10/21/2025
National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day is celebrated every year on October 21 and it honestly might be our favorite fall holiday. Fall screams pumpkin in every way — pumpkin pie, Halloween, pumpkin spiced latte, pumpkin-patch dates — and pumpkin cheesecake is yet another way to win any American’s heart.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE DAY
Cheesecakes can be dated as far back as the 5th century B.C. when the ancient Greeks made the earliest form of cheesecake. This essentially consisted of cheese pounded with honey and flour, and cooked on an old-timey griddle. It was known as the ‘plakous’ meaning ‘flat mass’.
The cheesecake was then elevated in late medieval England, where it emerged with a tart-like pastry base. It spread rapidly across the region. Given its popularity in England, cheesecake soon made an appearance in American colonies. Cheesecake bakers here began to experiment with several different currants and spices as infusions, however, American cheesecake truly took a new form when cream cheese was introduced. Cream cheese made the base creamier and sturdier than it had ever been before. This new and improved cheesecake became all the rage in the 1930s when Arnold Reuben (the creator of the Reuben sandwich) introduced the ‘New York cheesecake’ to the city.
Bakers went on to experiment with an endless array of different flavorings and toppings — blueberry, strawberry, chocolate — and along the way, the pumpkin cheesecake was born. The pumpkin cheesecake went on to win hearts and gain popularity, so much so that cheesecake lovers declared October 21 to be National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day in 2011, and it has since been celebrated every year nationwide.
NATIONAL PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE DAY TIMELINE
5th Century B.C.
Greece, Meet Plakous
The Greeks create the earliest form of cheesecake and even serve it at the Olympics.
1300s
Cheesecake Goes to England
Starting in 1309, cheesecake starts to make a feature in every cookbook at least once.
1930s
The Big Apple of Cheesecakes
Arnold Reuben introduces the oh-so-famous New York cheesecake.
2011
Happy Pumpkin Cheesecake Day
Cheesecake lovers recognize and dedicate a day to celebrate pumpkin cheesecake.
