This gluten free pumpkin cheesecake is divine with a toasted sunflower seed and oat crust, a silky pumpkin filling, and a whipped cream topping. A nut free treat that's perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert.
Gluten Free Cheesecake Crust
Are you guys anything like my family where you have a master file of Thanksgiving recipes with links and question marks that you send out to your family ahead of the big day? No? We're just the weird ones? Ok. Well, it never fails that someone can't agree on what the desserts should be. Pumpkin pie is for the ultimate traditionalists, and cheesecake is for the kind of people who like to live a little dangerously. Mash them together for this gluten free Pumpkin Cheesecake and you have the perfect dessert for your Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner.
No Water Bath Needed
One thing I love about this cheesecake - it's not too fiddly. You know how some recipes make you do the water bath with the tin foil wrapped around your pan? Not this one! The advantage to the water bath technique is you can avoid cracking on the top of your cheesecake. However, when you add fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, it's not really necessary. You can just hide the cracks with the amazing homemade whipped cream. Win!!
If you're a fan of toasted sunflower seeds, you'll love the savory factor this adds to the sweetness of the pumpkin cheese filling. The thin layer of whipped cream isn't sweetened so it adds just another layer of decadence without causing your cheesecake to be too sweet. I used to be one of those people who was like "who on earth would put whipped cream on a cheesecake?!" until I tried it...and it's truly life-changing. I encourage you all to live on the edge this holiday season.
Ingredients
- I used Whole Foods Organic Cream Cheese, but Organic Valley and Philadelphia (in block form) makes good ones too that are free from carrageenan.
- As for seeds, I like to buy the big packages of unsalted sunflower seeds from Trader Joe's. You can toast them pretty easily in the oven or in a large skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
- When you buy the canned pumpkin, make sure you're just buying 100% pure pumpkin. Some brands sell pie mix or have it already flavored. The ingredients should just read 100% pumpkin.
Other Thanksgiving Recipes:
If you need some other recipes to pair with your gluten free pumpkin cheesecake, check out these migraine-friendly ones below!
Homemade Green Bean Casserole
Allergy Friendly Pumpkin Pie Bites
Ricotta & Butternut Squash Toasts
Easy Pumpkin Sage Pasta
Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cranberry Pomegranate Muffins
Stuffing Balls
I hope you enjoy this gluten free pumpkin cheesecake! If you make it, please leave me a comment or tag me @thedizzycook on social media so I can see your creations.
Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten Free/Nut Free)
Equipment
- 9 inch springform pan
Ingredients
Crust
- 1.5 cups oat flour * I used Bob's Red Mill, but you can easily grind up quick cooking oats in a food processor
- 1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ stick (4tbsp) unsalted, good butter like Kerrygold, melted
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pumpkin Cheesecake filling
- 3 8oz packages organic cream cheese blocks at room temperature * I used Whole Foods Organic
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¼ cup all purpose flour * Can use oat flour for gluten free
- 15 oz can canned pumpkin (the unflavored puree)
- 5 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp salt
Whipped cream
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice blend
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9 inch springform pan, cut out a piece of parchment paper the size of the bottom (they also have these pre-cut if you're lazy like me!). Place it in the pan and butter the sides of the pan.
- In a food processor, grind your sunflower seeds until they're crumbly, but not quite fine. Add spices, brown sugar, and oat flour and pulse to combine. Stir in butter until well combined. Take the seed/oat mixture and press it into the bottom of your pan until it's packed. Place in the oven at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile in a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Add spice mixture and vanilla and mix till combined. Then add your pumpkin puree and flour. Finally add your eggs, one at a time, just mixing enough to incorporate them. Do not overmix once the eggs are added.
- Pour cheesecake mixture into your prepared crust and place on a large baking sheet, just in case your springform decides to leak...eek. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes. Your cheesecake should look firm around the edges with a slight jiggle in the very middle, like jello. Allow to cool in the springform pan and then place in the fridge for 4-5 hours until chilled through.
- Once your cheesecake is chilled through, place whipping cream in a chilled mixing bowl and whip on high for about 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks start to form. Gently smooth the whipped cream on top of your cheesecake and sprinkle with spice.
Notes
- I recommend Organic Valley or Whole Foods brand block cream cheese for this recipe as they don't contain carrageenan, which can be a migraine trigger.
- Make sure you get 100% canned pumpkin, NOT pie filling or pie mix.
I’m in the middle of making this and I just wanted to let other bakers know that you need a a taller springform pan for this! I have a 3” one and it’s definitely rising over it.
I can tell it will turn out delicious, regardless.
Thanks Alicia for all of your wonderful recipes. I can’t wait for your second book 🙂
I think mine is 3 inches! It *should* still be ok and not spill over. It rises like that!
My favorite cheesecake I’ve ever made!
Hi Alicia, I'm planning to make this for Thanksgiving. My daughter is bringing her spring form pan from Quincy, MA to Princeton, NJ so we can do it. We're excited! A question: Like many of us Celiacs, I don't do well with oats. Any suggestions for substitutions? Thank you, and happy Thanksgiving!
Hey Deborah, I sent a messaged but I'm hoping you're ok with the certified gluten free ones, if not, you can try to sub your favorite AP gluten free flour, but it may change the flavor a little bit.
Hiya! All these recipes look great! One thing though- I can't help but notice that your vegetarian + vegan recipes are often VERY dairy & egg heavy with no notes on how to make them vegan or if they would even work as vegan recipes. I'd love to see some of these with healthy vegan substitutes 🙂
Hey! I appreciate the feedback. Usually I'll give instructions for it within the post if it's possible, but in some of my older posts I may not have included that (I've learned A LOT as a food blogger in the last year). If I don't, just shoot me a note in the post or alicia@thedizzycook.com and I'll be happy to try to help with edits. I should probably split the two categories as I tend to lean more vegetarian than vegan. This diet is very hard to do strictly vegan and I encourage people to work with a RD to make sure they're getting essential nutrients that you might be missing. You may find this post to be helpful too.
I have got to visit more often. I could become your #1 taste tester!!! OK maybe #2, Casey gets to be #1.
Best Thanksgiving dessert you can find. Game over. This is how you win Thanksgiving