20 Recipes That Prove Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Are Meant to Be

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes on a white dish
Photo: CC<3s2Bake

Pumpkin and cream cheese are proof that opposites attract. Pumpkin brings a natural sweetness — often flavored with warm, earthy spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger — while cream cheese is rich, tart, and tangy. Put them together and you have a classic fall flavor combo that turns their contrasts into complements. We've rounded up 20 of our best pumpkin and cream cheese treats, including pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread with cream cheese filling, and pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Scroll through and find a new favorite to make today.

01 of 21

Pumpkin Cheese Bread II

Pumpkin Cheese Bread II
sporkism

Pumpkin bread is great, but pumpkin bread with a layer of cream cheese in the middle is even better. This recipe yields a moist, flavorful bread with a perfect consistency and a touch of citrusy flavor from the orange zest.

02 of 21

Chocolate Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

Chocolate and pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes with chocolate chips on top
AllrecipesPhoto

These chocolate cupcakes have a great surprise inside — creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling. A few drops of food coloring give the cream cheese that pumpkin color. Some reviewers added more pumpkin to bump up the flavor.

03 of 21

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake
Photo by Dianne.

Reviewers say this pumpkin pecan cheesecake tastes almost exactly like the one from the Cheesecake Factory. To add more texture to the top layer, simply double the amount of topping.

04 of 21

Fantastic Pumpkin Bars

Fantastic Pumpkin Bars
dogansmom88

These pumpkin bars are super moist and dense, and almost have the exact taste and texture of carrot cake. The cream cheese frosting adds a zing that takes the entire bar over the top.

05 of 21

Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll

Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll
Photo by Allrecipes.

"I wish there were more stars available because I'd give this recipe ALL of them," says community member Christie. "I have been using a half sheet pan recently and it works PERFECTLY. With that size the cake is so thin that it's nearly impossible for it to break when you're rolling. My husband who has something to say about EVERYTHING said 'Well I just can't find one thing that I'd improve about this.'"

06 of 21

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dessert

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dessert

If you're looking for an easy alternate to pumpkin pie with a little more, well, cream cheese, your search ends now. The harmony between the pumpkin and cream cheese prevents either ingredient from overwhelming the palate. This recipe includes raw egg whites, but you can always omit them (or save them for something else) and use whipped topping instead.

07 of 21

Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake

Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake
chibi chef

"I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit," says community member APRILEYER. "It didn't last more than 24 hours. Which is saying a LOT since there were about 20 other desserts available. I didn't have any gingersnap cookies available, so I added some ginger and a little pumpkin spice into crushed graham crackers. It made a completely different and wonderful tasting crust."

08 of 21

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Slush Cake

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dessert
claire

Consider this dessert the autumnal equivalent of lemon lush — it's a fun alternative to pumpkin pie, easy to make, and, most importantly, delicious. The crust is on the sweeter side, so adjust the sugar to suit your taste.

09 of 21

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Pumpkin Sheet Cake
OkinawanPrincess

If you've got a fall potluck or tailgate in your near feature, this is the dish you need to bring along. The cake itself is incredibly moist, while the cream cheese frosting is tangy and sweet with some crunch from the walnuts sprinkled on top. To really lean in on the pumpkin flavor. add 1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice to the batter.

10 of 21

Whipped Pumpkin Pie

slice of whipped pumpkin pie with whipped cream cheese
Christina

Pumpkin and cream cheese pairings are typically dense, but this whipped pie feels lighter than air. Anyone who isn't a fan of traditional pie should give this pie a chance: it's simultaneously creamy and fluffy, and the crust isn't prone to cracking so you get nice clean cuts.

11 of 21

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting (The World's Best!)

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting (The World's Best!)
GigiJax

These cookies make a great option for fall parties, fall festivals, and Friendsgivings — they're easy to prepare, and with a yield of 36 cookies, even easier to share. They're moist and cake-like (one review compares them to the top half of a cupcake), and work well stacked into whoopie pie-like sandwiches.

12 of 21

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes on a white dish
CC<3s2Bake

Paired with cream cheese frosting, these pumpkin spice cupcakes are so dense and delicious they're almost hearty. You may need to adjust the bake time depending on your oven, and many community members recommend adding oil to increase moisture.

13 of 21

Pumpkin Cheesecake Enchiladas

Pumpkin Cheesecake Enchiladas
Allrecipes

These easy, air-fried "enchiladas" are a fun twist on pumpkin cheesecake. The filling is light and slightly spicy with the inclusion of nutmeg and ground cinnamon, while the tortilla gets a delicate and crispy churro-like consistency.

14 of 21

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

slice of no-bake pumpkin pie
bd.weld

This no-bake pie provides an easy way to get your fall flavor fix. The dish itself takes 10 minutes to put together, while the hard part is simply waiting 4 hours for the pie to chill and settle. You can also chill this in the freezer for an easier time slicing.

15 of 21

Kelsandra's Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Kelsandra's Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with icing
Alberta Rose

Thees homemade cinnamon rolls take on the flavor profile of pumpkin pie, making them a fun seasonal breakfast or treat. They're tender and chewy and have a wonderful flavor that can easily be amplified with the addition of raisins, crushed walnuts, or more spices.

16 of 21

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

closeup of a slice of cheesecake with a white cream cheese layer on the bottom and a pumpkin layer on top, garnished with a rosette of whipped cream
Cristi

This dessert stands somewhere between cheesecake and pie — if you're wanting something more like cheesecake, try doubling the amount of cream cheese mix. If you have a sparse spice cabinet, you can simply buy pumpkin pie filling instead of canned pumpkin and bypass mixing in the spices yourself.

17 of 21

Paul's Pumpkin Bars

a closeup of frosted cake bars on a glass plate
Paula

"I have made these at least 5 times now and I can't get enough of them! I don't have a jelly roll pan so I divide the batter between a 9x13 and an 8x8 pan to get the right thickness and they are always perfect," says community member MEG2979. "Make sure you try this one — this is the one sure-thing I always want to bring to parties because everyone loves them!"

18 of 21

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Photo by CC<3's2bake.

There's no need to visit a certain coffee chain when you can make these indulgent pumpkin muffins right at home. To ensure the cream cheese is more of a filling than a topping, squeeze it in to the muffin pan with a plastic bag with its corner cut off rather than simply spooning it over the batter.

19 of 21

Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares

Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares
Mackenzie Schieck

These pumpkin cheesecake squares get major flavor from two special ingredients: cinnamon chips and sugar cookie dough. The result is super indulgent bars with a cookie crust. Community member YesterdaysDessert recommends cutting these twice for easier execution — once about 20 minutes after they're out of the oven, and again about four hours after sticking them in the fridge.

20 of 21

Holiday Pumpkin Cake with Rum-Cream Cheese Glaze

pumpkin cake with cream cheese glaze on a plate
Ely

The rum-cream cheese glaze drizzled atop this pumpkin cake gives it a sophisticated twist, making it a nice melt-in-your-mouth alternative to pumpkin pie. For a kid-friendly version, simply substitute vanilla extract, orange peel, or orange extract for the rum.

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