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My sweet potato cheesecake electrifies your palate with a uniquely delicious combination of tastes and textures, y'all. Baked mashed sweet potatoes, mixed with vanilla, softened cream cheese, citrus zest, sugar, and dessert herbs form the luscious filling. Then, it's poured over an 4-ingredient almond crust, and baked until done. Finally, it's covered in an easy stovetop pecan praline sauce that takes the whole thing over the insanely scrumptious top. Yep and yay...
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This One is For Those Special Occasions, Y'all...
Sweet potato cheesecake is a southern dessert recipe that incorporates the baked, mashed veggie along with the customary cream cheese. Other ingredients, such as citrus zest, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk are included to round out the dessert, making each bite a lusciously indulgent experience that won't soon be forgotten.
My original version uses my almond flour pie crust as a grain and gluten free base. I also cover my sweet potato cheesecake with pecan praline topping. It's another easy step that calls for just five more ingredients. However, those handful of ingredients make this dessert a special occasion masterpiece that gets rave reviews from every single person who tries it. Indeed.
Sweet Potato Cheesecake Ingredient Essentials and Substitutions
- I usually use baked mashed sweet potatoes for my cheesecake. But, I have also used local favorite Bruce's Yams with great success several times, as well. The main thing you need to remember about using either one is that they both might have tough strings in them. Just take a minute to remove any before proceeding with the recipe and you'll be just fine.
- Softened cream cheese is a must in this recipe. Feel free to use store brands with confidence for this sweet potato cheesecake recipe. This is a favorite in our house. I've made it at least once a year since I developed it back in 2017. And, I honestly haven't found much difference in taste or texture among brands. My only advice is to let the cream cheese soften fully before using it, as any hardness may negatively affect the overall texture of the dish.
- Super fine almond flour makes the absolute best crust for this recipe, y'all. It's easy to find in the baking section of most stores and on Amazon, of course.
- The rest of the ingredients, including pecan halves, sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest and juice, brown sugar, and honey are common household staples.
- Dried cinnamon and nutmeg inject just the right spice notes to flavor the sweet potato cheesecake. So, don't skip them, they're that important to the recipe.
Top Tip
Make sure that you gather all of the ingredients for the crust, the cheesecake, and the topping before you start the recipe. I can't stress this enough, y'all. This is the biggest key you have to sweet potato cheesecake recipe success.
Once you have the cheesecake in the oven, pour all of the topping ingredients into a plastic dish with a tight-fitting lid. Then, refrigerate it until use so you'll be ready at a moment's notice to finish off the recipe like a champ.
How to Make Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Start the recipe by preheating the oven. Then, press the almond flour pie crust into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
Blind-bake the crust for 5 minutes. Then, set aside.
Now, pour all of the filling ingredients into a large glass bowl.
Use an electric hand-mixer to incorporate all of the ingredients.
Pour the filling over the semi-baked crust.
Then, slide the sweet potato cheesecake into the oven, using a pie shield around the edges of the dessert to prevent excess browning of the crust.
When done, let the cheesecake cool for about 90 minutes. Then, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
When cooled properly, whip up the pecan topping in a saucepan, let cool slightly, then cover the cheesecake with the topping. Serve immediately, or cover and store in the fridge for up to three days.
And that's it, y'all!
This sweet potato cheesecake is so shockingly good that most people I've served it to become completely silent until they finish the very last bite! And then the compliments begin and don't stop for at least a minute.
Everyone loves the spiced sweet potato cheesecake flavor and the soft and airy almond flour crust. But, the pecan praline topping is the extra touch that most people just don't stop raving about until they leave my house, y'all. They love it, I love it, and I'm pretty certain that you are going to love it, too. For sure!!
Share this sweet potato cheesecake with those who always lift your spirits with layers of love, tenderness, and warmth. And see y'all on the yum side...
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Additional Special Occasion Recipes
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NOTE: This post was originally published on March 28, 2017, and updated and republished on December 28, 2023.
Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
For the Sweet Potato Cheesecake Filling
- 2 cups mashed baked sweet potatoes or drained Bruce's Yams
- 2 packages softened cream cheese
- 1 14- ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 large eggs, optional, see notes
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Pecan Praline Topping
- 1 cup pecans
- 5 tablespoons melted salted butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare the almond flour pie crust, and press it into the bottom of a 9 -inch springform pan.
- Blind-bake the crust for 5 minutes, then remove it from the oven and set it aside.
- Pour all of sweet potato cheesecake filling ingredients into a large glass bowl.
- Use an electric hand mixer to thoroughly combine all of the ingredients, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
- Pour the cheesecake filling over the almond crust in the Springform pan. Then, cover the edges of the pan with a homemade or store-bought pie shield.
- Bake for 55 minutes, or until the middle of the cheesecake no longer jiggles when you move the pan carefully, and the edges are browned slightly.
- Cool on the countertop for at least 90 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
- Place a butter knife under running water. Keeping the knife as wet as possible, gently slide it along the edges of the cheesecake to loose it from the sides of the pan. Take as much time as you need to ensure that the cheesecake is completely loosed from the pan before you release it, continusouly putting the knife under the water repeatedly throughout the process.
- Combine all of the pecan praline topping ingredients in a saucepan set over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring often, for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are throughly combined.
- Let cool slightly for about 2 to 3 minutes, then pour the praline topping over the cheesecake.
- Cut the cheesecake into 8 equal slices, then serve.
Notes
The information shown is an estimate provided by a third-party, online computer-generated nutrition calculator, not a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods and individual portion sizes, along with other factors.
See our full nutrition disclaimer here.
