Mini Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Mini Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecakes have a creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling with the warm flavor of pumpkin spice. They’re topped with salted caramel sauce and whipped cream for the ultimate fall dessert!
Two years ago today I hit the “Publish” button for the first time, creating a tiny, little speckle on the Internet. It wasn’t even a recipe, it was merely a little post proclaiming my love for fall.
I thought I knew what I was doing a little bit, having read an awesome book titled Will Write for Food, by Dianne Jacobs, but in the grand scheme of things, I new nothing. I don’t claim to know everything about blogging now…I still have a lot to learn.
I’m happy where my blog is now for the most part, but there’s plenty of room for growth. In the near future, I want to hit my first blogging conference, and attend photography and food writing workshops/classes.
This blog thing is a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun. 🙂
Being that it’s my 2 year anniversary, something special is in order, and I wanted it to be something to celebrate fall as well!
I was torn between mini pumpkin cheesecakes, a pumpkin cake roll, and pumpkin donuts, so I asked my Facebook readers which of the 3 they would choose. And you’re looking at the winner!
I purchased mini cheesecake pans last year, and I finally got around to using them. I’ve told you I don’t do cheesecake much because it’s so heavy, but little bite sized ones? I definitely do those.
These mini pumpkin cheesecakes are creamy, with the warm flavors of pumpkin spice, brown sugar. And let’s not forget that salted caramel!
How to make this recipe
These bite-sized cheesecakes come together quickly, and they’re very easy to make.
The best thing is that you don’t have to worry about these mini cheesecakes cracking as they bake because they’re so small, they’re only in the oven for a short time. 🙂
Prepare the crust:
- Grease your mini pan and preheat the oven.
- Combine the melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs, pecans and sugar.
- Divide the mixture between the (12) cheesecake cavities and pack down into the bottom.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and cool while you prepare the filling.
Prepare the filling:
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then beat in the sugar, pumpkin, egg, sour cream, vanilla and spices, and beat until well combined.
- Fill each cavity with cheesecake filling up to 1/4″ from the top. You may have a bit of filling leftover.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until set — the filling will be slightly wobbly.
- Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely.
- Once cool, chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.
Prepare the salted caramel sauce
I have to thank my dog for this caramel sauce, as strange as it sounds. The caramel was bubbling away with a little color around the edges, and normally I’m so afraid it’s going to burn, I pull it off maybe a touch too soon for my taste.
My dog needed to go out, and I took my time about it thinking the caramel wasn’t too close yet. When I got back, it was totally done, and I was afraid overly done. I whisked in the cream, butter, and sea salt, and it was the most perfect caramel sauce I’ve ever made.
My dog is getting extra treats tomorrow. 🙂
- Place the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small non-reactive saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar has melted, stirring gently just to combine.
- Once the sugar has melted, increase the heat to high and cook without stirring. The mixture will boil rapidly, then slowly, then the edges will begin to color. Swirl gently, and cook until the caramel is a golden amber color.
- Remove from heat and whisk the cream in a bit at a time as the mixture will bubble up. Once all the cream has been added, whisk in the butter and sea salt.
Prepare the whipped cream
You can use my homemade whipped cream to dollop on top just before serving, or my stabilized whipped cream to pipe decoratively on the cheesecakes in advance.
When ready to serve, top the mini pumpkin cheesecakes with whipped cream and salted caramel sauce.
Recipe tips and substitutions
- If you don’t have a mini cheesecake pan, just use a standard muffin or mini muffin pan lined with paper liners. Just be sure to keep an eye on them in the oven because cooking time will vary.
- Use store bought salted caramel sauce if desired.
- Leftover cheesecakes keep in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
More cheesecake recipes you’ll love:
Mini cookies ‘n cream pumpkin cheesecakes
Mini cranberry orange cheesecakes
Strawberry cheesecake smoothie
Mini Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans or substitute with the same amount of graham cracker crumbs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- pinch of salt
For the filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 tablespoon sour cream may be substituted with Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the salted caramel sauce:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 drops fresh lemon juice*
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter cut into small cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or finishing salt I used Maldon
Equipment
Instructions
Prepare the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the inserts into the bottom of each of the (12) cavities of a mini cheesecake pan, and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place the graham cracker crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, and pinch of salt in a small bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter and stir until the mixture is well coated with butter.
- Drop 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the mixture into the each of the (12) cavities, and press down firmly with the back of a teaspoon.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.
Prepare the filling:
- Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar, pumpkin, sour cream, egg, vanilla, and spices, and beat until smooth and well combined.
- Fill each cavity with the filling, leaving about 1/4" of space at the top. You will have a bit of filling leftover.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until set. Begin checking for doneness after 10 minutes, as oven temperatures vary considerably.
- Cool 20 minutes on a wire rack, then using your finger, push up through the hole in the bottom of each cheesecake and remove each one. Use a knife to loosen the sides if necessary — I didn't have to. Remove the metal insert if they're easy to remove at this point, and cool completely in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
Prepare the salted caramel sauce:
- Place the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar has melted, stirring just a bit to combine the ingredients.
- Once the sugar has melted, increase the heat to high and do not stir. The mixture will bubble rapidly, then the bubbles will become bigger and slower, and it will begin to color. The edges will normally color first, and you can swirl the pan ever so gently to distribute the color so the mixture doesn't burn. When the caramel is a golden amber color, remove it from heat.
- Slowly whisk in the cream a bit at a time, as the mixture will bubble over if you add too much, then whisk in the butter and finishing salt. If the caramel has hardened, place it back over medium low heat and whisk until it's smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Notes
- If you don’t wish to use the pecans, substitute with an additional 1/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs.
- If you don’t have a mini cheesecake pan, just use a standard muffin or mini muffin pan lined with paper liners. Just be sure to keep an eye on them in the oven because cooking time will vary.
- Prepare my homemade whipped cream to dollop onto the cheesecakes just before serving, or pipe my stabilized whipped cream decoratively on top of them in advance.
- Use store bought salted caramel sauce if desired.
- Leftover cheesecakes keep in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
78 Comments on “Mini Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecakes”
Hahaha! I’ll put up with you any time Marcie. HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY! When you picked up your blog two years ago, all of your readers was given a GIFT! Your blog is such a treasure and I love reading you. These mini cheesecakes look amazing ~ and I’m so grateful for your dog and that caramel sauce. Totally PINNED!!!
Thank you for putting up with me, and for the well wishes! You’re such a wonderful person and I’m so glad we “met”. Here’s to hoping we meet in person in the next year. 🙂 I appreciate the pin, and hope you have a great weekend! 🙂
Happy 2 Year Blog Anniversary Marcie! These Caramel Pumpkin Cheese cakes are a wonderful way to celebrate.They look amazing! So cute your dog helped you get to the perfect stage with your caramel sauce. I tend to pull it off the heat too early too. Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Thank you, Christin, and it’s been a joy following along with your blog the past year+! These cheesecakes were a tasty way to celebrate, and hopefully the next time I make caramel sauce my dog helps me out again. haha Hope you have a great weekend! 🙂
Oh wow Marie these look so fantastic. I love salted caramel soo much!
Thank you, Jocelyn! I could’ve eaten this caramel sauce with a spoon but I’m saving it for something else. A girl needs her caramel sauce! 🙂
Happy Blogiversary! I am so glad that I can follow along with all of your delicious recipes. You know how much I love mini desserts so I LOVE these salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake. Pinned!
Thank you, Ashley! Thank you for those kind words, and I LOVE your mini desserts! When they’re small, they’re even more fun. Hope you’re having a wonderful time here in CA, and thanks for the pin! 🙂
The flavors in these are so perfect Marcie, love ’em!
Thank you, Matt! Nothing beats the flavors of fall with a little salted caramel over the top. 🙂
Yeah! Happy anniversary! Looking forward to many more years to come! I’m attending my first blogging conference this week and I’m super excited. Hopefully some day we will get to cross paths at one! Love these mini-pumpkin cheesecakes!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Liz, and I’d love to cross paths with you one day too! I have a sneaking suspicion you’re talking about the conference in Seattle next week, and I’m SO bummed because I really wanted to go to that. I will get to one sometime very soon I hope. Have a great weekend! 🙂
Yay, congrats on 2 years Marcie! Happy happy blog anniversary! So glad to have gotten to know you and see all the gorgeous creations you make 🙂 I love that you share a pumpkin recipe each year – and I’m really loving these adorable pumpkin cheesecakes. They look amazing especially with that salted caramel sauce 🙂 Pinned!
Thank you, Kelly, and it’s been so nice getting to know you and follow along with your blog and see all of your delicious dishes! You’re a true inspiration juggling everything you do and still have time to rock the blogosphere. haha It was my first time making a pumpkin cheesecake and we loved these! They will be around for the holidays for sure. Have a great weekend! 🙂
These are literally perfect looking! Love the salted caramel + pumpkin combo 🙂
Thank you, Medha! I love little bite sized desserts…they’re so fun!
Oh wow!! What a great way to celebrate your 2nd year blogging anniversary Marcie!! I absolutely LOVE pumpkin cheesecake!! And you are right, the caramel sauce turned out perfect!! Congratulations on the success of your beautiful blog! My own one year anniversary will be coming up soon, I just can’t believe how fast time flies!! 🙂
Thank you, Renee, and yes — time does fly! I can’t believe it’s been two years, and I can’t wait to see how you celebrate your first year! Your desserts always look SO decadent, especially that brownie trifle. 🙂 Hope you have a great weekend!
I made pumpkin cheesecake too earlier today. And now I see it here and crave a slice despite being almost 1am here. I blame you and your great pics for this!
Thank you so much, Oana! These would make a great 1AM fridge raid. 🙂
Happy 2 years! That’s awesome. 🙂 And pumpkin goodies are the perfect way to celebrate! These are adorable and now I’m craving pumpkin cheesecake!!! Have a lovely weekend!!
Thank you, Tina! I’m so glad I finally posted a pumpkin recipe — it’s still early but I feel like I’m behind the curve since I wanted to in August. haha Hope you have a great weekend! 🙂
Thank you, Danae! I can’t believe how long it took me to use this pan, but it will get more use after these for sure! Hope you have a great weekend! 🙂
Your mini pumpkin cheesecakes are adorable. I am fighting to hold on to summer, but this is helping me work my way through it.
Madonna
MakeMineLemon
Thank you, Madonna! I’m not totally ready to give up summer, but embracing fall flavors now gives us the best of both worlds! 🙂
Happy 2 years! Congrats!!! and this is the perfect way to celebrate! Beautiful mini-salted-caramel-pumpkin-cheesecakes .. love these!!! Pinned! and thanks for the visit! 🙂
Thank you, Alice, and I appreciate the pin! Hope you have a great weekend! 🙂
Gahh what a great recipe to celebrate with, Marcie! I’m like you – full-sized cheesecakes just seem so rich, but mini cheesecakes are perfection! So funny that your dog allowed the caramel to cook for juuust the right amount of time. Tricky, time-sensitive recipe steps like that always make me so nervous! Beautiful photos, too. 🙂 Pinning!
Thank you, Alyssa, and this was such a fun and tasty way to ring in 2 years! I appreciate the pin, and hope you’re having a great weekend! 🙂
These are SO cute!! Seriously! I love em! I’m ALL about that pumpkin spice life! …so nice 🙂 PERF for this time of year!
Mini desserts are the best — I just love ’em! Thank you, Cailee, and hope you’re having a great weekend! 🙂
I think these are the perfect way to celebrate 2 years! They sound amazingggg.
haha and you should definitely give your dog extra treats for that! I love it 🙂 Hope you’re having a happy weekend Marcie!
Thanks, Ashley, and my dog definitely got himself a few extra treats yesterday! 🙂
Having a blog is fun! A lot of work, but a lot of fun! It’s a journey I’m so happy I started… I get to meet awesome people like you! And this cheesecake rocks!
It is fun, and I love getting inspired by so many other bloggers out there — you being one of them! Hope you’re having a great weekend! 🙂
Happy Blogiversary!! These mini cheesecakes look wonderful. From the pumpkin to the whipped cream, to the salted caramel… adorable perfection!
Thanks so much, Kristine, and I hope you’re having a great weekend! 🙂
These are just too beautiful! And I know they’re delicious too! I love that you used brown sugar…I’m sure it adds the right layer of depth to this fall treat!
Thank you, Monet! We loved these so much I made more today! 🙂
These look ultra delicious and oh so pretty! Since they’re mini I’ll help myself to a couple. 😉
Thank you, Pamela! A couple of them was my serving size choice too! 🙂
Thank you, Carol! I have trouble with caramel sauce too, but luckily these cheesecakes are small so there’s plenty leftover! 🙂
Oh my goodness, these look amazing. I’m obsessed with salted caramel everything right now!!
You and me both! I can’t stop making salted caramel sauce! 🙂
These are fall perfect!!! Salted caramel and pumpkin are perfect together!
Thank you, Zainab! It was a match made in heaven. 🙂
Yum, I love pumpkin everything and pumpkin cheesecake is my favorite. I try to make one every fall, but I love these mini cakes. Looks delicious and drizzled with caramel is perfection!
Pumpkin cheesecake is one of my favorite cheesecake flavors, and these will definitely be on the holiday dessert table this year! Thanks, Cindy! 🙂
These cheesecakes look amazing, Marcie! Love the salted caramel- so delicious!
Thank you, Jessica! These were an instant favorite of ours! 🙂
Oh my…these are too cute!!! Almost too cute to eat! (almost) 🙂
Nobody here had a problem eating them! haha
So adorable yet tasty! These are picture-perfect, love your photography. Pumpkin cheesecake is delicious enough, and the salted caramel sauce puts these right over the top!
Thank you, Meggan! It was my first time trying the pumpkin-salted caramel combination, and there’s no going back now! 🙂
Yay! Happy anniversary, Marcie! These cheesecakes look like the PERFECT way to celebrate, girl! Pumpkin cheesecake is my absolute fav and I LOVE that gorgeous drizzle of caramel sauce on top. 🙂
Thank you so much, Sarah, and I’m so glad my Facebook readers chose pumpkin cheesecake. These were so fun and tasty! 🙂
Happy Blogiversary Marcie! These little cheesecakes look divine! I love pumpkin cheesecake and with that salted caramel sauce on top – oh my!
Thank you, Trish! I think pumpkin and salted caramel are my new favorite combo! 🙂
Thank you, Consuelo! I loved the fall colors, and boy did they go fast! It was too hard to eat just one. 🙂
Thank you, Lindsey, and I’m so glad I’ve finally found your blog…I feel like I’ve been missing out all this time and I could seriously spend a week there! 🙂 I can never justify an entire cheesecake either, so these were perfect!
Happy 2 year anniversary! I love the pumpkin anniversary theme. I agree- I love cheesecakes, but often can’t finish them because they’re so heavy. These little mini ones are perfect. I hope to see you at a blog conference sometime soon!
These look beyond amazing! My hubby would love these, pinned because they look that good! 🙂 Stopping by from what’s cookin’ Wednesday!
Cathy
Thank you, Cathy! 🙂
This just looks amazing! I wonder if I can try it in a low-fat version, with low-fat cream and oil instead of butter? But I guess it won’t taste the same then…
Great blog btw 🙂
You can definitely lighten these up further! The 1/3 less fat neufchâtel cream cheese I used is light, and the sour cream could certainly be light and not affect the quality of the cheesecake. I’ve never tried using oil in a graham cracker crust, but I’ve seen recipes like that. I think you could probably use coconut or canola oil fine. It’s definitely worth a try! 🙂
Brown sugar is the best way to get warm flavors in everything…besides cinnamon, maybe. 🙂 Thank you, Tash, and yes — the whipped cream is a 100% must!
Happy two year anniversary! This recipe looks like the perfect recipe to celebrate. I too want to attend a blogging seminar and I would really like to improve my photography.
Thank you, Julie! I definitely want to work on photography, writing, everything, so I’ll be happy to find a conference somewhat close to me. 🙂
Happy 2 year anniversary, Marcie! 🙂 Crazy how fast it goes, right?! These little cheesecakes are absolute perfection! I’m crazy for anything salted caramel right now!
Thank you, Jocelyn! It pretty much flew, but when I think back to my oldest posts they feel like a million years ago, haha, and they look pretty archaic, too. 🙂 Salted caramel is my biggest obsession right now too!
I’ve tried to make caramel before but this recipe is the bomb. Love the cheesecake too!
Thank you, Lisa! 🙂
Dear Marcie, these mini cheesecakes are a perfect Autumn treat. They sound and look beautiful. Congratulations on your milestone dear. Happy Blogiversary…here is to many more delicious years of blogging. xo, Catherine
Thank you, Catherine! 🙂
I made these awesome mini cheesecakes for Thanksgiving and they were a big hit with!!! Will definitely be making these again!!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed these Rowena…they’re a favorite of ours! Thanks so much for leaving your feedback!
HI there, thanks for the mention of Will Write for Food! I don’t know why I just got a notice about this post, but I sure do appreciate it. I
hope you’re still enjoying the blog. It looks like it’s going gangbusters. Congratulations!
Any time…I just love your book! I appreciate the comment and I still enjoy the blog. I hope to make it to one of your cookbook writing classes in the near the future!