. Hehe. He gobbled up the pre-cheesecake before I even had time to let it cool in the fridge. This morning we woke up and “sampled” one and OH MY WORD….. I think this was the best thing I have ever eaten! I had to sneak another one and rearrange them to make it look like none were missing! You nailed this recipe. It is perfection! Help me not eat them all before tonight! My 18 month old baby actually hit me when I finished it and didn’t have another small bite for him haha.
Uh-Maze-Ing! I might have to make more tomorrow!
Glad this recipe worked out as mini cheesecakes! Hope you had a wonderful NYE.