Rich, decadent sweet potato cheesecake is a wonderful addition to the holiday table. It has the same wonderful flavors of sweet potato casserole but made into a velvety, sweet dessert. Bake sweet potatoes ahead of time and keep refrigerated so it’s ready to go when preparing the cheesecake.
Do you want to try some more sweet potato desserts? Try my Sweet Potato Pie with pecan topping and Sweet Potato Casserole Cake.
SWEET POTATO CHEESECAKE
We probably eat more sweet potatoes in the fall then the rest of the year. Between all the sweet potato pies, sweet potato casseroles, and cakes, it’s a lot of sweet potatoes. You have to really like sweet potatoes…and we do!
Fall really is a magical time for food and it has the best holidays. I’m drooling just thinking about the holiday dinner this year and it’s partially because I found a new dessert to add to my menu. This sweet potato cheesecake is definitely the way to go for Thanksgiving, Christmas, office parties, or just bringing it to the friend’s house.
This cheesecake is like biting into a luscious sweet potato casserole but made into a creamy dessert. There are even gooey, toasted marshmallows on top.
Cheesecakes make a great holiday dessert because you can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until it’s ready to serve. You can take a couple of days to make the cheesecake by starting with sweet potatoes. Bake sweet potatoes ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. Cheesecake should be made at least a day before because it needs to cool down and chill for several hours. (Don’t make it more than 2 days ahead.)
HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO CHEESECAKE
It will take a couple of hours to make sweet potatoes so you can make it ahead of time or right before making the cheesecake. Wash sweet potatoes and pierce each one with a knife. Wrap each sweet potato in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake them at 350° for 1.5-2 hours. Sweet potatoes should be very soft all the way through.
Wait for potatoes to cool down so it’s easy to handle, peel the skin off, and mash with a fork until smooth. You can use potatoes right away to make the cheesecake batter of cover and refrigerate it until ready to use.
I highly recommend that you wrap the outside of the springform pan in aluminum foil to minimize the chance of water getting into the pan. After the pan is wrapped on the outside, spray the pan, and fill in the graham cracker crumb mixture to form crust. Beat all ingredients for cheesecake filling according to the recipe and pour it into the crust.
Place the springform inside a large roasting pan and add water to fill it half way up the springform. Bake cheesecake at 325° for 80-85 minutes and then turn off the oven and open the door. Opening the door and letting cheesecake cool down gradually will help prevent cracking. After 10 minutes, take the cheesecake out of the roasting pan and let it cool to room temperature.
Make sure to chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator before serving it for at least 6 hours. When ready to serve the cheesecake, spread marshmallows over the cold cheesecake and let them toast in the oven under low broiler setting.
HOW CAN I SERVE THIS CHEESECAKE
You can serve this cheesecake as is, simply topped with toasted marshmallows, or try a few of these flavors:
Crushed pecans – add a layer of crushed pecans between the cheesecake filling and the crust or between the marshmallows and the cooked cheesecake.
Pralines – chop up some pralines and add it on top of the cooked cheesecake, before adding marshmallows. Then, toast the marshmallows per recipe instructions.
Caramel – feel free to drizzle caramel over each slice as you serve the cheesecake. It’s a delicious addition!
HOW TO STORE CHEESECAKE
You can store the cheesecake right in the springform it was cooked in. Make sure to cover the pan with plastic wrap to make it air-tight and store it in the refrigerator.
Properly stored and covered cheesecake will last up to a week in the refrigerator.
MORE FALL DESSERT RECIPES TO TRY
Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Roll Cake
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Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 5 tbsp salted unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling:
- 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes 2 medium sweet potatoes, about 1.75 lbs
- 24 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
- 8 oz marshmallows
Instructions
Sweet potatoes:
- Wash sweet potatoes and pierce each one with a knife.
- Wrap each sweet potato with aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet.
- Bake sweet potatoes for 1.5-2 hours, until fork tender inside.
- Let potatoes cool before peeling the skin off and mashing it. Once cooled, take off the skin and mash the sweet potatoes with a fork until smooth.
Crust:
- Prepare the springform pan by wrapping outside of the pan in aluminum foil. Many springform pans, especially ones that have been used quite a bit, have a chance of leaking some water inside. Wrapping outside of the springform in foil will help keep water out.
- Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, vanilla extract, and pumpkin spice in a mixing bowl and mix very well.
- Spray inside of the springform pan with some cooking spray, making sure you get the sides too.
- Spread crumb mixture in the bottom of the prepared springform, evenly pressing it over the bottom and a little up the sides.
Cheesecake Filling:
- In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. Scrape sides and bottom on the bowl and beat for another minute.
- Pour in sugar while beating and add eggs, one at a time. Beat it until smooth. Stop to scrape bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add mashed sweet potatoes, sour cream, vanilla extract, and heavy cream and beat, still on medium-high speed, until all mixed very well.
- Lower the speed and beat in cornstarch and pumpkin pie spice. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for a few more seconds to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
Baking Cheesecake:
- Transfer batter into the springform and spread in evenly.
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Place a large roasting pan into the oven and place cheesecake springform inside the roasting pan. Carefully add hot water to the roasting pan, about half way up the side of the springform.
- Bake for 80-85 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door half way. Let cheesecake rest for 10 minutes and take it out of the oven. Take the foil wrap off the pan.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes on the counter and then gently run a butter knife between sides of the cheesecakes and the springform to carefully separate it. (You don’t actually have to take the cheesecake out of the pan until ready to serve.)
- Cool cheesecake for an hour and then cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
Topping:
- Set the top rack of the oven about 6-7 inches away from the broiler and turn on the broiler to low setting.
- Spread marshmallows over the cold cheesecake and let it toast in the oven until the top is golden brown. Take it out and cool for a few minutes before cutting.
Notes
Nutrition
Jenny says
I can’t wait to make this again it was so good!
Sheena says
Can I use canned sweet potato instead! No fresh sweet potato near where I live.
Danielle says
Why is Pumpkin Pie Spice in the Recipe, when it’s a Sweet Potato Cheesecake?
LyubaB says
Hi Danielle,
Despite the popular belief that pumpkin is in pumpkin spice, it doesn’t actually have pumpkin in it. It does have cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves all of these spices go wonderfully with sweet potato cheesecake. I do hope you give it a try.