This caramel apple cheesecake pie has so many layers to love: it starts with a crisp and buttery graham cracker crust, followed by a creamy brown sugar cheesecake filling, sweet cinnamon-spiced apples, homemade salted caramel, and finished with a streusel topping. It’s like apple crisp meets cheesecake, and you’ll be very glad that they did!
I always love a good dessert mash-up, especially when it involves cheesecake. Have you seen this pecan pie cheesecake or these coconut cheesecake brownies before?
Today we’re talking all things apple. This recipe is as if I started making an apple crisp or salted caramel apple pie, then threw in a cheesecake. It’s very layered, textured, rich, and undoubtedly tasty. During testing and photography, my team and I made about 8 of these pies… and neighbors were literally leaving notes on our doors to bring them more. (Yes, that really happened!)
Why You’ll Love This Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
- A “people pleaser” dessert—satisfies the cheesecake lovers and apple pie lovers
- No water bath or pastry pie crust needed
- A magnificent use of dessert’s favorite condiment, homemade salted caramel
- Tons of texture in every bite
- It’s a lot of steps and layers, but each is quite simple to make
- A great make-ahead recipe because it needs time to chill
4 Layers to Love
This is a texture lover’s pie, for sure. Crispy, crumbly, creamy… oh my!
- Graham Cracker Crust: A classic crumb crust gets extra crispy from a longer bake time, just like in this s’mores brownie pie.
- Cheesecake Filling: Smooth, velvety, creamy, and lightly tangy cheesecake pie filling provides a perfect contrast to the textures in the layers above and below.
- Caramel Apples: Tart apples get the sweet treatment here. Tossed in cinnamon & brown sugar, then drizzled with salted caramel… is there a better way to get your apple a day? They bake long enough to soften but still maintain their texture, much like an apple pie.
- Streusel Topping: This crumbly topping is a scaled-down version of what we use on these salted caramel apple pie bars. I reduced the quantity down because, in testing, I found that too much streusel topping created a mushy layer on this pie.
Pie Testing (& Retesting)
My team and I tested many different versions to figure out the very BEST way to make caramel apple cheesecake pie. Some tests:
- We tried pre-cooking the apples before adding them to the pie, but not only was it an extra step (and an extra pan to wash), it made the apple layer a bit too soft and wet.
- Then we tried layering the caramel and apples directly on top of the crust, but the caramel adhered to the crust, making it nearly impossible to cut.
- We tried it without the streusel topping. Silly mistake. Our strategically selected panel of taste testers (i.e., neighbors who happened to be home—LOL) overwhelmingly preferred the versions with the streusel topping to the versions without.
All this recipe testing led to today’s truly delicious dessert—are you ready for it?
Start With a Graham Cracker Crust:
The recipe begins with this graham cracker crust. It’s just 3 simple ingredients: graham crackers, granulated sugar, and melted butter. If you’ve had trouble with graham cracker crust in the past, or if it’s not easy to get graham crackers where you are, read this How to Make a Graham Cracker Crust post for guidance and substitution suggestions.
Bake the crust by itself for 10 minutes, so it can set its shape before filling the pie. It’s ideal if the crust is still a tad warm when you add the filling (so it adheres nicely to the base).
Grab These Ingredients for Filling & Topping:
- Cream Cheese: Use 12 ounces (339g) of full-fat brick cream cheese. Make sure you’re buying the bricks of cream cheese and not the tubs of cream cheese spread.
- Brown Sugar: We’re using brown sugar in the cheesecake filling, like we do in this pecan pie cheesecake. Brown sugar also goes in the caramel apple and streusel layers.
- Sour Cream: Makes for a smooth and velvety texture, and gives it that lightly tangy flavor we all love in cheesecakes.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract adds flavor, especially homemade vanilla extract!
- Egg: The egg provides structure in this baked cheesecake pie.
- Apples: I like to use a mix of tart & sweet apples in baking, like 1 Granny Smith and 1 Honeycrisp or other sweet variety. Peel and slice them really thin, then chop the slices into bite-size pieces. If your apples are too thick, they won’t soften enough when the pie bakes.
- Lemon Juice: I usually include lemon juice in a cheesecake filling, but in this pie, let’s add it to the apples. Tossing the chopped apples in lemon juice helps prevent browning, but we also want to give them a head start on softening before we layer them in the pie.
- Cinnamon: Apple’s favorite spice!
- Homemade Salted Caramel: Have you ever made this liquid gold before? This recipe for salted caramel is surprisingly simple. Use some in the filling and then as much as you want when serving the finished pie. If you want regular caramel (and not salted), reduce the salt in the caramel recipe down to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Oats: Use old-fashioned whole rolled oats. If you don’t want oats in the streusel topping, try halving the crumble topping used on this apple crumble pie and use that instead.
- Flour: Just a little bit in the streusel topping, for structure.
- Butter: Cut cold, cubed butter into the dry streusel ingredients, until you have a crumbly topping. You also use butter in the crust. (And in the homemade caramel!)
Again, there are a lot of layers. Go slow, and read through the recipe and watch the video tutorial before you begin. I categorize this as an intermediate baking recipe.
Let’s Assemble the Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
In the printable recipe below, I encourage you to start with the crust, then move on to the toppings before you make the cheesecake filling. Make the streusel first, and then chill it in the refrigerator or freezer as you work on the other layers. The colder the streusel, the better it will hold shape in the oven. A pastry cutter makes this step easy, or you can try cutting in the butter using 2 forks:
After your streusel is in the refrigerator, peel, slice, and chop the apples. Mix them with a little brown sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon. You can see the apples when I layer them onto the filling below.
The cheesecake filling is a snap. It’s a slightly reduced version of this cheesecake pie filling. I reduced the amounts because we’re topping it with so many layers.
Spread the filling into the slightly warm pre-baked crust, and then top with the apple layer, a couple Tablespoons of salted caramel, and then the cold streusel topping.
Here is the pie before & after baking:
The caramel apple cheesecake pie needs about 45 minutes in the oven. Around the 30 or 35-minute mark, I loosely tent it with aluminum foil to prevent the top and crust from over-browning. The pie filling may seem a little wobbly when it’s done, but it will finish setting up as it cools and chills.
Cooling, Chilling, & Serving
Cool the pie at room temperature for about an hour, and then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
Since you used only a few Tablespoons of the caramel sauce in the pie, you’ll have plenty leftover for serving. Besides this pie, the salted caramel is fantastic on ice cream, pancakes, oatmeal, and so much more—find 50 ways to eat salted caramel here. I love gifting jars of it around the holidays!
Totally worth all of the prepwork!
Even More Apple Desserts
- Homemade Caramel Apples
- Apple Cake
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Gluten Free Apple Crisp
- Apple Cinnamon Babka
This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
Print
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes (includes crust pre-bake)
- Total Time: 4 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: one 9-inch pie
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This recipe uses prepared homemade salted caramel in the filling, and for garnish on the finished pie. You can make the caramel ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. I encourage you to make the crust first, and then prepare the toppings before you make the filling. So many layers to love in this caramel apple cheesecake pie!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full sheet graham crackers)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
Streusel Topping
- 1/3 cup (28g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats*
- 3 Tablespoons (24g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3 Tablespoons (40g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Apple Layer
- 2 cups (250g) peeled, thinly sliced, and chopped apples*
- 1 Tablespoon (13g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2–3 Tablespoons salted caramel (plus more for topping)*
Cheesecake Filling
- 12 ounces (339g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Have your ingredients ready and salted caramel prepared.
- Make the crust: If you’re starting out with full graham crackers, use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. Stir the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl, and then stir in the melted butter. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly. Tips: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. And run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart. For more shaping technique tips, see the graham cracker crust recipe page.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Continue with the next steps as the crust bakes.
- Make the streusel topping: Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry cutter or 2 forks (or even with your hands) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place the bowl of streusel in the refrigerator to chill while you continue with the next step.
- Prepare the apples: Mix the thinly sliced & chopped apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Set aside. (The caramel will be layered on top of them when you assemble the pie.)
- Make the filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, and then beat until fully combined and very smooth. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed to combine—you don’t want any large lumps. Add the egg and beat on medium speed just until combined. If you still see some lumps at this point, switch to a whisk and whisk by hand just until you break up the large lumps. Some small lumps are OK.
- Assemble the layers: Spread the cheesecake filling into the crust. The crust can still be warm at this point. A small offset spatula makes spreading easy. Spoon apples in an even layer on top of the cheesecake filling. Drizzle salted caramel over the apples. Sprinkle cold streusel evenly on top.
- Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) and bake the pie for 45 minutes, or until the center is almost set (it will still be a bit wobbly in the center—that’s OK). To prevent burning the crust edges, tent the entire pie with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield for the last 10–15 minutes of baking.
- Set the pie on a wire rack and cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Then place it in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days before serving. The pie will continue to set up as it cools and chills. (Cover if chilling it for longer than a few hours.) The topping softens the longer it sits.
- To serve, drizzle chilled pie with more salted caramel. Salted caramel solidifies as it cools, so warm it back up to drizzle it. For neat slices, use a clean sharp knife, and wipe the knife clean between each slice. Tip: The first slice is never pretty! Much easier to slice after that first piece is out.
- Cover and store leftover pie in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: This caramel apple cheesecake pie can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. It’s best if the crust is still a bit warm when you pour in the filling, so I don’t recommend pre-baking the crust in advance. You can freeze the baked, cooled, and chilled pie. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Note that the streusel topping becomes very soft after freezing and thawing.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Apple Peeler | Food Processor | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | 9-inch Pie Dish | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Small Offset Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Oats: Whole oats are best, but you can use quick oats if needed. The crumble topping will just be a little more powdery. Use a 1:1 swap from whole oats to quick oats. For an oat-less topping, try halving the crumble recipe used on this apple crumble pie.
- Apples: For depth of flavor, it’s best to bake with a mix of sweet and tart apples. I usually use 1 small Honeycrisp apple and 1 small Granny Smith apple.
- Salted Caramel: If you prefer regular caramel and not salted, reduce salt in the caramel recipe down to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring all cold ingredients to room temperature before beginning. Room temperature ingredients combine quickly and evenly, so you won’t risk over-mixing. Also, beating cold ingredients together will result in a chunky cheesecake filling, hardly the way you want to begin!
- Non-US Readers: If graham crackers are not available where you live, use 200g ground digestive biscuit crumbs (about 2 cups; 13–14 biscuits), 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, and 6 Tablespoons (85g) melted butter. Pre-bake the crust for a bit longer, about 12–14 minutes. And from what I understand, spreadable cream cheese sold in a tub in countries outside of the US is a little different from the spreadable cream cheese in the US. It’s thicker, sturdier, and more solid and should be OK to make this pie. I have no experience with it, but this is what I’ve heard from other non-US readers. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
Reader Comments and Reviews
I only bake recipes from Sally’s blog, and I’ve made TONS of her stuff. But this Cheesecake might be the best dessert I’ve made from her yet. I made it for a party, and I had people talking about it days after!! It was gone before I could take a photo for the baking challenge Definitely time consuming, but 100% worth it!! The buttery crust with the smooth cheesecake paired with the apples, streusel, and homemade caramel sauce… TOO GOOD!! Definitely making this again for Thanksgiving!
YUM! This is absolutely delicious! If you love apple pie and cheesecake, you’ll love this dessert. It’s perfect for fall and smells amazing while baking.
I just recently made this for a gathering and it was a hit! I used homemade chevre (which is not goaty) in place of cream cheese and rehydrated some home dried apples for the topping because those are what I had. I’ve never had a recipe from here fail me.
I made this for my daughter in laws birthday, and it was a huge success! I will be making it for thanksgiving as well. Great flavor, especially the brown sugar in the cheesecake! Topped with homemade whipped cream…I’d maybe sprinkle some walnuts on the top next time.
Everyone who tasted the cheesecake loved it including two who said it was their favorite cheesecake. For anyone worried about the steps, it was faster and easier than I expected.
Hi Sally, this is such an amazing recipe, I plan to make this for my husband’s birthday tomorrow. Can I use a tart pan instead of pie pan?
Hi Richa, I’m just seeing your question now. I fear that a tart pan is not thick enough, unless you use a rather large one (larger than 10 inches, at least).
My family could barely wait for the cheesecake to set. My hubby wants it again for Thanksgiving. It combines three favorites: cheesecake, apple pie, and apple crisp. I think next time I’ll cut back on the brown sugar in the cheesecake filling. This way each person can add the caramel sauce to sweeten it up to their own taste.
This was a wonderful recipe and easy to follow. Family agreed it’s a keeper. Another delicious use for your salted caramel that we keep on hand always!
This was a huge hit at my house this weekend. It was the first time we made caramel, but definitely won’t be the last. The grandkids weren’t sure if the would like cheesecake well they did!!!
If I wanted to make this as a full size cheesecake instead of a pie, would you double the cheesecake ingredients or recommend a different recipe for it? I’d will still do the apple topping and graham cracker crust. Thanks!
Hi Heather, you absolutely could, but it would be a thin cheesecake. This cheesecake pie is thinner than a tall cheesecake. If you want a tall cheesecake, use the brown sugar cheesecake base from this pecan pie cheesecake.
I made this today exactly as written and WOW! It is delicious. I always appreciate Sally’s easy to follow instructions and video tutorials. The apples add texture and the cheesecake with brown sugar is to die for. I thought it would be more time consuming and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks, Sally!
This recipe is stellar! Made it, and a couple tiny ones, two days ago. Can verify it held up in the fridge for 24 hours just fine, but the streusel did get soft, which was expected.
I am going to try in a springform pan next with a crumble topping instead, just because I prefer to avoid oats and like to experiment, but the recipe was amazing as-is!
What a fun recipe to make! I loved learning how to make caramel, first of all.
I’m learning so much thanks to Sally. The crunch of the apple and creaminess of the cheesecake was to die for. Definitely going to be on the holiday rotations!! Xo
I’m so excited to try this for Friendsgiving this weekend. But I have a question! Any reason why I couldn’t make it in a springform pan more like a traditional cheesecake??
Hi Chelsea! You absolutely could, but it would be a thin cheesecake. This cheesecake pie is thinner than a tall cheesecake. If you want a tall cheesecake, use the brown sugar cheesecake base from this pecan pie cheesecake.
Do you have any suggestions on how to make this in mini versions? I’d love to share it with my co workers, but would need individual portions. Thanks!
Hi Holly, we haven’t tried this recipe as mini cheesecakes, but you could definitely do it! It will make more than 12, but we aren’t sure how many. For baking times, follow this recipe for mini cheesecakes.
I’m outside US the only cream cheese available with that description is Philly does it works? The local ones have a lot of water
Hi Carolina, While we haven’t tested other cream cheese outside of the US, but see our recipe note for non US readers on what we’ve been told about cream cheese. Let us know if you give it a try!
Just in time for Thanksgiving! An amazing step up from apple pie.
Any alternative to homemade salted caramel ??
Hi Deeps, You can use a store bought caramel if you wish. Enjoy!
Hi Sally! This recipe looks fabulous and I will make it to bring to my in-laws for Thanksgiving. I know you said it was OK to make it up to 2 days prior, but won’t the streusel topping get soggy?
Hi Angela, the streusel does soften a bit the longer it’s refrigerated, but it is definitely still delicious!
This is a delicious pie!! And I love that you don’t need a water bath or anything like that. Will make again for Thanksgiving!
This turned out so good. I’ve made Sally’s salted caramel several times in the past, and it is easy but delicious. I also really love the salted caramel apple pie recipe. And cheesecake is my favorite. So when I saw caramel AND apples AND cheesecake, I knew instantly I was going to have to try it. I followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out perfectly. My husband and family declared this the best cheesecake they’ve ever eaten, and I have to agree! Thanks for sharing this with us.
Feeling really inept… I can’t for the life of me find where the winners are announced. It says in the FAQ that the winner will be announced in the next month’s post. Is there a winner announced for October? Or any other month?
Hi Andi! You can find the winner announced in each month’s baking challenge post – here’s the November baking challenge post with a recap of the October challenge and the October winner 🙂
Just made this last night! Simple to follow and it took less effort than expected. Had my 1st taste this morning. Mmmm
What could I use to replace cinnamon? Cinnamon allergy in family.
Hi Susan! You could use another warm spice like nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, or another spice that your family enjoys.
Oh this will be a hot contender for my usual Thanksgiving pie! Did you experiment with any other fruits too?
I want to try this, but can a shortbread crust be used? If so, do you have a shortbread crust recommendation?
Hi Miranda, I’m not sure I would recommend shortbread crust with a cheesecake filling. It will taste quite soft together. IF you want to try it, this is a favorite shortbread style crust for tarts/pies.
I’ll give it a try and report back, thank you!
Sally I am so excited to try this recipe! I plan to make it for Thanksgiving. We have an oat allergy in our family so thank you for the note about using the alternative topping from the Apple Crumble Pie.
You’re welcome! Let me know how everyone likes it!
This recipe was DELICIOUS as Sally’s always are! While it’s a lot of components, they are all easy to prep and once they’re all ready, it comes together quickly.
If I am missing something, I am sorry but can I freeze a whole complete one?
Hi Kookie, those freezing instructions have been added! Somehow they got shuffled around in all of my drafts. You can see them in the notes. I will say that this pie is best when it has not been frozen—the topping gets a little soft and mushy after thawing.
Just made the recipe! I made it without apples and only covered half of it it streusel (picky eaters here 🙂 the filling has wonderful flavor. Definitely going to drizzle with caramel as I know that’s going to pair great. I did add a little cinnamon to the crust.
Don’t like oats for the topping…anything else to be used?
Absolutely! See recipe Note about using the crumble topping option.
Could you make this recipe into mini cheesecakes? How would that change the baking time?
Hi Jessi, absolutely! What a fun idea. I would use this recipe, but the baking instructions from these mini cheesecakes recipe.
Hi Sally! I need to ask you a question. Can I make your cinnamon swirl quick bread for this month’s challenge and still have a chance at winning?
Absolutely! There are SO many alternate recipes now that there have been so many challenges. You can make any previous challenge recipe found on these pages (and the quick bread is one of them!). We’ve had alternate challenge participants win a few times in the past!
Thanks so much, Sally! I was a little worried about that for a second; I might not have time to make a cheesecake this month unfortunately. Thanks for replying so quickly! 🙂
Made this today but made it into bars. I doubled recipe so my husband can take to work tomorrow! Soooo yummy!!!