Diabetic Thanksgiving Recipes: Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Its not easy to find great diabetic friendly deserts for Thanksgiving, but in my family and thousands more, it's necessary. Not only am I a diabetic, but so is my father, mother, grandmother and a handful of other family members. We all love pumpkin pie, but with the amount of sugar used in traditional pumpkin pie recipes, its not exactly the best choice for most diabetics. We also love cheesecake, and most people have no idea the amount of sugar typically found in pumpkin pie.

One day while strolling down the aisles of my local grocery store, I found myself staring at the yummy looking cheesecakes and pumpkin pies on display, and wondering why no one ever combined the two. Then it hit me. Not only would it be simple to combine the two, but it could be done with less sugar too. Here's what you'll need for a diabetic friendly low sugar pumpkin pie cheesecake.

This cheesecake is very easy to make, but tastes like something that came right out of a restaurant. To start, you'll need the following.

Ingredients

3-8 ounce packages of cream cheese

1 ½ cups of Splenda

1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of canned pumpkin (8 ounces)

2 eggs

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

1 tablespoon of vanilla

1-packaged graham cracker crust

Start by letting the cream cheese sit for at least 30-45 minutes to soften. There's nothing worse than trying to blend cold cream cheese directly from the refrigerator. While the cream cheese is coming up to room temperature, combine the canned pumpkin with the Splenda, nutmeg, salt, and cinnamon. As soon as that is blended, add in your egg whites, eggs, and cream cheese. The last step is to add in the vanilla and cornstarch, and blend until smooth.

You will need to pour this mixture into your already made pie crust, and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. The cheesecake should be slightly springy to the touch, and not dark on top. While its baking, you can make a great sour cream topper for the pumpkin pie cheesecake.

Ingredients:

1-8 ounce container of sour cream

3 tablespoons of Splenda

2 teaspoons of vanilla

All you need to do, is to combine all three ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. I use a lot of vanilla because it gives the topping a sweeter taste, but that's up to your preference.

When the cheesecake is finished, pour the topping over the cheesecake, and place it back into the oven for 3-5 minutes.

You can serve this pumpkin pie cheesecake warm or cooled, but if you serve it warm be warned that it will seem a little gooey and probably ooze across the plate.

I've made this recipe so many times that I usually skip the directions, and add what the cheesecake looks like it needs. I cut back on the cinnamon, and add more vanilla but that choice is entirely up to you.

Try this pumpkin pie cheesecake at your next Thanksgiving dinner, and be prepared for the compliments to come!