Hot take: The best pumpkin cheesecake is as good (if not better) than the best pumpkin pie. You still get those seasonal pumpkin flavors, but with the added benefit of a graham cracker crust and silky, sweetened cream cheese. For my money, it’s the best dessert to bring to Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving—someone will have the pies covered. And you’ll be the hero, bringing something new and exciting and absolutely delicious. But who has time to make a pumpkin cheesecake? Instead, pick one up at the grocery store.
I tasted a few store bought pumpkin cheesecakes searching for the best pumpkin cheesecake. I tasted pumpkin swirl cheesecake, vegan pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake bites (sorry, they weren’t good), and even pumpkin pie cheesecake, which is different from regular pumpkin spice cheesecake and you’ll find out why.
Here’s the best pumpkin cheesecake to buy. (Or if you just want regular ol’ cheesecake, we have you covered there, too.)
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- The Father’s Table Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
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I’m so into the brand name of this pumpkin swirl cheesecake. The Father’s Table. It sounds like a pious, God-fearing company based out of Colonial Williamsburg. But it’s actually based out of Sanford, Florida. And there’s no scripture quoted on the website. Regardless of all of that, though, this is good, silky pumpkin swirl cheesecake. It leans more heavily pumpkin in flavor than cheesecake and I would have loved a bit more cheesecakey tang, actually, but I appreciate the seasonality. The crust is crumbly and soft, easy to cut into with a fork. On its own, this pumpkin swirl cheesecake is mild and pleasant, but with some tart cranberry sauce or vanilla-spiked whipped cream it could become something special.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Daiya Pumpkin Cheesecake
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This is not just vegan pumpkin cheesecake—it’s gluten free pumpkin cheesecake, too. And it’s really, really good. The pumpkin spice flavor covers up any telltale non-dairy flavors. And the texture is just as good as any non-vegan pumpkin cheesecake. In fact, I think it has the best texture of any of the cakes on this list. It’s thick and creamy and silky. You could easily bring this vegan pumpkin spice cheesecake to a Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving and no one would ever know you were secretly feeding them a non-dairy dessert. And isn’t that what the holidays are all about? Joyful deception?
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Member’s Mark Pumpkin Cheesecake
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The pumpkin cheesecake at Sam’s Club is, unsurprisingly, huge. It feeds 14. And it comes pre-sliced, which, in itself, earns it a spot on this list. Because slicing cheesecake is hard. Each slice comes with a perfect dollop of whipped cream. Lovely. And this isn’t just pumpkin cheesecake. It’s pumpkin pie cheesecake, because there’s a layer of pumpkin pie filling between the pumpkin cheesecake and the crust. It’s gooey and creamy and buttery and it instantly becomes a mess on your plate. This is so much more complicated than anything I would attempt to bake. It’s a showstopper of a store bought pumpkin cheesecake.
Credit: Merc / Sam’s Club
Best Pumpkin Swirl
Best Vegan & Gluten-Free
Best of the Best
Other pumpkin pie cheesecake brands we tried: Chuckanut Bay Dipped Pumpkin Cheesecake Bits, Chuckanut Bay Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!