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Sweet potato pie and cheesecake have no business working this well together.

One is soft and homey, the other is dense and rich, and folding them into one pan sounds like a compromise that ruins both.

It does not.

I brought this to Thanksgiving two years ago mostly as a dare to myself.

There were four desserts on that table and a pumpkin pie that has been showing up since I was a kid.

The cheesecake went first, by a lot.

My father-in-law, a man who has never once asked me for a recipe, asked me for the recipe.

It is a real cheesecake, three blocks of cream cheese, baked low and slow on a spiced gingersnap crust.

Roasted sweet potato goes right into the batter, so every forkful tastes like sweet potato pie and cheesecake at once.

The texture is somewhere between the two: silkier than pie, lighter than a New York slice.

You make it the day before, which is the other reason I love it in November.

One less thing in the oven on the day that counts, and a dessert that only gets better sitting in the fridge overnight.

What You'll Need for This Recipe

Nothing here is exotic, but two things are worth being fussy about. The cream cheese must be full-fat blocks, and everything cold has to come to room temperature before it goes in the bowl.

For the Spiced Crust

Graham cracker or gingersnap crumbs (1.5 cups). Gingersnaps are my pick. The snap of ginger against the sweet potato is what makes this taste like more than a plain cheesecake.
Sugar (3 tablespoons). Gingersnaps are already sweet, so pull this back to 2 tablespoons if you use them.
Melted butter (5 tablespoons). The binder. The crumbs should look like damp sand when you stop stirring.
Cinnamon and ginger (a pinch of each). A small assist, especially with graham crackers.

For the Filling

Cream cheese (24 ounces, room temperature). Three full blocks, full-fat, not the tub. Tub cream cheese has added water and will not set properly.
Sweet potato puree (1.75 cups). Roasted and mashed is best. Roasting drives off water and concentrates flavor, and water is the enemy of a firm cheesecake.
Eggs (4 large, room temperature). Cold eggs seize up in the batter and force you to overmix.
Packed brown sugar (1 cup). Molasses depth that white sugar cannot give you.
Sour cream (¼ cup). Tang and a softer set. This is what keeps it from tasting flat and heavy.
All-purpose flour (2 tablespoons). A small amount of insurance against a loose center.
Vanilla (1 teaspoon), cinnamon (1 teaspoon), nutmeg (½ teaspoon), salt (¼ teaspoon). Warm spice, still restrained. Sweet potato is the flavor, spice is the frame.

Equipment

9-inch springform pan. There is no good substitute. You need to release the sides without flipping it.
Heavy-duty foil. An 18-inch wide roll, so you can wrap the pan without a seam near the bottom.
A roasting pan. Anything wide enough to hold the springform with a couple of inches to spare.

How to Make Sweet Potato Pie Cheesecake

Step 1: Make the Spiced Crust

Crush the cookies to fine crumbs in a food processor, or in a zip bag with a rolling pin. You want sand, not gravel. Big chunks make a crust that crumbles when you slice.

Stir in the sugar, spices, and melted butter until the crumbs hold together when pinched.

Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform and about 1 inch up the sides.

The flat bottom of a measuring cup gives you a much more even press than your fingers do.

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then cool it while you make the filling.

Pre-baking is what keeps the crust from turning to mush under a wet batter.

Step 2: Make the Cheesecake Filling

Beat the room-temperature cream cheese alone first, until it is completely smooth. Any lumps you leave now will still be there after baking. Scrape the bowl twice.

Add the brown sugar and beat on low speed just until combined.

Mix in the sweet potato puree, sour cream, vanilla, spices, salt, and flour.

Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing only until each one disappears.

Overmixing at this stage is what ruins most cheesecakes.

Every extra second of mixing beats air into the batter, and that air expands in the oven, then collapses as it cools. That collapse is a crack.

Pour the batter over the cooled crust and rap the pan on the counter a few times to release trapped bubbles.

Step 3: Bake Low and Slow

Wrap the outside of the springform in two layers of heavy-duty foil, going all the way up the sides. This keeps water out of your crust.

Set the pan in a roasting pan and pour in boiling water until it comes 1 inch up the sides.

Bake at 325°F for 60 to 75 minutes.

The cheesecake is done when the outer 2 inches look set and the center still wobbles like gelatin when you nudge the pan.

It should not look firm in the middle. A cheesecake baked until the center is solid is already overbaked.

Step 4: Cool and Chill

Turn the oven off, crack the door, and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour. Sudden temperature changes are what tear the surface.

Take it out, run a thin knife around the inside edge to loosen it, and let it come to room temperature on the counter.

Loosening the edge lets the cake pull inward as it shrinks instead of splitting down the middle.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.

Do not rush the chill. The texture is not finished until it is cold all the way through.

Tips for a Crack-Free Cheesecake

Room temperature everything. Cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream. Cold ingredients need more mixing, and more mixing means more air.
Low speed only. Once the cream cheese is smooth, keep the mixer on its lowest setting for the rest of the batter.
Use the water bath. Gentle, even, humid heat is the difference between a silky cheesecake and a rubbery one with a canyon across the top.
NEVER open the oven early. A blast of cool air at minute 30 will crack the surface. Wait until minute 55 to look.
Cool in three stages. Oven off with the door cracked, then the counter, then the fridge. Each stage is slower than the one before.
Run a knife around the edge while it is still warm. A cheesecake stuck to the pan cracks as it contracts.
Cracked anyway? Whipped cream covers everything, and it tastes exactly the same. I have served plenty of them.

How to Store Sweet Potato Pie Cheesecake

Refrigerator. Covered, up to 5 days. Press plastic wrap against the cut faces so the surface does not dry out.
Make-ahead timeline. Bake it 1 or 2 days ahead. Day one, bake and chill overnight. Day two, whipped cream goes on right before it hits the table.
Freezer, whole. Chill it fully, wrap in plastic and then foil, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Freezer, by the slice. Freeze slices on a tray until firm, then wrap individually. A single slice thaws in the fridge in a couple of hours.
Slicing. A long thin knife, dipped in hot water and wiped dry between every cut. It is tedious and it is the only way to get clean edges.

FAQ

What's the difference between yams and sweet potatoes for this recipe?

What American grocery stores label "yams" are almost always orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, so you are fine either way. True yams are a different vegetable, starchy and pale, sold mostly at international markets, and they will not give you the color or the sweetness this recipe needs. Look for the orange flesh and you have the right one.

How do I keep my cheesecake from cracking on top?

Cracks come from air and from temperature shock. Mix on low once the cream cheese is smooth, use a water bath, and never open the oven door during the first 50 minutes. Then cool it slowly: oven off with the door cracked for 1 hour, counter until room temperature, then the fridge. Run a knife around the edge while it is still warm so the cake can shrink without tearing.

Why is my sweet potato filling watery or my cheesecake soupy?

Usually the sweet potato. Boiled sweet potatoes hold a surprising amount of water, and that water thins the batter and stops it setting. Roast them instead, or cook boiled puree down in a pan over medium heat until it thickens and stops looking loose. The other culprits are low-fat or tub cream cheese and simply pulling it out of the oven too early.

Can I use canned sweet potato puree instead of roasting my own?

Yes, and it is a fine shortcut. Buy plain canned sweet potato puree, not the candied kind in syrup and not pie filling. Drain it well and cook it down for 5 minutes if it looks loose. Roasted sweet potato does taste deeper, so if you have the oven on anyway, roast a couple.

Do I need a water bath for this cheesecake?

You do not strictly need one, but it is the biggest single upgrade to the texture. Without it, expect a slightly drier, denser cake with a higher chance of cracking. If you skip it, put a shallow pan of hot water on the rack below instead and drop the oven to 300°F, adding 10 to 15 minutes to the bake.

How far ahead can I make this, and how long does it keep?

Bake it 1 to 2 days ahead. It genuinely tastes better on day two, once the spices settle and the texture firms up. Kept covered in the fridge, it holds for 5 days. Add whipped cream only right before serving, since it weeps if it sits on the cake overnight.

Can I freeze sweet potato cheesecake?

It freezes very well, which is one of the best things about it. Chill it completely first, then wrap the whole cake or individual slices in plastic and foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, never on the counter. The texture comes back almost exactly as it was.

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Sweet Potato Pie Cheesecake

A creamy sweet potato cheesecake on a spiced gingersnap crust, baked low and slow in a water bath for a silky, crack-free top.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword sweet potato pie cheesecake

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 8

Servings slices