Sweet Potato Cheesecake
With gorgeous color and plenty of flavor, this Sweet Potato Cheesecake is the perfect finish to a perfect meal. Simple to make, this easy cheesecake can be made ahead to save you time in the kitchen! It’s lovely served in the fall and for winter holidays!
Oh, I love a good slice of cheesekcake! And since cheesecake and sweet potatoes are among my favorite things, when you combine them, they are absolutely fabulous. This amazing Sweet Potato Cheesecake recipe is inspired by my friend Jenny’s recipe, and it is perfect for any holiday table.
Sweet Potato Cheesecake
I’ve been making this cheesecake recipe for years, and it’s never let me down or failed to impress! And I love that I can make it ahead of time so that I can enjoy my guests instead of being stuck in the kitchen.
This dessert is so good topped with maple whipping cream (recipe included), and this is pretty much the perfect fall and holiday elegant dessert.
Why I love this recipe
- It’s unique AND delicious!
- Make this Sweet Potato Cheesecake recipe up to 3 days ahead of time.
- It always gets rave reviews!
Gather these ingredients
- Sweet potatoes – Dark orange-fleshed sweet potatoes like jewel or red garnet sweet potatoes.
- Butter
- Lemon juice
- Cream cheese – Softened.
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar – Firmly packed.
- Eggs – You’ll need 4 large eggs.
- Heavy whipping cream
- Sour cream
- Maple syrup
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground ginger
For the crust:
- Pecans – Coarsely chopped.
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Sugar – Granulated sugar.
- Butter – Melted.
For the maple cream:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Maple syrup – Use real maple syrup for the best flavor.
You’ll also need:
- Springform pan – This is a specialty pan with a removable bottom and sides that release so you can easily remove the cheesecake. We used a 9-inch pan.
- Food processor – A blender will also work.
How to make the best Sweet Potato Cheesecake
- Preheat your oven to 375-F.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. Place them in a baking dish and brush them with butter. Bake them until they’re soft and cooked through.
- Prepare the crust by pulsing the pecans in a blender or food processor until finely ground. Combine the pecans, Graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl, then press it into the bottom of the springform pan.
- Bake the crust, along with the sweet potatoes, for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned all over.
- Cut the potatoes into chunks (scraping off any charred spots) and pulse them in a food processor, along with the lemon juice, until smooth. You’ll need 1 cup.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325-F.
- Beat the cream cheese until fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer.
- Add in the brown and white sugars and blend until smooth.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time until blended.
- Add the sweet potato mixture, whipping cream, sour cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and mix on low speed until combined.
- Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with heavy-duty foil, pressing it up the sides. Place the wrapped pan into a roasting pan larger than the springform pan and at least 2-inches deep, and add enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake the Sweet Potato Cheesecake at 325-F until it barely jiggles in the middle when gently shaken.
- Remove the cooked cheesecake from the water bath and cool it on a rack for at least an hour, then chill until it is cold.
How do you know when cheesecake is done?
If you’ve cooked it for about 55 minutes at the recommended temperature of 325-F, your cheesecake should be done or very nearly done. Give the pan a gentle shake and see if the center of the cheesecake jiggles a bit – this means it is done. It can also start to pull away from the sides of the pan, and small cracks might begin to form on the top of the cheesecake when it is cooked.
How to make Maple Cream
- Whip the whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Turn the speed down to low and beat in the maple syrup until just combined.
How to release a cheesecake from a springform pan
- Run a kitchen knife around the inside of the springform pan, between the cheesecake and the pan, to loosen it.
- Loosen the rim and remove it, using your knife to gently cut the cheesecake away from the rim if it sticks.
- Leave the cheesecake on the springform pan bottom disc to easily move it around.
How to serve Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Cut slices of the Sweet Potato Cheesecake and serve them with a dollop of the maple whipped cream.
We love this elegant dessert served as the last course with these Marinated Cornish Game Hens, Marinated Leek & Sausage Bread Pudding, and this house green salad. Pretty much the perfect fall-time dinner party menu!
Tips and substitutions
- Optional to use leftover roasted sweet potatoes for this easy Sweet Potato Cheesecake recipe.
- Sometimes sweet potatoes are sold marked as yams.
- Use regular or light cream cheese and sour cream in this cheesecake recipe.
- Fresh spices make all the difference! Make sure your spices haven’t been in your cupboard for years, and buy new ones if they are old!
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed when mixing, but don’t overmix the batter.
- Wrap the bottom of the springform pan tightly in foil to keep any water from getting into the bottom of the pan.
Storage
Store any leftover Sweet Potato Cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for up 3-4 days.
Check out these awesome cheesecake recipes while you’re here
- Butternut Squash Cheesecake
- Mini cheesecakes with caramel
- Margarita cheesecakes
- Easy No-Bake Cheesecake
Get the Recipe:
Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 2 dark orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, 1 ¼ to 1 ½ lb. total, such as jewel or red garnet (sometimes sold as yams)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 8 oz packages cream cheese, regular or light, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup whipping cream
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Pecan Crust:
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 1 ¼ cups fine graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
Maple whipping cream:
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° (convection not recommended). Peel sweet potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Place in a 9- by 13-inch baking pan and brush with melted butter. Bake until potatoes are soft when pressed, 45 to 55 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare crust. Bake in same oven with potatoes until lightly browned all over, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Scrape any charred spots off potatoes, then cut potatoes into chunks. Whirl in a food processor or mash in a bowl with lemon juice until smooth. Reserve 1 cup; save any extra for another use.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°. In a bowl, with a mixer on high speed, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in granulated and brown sugars, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, until mixture is well blended and smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended. Add reserved sweet potato mixture, the whipping cream, sour cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix on low speed until well blended.
Pecan crust:
- Whirl ¼ cup coarsely chopped pecans in a blender until finely ground; you should have ¼ cup. In a bowl, mix pecans, 1 ¼ cups fine graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 5 tablespoons melted butter. Pour into a 9-inch cheesecake pan with removable rim (2 ¼ in. tall). Press mixture evenly over bottom of pan.
- Wrap bottom of cheesecake pan with heavy-duty foil, pressing it up the sides. Pour batter over crust. Put cheesecake pan in a 12- by 15-inch roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. Set pans in oven and pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cheesecake pan.
- Bake until cake barely jiggles in the center when gently shaken, about 55 minutes. Remove pans from oven. Lift cheesecake pan from roasting pan and let cool completely on a rack, about 1 hour, then chill until cold, at least 1 1/2 hours, or up to 3 days (cover once cold).
Serving:
- Up to 6 hours before serving, cut around inside of pan rim to release cake; remove rim. With a pastry bag, pipe dollops of maple cream onto cake. Or serve maple cream separately, to spoon onto each wedge.
Maple cream:
- In a bowl, with a mixer on high speed, beat 3/4 cup whipping cream until stiff peaks form. On low speed, beat in 1/4 cup maple syrup just until blended.
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Hi Sandy, This cheesecake recipe looks and sounds devine. By looking at the photos I assume you used a 8 inch springform pan being it is baked in a 9×13 water bath. I didn’t see the pan size mentioned in the recipe and read over it a couple of times. Just want to make sure as sometime photos can be deceiving and I don’t want to come up short on the amount of batter or have way too munch either. I intend on trying it out for the up coming holidays. I never had a Sweet Potato Cheesecake before.
We used a 9-inch springform pan! :)
I’ve never used sweet potato in a cheesecake, but imagine it’s delicious!
I have made pumpkin cheesecake but have had sweet potato cheesecake. I would LOVE a big slice of this :)
I’ve never made a sweet potato cheesecake before! This looks amazing!