Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Sweet potato cheesecake is creamy, lightly spiced, and is perfect for fall and winter. It’s easy to make (no water bath required!) and is a great alternative to pumpkin desserts!

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Is August too early for sweet potato recipes? I hope not because I couldn’t wait one more day to share this sweet potato cheesecake with you.

If you’re in the mood for something totally fall-tastic (I can’t believe I just typed that but I’m gonna leave it in) then get yourself in the kitchen and whip up one of these babies.

This cheesecake is crazy good. It’s super creamy, lightly spiced, and has just the right amount of sweet potato flavor—enough that you know what you’re eating but not so much that you feel like you’re still working on your vegetable course.

Stick a few slices in the freezer to enjoy all season long!

Why you’ll love this sweet potato cheesecake:

• It’s simple to make and doesn’t require a water bath, but still turns out smooth and creamy every time
• The recipe calls for canned sweet potato puree, so you don’t need to worry about baking, peeling, and mashing your own potatoes—it’s a huge time-saver
• Since the cheesecake chills overnight, it’s a great make-ahead option for holidays. All the work is done the day before so your oven is free to cook dinner!

How to make a graham cracker crust

• Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and a few other ingredients
• Stir until the crumbs are evenly saturated
• Press the mixture into the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan

Place in the freezer while you work on the filling.

How to make your cheesecake

The filling is so simple to make and doesn’t require any special tools or anything. Just a bowl and a hand mixer!

• Beat cream cheese and sugar together until very light and creamy
• Beat in the remaining ingredients, mixing until smooth
• Pour into your chilled crust

Then you’ll bake for about an hour. Cool the cheesecake to room temp, chill overnight in the fridge, and you’re ready to make the topping.

• Beat cold heavy cream until it begins to thicken
• Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until it holds stiff peaks

Then just pipe or spread on top of your cheesecake. At this point you can return the cheesecake to the fridge or serve it.

Notes on making your cheesecake:

• Be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature! Leave it on the counter for 30 minutes (or more depending on the temp in your kitchen) and it should be ready to go. If your cream cheese is cold the cheesecake won’t mix properly and your filling could end up lumpy.
• Use full fat cream cheese rather than low- or non-fat. Your cheesecake won’t set up properly without full fat cream cheese.
• I recommend setting your cheesecake on a rimmed baking sheet when you put it in the oven because sometimes butter leaks out of the pan and burns; the baking sheet could save you a lot of cleanup time.
• You can adjust the spices to your own preferences. If you don’t like nutmeg, swap in allspice or just use more cinnamon. Add a little ginger or cardamom—the spices are totally up to you. I just used what I really love in combination with sweet potato.
• I used a large open star tip to pipe the whipped cream onto my cheesecake but you can spread it or dollop it on top. A sprinkle of cinnamon sugar would be really pretty on top of the whipped cream!

How to store your cheesecake

Uneaten sweet potato cheesecake can be stored, covered, in the fridge for 3 or 4 days or in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for about a month.

I like to set slices on a foil-lined baking sheet and freeze them for about 30 minutes to set the whipped cream. That way I can wrap the slices tightly with plastic wrap and foil and still have nice swirls of whipped cream on top when I want to dig in to some dessert.

You can eat the cheesecake frozen, let it defrost in the fridge overnight, or let it defrost on the counter at room temp until it’s soft enough to eat. I just eat it frozen because I love it that way!

I don’t recommend defrosting it in the microwave.

How to tell when cheesecake is done

Most cheesecakes are done when the center jiggles just a little if you tap the side of the pan. The edges should be set—if the edges still jiggle then your cheesecake definitely isn’t done.

But always consult your recipe—if the recipe gives you an indication that the filling shouldn’t jiggle at all, then go by that.

For this cheesecake, you want that slight jiggle in the center.

Helpful tools

• This is the springform pan I used for this recipe (and all my cheesecake recipes)
• This is the baking sheet I set my cheesecakes on to bake
• I used this large open star tip to pipe the whipped cream onto my cheesecake

A few more recipes you might enjoy:
Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
Sweet Potato Cake
Pumpkin Pie Cake
Caramel Apple Dump Cake

Did you make this sweet potato cheesecake? That’s great! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below.  And post a pic on Instagram too; tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your beautiful creations!

5 from 9 votes

Print

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Chilling Time

8 hrs

Total Time

1 hr 40 mins

 

Sweet potato cheesecake is easy to make, creamy, lightly spiced, and a delicious alternative to pumpkin desserts for fall and winter. Everyone who tries it loves it!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10

Author: Kelsie

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs from about 8 to 10 graham cracker sheets
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling

• 3 8-ounce packages full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup canned sweet potato puree
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping

• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl and stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan.
3. Place in the freezer while you work on the filling.

Filling

1. Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy—this will take several minutes; stop several times to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
2. Add the eggs and sweet potato puree and mix well to combine, then beat in the vanilla, spices, and salt. Continue beating until mixture is smooth.
3. Pour into the chilled crust, then set the pan on a large baking sheet.* Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until the center of the cheesecake barely jiggles when you tap the edge of the pan.
4. Cool completely on a wire rack, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Topping

1. Once your cheesecake has chilled overnight, make the whipped cream topping.
2. Place a mixing bowl and the beaters for an electric mixer in the fridge to chill for 20 to 30 minutes (so your whipped cream will be extra stiff for piping).
3. Beat the heavy cream until it thickens, then add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until the cream holds stiff peaks. (It’s at stiff peaks when you can remove the beaters from the whipped cream and the cream holds its shape rather than folding in on itself.)
4. Pipe the whipped cream around the perimeter of the cheesecake. (If you prefer, you can just spread or dollop the whipped cream on top.)
5. Uneaten cheesecake can be stored, covered, in the fridge for 3 or 4 days or in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for about a month.

Recipe Notes

• *The baking sheet is optional but sometimes butter leaks out of the springform pan and a baking sheet will save you from having to clean your oven.
• Be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature or it won’t mix well with the other ingredients and your filling could turn out lumpy.
• Don’t use low-fat or non-fat cream cheese or the filling will not set up properly.
• See the body of this post for step-by-step photos.