Looking for a fall dessert that’s a little different from pumpkin pie? Slice into a smooth, warmly spiced filling, set just right, over a cookie crust with a touch of salt and plenty of crunch.
The pumpkin flavor comes through clearly, and the texture is creamy without feeling heavy. And it’s all gluten-free and lactose-free. You’ll find more of my gluten-free pastries in the same category.
What Is Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake?
It’s a baked cheesecake set on a gluten-free, lactose-free graham-style cookie crust, with a pumpkin filling made from plant-based cream cheese, eggs, brown sugar, and spices. Rommel Reyes’s version aims for a simple balance: a crumbly, lightly salted base topped with a soft, creamy filling.
What makes it stand out is that contrast. The crust stays cookie-like and slightly salty, while the filling is sweet without going overboard, making for a rich dessert that still feels light enough after a meal.
The Main Ingredients
The crust starts with gluten-free, lactose-free graham-style cookies crushed into fine crumbs, then mixed with spices and melted plant-based butter. If you want exact control over the ingredients, Rommel Reyes recommends making the cookies yourself. He also notes that his homemade version doesn’t use tapioca starch or xanthan gum.
If you’re short on time, good store-bought gluten-free, lactose-free cookies work just fine. That said, many commercial options are heavy on sugar and additives, so it’s worth checking the ingredient list carefully.
For the filling, you can use canned pumpkin purée for convenience or make your own. Homemade has more depth: simply roast the pumpkin, then blend until perfectly smooth.
Plant-based cream cheese gives the cheesecake its body. Oat-, cashew-, or soy-based versions all work well, as long as you choose one with a fairly neutral flavor so the pumpkin and spices can shine.
The spices give the dessert its classic pumpkin profile, with the warm blend that’s so closely associated with it. Adjust the amounts to suit your taste, or use a ready-made pumpkin spice blend if that’s what you have on hand.
Technical Tips and Pitfalls to Avoid
Weigh everything in metric for the best accuracy. With cheesecake, it really matters: the final texture can shift quickly with even small variations in the cream cheese, purée, or eggs.
Making a neat crust
Crush the cookies into fine crumbs, not coarse pieces. Mix them with the spices and melted plant-based butter, then press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 23 cm springform pan or cake ring.
The chill time isn’t just for looks: refrigerate the crust for at least 15 minutes so it can firm up before you add the filling.
Blend the filling gently
Preheat the oven to 160 °C before moving on to the filling. Blend the plant-based cream cheese, pumpkin purée, eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, and spices in a blender until perfectly smooth and uniform.
Pour the filling into the crust, stopping just below the rim of the ring or pan. If you spot bubbles on the surface, you can pop them with a kitchen torch, but it’s optional.
Baking to the right doneness
Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour. To check, gently shake the pan: the center should still wobble slightly. If the whole cheesecake looks fully set, it’s already gone too far for this style of texture.
Once out of the oven, let the cheesecake cool for about 1 hour, or until it’s close to room temperature. Don’t refrigerate it while it’s still hot or even warm.
Storage
Before slicing, let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight. That’s when the texture really firms up and the slices come out clean.
For more ideas, check out my gluten-free recipes.
Recipe developed by chef Rommel Reyes. Find his work on Instagram, his Substack newsletter, and his YouTube channel.
Ingredients
- 240 g homemade gluten-free, dairy-free Graham-style crackers
- 1 g pumpkin spice
- 80 g melted dairy-free unsalted butter
- 450 g gluten-free plant-based cream cheese
- 450 g gluten-free pumpkin purée canned or homemade
- 4 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 120 g brown sugar
- 1.5 g pumpkin spice
- 15 g cornstarch
- 1 g salt
Instructions
Crust
- Pulse the Graham-style crackers in a food processor until finely ground.
- Combine the cracker crumbs, pumpkin spice, and melted butter in a mixing bowl.
- Firmly press the crumb mixture over the bottom and up the sides of a 23 cm springform pan or cake ring. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to set.
Spiced pumpkin filling
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Blend the cream cheese, pumpkin purée, whole eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, and pumpkin spice until smooth.
- Pour the filling into the crust, stopping just below the rim of the cake ring. If you like, remove any bubbles with a kitchen torch, though it’s not essential.
Baking and cooling
- Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour. Gently shake the pan; the filling should still jiggle slightly in the center.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool for about 1 hour, or until close to room temperature.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight before slicing and serving.
- Note: Do not refrigerate the cheesecake while it is still warm or hot.
