Pecan Pie Cheesecake + VIDEO

Published on Nov 24, 2018
Updated on Oct 30, 2019

Slice of cheesecake covered in caramel & topped with pecans on a white plate with silver fork

*This recipe was originally published 11/14/13. Most recent update 11/24/18.

A holiday menu will not be complete unless you serve this Pecan Pie Cheesecake! A toasted nutty graham cracker crust followed by a smooth and velvety cheesecake. Topped with a perfectly sweet caramel topping finished off with a layer of toasted pecans! 

Slice of cheesecake covered in caramel & topped with pecans on a white plate with silver fork

I absolutely love cheesecake. Love it! The first one I ever made was my “Best Ever Cheesecake“. If you’re looking for a couple more holiday cheesecakes check out my Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap-Pecan Crust that is absolutely divine or this delicious out of this world Candy & Caramel Apple Pie. Both are pretty phenomenal.

I’ve been hanging on to this recipe for years and it was finally time to get the job done. Boy am I glad that I did! I think the term “slap-yo-mama” good is insanely appropriate for this cheesecake. In fact, my cheesecake loving husband claims that it’s the best cheesecake he’s ever had!

How To Make Pecan Pie Cheesecake (step-by-step)

1. Gather your ingredients. You’ll need cream cheese, butter, eggs, vanilla, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, toasted pecans, heavy cream, brown sugar and salt. Preheat oven to 375 F; coat a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and wrap entire outside of pan in heavy duty aluminum foil; set aside.

Ingredients for cheesecake: cream cheese, heavy cream, brown sugar, butter, graham cracker crumbs, eggs, etc.

2.  Combine graham cracker crumbs and toasted pecan halves in a food processor and process until fine.

3.  With food processor running, drizzle in the melted butter until evenly incorporated.

4. Transfer crust mixture to your prepared springform pan.

5. Press mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 325 F.

Step-by-step collage of how to make pecan pie cheesecake

6. Using a hand mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl until mixture is fluffy, periodically scraping the sides of the bowl. This process can also be done in a stand mixer.

Bowl of raw ingredients before being mixed: brown sugar, white sugar & butter

7. Add eggs one at a time, fully beating to incorporate into batter after each addition.

Bowl of cheesecake filling with eggs alternating between mixing

8.  Add cream.

9.  Add vanilla; beat until ingredients are completely incorporated into batter.

10. Cool crust completely before filling.

11. Pour filling over crust.

12. Smooth top of filling.

13.  Transfer cheesecake to a roasting pan; place in the oven. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan a third of the way up the sides of the foil-wrapped springform pan. Bake cheesecake until it reaches 155 F and sides are set but center still jiggles, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven; leave cheesecake inside for 1 hour with the oven door closed.

14. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool to room temperature. Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap; chill 3-24 hours. Remove cheesecake from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Spoon caramel over cheesecake carefully. 

15. Evenly sprinkle with chopped pecans. Remaining sauce can be used to serve on individual slices.

16. Enjoy!

Step-by-step collage of how to make pecan pie cheesecake

Important tips for making Pecan Pie Cheesecake

    • Make sure that your cream cheese, butter and eggs are all room temperature. This will ensure a velvety smooth filling. If you can leave everything out for at least 4-6 hours that would be ideal.
    • The brand of cream cheese is very important. I will always and forever stand behind Philadelphia cream cheese (no, they are not paying me to say that). Off-brand cream cheese will not yield the same results as Philadelphia.
    • How to Toast Pecans: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Toast pecans just until they become fragrant, about 5 minutes. Watch carefully as they can burn easily. I like to use my toaster oven for this step!
    • Buy graham cracker crumbs pre-made. While you can easily make your own out of graham crackers, this recipe has enough steps as it is – no need to add additional steps (or dishes) for yourself.
    • Keeping water from your cheesecake is nearly impossible in the water bath. Use a leak-proof springform pan if possible, use heavy duty aluminum foil instead of cheap or regular foil & for a guaranteed dry crust use an oven bag to surround your springform pan (I recently learned that from Jamie My Baking Addiction).
    • If you don’t have a roasting pan for the water bath you can use any pan that is large enough to fit your cheesecake. My roaster was being used for my turkey so I ended up using my Staub Cast Iron 13″ Double Handle Fry Pan.
    • Do not, I repeat DO NOT open the oven door at any point during cooking or cooling of your cheesecake. The longer you can leave the cheesecake in the oven, the better. I ended up leaving mine in for two hours after it had baked without opening the oven door.
    • You can of course use store bought caramel but I highly recommend my Basic Homemade Caramel recipe. There’s plenty of time to make it once your cheesecake has gone into the oven to bake & it’s definitely worth it!
    • When spooning your caramel over the cooled cheesecake, leave a 1/2-1″ border of cheesecake. The caramel will run & if you take it to the edge it will run over the side (which makes for messy presentation).
    • Don’t skip toasting the pecans for the topping, it’s definitely worth the extra step. Toast all of your pecans at once since you’ll need them for the crust as well as the topping.
    • Slice of cheesecake covered in caramel & topped with pecans on a white plate with silver fork

Looking for other great cheesecake recipes?

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Slice of cheesecake covered in caramel & topped with pecans on a white plate with silver fork

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheesecake, Pecan Pie, Pecan Pie Cheesecake, Thanksgiving Dessert
Prep Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 24
Calories: 238 kcal
Author: Yvonne

A holiday menu will not be complete unless you serve this Pecan Pie Cheesecake! A toasted nutty graham cracker crust followed by a smooth and velvety cheesecake. Topped with a perfectly sweet caramel topping finished off with a layer of toasted pecans! 

Print

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/2 c. toasted pecan halves
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter melted
  • 3 pkgs. 8 oz. each cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 stick unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 c. heavy cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Pecan Topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375; coat a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and wrap entire outside of pan in foil; set aside.  

  2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and toasted pecan halves in a food processor until fine. With processor running, drizzle in the melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of the pan; bake 10 minutes. Cool crust completely before filling. Reduce oven to 325. 

  3. Beat cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl until mixture is fluffy, periodically scraping sides of the bowl. Add eggs one at a time, fully beating to incorporate into batter after each addition. Add cream and vanilla; beat until ingredients are completely incorporated into batter.Pour filling over crust, smoothing the top of filling. 

  4. Transfer cheesecake to a roasting pan; place in the oven. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan a third of the way up the sides of the foil-wrapped springform pan. Bake cheesecake until it reaches 155 and sides are set but center still joggles, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven; leave cheesecake inside for 1 hour with the oven door closed.

  5. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool to room temperature. Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap; chill 3-24 hours. Remove cheesecake from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. 

  6. Spoon caramel over cheesecake carefully and evenly and sprinkle with chopped pecans. If you have any remaining sauce, serve on individual slices.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • Make sure that your cream cheese, butter and eggs are all room temperature. This will ensure a velvety smooth filling. If you can leave everything out for at least 4-6 hours that would be ideal.
  • The brand of cream cheese is very important. I will always and forever stand behind Philadelphia cream cheese (no, they are not paying me to say that). Off-brand cream cheese will not yield the same results as Philadelphia.
  • How to Toast Pecans: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Toast pecans just until they become fragrant, about 5 minutes. Watch carefully as they can burn easily. I like to use my toaster oven for this step!
  • Buy graham cracker crumbs pre-made. While you can easily make your own out of graham crackers, this recipe has enough steps as it is, no need to add additional steps (or dishes) for yourself.
  • Keeping water from your cheesecake is nearly impossible in the water bath. Use a leak-proof springform pan if possible, use heavy duty aluminum foil instead of cheap or regular foil & for a guaranteed dry crust use an oven bag to surround your springform pan.
  • If you don't have a roasting pan for the water bath you can use any pan that is large enough to fit your cheesecake. My roaster was being used for my turkey so I ended up using my Staub Cast Iron 13" Double Handle Fry Pan.
  • Do not, I repeat DO NOT open the oven door at any point during cooking or cooling of your cheesecake. The longer you can leave the cheesecake in the oven the better. I ended up leaving mine in for two hours after it had baked without opening the oven door.
  • You can of course use store bought caramel but I highly recommend my Basic Homemade Caramel recipe. There's plenty of time to make it once your cheesecake has gone into the oven to bake & it's definitely worth it!
  • When spooning your caramel over the cooled cheesecake, leave a 1/2-1" border of cheesecake. The caramel will run & if you take it to the edge it will run over the side (which makes for messy presentation).
  • Don't skip toasting the pecans for the topping, it's definitely worth the extra step. Toast all of your pecans at once since you'll need them for the crust as well as the topping.

Adapted from Adapted from Cuisine At Home, Issue No. 78 December 2009

Nutrition Facts
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 238 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 27mg9%
Sodium 91mg4%
Potassium 113mg3%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 115IU2%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 32mg3%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Update notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2013, but was published again in 2018 to include step by step photos & directions, nutritional information, expert tips, and a recipe video.
*This post may contain affiliate links. I include these links to help you find either specific {or my favorite} products that are used in my recipes. If you purchase an item from the link on Tried an Tasty, I will receive a small commission helping keep my recipes free for you. Thank you for your support!

Tried and Tasty, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

79 comments about “Pecan Pie Cheesecake + VIDEO

    1. Yvonne

      Oh certainly! You’ll want to store the caramel in the refrigerator. I’m excited for you to make this, it’s a favorite for sure!

  1. Haley

    I have been making cheesecakes since I was 14 and I have never in my life heard of putting a stick of butter in the batter. You learn new things everyday! It turned out rich and so decadent! Delicious! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.

    1. Yvonne

      Wahoo! I’m so happy you tried and loved this! Making cheesecake since 14? Wowsers! You’ve got some experience on me for SURE! If you’ve got any great recipes, send them my way, I’d love to try them out! Also, got any extra tips on keeping the water from leaking in to the sprinform when lined with foil?

  2. Randy

    I made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving and used your homemade caramel sauce recipe. Absolutely a hit. Can’t wait to have it with strawberries as well. The endless possibilities. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.

  3. lwjohnson

    As directed by the recipe, I lined the outside of the springform pan with foil (heavy duty) before placing it in the roster. My crust was very soggy even after the complete cooking detailed in the recipe. Water drained from it when it was taken out of the oven to cool to room temperature. This was my first attempt to cook a cheesecake…a novice to say the least! Where did I make my mistake?

    1. Yvonne

      Oh no! You know what, to be honest – I always have a problem with the water seeping in too for the most part. I just try each time to really line the pan well and make sure that none of the edges are below the water line. It’s tricky, and can be frustrating, but I’ve found no clear solution. I have experimented with lining the inside of the pan as well as the outside with parchment paper inside and that helped a little. It’s really just about making sure the outside has a good seal above the water line. Aside from that, I’m not much help – I’m sorry!!

  4. Dena

    I’m confused about the pecan topping. Is it just the caramel with pecans sprinkled on top? Made the cheesecake and waiting for it to cool. Looks great so far!

    1. Yvonne

      Yes! I’ve updated the recipe card just a bit to help make it a little more clear – I’m excited you made it! I hope you love it!!

    1. Yvonne

      They would love it! If you make it, you’ll have guest begging for more! And I’m with you, my dessert list is always too long!

  5. Shelby

    I absolutely love cheesecake and only make it on rare occasions…such as the holidays! :) I love the topping on your cheesecake. Makes it very decadant and appealing.

    1. Yvonne

      That’s when I make it too – usually just a couple of times a year, the caramel and pecans on top of this make this cheesecake out of this world!

  6. Crystal

    I made a pecan pie cheesecake pretty similar to this a couple christmas’s ago and it did not last 5 minutes, seriously. This one looks good! I’ve been meaning to try a pretzel crust on my next cheesecake.

  7. Sherry

    Do I have to make the caramel sauce or can I use store bought and how do I make it 10′ instead of 9′? This is about to go down tonight!!! I’m so excited!

    1. Yvonne

      Oh you can most definitely use store bought caramel for sure!! If you do 10″ you may need to make just a touch more crust and then your cheesecake will be a little thinner, but no other adjustments should need to be made! Good luck – let me know if you have other questions!

  8. Nette

    Oh my Gosh Yvonnne!! I tried this cheesecake for Thanksgiving, it was a hit with everybody. My hubby and my younger sister got upset with me because I threw away the remainder piece away… It was a tiny piece they were fighting over. I will make it again this time with Gingersnap for our Christmas Dinner. Thanks

    1. Yvonne

      Yay!! I’m so happy you made it and even more that everyone LOVED it! What do you mean you threw away the last piece?!? I may or may not have gone garbage digging to retrieve it (ha!). I kind of want to make it again too with a gingersnap crust for Christmas as well… now you’ve got me thinking… :)

    1. Yvonne

      Hmm.. that’s a great question, I’m not entirely sure. I’ve never made cheesecake in jars before. I’d hate to say yes when I don’t really know for sure!

  9. Abby

    I made this yesterday, and while the cheesecake portion was good, I would caution anyone against using the nested caramel recipe. If you boil it to 250 degrees (soft ball stage), it is WAY too hard to cut and she even says in the caramel recipe that she originally used it to dip apples in. I would use another caramel recipe that is pour-able at room temp. I ended up having to peel the entire caramel layer off and throw it away because we couldn’t cut through it. :(

    1. Yvonne

      Oh man, I’m sorry to hear this only half worked out for you. I’m a little confused about the caramel. So did you use my Basic Caramel Recipe? From what I’m reading, you didn’t? The caramel recipe you tried was more of a caramel apple caramel… correct? Well shoot! That’s a bummer! The great thing about my Basic Caramel is that it doesn’t harden like the caramel used for caramel apples. In fact, that’s what I originally made the recipe for and it was a huge flop because the caramel slip right off and wouldn’t harden and stick to save my life! Hopefully you will give this another try, I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. Let me know if there’s any other way I can help troubleshoot for you!

      1. Abby

        I did use the Basic Caramel Recipe linked in the cheesecake recipe. Maybe my thermometer is off a bit? It tasted so good, but was too hard. Should I boil it to maybe 225 next time? As a testament to the cheesecake portion, people still asked for the recipe even without the caramel!

        1. Yvonne

          Well shoot. I just don’t know then! Let me think… let me think… That is really so strange – because I couldn’t get that caramel to harden to save my life, but maybe I didn’t cook it as long as I should have to begin with, which made it softer?? I suppose your thermometer could be off – and then again maybe MINE is off! In your case, for next time (if you are willing to try again) I would say yes, maybe boil it to 225. I’m happy that the cheesecake was loved!!! That makes me feel better :)

  10. Jen Nikolaus

    Oh. My. Gosh. I can’t even tell you how much I want this right now. It looks so beautiful! I’m going to be honest, I’ve never made a cheesecake before! I definitely want to after seeing yours! This looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing at Saturday Night Fever! Pinning now!

    1. Yvonne

      I wish I could explain just how yummy delicious this was. I’m telling you, Cheesecake Factory ain’t got nothin’ on this! Ha! Thank you so much! It is kinda-sorta tricky, so you have to be very careful and follow the directions exactly (at least that’s what my experience has been). Happy to have shared!

    1. Yvonne

      I would say just a little bit thicker than a cake batter, but not too thick and ULTRA creamy! You want it to glide out of your bowl and in to your springform pan. Hope that helps! Enjoy!

    1. Yvonne

      Ha! I’ll take it.. because these recipes I’ve been posting recently aren’t for the calorie conscious that’s for sure! So delicious though :)

    1. Yvonne

      Thank you! It IS the perfect Thanksgiving dessert. Your family and guests will love you forever if you make this for them :)

  11. Kami

    How are you going to post this delicious temptation right before The Game starts!?!? This looks INCREDIBLE! Definitely going to try this for Thanksgiving.

  12. Aimee Berrett

    Oh my gosh, these picture are gorgeous and this cheesecake looks so dreamy. I Can’t have a big slice of pecan pie, but just a little pecans on the cheesecake seem like the perfect way to go! PS, your pics on your “best cheesecake ever” aren’t THAT bad ;)

    1. Yvonne

      Thanks Aimee, dreamy is such a perfect word. It was absolutely exactly that! Oh, and thanks – It wasn’t so bad I supposed, but boy have things come a looonnnnggg way!

  13. Bonnie Andrews {Hobby to HOT!}

    Woah! Two of my favorite things in one. This looks decadent. {a gingersnap crust sound yummy too!}

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