Sweet Potato Cheesecake

My Sweet Potato Cheesecake is far from basic the creamy filling is paired with an iced oatmeal cookie crust, warm spiced sweet potato puree, and butter pecan sauce that can be poured over the top or served on the side.

If you love sweet potatoes and need more recipes, try these: Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls, Sweet Potato Pecan Ice Cream, Sweet Potato Pancakes, Sweet Potato Cornbread, Ancho Sweet Potato Chili, and Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash.

Latest Recipe Video:

Join me in celebrating Juneteenth with more than 30 other Black culinary creators. Juneteenth marks our country's second independence day, signifying the final emancipation of those enslaved in the US announced in 1865. This year, we are celebrating "Freedom Day" by offering a delightful selection of mains, sides, desserts, and refreshing drinks that are perfect for backyard barbecues and summer gatherings with friends and family. Additionally, you can easily follow each participant by using the hashtag #JuneteenthCookout2023 on Instagram. You can find a list of all recipes from the 2023 Juneteenth Virtual Potluck on the Eat the Culture website.

I love cheesecake that's silky and cream rather than firm and dense. Also, I'm not too fond of the traditional method of baking them. 

I understand the safety measures, but you will not need boiling water for a water bath, a larger pan to place your springform pan wrapped in heavy-duty foil, or to let the cheesecake cool with the oven door cracked.

This recipe may slightly go against everything you've heard about baking cheesecakes, but once you take your first bite, you'll instantly realize some steps are unnecessary.

Sweet Potato Cheesecake Ingredients

Here are the ingredients for my sweet potato cheesecake and the butter pecan sauce.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

I was tired of having graham cracker crumbs or gingersnap crust for cheesecakes, so I used one of my childhood favorites to take it up a notch.

Light Brown Sugar

You'll need some for the crust, sweet potatoes, cheesecake, and sauce.

Unsalted Butter

Always use unsalted butter for cooking and baking.

Sweet Potatoes

I love to roast my sweet potatoes, but you can use canned sweet potato puree to save time.

Warm Spices

I use ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in my sweet potato filling.

Cream Cheese

This is not about watching your figure, so use full-fat cream cheese.

Sour Cream

Full-fat sour cream will add flavor and lighten the texture of the cheesecake.

Eggs

6 large eggs are needed.

Chopped Pecans

You can chop your own pecans or buy them chopped.

Vanilla Extract

A little goes a long way to adding flavor to everything.

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make the perfect waffles.

How to Make Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe

The key to cheesecake requires technique, patience, and confidence. My sweet potato cheesecake recipe has four parts the oatmeal cookie crust, sweet potato puree, the cheesecake, and the butter pecan sauce. Every step is vital to make the best cheesecake ever.

Oatmeal Cookie Crust

Preheat oven to 325°F. Add graham crackers and sugar and blitz on high in a food processor until crumbles form. Then cut on low and slowly drizzle in melted butter. The crust should hold together when squeezed in hand. 

Use the remaining butter to butter the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Press mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake for 13 minutes. Cool before pouring in the filling. Heat the oven to 425°F.

Sweet Potato Puree

As the crust is baked, prepare the sweet potato filling by mixing mashed sweet potatoes, flour, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and kosher salt in a medium bowl using a hand mixer on low speed until smooth.

Cheesecake

Using a stand mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, brown sugar, and salt on low speed for 1 minute. Then, add the sour cream and orange zest, mix on low for 1 minute, and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add vanilla extract and 2 eggs, mix on low for 1 minute, then add eggs 2 at a time, and mix on medium speed. The mixture will be smooth and loose when finished.

Mix some of the cream cheese mixture into the sweet potato mixture. Pour half of the batter into the cheesecake pan. Spoon half the sweet potato mixture over the cream cheese mixture.

Repeat this step and then use a butter knife to create a swirling pattern on the sweet potato base. Make sure to avoid going too deep and scraping the crust.

Bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 200°F and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes until the center jiggles slightly when gently shaken or registers 150°F with an instant-read thermometer. 

Remove from oven and let cheesecake cool for 5 minutes; run a knife around the outside of the cheesecake to release it. Cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator overnight. 

Butter Pecan Sauce

Melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Next, add brown sugar, maple syrup, chopped pecans, vanilla, and salt. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens to a syrup consistency. 

The following day, allow the cheesecake to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before removing it from its pan. Then, pour the butter pecan sauce over the cheesecake.

Fill a tall container with hot water, dip a knife in the water, and use it to cut slices of cheesecake. Enjoy!

How to Store Sweet Potato Cheesecake

The cheesecake will remain fresh and covered in the fridge for five days.
 
You can freeze the cheesecake by wrapping it individually and keeping it in an airtight container or a freezer-safe storage bag for two months. 

Pro Recipe Substitutions, Tips & Tricks

Here are a few notes I had after making this divine cheesecake.

• Use room temperature eggs and cream cheese for the best batter possible. 
• Cheesecake is fully cooked once the internal temperature reaches 150°F in the center. 
• Feel free to use dark brown sugar instead of light brown. 
• You can use granulated sugar instead of light brown sugar. 
• You can use canned sweet potatoes to make the puree. 
• You can use 1 ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs instead of the oatmeal cookies.
• Here's my recipe for baking the perfect sweet potatoes.
• If you forget to take the cream cheese out, it only takes 5 minutes to soften. Add the sealed cream cheese to a large bowl and cover with warm tap water until soft.
• For a sweet potato dessert spread, add my sweet potato pound cake!
• You can use the crust to make my apple pie with graham cracker crust recipe.

FAQs

Here are the top questions readers have about making sweet potato cheesecake.

Bad & Boujee (Southern Decadence)

These dishes offer a luxurious twist on traditional cookout recipes. Gourmet options, including Beef Ribs with Blackberry Whiskey BBQ Sauce, Margarita Infused Watermelon, and Blood Orange, Beetroot, Walnut, Feta Salad with Orange Vinaigrette, ensure a lavish and indulgent culinary experience for all who gather around your Juneteenth table. 

• Dash of Jazz - Deviled Egg Dip
• Sense and Edibility® - Guava BBQ Party Meatballs
• Cooks with Soul - Beef Ribs with Blackberry Whiskey BBQ Sauce
• Gimme From Scratch - Blood Orange, Pickled Beets & Feta Salad
• Her Mise En Place - Smoked Macaroni and Cheese
• Flights and Foods - Hibiscus Spritzer
• Dash of Jazz - Margarita Infused Watermelon
• Kenneth Temple - Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Butter Pecan Sauce
  

You can find a list of all recipes from the 2023 Juneteenth Virtual Cookout on the Eat the Culture website.

Before You Begin

Here are my steps for getting organized and moving fast in the kitchen.

Step 1: Pull out all the ingredients that need to be at room temperature.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 325°F before pulling the ingredients out. Put everything measured into individual bowls.

Step 3: Use an oven thermometer to confirm your oven temperature is accurate.

Step 4: Start following the recipe and get ready for the best sweet potato cheesecake you've ever enjoyed.

This sweet potato cheesecake is truly a delight and satisfying treat. Every bite of the oatmeal cookie crust and creamy sweet potato filling creates a heavenly combination of flavors. Adding the butter pecan sauce heightens each taste even more without being too sweet.

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📖 Recipe

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Kenneth Temple

This Sweet Potato Cheesecake has an iced oatmeal cookie crust and butter pecan sauce that can be poured over the top or served on the side.

4.50 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Chill 8 hours hrs

Total Time 10 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Creole, Southern

Servings 12 persons

Calories 502 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Oatmeal Cookie Crust:

• 14 ice oatmeal cookies 1 ½ cups crumbs,143 g
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Sweet Potato Puree:

• 1 cup sweet potato puree 235g
• 4 ½ teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour 11g
• 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 4g
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg 3g
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt 3g

Cheesecake:

• 5 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups light brown sugar lightly packed
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 oz. sour cream
• zest of 1 medium orange
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 large eggs room temperature

Butter Pecan Sauce:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 cup chopped pecan halves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

 

Oatmeal Cookie Crust:

• Preheat oven to 325°F, in a food processor add graham crackers and sugar blitz on high until crumbles form. Then cut on low and slowly drizzle in 4 tablespoons of butter. Crust should hold together when squeezed in hand. Use remaining butter to butter the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Press mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom and sides of pan. Place on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for 13 minutes. Let crust cool for 10 minutes before pouring in filling.

Sweet Potato Puree:

• While crust bakes make sweet potato base, in a medium bowl with a hand mixer on low speed, combine sweet potato puree, flour, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and ¼ teaspoon salt, until smooth.

Cheesecake:

• Cut oven to 425°F. In a stand mixer bowl add the cream cheese, brown sugar and salt, using a paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add the sour cream and orange zest, mix on low for 1 minute, scrape down sides of bowl. Add vanilla extract and 2 eggs, mix on low for 1 minute, scrape down sides of bowl. Add 2 eggs at a time, mix on medium for 1 minute. Mixture will be smooth and loose when finished.
• Stir ½ cup of the cream cheese mixture into the sweet potato base. Pour half of the cream cheese into the pan. Take spoonfuls of the sweet potato base and drop over cream cheese. Repeat again, then use a butter knife to swirl the sweet potato base; avoid going too deep, and scraping the crust.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then cut the heat down to 200°F and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes until the center of the cheesecake jiggles slightly or registers to 150°F with an instant-read thermometer.
• Remove from oven and let cheesecake cool for 5 minutes, run a knife around the outside of the cheesecake to release it. Cool at room temperature for 3 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.

Butter Pecan Sauce:

• In a small pot over medium heat melt butter, then stir in brown sugar, maple syrup, pecans, vanilla and salt, cook for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thick with a syrup consistency. Set aside to cool.
• The next day sit cheesecake out at room temperature for 15 minutes before you release it. Spoon butter pecan sauce around the edge of cheesecake. Fill a tall vessel with hot water, dip knife in water and cut slices of cheesecake and enjoy.

Video

Notes

Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks

Here are a few notes I had after making this divine cheesecake.

• Use room temperature eggs and cream cheese for the best batter possible. 
• Cheesecake is fully cooked once the internal temperature reaches 150°F in the center. 
• Feel free to use dark brown sugar instead of light brown. 
• You can use granulated sugar instead of light brown sugar. 
• You can use canned sweet potatoes to make the puree. 
• You can use 1 ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs instead of the oatmeal cookies.
• Here's my recipe for baking the perfect sweet potatoes.
• It only takes 5 minutes to make cream cheese softened if you forget to take it out. Add the sealed cream cheese to a large bowl and cover with warm tap water until the cream cheese softened.

Storage:

Sweet Potato Cheesecake will remain fresh for 5 days in the fridge.

Freeze the cheesecake by wrapping individually and keeping it in an airtight container or a freezer-safe storage bag for 2 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 502kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 6gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 412mgPotassium: 297mgFiber: 2gSugar: 48gVitamin A: 5129IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 2mg

Keyword sweet potato cheesecake, baked sweet potato cheesecake, cheesecake sweet potato, sweet potato cheesecake recipe

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