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Ok, we need to talk about these pumpkin spice cheesecake bites because they are ridiculously good! With graham cracker crust, pumpkin pie cheesecake filling, and freshly-whipped cream, they’re a cozy and decadent mini dessert for autumn. And they come together in a mini muffin pan so you’ll get 36 bites for a crowd. Seriously, you need to make these for your next party or holiday with friends!

Rows of mini pumpkin spice cheesecake bites with whipped cream on a tan counter next to a brown plate and pumpkins.

Today, I danced around my kitchen in my thickest wool socks because it finally feels like fall! It was chilly. It was raining. I even got to break out my favorite Halloween Snoopy mug. Friends, all is well in the world. And that means it’s time to bake!

In today’s contribution, I bring you literally everything that a good autumn dessert has to offer. Like, imagine if a pumpkin pie and a cheesecake had a baby. They’re based on the pumpkin cheesecake recipe that I used to make when I was in pastry school. But they’re tiny for a better crust-to-filling ratio.

I mean, obviously, I’m not opposed to a whole cheesecake. But the great thing about minis is that they’re honestly so much easier to make and serve to a crowd.

These little bites have the butteriest graham cracker crust, lots of spice, and a dose of whipped cream for good measure. Even better, if you make this recipe, you’ll have just enough leftover canned pumpkin to make pumpkin pie cups or these fluffy mini pumpkin whoopie pies!

Room temperature ingredients

White and brown bowls of graham crackers, brown sugar, sour cream, butter, spices, sugar, cream cheese, pumpkin, and an egg on a white and tan backdrop.

The important thing to know about the ingredients in this recipe is that anything that comes out of the fridge (cream cheese, sour cream, eggs) need to be room temperature. First off, it makes it so much easier to mix everything together. But also, if the ingredients are cold, you’ll end up with a lumpy filling.

Here’s everything you’ll need: graham crackers, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, Morton’s Kosher salt, brown sugar, cream cheese, sour cream, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, eggs, and pumpkin purée. I always recommend Libby’s because it has less water than other brands!

Make sure you are buying canned pumpkin purée. Not pre-made pumpkin pie filling!

Mini muffin pan

For bite-sized cheesecakes, you’ll need a mini muffin pan. You can use one 48-cup pan, two 24-cup pans, or one 24-cup pan but you’ll have to work in batches. I love my tin from William’s Sonoma but any will do! Make sure you also grab a pack of mini muffin liners for easy baking.

You can also make this recipe in a cupcake pan if you want bigger cheesecakes. You will need to bake the cheesecakes for closer to 16-18 minutes. The recipe will make between 16-18 cheesecakes.

Make the graham cracker crust

A food processor with graham crackers on a tan counter.
Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor.
A food processor with graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar on a tan counter.
Pulse the crackers into crumbs. Add the sugar, butter, & salt.
A food processor with graham crust on a tan counter.
Blend the crust until the graham crackers are finely ground.
A hand spooning graham cracker crust into the cups of a gold mini muffin pan.
Divide the crust between 36 mini cupcake liners.
A hand tamping graham cracker crusts in a gold mini muffin pan.
Use a pastry tamper or spoon to press the crusts evenly.
A gold mini muffin pan with baked graham cracker crusts.
Bake the crusts until they’re golden-brown.

Don’t skip baking the crusts before filling them! If the crusts don’t set, the cheesecake filling will seep under them. Once the crusts are cooled, you can go ahead and fill them.

Mix the filling & bake

A silver bowl with brown sugar and butter on a tan counter.
Add the softened butter & brown sugar to a mixing bowl.
Butter and sugar mixed in a silver bowl on a tan counter.
Mix the butter and brown sugar until it’s sandy.
A silver mixing bowl with butter, sugar, and cream cheese on a tan background.
Add the softened cream cheese to the butter-sugar mixture.
A silver bowl with cream cheese mixture on a tan counter.
Mix the cream cheese until it’s very smooth.
A silver bowl with cream cheese filling, sour cream, and pumpkin pie spice.
Add the sour cream, pumpkin pie spice, & vanilla extract.
A silver bowl with pumpkin spice cheesecake bites filling and an egg.
Mix the egg into the cheesecake filling until it’s well-mixed.
A silver bowl with cheesecake filling and pumpkin on a tan backdrop.
Add the pumpkin purée to the cheesecake filling.
A silver mixing bowl with pumpkin spice cheesecake bites filling.
Mix the filling just until it’s smooth and creamy.
A hand using a scoop to divide filling into pumpkin spice cheesecake bites in a gold mini muffin tin.
Divide the filling between the crusts & bake the cheesecakes.

Don’t over-bake the cheesecakes or they will come out dense, grainy, and cracked. You want to bake them just until the tops are set. The filling will puff up a bit but it will deflate back down after the cheesecakes are cooled.

Rows of mini pumpkin spice cheesecake bites next to a brown plate of cheesecakes on a tan marble counter.

Store, freeze, & make-ahead

  • Store – place the cheesecakes in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The graham crust will lose a bit of its crunch over time.
  • Freeze – start by freezing the cheesecakes on a pan until solid, 1-2 hours. Then, layer the cheesecakes in an airtight container and cover with a layer of parchment paper. Freeze for up to 1 month.
  • Defrost – you can defrost the cheesecakes in the fridge overnight or on the counter for about 2 hours.
  • Make-ahead – I like to make this recipe the night before. Since the graham cracker crust loses crunch over time, they’re best when they’re eaten within a day or so!

Servings & doubling the recipe

This recipe will make about 36 mini cheesecakes depending on the sizes of the cups in your mini muffin pan. But you can easily double the recipe if you’re baking for a crowd!

If you only have one mini muffin tin, you will need to work in batches. Let the cheesecakes cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before you transfer them to a sheet pan. Then, let the pan cool completely before you assemble the next batch of cheesecakes.

Rows of mini pumpkin spice cheesecake bites on a beige marble counter next to pumpkins.

I definitely recommend weighing ingredients with a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups. It’s the only way to make sure the recipe comes out amazing every time!

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

5 from 1 vote

Easy Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bites

Yield: 36 cheesecake bites
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Chilling Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 40 minutes
Ok, we need to talk about these pumpkin spice cheesecake bites because they are ridiculously good! With graham cracker crust, pumpkin pie cheesecake filling, and freshly-whipped cream, they're a cozy and decadent mini dessert for autumn. Seriously, make these for your next party or holiday with friends. Everyone will love them!
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Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 5 full graham cracker sheets
  • 25 grams sugar (2 Tablespoons)
  • 42 grams unsalted butter, melted (3 Tablespoons)
  • Pinch of Kosher salt

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

  • 14 grams unsalted butter, softened (1 Tablespoons)
  • 70 grams brown sugar, (1/3 cup, packed)
  • 226 grams full-fat cream cheese, softened (8 ounces)
  • 80 grams full-fat sour cream, room temperature (1/3 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 128 grams canned pumpkin purée not pumpkin pie filling (1/2 cup)
  • Whipped cream, for serving

Equipment

  • 1-2 mini muffin pans (24 or 48-cup)
  • Mini paper cupcake liners

Instructions 

Make the graham cracker crust

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a mini muffin pan with mini paper cupcake liners. Set aside.
  • Break the graham cracker sheets into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the graham crackers a few times until you have semi-fine crumbs. You should end up with about 3/4 cup of crumbs (74 grams). Add the sugar, melted butter, and a pinch of Kosher salt. Pulse the mixture until the graham crackers are finely ground and you have a thick dough.
  • Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the graham cracker mixture into each mini cupcake liner. Use a greased pastry tamper or spoon to press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the cups. Bake for 4-5 minutes, until the crusts are toasty and light golden-brown. Let the crusts cool completely.

Mix the filling

  • Reduce the oven to 325°F (163°C).
  • Pour the butter and brown sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together until the mixture is sandy. Add the cream cheese and beat until the cream cheese is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the sour cream, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract. Then, add the egg and mix well. Pour the pumpkin into the cream cheese mixture and stir just until the filling comes together. Do not over-mix or the filling will come out dense and crumbly.

Assemble & bake

  • Use a #60 cookie scoop (1 Tablespoon) to evenly divide the pumpkin filling between the cooled crusts. Use a small butter knife or spoon to smooth the filling over the crusts.
  • Place the mini cheesecake pan on the middle rack of the oven. Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 12-15, just until the edges of the cheesecakes are set but the centers are still a tad under-done. If the filling is runny, bake the cheesecakes for another 1-2 minutes.
  • Once the cheesecakes are baked, turn off the oven and crack the oven door. Let the mini cheesecakes cool for 20-30 minutes in the oven. (This will keep the tops of the cheesecakes from cracking.) Let the cheesecakes cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Then, carefully transfer the mini cheesecakes to a sheet pan. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, until the filling is completely set.
  • Right before serving, top each cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Notes

I definitely recommend weighing ingredients with a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups. It’s the only way to make sure the recipe comes out amazing every time!
If you only have one 24-cup mini muffin tin, you will need to work in batches. Let the cheesecakes cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before you transfer them to a sheet pan. Then, let the pan cool completely before you assemble the next batch of cheesecakes.
No food processor? You can also place the graham crackers in a zipper bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. Then, mix the crust together by hand.
Don’t skip baking the crusts before filling them! If the crusts don’t set, the cheesecake filling will seep under them. Once the crusts are cooled, you can go ahead and fill them.
It’s important that all of the ingredients are room temperature when you mix the filling together. This will help the filling come out silky and creamy.
Make sure you are buying canned pumpkin purée. Not pre-made pumpkin pie filling! I recommend Libby’s because it has less water than other brands.
Don’t over-bake the cheesecakes or they will come out dense, grainy, and cracked. You want to bake them just until the tops are set. The filling will puff up a bit but it will deflate back down after the cheesecakes are cooled.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1cheesecake bite, Calories: 59kcal, Carbohydrates: 4.6g, Protein: 0.9g, Fat: 4.2g, Saturated Fat: 2.5g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 37mg, Potassium: 25mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 3.4g, Calcium: 12mg
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