This is the best pecan pie cheesecake! It has a brown butter creamy cheesecake layer over a brown butter graham cracker crust and it's topped with a gooey caramel pecan pie topping. It's a super decadent dessert and it's perfect for Thanksgiving!
Try some of my other favorite desserts for Thanksgiving: apple pie cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake bars, maple bourbon gooey pecan pie, mini apple pies, pecan sticky buns, Thanksgiving cracker toffee, apple pie bars, gooey butter pecan cake or pumpkin cheesecake cookies!
Why You'll Love this Pecan Pie Cheesecake Recipe
It's covered in a gooey caramel pecan topping. It's just the best!
This is a super creamy cheesecake. This cheesecake literally melts in your mouth. It's so creamy and smooth. It's perfect texture is achieved with a careful mixing method. The cream cheese is complimented with brown butter and sour cream to achieve an unbelievable perfect cheesecake texture.
It's full of pecan pie flavor. The cheesecake is flavored with brown sugar, vanilla and brown butter, and poured over a brown butter graham cracker crust. Then after it's done baking It's topped with homemade pecan pie filling. It's a pecan pie lover's dream!
Ingredients for Pecan Pie Cheesecake
- Cream Cheese- full fat cream cheese will be the base of this cheesecake
- Sour Cream- adds extra creaminess to this cheesecake
- Eggs- make sure they're room temperature
- Vanilla Extract- adds a sweet note to the cheesecake
- Sugar- brown sugar and granulated white sugar sweeten the cheesecake batter
- Cornstarch- essential for a perfect cheesecake. It adds a bit of structure, allows for clean slices and helps the top to never crack or sink
- Graham crackers- ground to make the crust
- Butter- gets browned and used in the crust and cheesecake filling
- Bourbon- optional, but adds a nice warm flavor to the pecan pie topping
- Maple Syrup- used to make the pecan pie topping
- Springform Pan- essential for making a cheesecake
- Large Roasting Pan- for the water bath
Step by Step Instructions
Please see the recipe card below for complete measurements!
STEP ONE: Make both portions of brown butter.
STEP TWO: Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Add the browned, melted butter and brown sugar to the graham cracker crumbs and pulse to combine together.
STEP THREE: Press the crumbs into the bottom of a greased spring form pan lined with parchment paper and wrapped with at least four sheets of aluminum foil. Bake then let cool.
STEP FOUR: In a large bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese, corn starch, brown sugar and granulated white sugar together with a paddle attachment on medium speed for two minutes until everything is smooth and there are no lumps. (You can alternatively use a hand mixer). Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure everything has been mixed well.
STEP FIVE: Add the brown butter, vanilla, and sour cream to the cream cheese mixture and mix for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl again to ensure everything is mixed together.
STEP SIX: Next add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time to the cheesecake batter. Mix on medium speed, ensuring that each is fully mixed in before adding the next. As soon as the last one is fully mixed in, turn off the mixer. Do not over mix the batter.
STEP SEVEN: Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan with the crust. Place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan in the oven. Slowly pour the warm water in to the pan around the cheesecake being careful not to splash the cheesecake.
STEP EIGHT: Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. When an hour is up, turn off the oven and crack the door open. It helps to use a wooden utensil to keep the oven door slightly open. Let the cheesecake stay in the oven for 1 more hour. The cheesecake will continue to bake as it is cooling. (This is the best method I’ve used when making cheesecake and it results in a perfectly baked top with no cracks or sinking every time.)
STEP NINE: Once the 2 hours are up, remove the cheesecake from the oven and go around the edges of the pan with a butter knife to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan. Let the cheesecake cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with tin foil or plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 8 hours. (I bake it the night before and let it refrigerate overnight).
STEP TEN: Once ready to serve the cheesecake, make the pecan pie topping. Add the butter to a medium saucepan and melt it over low heat. Then add in the maple syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, salt and eggs. Whisk to combine. Turn the heat up to medium-low and cook the mixture for 20-25 minutes until thick like caramel sauce. Stir it constantly so that it remains smooth. Then remove from it from the heat. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
STEP ELEVEN: Transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate, then pour the pecan pie sauce on top of the cheesecake, reserve about ¼ of it. Smooth it out into an even layer with a mini offset spatula. Sprinkle the pecan on top, then drizzle the remaining sauce over top. Then serve!
FAQs
Does the cheesecake have to be baked in a water bath? Yes, a water bath is the only way to achieve a perfectly baked cheesecake without a giant crack!
How do I store the cheesecake? Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. (I like to use a cake carrier.)
Pro Tips
Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. This will yield the best cheesecake texture.
Don't mix the pecans into the sauce. The sauce is much better when the pecans are placed on top of the sauce, rather than mixed in. (Mixing them in tends to cause the sauce to firm up.)
Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to tightly pack the graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the springform pan. This will ensure that the crust really sticks together without falling apart when cutting into the cheesecake.
For best results let the cheesecake chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours. This will give it ample time to chill and set up properly.
Don't over mix your batter. Mix just until the cream cheese isn't lumpy, and just until the other ingredients are combined. This will give you the best textured cheesecake.
Other Amazing Desserts to Try Next Time
📖 Recipe
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust's Brown Butter
- ¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter
For the Cheesecake's Brown Butter
- ½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter
For the Crust
- 16 (240 g) graham crackers, full sheets
- brown butter from above
- 2 tablespoon (28 g) brown sugar, packed
For the Brown Butter Cheesecake
- 32 oz (907 g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- ¾ cup (165 g) brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoon (16 g) cornstarch
- brown butter from above
- ⅓ cup (82 g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
For the Pecan Pie Topping
- 6 tablespoon (84 g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (180 ml) maple syrup
- 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) bourbon, optional
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (170 g) whole pecans
Instructions
For the Crust's Brown Butter
- Add the butter to a pot and heat it over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt and come to a simmer. Simmer until the butter is foamy, giving off a nutty scent and has browned. The whole process should take about 5-8 minutes. Remove the butter from the heat and transfer it to a small bowl.¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter
For the Cheesecake's Brown Butter
- Repeat the process with the other butter. Transfer to a small bowl to cool while working on the crust.½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter
For the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Add the melted brown butter and brown sugar to the graham cracker crumbs and pulse to combine together.16 (240 g) graham crackers, full sheets, brown butter from above, 2 tablespoon (28 g) brown sugar, packed
- Prepare your 9 inch springform pan for its later water bath by wrapping the bottom and sides of it with a decent amount of tinfoil. You want to make sure the tinfoil goes up about two inches on the sides of the pan so no water seeps into the pan as it bakes. I always use too much (around 8 layers) just so I know it’ll be okay. Grease the pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes then let it cool while working on the rest of the cheesecake.
For the Brown Butter Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees if not still preheated from the crust.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese, corn starch, brown sugar and granulated white sugar together with a paddle attachment on medium speed for two minutes until everything is smooth and there are no lumps. (You can alternatively use a hand mixer). Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure everything has been mixed well.32 oz (907 g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature, ¾ cup (165 g) brown sugar, packed, ½ cup (100 g) granulated white sugar, 2 tablespoon (16 g) cornstarch
- Add the melted brown butter, vanilla, and sour cream to the cream cheese mixture and mix for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl again to ensure everything is mixed together.brown butter from above, ⅓ cup (82 g) sour cream, at room temperature, 2 teaspoon vanilla
- At this point, stop and put a pot of water on the stove to start boiling for the water bath. You will want enough water to go up about 1 ½ inches on the sides of the springform pan.
- Next add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time to the cheesecake batter. Mix on medium speed, ensuring that each is fully mixed in before adding the next. As soon as the last one is fully mixed in, turn off the mixer. Do not over mix the batter.3 eggs, at room temperature, 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan with the crust. Place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan in the oven. Slowly pour the hot water into the pan around the cheesecake being careful not to splash the cheesecake.
- Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour. When an hour is up, turn off the oven and crack the door open. It helps to use a wooden utensil to keep the oven door slightly open. Let the cheesecake stay in the oven for 1 more hour. The cheesecake will continue to bake as it is cooling. (This is the best method I’ve used when making cheesecake and it results in a perfectly baked top with no cracks or sinking every time.)
- Once the 2 hours are up, remove the cheesecake from the oven and go around the edges of the pan with a butter knife to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan. Let the cheesecake cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with tin foil or plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 8 hours.(I bake it the night before and let it refrigerate overnight).
For the Pecan Pie Topping
- Once ready to serve the cheesecake, make the pecan pie topping. Add the butter to a medium saucepan and melt it over low heat.6 tablespoon (84 g) unsalted butter
- Then add in the maple syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, salt and eggs. Whisk to combine.¾ cup (180 ml) maple syrup, 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar, packed, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) bourbon, optional, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla, ¾ teaspoon salt, 3 eggs, at room temperature
- Turn the heat up to medium-low and cook the mixture for 20-25 minutes until thick like caramel sauce. Stir it constantly so that it remains smooth. Then remove from it from the heat. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate, then pour the pecan pie sauce on top of the cheesecake, reserve about ¼ of it. Smooth it out into an even layer with a mini offset spatula. Sprinkle the pecans on top, then drizzle the remaining sauce over top. Then serve!1 ½ cups (170 g) whole pecans
Hi, there is a dark or light brown sugar? Thank you 🙂
Hi! You can use either 🙂