Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bites sit at the intersection of three beloved desserts: pumpkin pie, cheesecake, and cake balls. The filling combines softened cream cheese, pumpkin puree, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice (or a blend of warm spices) into a luscious, tangy pumpkin cheesecake mixture. Instead of baking it in a crust, the mixture is thickened with crumbs or dry cake mix so it firms up enough to roll. Depending on the recipe, that might mean crushed graham crackers for classic cheesecake flavor, Biscoff or gingersnap crumbs for a spicier profile, or even heat‑treated spice cake mix for a super fast, cake‑ball‑style approach.
Once the filling has chilled and set, you scoop and roll it into balls and either chill or freeze them again before coating. Many versions dip the bites in melted white chocolate or almond bark, then sprinkle the tops with pumpkin pie spice or extra crumbs, so they look like tiny truffles with a smooth shell and a soft, cheesecake‑like center.
Others skip the chocolate and instead roll the bites in graham crumbs, coconut, or cinnamon sugar for a lighter finish. However they’re finished, they deliver concentrated pumpkin spice flavor in a format that’s easy to serve, transport, and eat with your fingers.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl for combining cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, and flavorings.
- Hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese mixture until smooth and creamy.
- Medium bowl or food processor for crushing graham crackers, cookies, or cake mix and mixing them into the filling.
- Small microwave‑safe bowl for melting white chocolate, almond bark, or candy melts with a bit of oil.
- Spatula to scrape down bowls and fold in crumbs evenly.
- 1‑tablespoon cookie scoop to portion evenly sized bites before rolling.
- Baking sheets lined with parchment paper for chilling the rolled bites and setting the chocolate coating.
- Forks or dipping tools for coating bites in melted chocolate and letting excess drip off.
- Refrigerator and freezer space to firm up the cheesecake mixture and help the coating set.
Ingredients
For the cheesecake center (crumb‑based version):
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (120 g) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar, sifted (up to ¾ cup/90 g for sweeter bites)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½–2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1 teaspoon cinnamon + ½ teaspoon ginger + ¼ teaspoon nutmeg)
- ⅛–¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- 1½ cups (about 150–160 g) very finely crushed graham crackers, Biscoff cookies, or gingersnaps
- 1–2 tablespoons coconut flour or extra crumbs, only if needed to firm a very soft mixture
For a cake‑mix‑based version (swap for crumbs above):
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (120 g) canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½–2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup (about 120 g) heat‑treated dry spice cake mix, cooled completely before adding
For the coating and garnish:
½–1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, for dusting the tops (optional but highly recommended)
12–16 oz (340–454 g) white chocolate chips, white candy melts, or vanilla almond bark
1–2 teaspoons coconut oil or vegetable shortening, to thin the melted coating as needed
¼ cup (25–30 g) reserved graham/Biscoff/gingersnap crumbs, for sprinkling on top
Instructions and steps
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bites come together in three phases: making the filling, chilling and shaping, and coating and decorating.
To make the filling, the cream cheese must be properly softened first. Most recipes recommend letting it sit at room temperature for 30–60 minutes so it beats smoothly without lumps. In a large mixing bowl, the softened cream cheese is beaten with a mixer until creamy and slightly fluffy, usually taking a minute or two.
Pumpkin puree is then added along with sugar (powdered or granulated), vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, and the mixture is beaten again until completely smooth and homogeneous. Scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl ensures no streaks of plain cream cheese or pumpkin remain.
If you’re using a cake mix‑based recipe, the dry spice cake mix is heat‑treated before being added, which means microwaving it briefly to reduce the risk of any raw flour contamination, then letting it cool completely.
Once cooled, the cake mix is sprinkled over the pumpkin‑cream cheese mixture and beaten just until combined; the mixture thickens noticeably and becomes more dough‑like. With crumb‑based recipes, very finely crushed graham crackers, Biscoff cookies, or gingersnaps are added instead, either stirred in with a spatula or mixed on low until fully incorporated.
Fine crumbs are important, because coarse crumbs can make the mixture gritty instead of smooth; several recipes specify blending graham crackers or cookies to a near‑flour consistency in a food processor before measuring.
At this stage, the filling should be thick enough to mound on a spoon but still too soft to roll neatly. So the bowl is covered and chilled in the refrigerator for at least 1–2 hours.
Chilling allows the fats to firm up and the crumbs or cake mix to fully hydrate and bind with the pumpkin and cream cheese, transforming the mixture into a scoopable, shapeable dough. Some bakers mention chilling overnight for an even easier rolling texture and more developed pumpkin spice flavor.
Once the mixture is chilled and firm, baking sheets are lined with parchment paper and a small cookie scoop is used to portion out even mounds of filling, usually about a tablespoon per bite. Each scoop is rolled quickly between the palms to form a smooth ball and then placed back on the lined baking sheet.
Because the warmth of your hands can soften the mixture, many recipes recommend working quickly and chilling the sheet briefly halfway through if the dough gets sticky.
After all the balls are rolled, they’re chilled again. Some recipes simply refrigerate for at least an hour, while others freeze the balls for 30–60 minutes. Freezing gives more structure and helps the balls hold their shape when dipped; it also causes the coating to set faster, which is helpful when you want a neat shell without lots of pooling or streaking.
With the centers firm and ready, the coating is prepared. White chocolate, white vanilla melting wafers, or almond bark is placed in a microwave‑safe bowl with a small amount of coconut oil or shortening, then microwaved in 20–30 second bursts at 50% power, stirring after each burst until just melted and smooth.
Using reduced power and stirring frequently prevents scorching, which white chocolate is particularly prone to. Some bakers prefer to melt the coating over a double boiler for gentle, even heat.
To dip the bites, only a few chilled balls are removed from the fridge or freezer at a time so they stay firm. Each ball is dropped into the melted coating, turned with a fork or dipping tool to cover it completely, then lifted out and allowed to drip briefly.
The fork is tapped gently against the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate, and then the coated bite is slid carefully onto a clean sheet of parchment. A toothpick or another fork can help nudge the truffle off the dipping fork without smudging the coating too much.
While the coating is still wet, toppings are added. A pinch of pumpkin pie spice sprinkled directly on top of each truffle reinforces the aroma and gives them a pretty, speckled look. Alternatively, a bit of reserved graham or cookie crumbs can be sprinkled over the tops to hint at the flavor inside and add a little texture. Some recipes also drizzle a contrasting chocolate—like dark chocolate over white‑coated bites—for visual contrast.
The coated bites are then left to set. At cool room temperature, the coating will firm up in 20–40 minutes; in the refrigerator, it sets even faster. Once fully hardened, the Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bites can be transferred to an airtight container, layered with parchment paper if needed, and stored in the fridge. Most recipes note that they keep well for several days, and the flavor can even deepen over time as the spices continue to infuse the filling.
Variations
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bites are naturally open to variation, which makes them ideal for tweaking to different tastes or dietary needs. One of the easiest switches is to change the crumb base. Graham crackers give you a classic cheesecake flavor, but Biscoff or gingersnap cookies add a caramelized, spicy punch that pairs beautifully with pumpkin. Gluten‑free graham crackers or cookies can be used for a gluten‑free version, as long as they’re crushed very finely.
Another simple variation is flavor intensity and sweetness. Adding more pumpkin pie spice or additional cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg deepens the warm spice profile, while using slightly less sugar makes the bites less sweet and lets the tang of the cream cheese come forward.
Some recipes fold chopped pecans or walnuts into the filling for a bit of crunch, or roll the finished bites in finely chopped nuts instead of, or in addition to, a chocolate coating.
Coating choices also shift the overall character. White chocolate or vanilla almond bark keeps the bites tasting like pumpkin pie with whipped cream, while dark chocolate or milk chocolate coatings make them feel more like truffles and add a bittersweet counterpoint to the sweet pumpkin filling.
For a lighter option, you can skip chocolate entirely and just roll the bites in graham or cookie crumbs, coconut, or cinnamon sugar. This makes them a bit less rich and slightly faster to assemble, though they won’t have the same candy‑shop look.
There are also health‑conscious and dairy‑free variations that swap the cream cheese for cashew‑based “cheesecake” filling and use coconut milk, soaked nuts, and maple syrup instead of dairy and refined sugar. These versions keep the pumpkin spice flavor and bite‑size format but align better with vegan or lactose‑free diets.
However you adjust them, the core idea remains the same. You start with a silky pumpkin‑cream cheese base, season it heavily with pumpkin spice flavors, thicken it with something crumb‑like, chill it enough to roll, then coat or roll the bites and chill again to set. The result is a tray of adorable, ultra‑flavorful Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bites that pack everything people love about fall desserts into a small, creamy, no‑fork‑required package.