Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake Recipe
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This year, consider skipping the traditional pumpkin pie and wow your guests with this easy and delicious Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake recipe!
Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake
This is a dessert recipe I created for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago. It combines two of my favorite flavor combinations- pumpkin and turtle, into one delicious cheesecake recipe. It’s fancy enough for people to think you spent a lot of time on it, but honestly, it’s pretty easy as far as dessert recipes go!
Ingredients in Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake
- Oreos. You can also use any other chocolate wafer cookie if you don’t want to use Oreos. There is also a gluten-free version out there if you want to make this gluten-free. Use a Butter Pie crust or a homemade graham cracker crust if you don’t want to use Oreos or chocolate cookies at all.
- Butter. This helps to hold the crust together.
- Cream cheese. You can use the full-fat cream cheese or the 1/3; it’s totally up to you and it all all work just fine.
- Sugar. Yes, this is cheesecake, and it uses sugar! I’ve not tried any kind of replacement.
- Vanilla extract. You can use homemade vanilla extract or store-bought.
- Pumpkin Puree. This can be homemade or store-bought, but make sure it’s just pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Eggs. These help give cheesecake its wonderful texture!
- Pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have this, you can add cinnamon and nutmeg instead.
I made this last week as a trial and error type thing for a pot luck this week. We liked it but thought it needed more pumpkin flavor. I think today I’ll use pumpkin pie filling. I normally interchange pumpkin with pumkin pie filling in all my recipes and have no issues. Using gluten free oreo type cookies to make it gluten free for my ‘diet’ Haha this cheesecake being diet friendly.
Colleen, Little House Living reader
Step by Step Instructions for Making Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake
Melt the butter and crush the Oreos. Spread evenly on the bottom of a springform pan. Press down on the bottom and about halfway up the sides.
Tip: If you don’t want to use Oreos you can always make a Butter Crust from scratch instead. (Or you could use chocolate graham crackers if you can find them cheaper!)
Blend the softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. I use a hand mixer so that there aren’t any chunks of cream cheese left.
Pour into the springform pan on top of the crust. Bake at 350F for 55 – 60 minutes.
When it’s done baking, take it out and let it cool for a while. Pop it out of the springform pan.
Melt caramels and chocolate chips and drizzle on top.
Tip: This Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce would also be delicious drizzled over the top too.
You could also add pecans to make it a true turtle cheesecake.
Want to print this recipe for Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake? Grab it Below:
Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake Recipe
How to make an indulgent cheesecake for Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
- 2 cups oreos crushed
- 3 Tablespoons butter melted
- 24 ounces cream cheese 3 packages
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
-
Melt the butter and crush the oreos. Spread them evenly on the bottom of a springform pan. Press them down on the bottom and about halfway up the sides. If you don’t want to use Oreos you can always make a Butter Crust from scratch instead. (Or you could use chocolate graham crackers if you can find them cheaper!)
-
Blend the softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. I use a hand mixer so that there aren’t any chunks of cream cheese left.
-
Pour into the springform pan on top of the crust.
-
Bake at 350F for 55 – 60 minutes.
-
When it’s done baking, take it out and let it cool for a while. Pop it out of the springform pan.
-
Melt caramels (or make caramel sauce) and chocolate chips and drizzle on top. You could also add pecans to make it a true turtle cheesecake.
More Cheesecake Recipes
- Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe
- New York Cheesecake Recipe
- Double Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
- Quick and Simple Cheesecake
- How to Make Cheesecake in a Jar
- Crustless Chocolate Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cheesecake Chocolate Cake
- Peach Cheesecake Cobbler
- Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Dip Recipe
What’s your favorite go-to recipe for holidays? Do you like cheesecake?
Merissa Alink
Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.
This Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake recipe was originally posted on Little House Living in October 2012. It has been updated as of November 2023.
This looks so decadent, thank you for sharing. Ms. L
Yum,yum You are great!
Oh my that looks absolutely scrumptious! Thank you so much for sharing it, and Happy Thanksgiving!
I want to make this Merissa, but is this a 3 oz. pk. of cream cheese or 3 pk.s? Thank you
3 8oz packages of cream cheese for a total of 24 ounces of cream cheese 🙂
I was just wondering what size of can of pumpkin? I preserve my own every fall, so I’m just wondering how many cups to add? Thanks
It’s a 15oz can. I would say about 2 cups of home preserved.
Awesome, Thanks!! 🙂 Can’t wait to make this for my parents & in-laws this Thanksgiving!
I made this last week as a trial and error type thing for a pot luck this week. We liked it but thought it needed more pumpkin flavor. I think today I’ll use pumpkin pie filling. I normally interchange pumpkin with pumkin pie filling in all my recipes and have no issues. Using gluten free oreo type cookies to make it gluten free for my ‘diet’ Haha this cheesecake being diet friendly.
Hi Merissa,
For those of us across the pond what spices make up Pumpkin Pie Spice?
This looks perfect for my Oreo-loving Grandsons.
You can make your own with this recipe:
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice
1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves
Enjoy!
When I use my springform pan to bake a cheesecake, the butter in the crust separates and runs out, leaving a relatively dry crust. (Thankfully I had it on a rimmed baking sheet or my oven would have been a mess!) Does anyone else have this issue? Or is my springform pan in need of replacement? Thanks for any tips; I’d like to make this.
I always use a cookie sheet under my springform pan for similar issues 🙂
Hi Merissa,
Can you please explain the “turtle” part of this recipe? I was slightly horrified by the name but – since there isn’t any actual turtle in the ingredients list – now I’m just mystified.
Pat.
A Turtle is a type of candy typically with pecans, caramel, and chocolate.