Gingerbread Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

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Gingerbread cheesecake recipe combines the rich creaminess of cheesecake with the warm, comforting flavors of gingerbread for a perfect holiday dessert.

Gingerbread cheesecake is the perfect combination of warm spices and cool and creamy cheesecake all in a buttery gingersnap crust. It is the perfect dessert for the holiday season. Like our Apple Crisp Cheesecake, this seasonal cheesecake looks like it came from a bakery but is actually deceptively easy to make!

New to cheesecake? Learn about the differences in baked and no-bake cheesecakes.

​Ingredients

• gingersnap cookies
• sugars – both granulated and brown sugar
• dairy – butter, cream cheese, sour cream, and heavy whipping cream
• spices – ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• molasses
• caramel sauce and additional crushed gingersnaps for topping (optional)

Step by step

1. Preheat the oven and line a springform pan (affiliate link) with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In a blender (affiliate link) or food processor, crush the gingersnaps until they have a uniformly fine crumb.
3. In a medium bowl combine the crushed gingersnaps, brown sugar, and melted butter. Mix together and blended then press into the springform pan (affiliate link) firmly.
4. Bake for 5 minutes, then allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. While the crust is cooling, prepare the filling. Add cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer (affiliate link) or a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy and there are no more lumps. Add sugar, brown sugar, and mix to combine.

6. Add spices and continue to mix. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between eggs and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. 
7. Add vanilla, sour cream, heavy cream, and molasses. Mix on low speed until smooth.
8. Place the cooled crust on a baking sheet. Pour the gingerbread cheesecake filling into the cooled crust and spread evenly and smooth with the back of a spoon if necessary. Place the cheesecake along with a baking in the oven. Place a baking dish with hot water below the cheesecake.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. Turn off oven and open the oven door slightly and allow the cheesecake to remain in the oven an additional hour.
10. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator and cool at least 4 hours or overnight.
11. Top with caramel sauce and crushed gingersnaps if desired.

Tips for best results

• Use full-fat brick style cream cheese, lighter versions or whipped varieties will not perform well in this recipe.
• Placing the springform cake tin on a baking sheet makes transferring it to the oven easier. It also saves a lot of cleanup if the cheesecake filling happens to bubble over.
• The baking dish of hot water in the oven helps keep the top of the cheesecake from cracking. While I usually top this gingerbread cheesecake with caramel sauce, this is especially important for presentation if you aren’t planning on topping the cheesecake.
• For extra clean slices, place the cheesecake in the freezer for an hour before cutting. Run a large chef’s knife under hot water, wipe dry with a paper towel then slice. Repeat the process for each slice.

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