Pecan Pie Cheesecake combines a creamy cheesecake layer with a buttery, caramel-pecan topping. It is perfectly indulgent!!
If you love Pecan Pie, you will LOVE Pecan Pie Cheesecake. It takes the best of both Pecan Pie and cheesecake, and marries them into one yummy dessert!
Caramel Pecan Cheesecake
What can I say, I simply LOVE, LOVE cheesecake. I have a Chocolate Cheesecake, which you can eat all year round, as well as Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake, perfect for autumn holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving.
And now, here’s Pecan Pie Cheesecake! It’s like Cheesecake and Pecan Pie in one dessert. How could anything be better?!
Pecan Cheesecake has a vanilla wafers crust, pecan pie filling, creamy cheesecake layer, and buttery, caramel-pecan topping.
It’s not insanely sweet like a regular pie, because the cheesecake layer perfectly cuts down the sweetness of the pecan filling. You’ll thoroughly enjoy this decadent treat!
How to Make Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Yes, cheesecakes can take a little more time, but they are SO worth it!!
PREP. Line the bottom of 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper and set aside.
CRUST. Combine vanilla wafer crumbs and brown sugar. Stir in melted butter. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom, and halfway up the sides, of a 9-inch springform pan. Chill in the fridge to firm the crust while making the filling.
PECAN PIE FILLING. In a medium saucepan combine: sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, eggs, pecans, and vanilla. Bring to a boil, over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly until thickened (about 5-7 minutes). Pour into prepared crust and set aside.
PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
CHEESECAKE FILLING. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add brown sugar and flour, beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Do not overbeat it!!!
Stir in heavy cream and vanilla. Pour cheesecake mixture over pecan filling.
BAKE. Place springform pan on a cookie sheet. Put it in the oven and reduce the heat to 325°F. Bake for 60-70 minutes (until toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean).
Turn off the oven and leave cheesecake in the oven, with oven door closed, for 1 hour.
Tip. Run a knife around edges of cheesecake, but don’t take out of the pan until completely cooled.
PECAN TOPPING. In a small saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar. Cook for 3-5 min, or until very bubbly. Stir in cinnamon, heavy whipping cream, and chopped pecans. Cool to room temperature.
SERVE. Release the sides of springform pan and spoon the topping over cooled cheesecake.
How to toast Pecans
The filling uses regular chopped pecans, but the topping calls for chopped toasted pecans. Toasting your own pecans is very easy. All you need is a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pecans.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spread the chopped nuts on the baking sheet.
- Toast for 6-8 minutes until they turn a deep color and produce a delicious nutty aroma.
Variations
- Vanilla Wafers or Oreos can be replaced with an equal amount of graham cracker crumbs to make a graham cracker crust.
- Drizzle with Caramel Sauce or Chocolate Sauce.
- Sprinkle on sea salt.
Cheesecake tips
Crust. To get the right texture for the crust, make sure it’s not too thick on the bottom, or else it will harden up and be too thick to cut through.
Use a food processor or blender to get fine crumbs.
Use room temperature ingredients to help them incorporate better together.
No cracks. Once you add the eggs DON’T overmix! The eggs will hold too much air, which will then rise up and create cracks on top of the cake.
Opening the oven too frequently can cause cracks due to the changing temperature.
Don’t over bake. There will still be about a 2-3 inch section in the center that will jiggle slightly. The center will continue to cook and firm up as it cools in the oven.
Thin topping. If the pecan pie topping is too thin (or runny), cook it down a bit more to help thicken it up. If that doesn’t seem to be working, try adding a bit of light corn syrup.
When serving, do not leave out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If it is warm outside, I recommend not leaving the cheesecake out for more than 1 hour.
Serving and Storing
To cut even slices: You’ll need a long, thin carving knife, a tall cup of hot water and a dishcloth.
- Dip the blade of the knife into the hot water and wipe dry.
- The first cut I make is right down the center of the cake. Then I cut it into quarters.
- Depending on how large you want each slice to be, cut each quarter in half, thirds or quarters.
- Be sure to dip the blade in hot water to warm it up and wipe it clean after EACH cut.
STORE loosely covered in the fridge for 3-5 days.
FREEZE uncovered, until firm. Then, remove cheesecake and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in freezer bag. Seal and freeze for up to 2 months.
For more pecan desserts:
Pecan Pie Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ¾ cups vanilla wafer crumbs
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
Pecan Filling
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅔ cup dark corn syrup
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 ½ cups pecans chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- ⅔ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 3 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup toasted pecans chopped
Instructions
Crust
- Line the bottom of 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine vanilla wafer crumbs and brown sugar, stir in melted butter, then press the mixture evenly into bottom and halfway up the side of 9-inch springform pan. Set in the fridge to firm the crust while making the filling.
Pecan Filling
- In a medium saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, eggs, pecans, and vanilla and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer stirring constantly until thickened, 5-7 minutes. Pour into prepared crust and set aside.
Cheesecake Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Beat the cream cheese until creamy, then add brown sugar and flour and beat until fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Do not overbeat it!!! Stir in heavy cream and vanilla, then pour cheesecake mixture over pecan filling.
- Place springform pan on a cookie sheet, put it in the oven, and reduce the heat to 325°F Bake the cake for 60-70 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean). Turn off the oven and leave cheesecake in with oven door closed for 1 hour.
- Run a knife around the edges of the cheesecake but don’t take it out of the pan until completely cooled.
Topping
- In a small saucepan combine butter and brown sugar. Cook for 3-5 min or until very bubbly, then stir in cinnamon, heavy whipping cream, and chopped pecans. Cool to room temperature.
- Release the sides of springform pan and spoon the topping over cooled cheesecake.
- Store the cake in the fridge.
For more recipes just as amazing as this one, head over to OMG Chocolate Desserts.
Absolutely delicious! I feel like the instructions for the topping are lacking though – what temperature are you supposed to heat it? When you say bubbly do you want it to just become bubbly or let it bubble for a few minutes to dissolve the sugar? It started to get more solid than liquid-like so I panicked a little and added the rest of the ingredients. I didn’t know if I should take it off the heat before adding in the cream or what. It turned out good, prob not cooked as long as I should since the sugar isn’t completely dissolved, but I was worried about burning it.
Keep putting out great recipes! I always know when it comes from you it’s going to be delicious!
Thanks for the feedback on the instructions. I’d heat it on medium high. You don’t want the butter to burn, but do want it to heat up enough for the sugar and butter to dissolve together and not be grainy. A good constant stir helps avoid burning too! So glad you enjoyed the recipe though. Thanks for your kind words. 🙂
Got so many compliments on this delicious cheesecake!
This is requested to be made every year from my family, but the past year the filling was extremely hard. The pecan layer was so hard you couldnt cut through it. Any tips on that? I might just leave it out this year.
Here are a few tips we suggest with the recipe:
-To get the right texture for the crust you will want to make sure it’s not too thick on the bottom or else it will just harden up and be too thick to cut through.
-If the topping is too thin you will want to cook it down a bit more to help thicken it up. If that doesn’t seem to be working you should try adding a bit of light corn syrup.
-Make sure to use room temperature ingredients for the cheesecake filling to help it mix easier and get a nice smooth texture
Perhaps these will help you get the right texture for the cheesecake this year!! 🙂
The crust is extremely hard. I’m not sure if it’s the filling or the vanilla wafers. Maybe it needs a water bath or graham cracker instead or something. Otherwise, it’s delicious and gets a lot of compliments from guests at my parties.
Thanks so much for the feedback!!
You do not explain how the pecan mixture gets on top of the cheesecake as well as under it. HELP!
You do not explain how the pecan mixture gets on top of the cheesecake as well as under it. HELP!
Hi! All of the instructions for each layer are listed there in the post (as well as the recipe card at the bottom). The pecan mixture on top is poured on after the cheesecake has cooled. Ingredients and direction on how to make the topping are in the post. The pecan filling goes on top of the prepared crust. Again, ingredients and instructions on how to make the crust, pecan filling, cheesecake filling, and pecan topping are all listed in the post. Best of luck!!
Fabulous recipe that my family loves.
I am thinking about making it next in 4 inch springform pans so that I can freeze some. What is your recommendation on how much I should reduce the cooking time?
I’d say maybe start by cutting the time in half and then just keep a close eye on it. You’ll know the cheesecake is ready to come out when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
How can I download the peacan cheesecake
My new favorite cheesecake! I am definitely making this again for Thanksgiving!
This is soooooo delicious! I love the layers and flavor is on point!
I made this the other night for my family and they absolutely loved it! It did not last long in our house haha I’ll have to make it again soon!
This cheesecake is heavenly! It really puts your regular cheesecake over the top with this amazing topping. A favorite in our home!
Can I use a 10 inch springfoam pan? If so how much should I double the recipe by? Wanting to make this for Thanksgiving!
Hi! I want to make this the night before our thanksgiving dinner, the following afternoon. Will that affect the freshness/taste?
I’ve made this three times for Thanksgiving with the family. My most requested dessert above pumpkin and whipped pumpkin pies. Thank you so much for allowing me to share with my family! DELICIOUS!! 🦃
Fantastic!!! I tried it for a work carry-in dinner and had to share the recipe with five people! I will be making two more for our family Thanksgiving.
I’m definitely going to make this! I think I’m going to put a thin layer of dark chocolate on the crust (because it’s good for you)!!
Thanks for including all the extra tips, especially for a cheesecake which is a bit daunting for a new baker. They really help with confidence and in producing the best result.
Hi Kristyn! Looking forward to trying this recipe for the holidays. Is there a substitute for corn syrup that could be used in this? Thank you!
Hi! Hope you enjoy the recipe! I haven’t tried subbing it out before, but you could try maple syrup. You could probably google some good corn syrup substitutes and get some other ideas as well.
The filling and topping were fine but the layer over the crust was so hard I could hardly cut it after all the prep was very dissapointed
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!