What to do when you can’t decide between making a traditional NY style cheesecake and a sweet, gooey pecan pie? Combine them into the ultimate dessert! This recipe takes my perfected cheesecake recipe and tops it with a buttery, rich pecan pie topping. Pecan Pie Cheesecake is the best of both recipes and includes a crispy graham cracker crust, silky baked cheesecake, and the most perfect pecan topping. If you’re a cheesecake fan, be sure to check out my Pumpkin Cheesecake. Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake, and Oreo Cheesecake Recipe next! Biscoff Cheesecake bars are also really delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients In Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Here’s what you need to make this exquisite cheesecake dessert: Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Graham Cracker Crust: a simple mixture of crushed graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter makes the most amazing crust for our cheesecake. Cream Cheese and Sour Cream: Softened cream cheese is made perfectly silky with the addition of a bit of sour cream. Eggs: Eggs are a must to hold the cheesecake together. Let them come to room temperature before mixing them in. Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, and Salt: Finish up the cheesecake filling with these flavor enhancers. Pecan Halves: The topping for this pecan pie cheesecake is beautiful with big pieces of pecans, but you can use smaller pieces if you’d like to. To Make Pecan Syrup Topping: We’ll combine light brown sugar, salted butter, corn syrup, cinnamon, and heavy cream to make the most amazing caramel topping for pecan cheesecake.
How To Make Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Recipe Tips
Use Room Temperature Ingredients. For a creamy cheesecake filling, all of the ingredients must be at room temperature before mixing. Cold ingredients will create lumpy cheesecake. Avoid Overmixing. While it’s important that the filling ingredients are well-combined, it’s also important not to overmix them. Overmixed cheesecake will crack as it bakes. Make fresh graham cracker crumbs. I know that they sell graham cracker crumbs at the store, but if you make them yourself the crust will taste so much better! You’ll need about 18 full graham crackers to make the 2 ½ cups of crumbs needed here. The pecan pie topping will be at its best if made just before serving. It will thicken if it’s made too far in advance and won’t be as silky and gooey as you want it to be. The cheesecake, without the topping, can be made up to 5 days in advance. Be sure to keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Storing Tips
You can store leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days. Again, the caramel pecan cheesecake topping is best when fresh. It’s still tasty after being refrigerated, but it will harden a bit. You can freeze this pecan cheesecake without the topping for up to two months. Wrap it well with layers of plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer bag or container. To serve, allow the cheesecake to thaw overnight in the fridge, then cover it with freshly made pecan topping.
Serve Pecan Pie Cheesecake on Thanksgiving
This is the perfect pie for your holiday dinner! Be sure to check out all of my Thanksgiving recipes while you’re planning the big meal. I have tips and tricks for making everything from the perfect roast turkey, classic and unique side dishes, and tons more dessert ideas. Pecan Pie Cheesecake will be a hit at Thanksgiving this year, or any time you serve it. Make sure you Pin the recipe to save it! © Little Sunny Kitchen
