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Pecan pie cheesecake combines a creamy cheesecake layer with a buttery, caramel-pecan topping making it a holiday must-have.
a Twist on a Classic
We simply LOVE, LOVE cheesecake and all of its variations!
Today’s dessert is one is a tasty twist on Pecan Pie. That’s right – we’ve combined cheesecake with one of our favorite holiday desserts to make a new holiday fav!
This pecan pie cheesecake is not insanely sweet like a regular pie, because the cheesecake layer perfectly cuts down the sweetness of the pecan filling but still delicious. If you love Pecan Pie and cheesecake, then you’ll want this on your Thanksgiving dessert table.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Best ingredients. It has a vanilla wafers crust, pecan pie filling, creamy cheesecake layer, and buttery, caramel-pecan topping.
- Great for holidays. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and anything in between!
- Make ahead. Make this fall dessert recipe up to 3 days in advance – perfect for busy holiday planning.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
BAKE TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
REST TIME: 1 hour
Crust
- 1¾ cups vanilla wafer crumbs – Use a food processor or blender to get fine crumbs for the perfect crust. Vanilla wafers can be replaced with an equal amount of graham cracker crumbs.
- ¼ cup brown sugar – I use light brown sugar.
Pecan Filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup dark corn syrup – You can use light corn syrup, but the dark syrup has a more robust molasses-like flavor that complements the sweetness of the pecans and cheesecake filling and gives a warm brown visual look.
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten – room temperature eggs will incorporate better than cold ones.
- 1½ cups pecans chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened – use full-fat cream cheese for the creamiest result
- 1¼ cups light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs – room temperature eggs will incorporate the best
- ⅔ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 3 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup toasted pecans chopped – Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until fragrant and golden brown.
- optional toppings – Drizzle with Caramel Sauce, Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe, or sprinkle on sea salt.
How to Make Pecan Pie Cheesecake
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- CRUST. In a small bowl, combine 1 ¾ vanilla wafer crumbs and ¼ cup brown sugar. Stir in ⅓ cup 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: 1 cup sugar, ⅔ cup dark corn syrup, ⅓ cup melted butter, 2 eggs, 1½ cups pecans, and 1 teaspoon 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.
- CHEESECAKE LAYER. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat 24 ounces cream cheese until creamy. Add 1¼ cups brown sugar and 2 tablespoons flour, beat until fluffy. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition.
- Stir in ⅔ cups heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour the cheesecake batter into an even layer over the pecan filling.
- BAKE. Place the springform pan on a cookie sheet. Put it in the oven and reduce the heat to 325°F. Bake for 60-70 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean).
- Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven, with the oven door closed, for 1 hour.
- TOPPING. In a small saucepan, combine 3½ tablespoons butter and ½ cup brown sugar. Cook for 3-5 min, or until very bubbly. Stir in 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, and chopped 1 cup toasted pecans. Cool to room temperature.
- SERVE. Release the sides of the springform pan and spoon the topping over the cooled cheesecake.
Pro Tip
Run a knife around the edges of the cheesecake, but don’t take it out of the pan until completely cooled.
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Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 1¾ 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
- 1½ cups pecans, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling
- 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1¼ cups brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- ⅔ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 3½ 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.½ cup brown sugar
Video
Notes
- 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 smaller quarters.
- Be sure to dip the blade in hot water to warm it up and wipe it clean after EACH cut.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Once you add the eggs DON’T overmix! The eggs will hold too much air, the air bubbles will then rise and create cracks on top. Also, try not to open the oven often, since uneven temperatures can cause cracks. If the cheesecake does crack, don’t worry. It will be covered with the pecan pie topping.
Using one in this recipe is not necessary, but you can if you wish!
Dip the blade of a long thin kitchen knife into a cup of hot water and dry completely before cutting each slice.
Store loosely covered in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Freeze uncovered, until firm. Then, remove the cheesecake and wrap it in plastic wrap and then again with aluminum foil or place it in a freezer bag. Seal and freeze for up to 2 months.
For more recipes just as amazing as this one, head over to OMG Chocolate Desserts.
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 is soooooo delicious! I love the layers and flavor is on point!
My new favorite cheesecake! I am definitely making this again for Thanksgiving!
How can I download the peacan cheesecake
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.
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!!
You do not explain how the pecan mixture gets on top of the cheesecake as well as under it. HELP!
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!!
Got so many compliments on this delicious cheesecake!
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. 🙂