A true delight during the holiday season, this Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake is made dairy-free, requires no baking, and is spiced to perfection! An ideal recipe for those who love the classic pie but like to keep things sugar-free and dairy-free.
I confessed in my Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake post a few years ago that pumpkin cheesecake has been my personal long-time favorite dessert during the holiday season.
The creaminess, the warm spices, the crunch of the crust…it’s heavenly!
As you know if you’ve followed The Roasted Root for a while, I make my cheesecakes dairy-free using raw cashews. Because of this, they are no-bake by nature and are also very easy to make vegan.
Piggy backing off of my love for pumpkin cheesecake and wanting to provide a low-carb holiday pie recipe for my sugar-free followers, I simply took my Dairy-Free Keto Cheesecake recipe and pumpkinified it.
If you haven’t tried a cashew-based cheesecake, I promise the result is shockingly similar to regular cheesecake. The key is to add a touch of lemon juice, which provides that tang we would otherwise be lacking to mimic the cream cheese.
All spiced up with pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and ground cinnamon, this keto no-bake pie recipe is an amazing option for those who keep it sugar-free and dairy-free.
Not to mention, this recipe is much more goof-proof than a regular pumpkin cheesecake on account of the fact that there’s no baking involved!
Ingredients for Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake:
The list of ingredients for this recipe appears much longer than my standard recipe, but it’s mostly due to the spices. There’s also cross-over between the crust and the filling so the actual ingredient count isn’t as high as it looks at first glance.
That said, if you’ve never made a recipe like this before, I’ll give you a quick rundown as to why we use the ingredients we do. Let’s dive in!
For the Crust:
Raw nuts (I recommend raw almonds, walnuts or pecans), coconut oil, sugar-free confectioners sweetener, sea salt, and ground cinnamon. I like using raw almonds for my no-bake crusts, but feel free to select your favorite nut.
You definitely want to stick with powdered confectioners sweetener instead of using a regular granulated sweetener, because you’ll instantly get the graininess from granulated sweetener when you take a bite. The texture of the crust turns out perfectly this way.
The crust turns out with a nice nutty flavor and has almost a cookie dough texture with a little added crunch. It’s difficult to put into words, but I find it divine!
For the Cheesecake Filling:
Raw cashews, coconut milk, coconut oil, pumpkin puree, sugar-free confectioners sweetener, lemon juice, vanilla extract, fresh ginger, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, sea salt.
The reason we need both coconut milk and coconut oil is they work in tandem to create that luscious creamy texture. The coconut oil helps the cheesecake setup because it solidifies as it gets cold.
Just as is the case for the crust, the filling requires powered confectioners sweetener as well to ensure the consistency turns out right. A regular granulated sweetener will not dissolve because the mixture stays cold and will result in a grittiness versus a smoothness.
I find the combination of fresh ginger, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon yields the most enticing explosion of fall flavor. You can easily make your own pumpkin pie spice blend or choose the seasonings you like.
If You Aren’t Low-Carb or Keto:
If you love the idea of a dairy-free grain-free pumpkin cheesecake and you don’t follow a sugar-free diet, make my Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake! It’s sweetened with dates and pure maple syrup and is absolutely heavenly as well.
Let’s make it already!
How to Make Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake:
Make the Crust:
Prep Ahead: Add the cashews to a large bowl and fill it with water such that the cashews are completely submerged. Soak overnight (ideally 12 hours). When you’re ready to make the pie, drain the cashews into a colander.
Make the Crust:
Add the almonds, sugar-free sweetener, cinnamon and sea salt to a food processor and process until everything is well-chopped and combined.
Leaving the food processor on, slowly pour the melted coconut oil through the opening in the top and continue processing until a thick dough-like substance forms.
Line a 8-inch or 9-inch springform pie pan with parchment paper and transfer the crust mixture to the pie pan.
Smooth it into an even layer and freeze while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Make the Filling:
Transfer the cashews to a high-powered blender, along with the rest of the ingredients for the pumpkin cheesecake filling.
Blend until completely creamy. If needed, stop the blender periodically to scrape the sides to help it blend. It does take some time to get the creamy consistency for the filling, so just be patient, keep stopping, stirring, and re-starting.
Pour the pumpkin cheesecake filling into the pie pan over the crust and spread it into an even layer.
Freeze the pumpkin cheesecake until it has completely set up, about 4 hours.
Serve!:
When you’re ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the freezer and release the springform pan. Transfer the cheesecake to a serving platter or cake stand and slice it into individual slices. Serve with whipped cream if desired! To keep it dairy-free, you can make my homemade Coconut Milk Whipped Cream.
Note that if the cheesecake is very frozen, it will need to thaw for 8 to 15 minutes before slicing it.
How to Store Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake:
Once the cheesecake has set up in the freezer, you can store it in the refrigerator in a sealed container (I use a large class tupperware container to store mine). You can also simply keep the cheesecake in the freezer and slice off a piece when you have a hankering. The cheesecake needs to be chilled so either the refrigerator or the freezer works.
I usually store my leftovers in the refrigerator for the first 5 days or so and if there are any leftovers remaining after that, I move it to the freezer.
More Keto Dessert Recipes:
- Keto Cowboy Cookies
- Flourless Keto Chocolate Cake
- Keto Blueberry Cobbler
- Keto Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
- Keto Pots de Crème
Pumpkin cheesecake forever!
If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo on Instagram and tag @The.Roasted.Root!
Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake (Dairy-Free, No-Bake)
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 3 cups raw almonds walnuts, or pecans
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ⅓ cup sugar-free confectioners sweetener
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:
- 2 cups raw cashews soaked overnight
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup pureed pumpkin
- 2/3 cup sugar-free confectioners sweetener
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1- inch nub fresh ginger peeled
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Prep Ahead: Add the cashews to a large bowl and fill it with water such that the cashews are completely submerged. Soak overnight (ideally 12 hours). When you’re ready to make the pie, drain the cashews into a colander.
Make the Crust:
- Add the almonds, sugar-free sweetener, cinnamon and sea salt to a food processor and process until everything is well-chopped and combined. Leaving the food processor on, slowly pour the melted coconut oil through the opening in the top and continue processing until a thick dough-like substance forms.
- Line a 8-inch or 9-inch springform pie pan with parchment paper and transfer the crust mixture to the pie pan. Smooth it into an even layer and freeze while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Make the Filling:
- Transfer the cashews to a high-powered blender, along with the rest of the ingredients for the pumpkin cheesecake filling.
- Blend until completely creamy. If needed, stop the blender periodically to scrape the sides to help it blend. It does take some time to get the creamy consistency for the filling, so just be patient, keep stopping, stirring, and re-starting.
- Pour the pumpkin cheesecake filling into the pie pan over the crust and spread it into an even layer.
- Freeze the pumpkin cheesecake until it has completely set up, about 4 hours.
Serve!:
- When you’re ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the freezer and release the springform pan. Transfer the cheesecake to a serving platter or cake stand and slice it into individual slices. Serve with whipped cream if desired!
Notes
Nutrition
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Any potential replacements for the sugar free confectioners sugar? Could I use coconut sugar that I whirl in the blender? I heard I can make coconut confectioners sugar that way.
If not, anything else you can think of?
I’m not concerned about it being sugar free. Looking more for healthier options. How about honey? Would that work? Or maple syrup?
Hi Wanda!
Follow this recipe for my Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake. It’s a very similar recipe but uses medjool dates in the crust and pure maple syrup in the cheesecake filling 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
@Julia, Wonderful! Thank you!!
@Wanda, just use Swerve or Lakanto monkfruit sweetener. Perfect sub.
What happens if you try to bake this?
I’ve never tried it, but my guess is it would just be gooey. The filling needs to be chilled in order to set up 😉
What a yummy looking pumpkin cheesecake. I have tried your earlier version and it was delicious.
Thank you! I just love the combination of the creamy tang with the warm spices 😀