This Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie with a Gingersnap Crust has creamy and fluffy filling with a flavorful crust that’s so much better than traditional pumpkin pie. I’ve included step-by-step photos in this post and a video in the recipe card to ensure your baking success!
The problem with traditional pumpkin pie is that it can be quite boring and ordinary if you don’t perfect the texture of the filling and the crust.
And pumpkin on its own tastes quite flat. You really need to add a good balance of spices to wake up the flavor in pumpkin pie, which this filling and gingersnap crust provide.
I tested this pumpkin pie two ways
The first test was without cream cheese, yet all the other ingredients and measurements were the same. The flavor was pretty good but the texture of the filling wasn’t quite where I wanted it to be.
The second test I added cream cheese to the filling. This was the undisputed winner!
Cream cheese has been the missing ingredient in basically every pumpkin pie I’ve ever tried! Yet, this isn’t like a heavy pumpkin cheesecake. It makes the most fluffy and creamy pumpkin pie filling EVER!
Of course, this Gingersnap Crust with brown sugar and butter also adds that needed CRUNCH and FLAVOR to ensure every bite is deeeelicious.
Making the crust is easy as pie
I used a food processor, (affiliate link) to crush the gingersnaps and mix the butter and brown sugar, but by all means add the gingersnaps to a large plastic ziploc bag and pound out all your anger and frustrations to crumble them. Then you can add everything to a bowl and stir together.
With this easy crust, there is no need to worry about rolling out the perfect pie crust with 170 roses on top.
Just flatten the crust with your hands in a pie pan (affiliate link) and mold it with a flat-bottomed glass. It might be a bit crumbly but it will hold together nicely.
Bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes until it’s set.
Par-bake the gingersnap crust
Take the crust out of the oven and make the filling. Be sure that the cream cheese and butter are very soft so they cream easily in the mixture.
The best way to ensure a crust that isn’t soggy is to par-bake it. This helps to create a barrier so that the filling doesn’t absorb as much moisture and stays crisp.
Fill the pie so that there is a little rim for the top of the crust. You will have a little bit of filling left over most likely, depending on how deep your pie pan is.
Bake at 350 degrees for bout 45 minutes, or until the center is slightly concave and the sides are domed. It may jiggle just a tad in the very center but will continue to cook when you bring it out of the oven.
How to prevent the pie from cracking down the center?
Pumpkin pie is considered a a custard-based pie since it has a creamy base with eggs in it. If you over bake a custard pie, it will crack down the center. It’s better to under bake it and put it back in the oven for a few minutes, than to bake it until the pie is fully set in the center.
How do I know when the pie is ready to come out of the oven?
You want to take the pie out of the oven when the sides are domed and the center is a bit concave. The center will not be completely set, so be aware of that. The pie will continue to bake while it’s cooling on the counter.
Can this pie be made in advance?
Yes you can make this pie up to two days in advance. Keep it covered in the fridge. I have personally not tried freezing and thawing it (due to the texture of the crust when thawed) so I wouldn’t recommend it.
More amazing pumpkin recipes
Let cool completely before cutting. It’s best served CHILLED as the filling and crust just taste better this way. Served with fresh whipped cream!!
Bon Appetit Ya’ll,
Leslie O.
Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie & Gingersnap Crust
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 3 cups Gingersnaps
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 8 Tbsp Melted Butter 1 stick
For the Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- 1 can or 15 oz Pumpkin Puree
- 6 oz Cream Cheese very soft
- 2 Tbsp Butter very soft
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Maple Syrup
- 1 3/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
For the Gingersnap Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a food processor, pulse the gingersnaps until they are crumbled evenly. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, and salt, and pulse a few times until fully incorporated. If you don’t have a food processor, you can crush them with a rolling pin inside a large ziploc bag. Add the other ingredients for the crust in a bowl and stir everything together. (Make sure you are measuring the brown sugar and butter from the crust recipe, not the filling recipe).
- Pour the crust into a pie pan and form with your hands. Take a flat-bottomed glass and gently press to mold the bottom and sides of the crust to the pie pan.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes until set and it has a touch of color on it.
For the Pumpkin Pie filling
- Mix the softened cream cheese and butter together with a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment) or a handheld mixer until combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Next, add the salt, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice and mix until incorporated.
- Pour into the par-baked gingersnap crust until there is a little rim at the top for the crust. You will likely have a little filling left over.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees until almost completely set in the middle. The sides will have domed somewhat and the center should be a bit concave. It will jiggle just a tad in the very center but will continue to bake when it's removed from the oven.Don't wait until the pie is completely set all the way through before removing it from the pan because it will likely be over baked by the time it rests on the counter, which could cause it to crack down the center.
- This pie is BEST served chilled as the filling tastes great cold and the crust has a nice crunch to it. Serve with fresh whipped cream!
This was the best pumpkin pie ever. We will never go back to the traditional pumpkin pie recipe! Thank you!!!
Oh wow thank you so much for the feedback! I’m so glad to hear your pie turned out nicely.
Hey, I’m trying out the recipe, but I had way too much pie crust for the pan I had. What size pie pan am I supposed to use for this?
Hello! You can use a standard size pie pan. When I photographed this recipe I used an antique pie pan which I noticed was more shallow than my glass pans so I had extra crust. I also had to factor that some people may be using deeper pie pans too so I wanted to make sure there was enough to cover any size. I did make the crust a little thicker on the sides to add a nice base to the pie, so that can alter how much crust you use.