Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake with Streusel Topping – The Best Thanksgiving Treat
Individual cheesecakes layer a buttery graham cracker crust, a smooth vanilla cheesecake base, and a spiced pumpkin filling, all finished with a crunchy streusel topping — an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert that bakes faster and chills quicker than a full-sized cheesecake.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
Scale
Graham Cracker Crust
- ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Streusel Crumb Topping
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 teaspoons sour cream
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a standard cupcake pan with paper liners — this recipe makes 9 individual cheesecakes — and set the pan aside while you prepare the components.
- Make the crust: In a mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar using a fork until evenly combined. Pour in the melted butter and continue stirring until every bit of the crumb mixture looks evenly moistened, with no dry, powdery patches remaining. Divide this mixture evenly among the prepared liners, then use your fingers or the bottom of a small glass to press it firmly and evenly into the bottom of each liner. Set the pan aside once all the crusts are pressed in.
- Make the streusel crumb topping: In a small mixing bowl, combine the light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and pumpkin pie spice, stirring until evenly mixed. Pour in the melted butter and mix gently with a fork, working the mixture just until it forms small, crumbly clusters rather than a smooth paste. Set this streusel mixture aside until you’re ready to top the cheesecakes.
- Make the filling: In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese together with the sugar and vanilla until the mixture turns completely smooth and creamy, with no lumps of cream cheese remaining. Add the slightly beaten egg and mix just until it’s incorporated — be careful not to overmix at this stage, since too much mixing can introduce excess air and lead to cracking once baked. Finally, mix in the sour cream until fully combined.
- Spread this plain vanilla cheesecake mixture evenly over the prepared crusts, filling each liner a little over halfway with the batter.
- Into the remaining cheesecake mixture left in the bowl, add the pumpkin puree, the second teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, and the 2 teaspoons of flour. Mix everything together until fully and evenly combined, creating your spiced pumpkin layer.
- Spread this pumpkin cheesecake mixture over the vanilla layer already sitting in each liner, filling the cups almost all the way to the top.
- Sprinkle a generous portion of the prepared streusel crumb topping over each filled cup, distributing it evenly across the surface of the pumpkin layer.
- Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 23 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cheesecakes comes out almost completely clean, with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the cheesecakes cool inside the pan for about 20 minutes. After this initial cooling period, carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before serving or refrigerating.
