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slice of sweet potato cheesecake on a plate with a fork in front of it and a bite taken out

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

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
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Chilling Time 8 hours
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
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.