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!

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!

Cream Cheese

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.

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Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake Recipe

How to make an indulgent cheesecake for Thanksgiving.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 8 slices
Calories 453 kcal
Creator Merissa

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

  1. 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!)
  2. 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.
  3. Pour into the springform pan on top of the crust.
  4. Bake at 350F for 55 – 60 minutes.
  5. When it’s done baking, take it out and let it cool for a while. Pop it out of the springform pan.
  6. 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.
Nutrition Facts
Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 453 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Trans Fat 0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 83mg28%
Sodium 813mg35%
Potassium 466mg13%
Carbohydrates 64g21%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 48g53%
Protein 18g36%
Vitamin A 8539IU171%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 333mg33%
Iron 6mg33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Crustless Chocolate Cheesecake

More Cheesecake Recipes

What’s your favorite go-to recipe for holidays? Do you like cheesecake?

Me and Kady

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.

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16 Comments

  1. Oh my that looks absolutely scrumptious! Thank you so much for sharing it, and Happy Thanksgiving!

  2. Pingback: Pumpkin Cake, Bread, or Muffins - Little House on the Prairie Living
  3. 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

  4. 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.

  5. Hi Merissa,
    For those of us across the pond what spices make up Pumpkin Pie Spice?
    This looks perfect for my Oreo-loving Grandsons.

    1. 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!

  6. 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.

  7. 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.