This creamy sweet potato cheesecake is packed with warm flavors – a gingersnap crust, decadent cheesecake swirled with spiced sweet potatoes, and a candied praline topping. Need I say more?!
Hey cousins! Today, we’re making a reader-requested recipe. Y’all know I love to hear what my sweeties want to see on my blog. So, when I asked my followers on Facebook what they’d like to see me make around the holidays, I got a very specific request from a reader named Jackie–A sweet potato cheesecake with a gingersnap crust!
While I read her request, my husband was standing behind me, obviously reading as well because he immediately shouted out, “BABY, YOU HAVE TO MAKE THAT!!!! AND TELL WHOEVER REQUESTED IT THAT I APPRECIATE THEM!” LOL! Almost immediately, I wrote Jackie back and told her I would indeed answer that request! I mean, how could I not? It sounded too darn good not to make, and let’s not forget that my hubby was all in my ear about it!
The Perfect Sweet Potato Dessert
Now, y’all know the I Heart Recipes sweet potato pie is somewhat of a legend around these parts. My amazing readers have made it – along with my candied yams – a staple on their holiday table. Well, sweet potato lovers and cheesecake lovers can unite over this recipe!
When it comes to making sweet potato cheesecake, I keep it really simple. I wanted to ensure my readers could make it without a headache, so I used a pie dish instead of a springform pan like most from-scratch cheesecake recipes. It’s much easier to remove the cheesecake slices from a pie pan. Plus, I realize that not a lot of people have springform pans.
The result is a creamy cheesecake with a sweet potato puree swirled in. Seasoned with warm spices, it has the best texture and flavor! Finally, we make a sweet caramel pecan praline topping. When I tell y’all this is the BEST cheesecake for the holidays, I mean it!
So, if you’re sick of me yappin’ about how dang good this sweet potato praline cheesecake is, then the time has come for me to tell y’all how to make it!
Ingredients for Homemade Sweet Potato Cheesecake
You don’t need nearly as many ingredients as you think to make a tasty cheesecake at home. Pop on over to your grocery store and follow the shopping list below to get everything you need! Be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for complete ingredient measurements.
Gingersnap Crust Ingredients:
- Gingersnap Cookies: these sweet and spicy cookies are the perfect swap for a classic graham cracker crust.
- Melted Butter: helps to bring the crust together; we also use butter in the sweet potato mixture and praline topping.
Cheesecake Filling Ingredients:
- Cream Cheese: I use two bricks of cream cheese, and mixing them at room temperature is best (and easiest)!
- White Sugar: to sweeten the cheesecake mixture.
- Vanilla Extract: adds that warm vanilla flavor; we use vanilla in the praline topping, too!
- Eggs: give structure to the cheesecake. You’ll use them in the sweet potato mixture as well.
Sweet Potato Mixture Ingredients:
- Sweet Potatoes: you can use canned sweet potatoes like I did…ain’t no shame in my game, baby! Or you can boil or bake a fresh sweet potato.
- Spices: I use ground cinnamon and nutmeg, which are classic spices for sweet potato recipes!
- Brown Sugar & Vanilla: these warm flavors add depth to the sweet potato mixture, just like in a classic sweet potato pie.
Pecan Praline Topping Ingredients:
- Pecans: toasted and crushed pecans are perfect for a bit of crunch on top of the cheesecake.
- Heavy Cream: thickens the creamy praline mixture.
- Butter, Brown Sugar, & Vanilla: these three ingredients melt together to create a sweet caramel sauce.
- Salt: helps balance the sweetness while adding a hint of salty flavor.
Simple Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions
The great thing about this recipe is that you can swap out a few things if you don’t have the exact ingredients on hand. If you don’t have butter, use margarine. Cinnamon and nutmeg can be swapped out for pumpkin pie spice to add more flavor, or you can use my sugar-free yam seasoning. Canned sweet potatoes work just fine, but you can’t beat the flavor of a roasted sweet potato. Of course, if you’re not a fan of ginger snaps, use graham crackers to make a classic graham cracker crust.
How to Make a Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Praline Topping
Now, making any homemade cheesecake is a bit of a labor of love, but the end result is oh sooo worth it. Your taste buds will thank you, as will anyone you make this tasty sweet potato cheesecake recipe for! Let’s get to it, fam.
Follow along with the written directions in the recipe card below, or watch how I make the cheesecake in this helpful video tutorial!
Making the Gingersnap Crust
The crust is the easiest part. Simply use a food processor or blender to turn the gingersnap cookies into crumbles. Mix them with melted butter and spread them out on the bottom of your pie pan. Bake for 5 minutes, then cool the crust completely.
Making the Sweet Potato Cheesecake Filling
First, make the cheesecake batter. Mix the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. I find using a hand mixer for this step is most useful. You want a creamy cheesecake batter with no lumps!
To make the sweet potato filling, take the canned diced sweet potato and mash them up in a large bowl. Add melted butter, brown sugar, spices, and vanilla. Again, use your hand mixer (or another electric mixer like a stand mixer) to mix the sweet potato filling until smooth.
Once both fillings are done, you can either mix them together for a combined filling or swirl the sweet potato mixture into the cheesecake batter. I like my sweet potato cheesecake to have little pockets of sweet potato swirled in, so I plop scoops into the cheesecake and swirl them together.
How to Make a Pecan Praline Topping
Once the sweet potato cheesecake is in the oven, it’s time to make the sweet caramel pecan praline topping! Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the salt, and then pour in the heavy cream once the mixture begins to bubble. Turn the heat to medium-high and let the caramel boil for about 4 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the crushed pecans, and there you have it – a sweet caramel pecan praline topping! Pour it over the top of the cheesecake and refrigerate your sweet treat for at least 4 hours.
Tips and Tricks for Making a Delicious Sweet Potato Cheesecake
When a recipe is a labor of love, you wanna make it right, so it’s worth all that effort. Now, this is an easy recipe… with a lot of steps, yes! But nothing too complicated. To make it even easier for you, here are some tips.
- Leave plenty of time to make this recipe! Since you need to let it chill in the fridge, making it a day ahead of time is best, but you’ll need at least 6 hours.
- Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. The eggs, cream, butter, and cream cheese will all mix into a smoother batter with no lumps when mixed at room temperature.
- I use an 8-inch pie pan, but a larger 9-inch round pie pan would also work.
- Can’t tell if the cheesecake is done? You’ll know it’s fully baked when the center of the cheesecake doesn’t jiggle and the edges are slightly golden brown.
- Let the cheesecake cool completely before adding the praline topping, and make sure the praline topping is cool before refrigerating (to avoid any moisture on top of the cheesecake).
- Serve the cheesecake with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon for the perfect garnish!
- You don’t need to bake this cheesecake in a water bath. We’re covering the top of the cheesecake with the praline caramel sauce, so you won’t even see any cracks!
- You can store this cheesecake in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month! Freeze individual slices so you can have a sweet treat any time!
More Sweet Desserts from I Heart Recipes
Well, there you have it, cousins! A simple, decadent sweet potato cheesecake with a pecan praline topping! This dessert is perfect for holidays, birthdays, special occasions, you name it! Many thanks to my wonderful readers for always giving me great dessert ideas to share with y’all! Here are some more sweet recipes to try:
- Sweet Potato Pie Fudge
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Pecan Pie Brownies
- Pecan Praline Candy Clusters
- Salted Caramel Buttermilk Pie
Loved this recipe? Don’t forget to save + share on Pinterest! Did you make this sweet potato cheesecake? Be sure to tag and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, subscribe to I Heart Recipes on YouTube, and check out all my cookbooks!
Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 1/2 cups gingersnap cookies crushed
- 3 tbsp melted butter or margarine
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 oz softened cream cheese
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Sweet Potato Mixture
- 1 1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup brown sugar dark or light
Praline Topping
- 1 cup toasted and crushed pecans
- 4 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
How to Make the Gingersnap Crust:
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the gingersnap crumbs and butter. Mix until well combined.2 1/2 cups gingersnap cookies, 3 tbsp melted butter or margarine
- Spray a pie pan with baking spray, then add in the gingersnap crumbs. Press the crumbs into the pie pan to form a crust.
- Bake the crust at 350 F for 5 minutes, then let cool.
How to Make the Sweet Potato Cheesecake Filling:
- Place the softened cream cheese into a large bowl and use a hand mixer to mix until the cream cheese is light and fluffy.16 oz softened cream cheese
- Add the white granulated sugar and mix until well combined.2/3 cup granulated sugar
- Next, add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until everything is well incorporated.3 large eggs, 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, add in the mashed sweet potatoes, 3 tbsp melted butter, 1 egg, and mix.1 1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes, 3 tbsp melted butter, 1 egg
- Next, sprinkle in the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth!1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 cup brown sugar
- Pour the cheesecake filling into the pie pan. Drop spoonfuls of the sweet potato mixture into the cheesecake batter and use a kitchen utensil (butter knife or offset spatula) to swirl the sweet potato into the cheesecake.
- Bake the cheesecake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes. Once the cheesecake is done, set it to the side, and let it cool.
How to Make the Praline Topping:
- In a medium or large saucepan, melt butter with brown sugar, vanilla, and salt.4 tbsp butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- When the mixture starts to bubble, add in the heavy cream and stir continuously until well combined. Let the mixture lightly boil over medium heat for about 4 minutes.1/4 cup heavy cream
- In a small pan, toast the crushed/chopped pecans over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Toss the pecans into the caramel and stir to combine.1 cup toasted and crushed pecans
- Remove the praline sauce from the heat and let it cool slightly before pouring over the cheesecake.
- Once the topping on the cheesecake is cooled to room temperature, refrigerate the cheesecake for a minimum of 4 hours before serving.
- Serve and enjoy!!!
karena says
I need a recipe for cornbread dressing
Rosie says
The recipe for cornbread dressing will be up on Tuesday hunny.
keondra says
Thank looks good. I want to know how to make dressing from scratch. ..
Rosie says
Hi Keondra! I have a homemade cornbread dressing coming on Tuesday hunny ;-D
keondra says
Thanks . I have learned a lot with your cooking recipes
Neeli says
Rosie, this looks insanely delicious. I love your blog and your Youtube channel.
Rosie says
Thank you Neeli! I appreciate you coming by!
Miss Yaya says
I cannot wait to make this! Foodgasm! Girl Thank You for this one!
Rosie says
You are welcome!! Thanks for coming by!
Debbie says
Thank you Rosie for sharing your recipes. I love all of them that I have made.
Rosie says
Thank you for trying the recipes! XOXO
Mary Strawder says
Thx for the sweet potato cheese cake recipe, I am going to try it and let you know how I enjoyed it
Linda says
This recipe looks really good i want to make it i just have a couple of questions can you use graham cracker crumbs if not a fan of ginger snaps and what size pie pan you are using
Rosie says
Sure, you can use graham crackers.
AVIVA says
Ok! You need to stop this! I have a life you know and can’t spend the whole day and night drooling over your recipes!!!!!
Rosie says
LOL!!!!
Tammy says
hi Rosie so you know I’ve been following you for for soon years now i finally baked your pie and entered it in a contest at work and won your winner.
Rosie says
WOOHOO!!!! You go girl!!
Shirley in Alaska says
Definitely trying this one! L❤️VE your easy to follow video/recipe Rosie! You ROCK Girl! Much success to you!
Rosie says
Thank you so much! XOXO