Mini Pumpkin Spice Cheesecakes
These Halloween Mini Pumpkin Spice Cheesecakes are individual, crustless mini cheesecakes made with pumpkin puree and warm spices.
These are then shaped and decorated to look like tiny pumpkins.
I make these for Halloween parties, potlucks, Thanksgiving dessert tables and autumn celebrations when I want something individually portioned and a little playful.
Kids especially get a kick out of the pumpkin shape, and they’re easy to line up on a tray without slicing anything.
Because they’re individually portioned, these mini cheesecakes are perfect for party platters, dessert buffets, school events, Friendsgiving, and holiday finger food tables.
Guests can grab one without needing plates or slicing, which makes them especially convenient for larger gatherings.
If you’re into fun individual desserts for Halloween and fall parties, these are worth bookmarking too:
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Ingredients You’ll Need
A mini pumpkin-shaped silicone mold gives you that rounded pumpkin look straight out of the oven, no piping or shaping needed.
A small amount of orange food coloring stirred into the batter deepens the pumpkin-orange color, though it’s completely optional if you’d rather skip it.
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Ingredients
16 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Orange food coloring, optional
Mini chocolate chips, for the pumpkin stems
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and lightly grease a mini pumpkin silicone mold.
A light coat of nonstick spray or melted butter in every cavity makes unmolding much easier later. - Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go so there are no lumps left behind. - Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, flour, and salt. Mix just until combined.
Overmixing once the eggs are in is what tends to make mini cheesecakes puff and crack in the oven. - Add a tiny amount of orange food coloring if you want a deeper pumpkin-orange color like the photo.
A little goes a long way, so add it a drop at a time and stir well between additions. - Spoon the cheesecake mixture into the pumpkin molds, filling each almost to the top.
Tap the mold gently on the counter a couple of times to release any air bubbles. - Bake for about 18–22 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers have only a slight jiggle.
- Let the cheesecakes cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 3–4 hours or overnight.
This one takes patience, but a fully chilled cheesecake holds the pumpkin shape much better once you unmold it. - Carefully remove them from the silicone molds.
Gently peel the silicone back and press from underneath rather than pulling from the top, it releases much cleaner that way. - Place a mini chocolate chip in the center of each cheesecake to make a small pumpkin stem.
- Keep chilled until ready to serve.
For the Pumpkin Shape: A mini pumpkin-shaped silicone mold will give you the closest result to the photos. If you don’t have one, you can bake these in a mini muffin pan and gently shape pumpkin grooves around the sides after chilling, though the shape won’t be quite as defined.
Important Recipe Notes
- Use pure pumpkin puree. Not pumpkin pie filling, so you control the sweetness and spice level yourself.
- Soften the cream cheese fully. Cold cream cheese won’t blend smooth, and you’ll end up with lumps in the batter.
- Don’t overbeat once the eggs go in. Overmixing at this stage is what tends to make mini cheesecakes puff and crack in the oven.
- Chill thoroughly before unmolding. Cold cheesecakes hold the pumpkin shape from the mold far better than ones that are still slightly soft.
- Add richness if you want it. A little maple syrup or brown sugar stirred into the batter deepens the flavor.
- Good for a crowd. These work well as bite-size Halloween treats, Thanksgiving finger food, fall party desserts, or mini autumn cheesecakes.
- Storage. Keep covered in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe
Serving:
Serve these chilled, straight from the fridge, arranged on a platter or tiered stand for a Halloween or Thanksgiving dessert table. They’re meant to be picked up and eaten individually, no plates required.
Storing:
Keep covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. They hold up well cold, so these are easy to make a day or two ahead of when you actually need them.
Customization:
Swap the mini chocolate chip stem for a small piece of green fondant rolled into a stem shape if you want a more polished look. A drizzle of caramel sauce over the top before serving adds extra flavor for the holidays.
Halloween Mini Pumpkin Spice Cheesecakes
Course: Recipes4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalIngredients
16 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Orange food coloring, optional
Mini chocolate chips, for the pumpkin stems
Directions
- Grease a mini pumpkin silicone mold and preheat the oven to 325F (165C).
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
- Mix in the pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, flour, and salt just until combined.
- Stir in a little orange food coloring, if using, for a deeper pumpkin color.
- Spoon the batter into the molds, filling almost to the top.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers have a slight jiggle.
- Cool completely, then chill for at least 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
- Carefully unmold the cheesecakes from the silicone mold.
- Press a mini chocolate chip into the center of each for a stem.
- Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Notes
- Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, so you control the sweetness and spice level.
- Don’t overbeat once the eggs go in, overmixing at this stage is what makes mini cheesecakes puff and crack.
- Chill thoroughly before unmolding, at least 3–4 hours or overnight, so the cheesecakes hold the pumpkin shape.
- Storage. Keep covered in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
- Approximate Nutrition (per mini cheesecake, 12 servings):
Calories: 180–220 kcal
Protein: 4–5 g
Carbohydrates: 15–19 g
Fat: 12–15 g
Saturated Fat: 7–9 g
Fiber: 0–1 g
Sugar: 10–13 g
Sodium: 110–160 mg
