{"id":204,"date":"2023-11-11T06:47:10","date_gmt":"2023-11-11T06:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/squarespace.joannawhiteart.com\/wp\/2023\/11\/11\/costco-kirkland-bakery-pumpkin-cheesecake-review\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T13:02:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T17:02:06","slug":"costco-kirkland-bakery-pumpkin-cheesecake-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2023\/11\/11\/costco-kirkland-bakery-pumpkin-cheesecake-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Costco Pumpkin Cheesecake Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Author\u2019s note: I was not paid or compensated to write this review, and I have no affiliation with <\/em>Costco<\/em><\/a>. I bought this pumpkin cheesecake with my own grubby money.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some taste buds are lousy dancers.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ah, the famous Costco Pumpkin Cheesecake<\/a>. At last we meet. A year ago, I tried to buy one, but I was too late and they were gone for the season. I was forced to hear everyone else on the internet<\/em> gush about how good this dessert is, while having none of my own. Cruel, cruel world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spice-lovers may be sad to hear that there is effectively<\/em> no spice flavor anywhere in this cheesecake. This is a pumpkin<\/em> cheesecake. It\u2019s not a pumpkin-spice cheesecake, or a spice cheesecake, or anything else you might imagine. It\u2019s pumpkin. And some cheesecake. But mostly pumpkin. So. Much. Pumpkin. If you don\u2019t love<\/em> pumpkin, this is probably not the dessert for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Looking for another true “pumpkin cheesecake”? Here’s my review of Sam’s Club Pumpkin Cheesecake<\/a>, which is sold frozen in a box.)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Close-up<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What immediately impressed me is how fresh the pumpkin tastes, and how smooth and moist the cheesecake texture is. Although I can perceive some tangy cream cheese, I mostly taste mellow pumpkin. There is even a little pumpkin texture in the puree, which I relished. I was definitely surprised by how wholesome and natural the pumpkin consistency is.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I would describe the entire cheesecake texture as \u201csoft.\u201d It\u2019s probably the softest cheesecake I\u2019ve eaten in a while (except maybe this one from Aldi<\/a>, which was more like weird pudding<\/em>). But, despite being soft, it has a wonderful fluffy structure. It\u2019s velvety smooth. Buttery smooth. Smooth like the smoothest truffle in a chocolate box. It doesn\u2019t ooze or feel soggy. It\u2019s almost like a tender pumpkin pie with a little cheesecake added in.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There IS a strong, delicious flavor<\/em> in this cheesecake. I can\u2019t quite put my finger on what it is \u2014 sort of pumpkiny. But pumpkin flavor from an enhanced, alternative universe. Pumpkin flavor that makes your tastebuds do a choreographed flash-mob in your mouth.* It\u2019s addictive flavor. I was mega-bummed when I realized it may be from the \u201cartificial flavors\u201d listed on the label. More about the ingredients later.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Side<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was also impressed how restrained the sweetness is. I prefer \u201cless sweet\u201d desserts, and this one is perfect. Sugar is the fourth ingredient. It\u2019s sweet enough to be delicious, but not so sweet that it overpowers. I was able to enjoy all the other flavors without sugar dominating the conversation. Sugar is such a bully.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Yogurt<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a yogurty, thin layer on top of the cheesecake that offers a pleasant taste transition from the rest of the pie. It looks like there are specks of spices mixed into it, but it has almost<\/em> no spice taste. Mostly, it is creamy and tangy \u2014 more so than the pumpkin base of the rest of the dessert. There is technically cinnamon, ginger, and cloves listed in the ingredients, but I can’t really taste it here. The yogurt layer adds a lovely visual stripe in the pie design.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Close-up<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The crust isn\u2019t spicy, but it does have a warm, molasses-infused graham flavor. It\u2019s a VERY moist crust, but thin. Almost syrupy-moist. It\u2019s sweet enough to be tasty, but not sugary enough to taste like a cookie. The crust holds together neatly during serving, and sticks loyally to the base of the cheesecake without falling apart. I need a man in my life like this crust.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Garnish<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Surrounding the rim of the cheesecake is a tidy, piped, white garnish. Unlike most grocery store garnishes, this one is NOT fake whipped topping, but rather a sugary-sweet icing. It has little<\/em> flavor of its own \u2014 just some extra sweetness and a smooth, light texture. On this dessert, I don\u2019t hate<\/em> the garnish, but I didn\u2019t particularly want to eat it either \u2014 it clashed a bit with the tastes of the pumpkin cheesecake. It\u2019s sweeter than the rest of this dessert, so if you prefer more sweetness, this will be a welcome pitstop.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Did I weigh my cheesecake? Of course I did. Mine is a full 5.5 pounds. The label says 4 pounds, 14 ounces, so I got some extra. Yay. This is a TON of cheesecake. Well, not an actual ton. A ton is technically 2000 pounds. So, not a ton<\/em>, but definitely enough to feed a large gathering. Enough to freeze, and eat all year long \u2014 until the next round of Pumpkin Cheesecakes appear at Costco.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Ingredients<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients in Costco Pumpkin Cheesecake<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes. There are artificial flavors. And yes, I hate this so much. I especially hate that I like<\/em> these artificial flavors. They taste so dang<\/em> good. I don\u2019t want to like them. I am liking them against my will. I feel violated. Where\u2019s my lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minus that, these are mostly decent ingredients. There\u2019s a tiny bit of junk at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n