Sweet Potato Cheesecake
If you enjoy sweet potato pie and equally love cheesecake, then trying this Sweet Potato Cheesecake is a must! Made using roasted sweet potatoes, plenty of spices, and a buttery Biscoff cookie crust, this creamy cheesecake is the best of both worlds.
Looking for more desserts that use sweet potatoes? You should also check out my No-Bake Sweet Potato Cheesecake Bars, Southern Sweet Potato Pie, Mini Sweet Potato Pies, and Sweet Potato Hand Pies.
I had the pleasure of living in New York City some years ago, and while they arguably have some of the best pizzas in the nation, their cheesecake ranks pretty high on my list—with New York-style cheesecakes being the most prevalent there.
Well, this cheesecake falls somewhere between a traditional cheesecake and a New York-style cheesecake. Like the traditional, it is lighter but uses more cream cheese and cream and a few extra eggs, like the New York version.
It is no secret that I am a fan of sweet potatoes. When everyone else is focusing on pumpkin during the Fall, I pull out all my sweet potato recipes! The sweet potato shines with this cheesecake; its rich, smooth, and creamy texture will keep you coming back for more.
Ingredients you’ll need to make sweet potato cheesecake:
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
- Buttery Biscoff cookies flavored with cinnamon and brown sugar make the perfect sweet potato cheesecake crust. If you don’t have Biscoff cookies, you can use gingersnaps or graham crackers. I used these in a boozy milkshake, and they definitely made the dessert even more decadent. You’ll need butter to “grease” your springform (paid link) pan and add it to your finely blended cookies to hold the crust together.
- For the sweet potato puree, you’ll need sweet potatoes, heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and butter. You can roast (preferred) or boil your sweet potatoes (faster).
- For the cream cheese portion of the filling, you’ll need cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, pure vanilla extract, eggs, and cornstarch. The cream cheese provides a tangy flavor, while the mascarpone adds richness. The eggs give structure to allow the cheesecake to “set”; the cornstarch makes the cheesecake slightly dense; and the lemon brightens it, enhancing and drawing out the sweet potato flavors.
How to make a sweet potato cheesecake:
(PREP) Bake or boil your sweet potatoes. If baking, preheat your oven to 350°F. Using a fork, make a few holes in the top of the sweet potato. Place them on a baking sheet (paid link) and bake them for 1 hour. If boiling, remove the skin from the sweet potatoes, cut them into large pieces, boil for 25 to 30 minutes, and drain. Once cooled, you can remove the skin. Set aside.
Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare your springform (paid link) pan. Lightly grease a 9″ springform (paid link) pan with butter or a non-stick spray. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with foil. (This ensures there are no water leaks after placing the pan in the water bath.)
Make the Biscoff crust. Using a food processor (paid link), finely blend the Biscoff cookies. Add the cookies to a medium bowl, along with the sugar and melted butter. Blend with a fork until the ingredients are combined. Firmly and evenly spread the Biscoff cookie mixture in the springform (paid link) pan, completely covering the bottom and sides (about 1 inch). Set aside.
Make the sweet potato puree. Add the sweet potatoes to a large bowl and smash with a potato masher (paid link). Add the vanilla extract, brown sugar, melted butter, heavy cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Using a hand mixer (paid link), blend until smooth.
Make the cream cheese filling. Add room-temperature cream cheese and sugar to a large bowl. Blend with a hand mixer (paid link) until completely smooth. Scrap the bowl as needed to ensure there are no lumps.
Combine the sweet potato puree and cream cheese filling. Add 2 cups of the sweet potato puree, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and mascarpone cheese to the cream cheese filling. Blend until evenly combined. Add one egg at a time. Add the cornstarch and beat on low for a few seconds until just combined. Do not overmix.
Add the filling to the springform (paid link) pan. Pour the filling over the Biscoff crust, spreading evenly. Set aside.
Prepare the water bath. Turn a small oven-safe bowl upside down on a large baking sheet (paid link) and place the springform (paid link) pan on top of it. Pour 1 inch of boiling water onto the baking sheet (paid link). Make sure the springform (paid link) pan is centered.
Bake. Bake the cheesecake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and slightly open the oven door to allow it to cool for an additional hour. This keeps the cheesecake creamy and helps avoid cracking. The sweet potato cheesecake is done when the edges appear to be set, but the center still has some jiggle.
Cool. Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack and cool completely. Transfer to the refrigerator and let it set for at least 5 hours, or overnight, before serving.
Sweet Potato Cheesecake Tips & Tricks
- Make sure your cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature before you start the filling. If the cream cheese is not at room temperature before you make your filling, it may become lumpy when blended.
- Do not remove the cheesecake from the springform (paid link) pan until you’re ready to serve it. It should be removed from the oven, cooled, and placed in the refrigerator.
- If you can’t find or don’t prefer Biscoff cookies, you can use gingersnaps or go with classic graham cracker crust for this cheesecake.
- You can add additional flavor by topping your cheesecake with homemade whipped cream (recipe below) and chopped pecans.
Can I refrigerate or freeze this cheesecake?
Absolutely! You can store your sweet potato cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it by cutting it into individual slices and covering it with parchment paper. Or, you can place it on a baking sheet (paid link) lined with parchment paper. It will keep for up to 1 month (for optimal freshness).
Can I use canned sweet potatoes?
Yes, but you will enjoy freshly prepared sweet potatoes so much more. Using canned sweet potato puree is easier, but the flavor won’t be as pronounced. However, if you must, make sure to use canned, regular sweet potatoes and not canned “sweet” potatoes that are typically canned in sweet syrup.
This recipe has a few steps, but you will thoroughly enjoy the end result! Try this Sweet Potato Cheesecake at your next family or holiday gathering.
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Sweet Potato Cheesecake
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Sweet Potato Cheesecake made using roasted sweet potatoes, plenty of spices, and a buttery Biscoff cookie crust. Perfect during the holidays.
Ingredients
Crust
- 14 oz biscoff cookies
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 8 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, roasted or boiled
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
- (4) 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 organic large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Preparation step: Bake or boil your sweet potatoes. If baking, preheat your oven to 350°F. Using a fork, make a few holes in the top of the sweet potato. Place them on a baking sheet (paid link) and bake them for 1 hour. If boiling, remove the skin from the sweet potatoes, cut them into large pieces, boil for 25 to 30 minutes, and drain. Once cooled, you can remove the skin. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease a 9″ springform pan with butter or a non-stick spray. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with foil. (This ensures there are no water leaks after placing the pan in the water bath.)
- Finely blend the Biscoff cookies in a food processor, then transfer to a medium bowl. Add the sugar and butter. Blend with a fork until the ingredients are combined.
- Firmly and evenly spread the Biscoff cookie mixture in the springform pan, completely covering the bottom and sides (about 1 inch). Set aside.
- Add the sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Smash them using a potato masher. Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend with a hand mixer until smooth.
- In another large bowl, add the room-temperature cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and sugar. Blend with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Add 2 cups of the sweet potato puree, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Add each egg, blending one at a time. Add the cornstarch and beat on low for a few seconds until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the filling over the Biscoff crust and spread evenly.
- Place a small oven-safe bowl upside-down in the middle of a large baking sheet, and place the springform pan on top of the bowl. Pour 1 inch of boiling water into the large baking sheet, keeping the springform in the center of the water.
- Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and slightly open the door to allow it to cool for an additional hour. After one hour, remove the cheesecake and let it cool completely.
- Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours or overnight before serving.
Notes
You can substitute gingersnaps or graham crackers for the Biscoff cookies.
Make sure your cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature before you start the filling. If the cream cheese is not at room temperature before you make your filling, it may become lumpy when blended.
Do not remove the cheesecake from the springform pan until you’re ready to serve it. It should be removed from the oven, cooled, and placed in the refrigerator.
To make homemade whipping cream, add 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, 2 tbsp sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients on medium-high speed until medium peaks form (around 3–4 minutes).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Southern
Nutrition
- Calories: 841
- Fat: 67.1g
The steps 2 and 3 are reverted in the recipe, which creates a lot of confusion. There is also a lot of important information that is in the blog and the notes that aren’t on the recipe card itself so it felt a bit too spread out. I will print the whole thing instead for next time to better wrap my brain around it, as there are a lot of steps! I am sure it will be rewarding once we taste it, but we will have to be patient 🙂
Thanks for your feedback, Elka. We’ve made a few adjustments to the step sequence and added a few more details to the recipe card. Baked cheesecakes are a labor of love. I hope this recipe turns out great for you!
This recipe was absolutely amazing. It was a big hit at our Thanksgiving dinner, it reminded me of the sweet potato pie my mother used to make. The recipe was pretty easy to follow (I used a ginger snap crust rather than the biscoff cookies) and it turned out great! Thanks for sharing it, I will definitely be looking at more of your recipes!
Hey, Barry! Thanks for giving the recipe a try. I’m so glad it earned a spot at your Thanksgiving table!
Admittedly it is late at night while reading this recipe so I may be missing a step. My question is when is the sweet potato mixture combined with the cream cheese mixture?
Hello Wanda! Yes, the two mixtures are combined in step #4: “2 cups of sweet potato mixture”. Thanks!
What’s the French yogurt cream cheese? Never seen it around Boston. Would regular cream cheese work or should I add some yogurt? Thanks.
Hello Lili! So apparently I have France on the brain. I meant to type “Greek” yogurt cream cheese. However, yes, you can use regular cream cheese for this recipe as well. I only use the Greek variety as a lower calorie alternative. Let me know how it comes out!
Finally! I bet I can get my husband to eat something with sweet potatoes in it!! He says they taste like “sweet dirt”…
Haha! Now that’s a first! Well, I would be really surprised if he doesn’t enjoy this one. The sweet potato is not overpowering, but you’ll know it’s there. Let me know how it turns out!