Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Lasagna
Published September 25, 2025 • Updated June 7, 2026
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Layers of creamy cheesecake, spiced pumpkin pudding, and crunchy Catalina Crunch cereal, all stacked into one no-bake keto pumpkin cheesecake lasagna that I make every fall.
I started making this pumpkin cheesecake lasagna when I wanted something that felt like keto pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin pie combined, but without turning on the oven. The whole thing comes together in about 20 minutes of hands-on work, then the fridge does the rest.
Why I Use Cereal Instead of a Nut Crust
Most layered desserts like this call for a baked walnut or pecan crust on the bottom. I tried that version twice, and both times the crust turned soggy by day two. Catalina Crunch cereal stays crunchy even after sitting in the fridge overnight. It holds up between the pudding and cheesecake layers without going soft, which is exactly what you need in a dessert that’s better the next day. If you’ve made my keto strawberry pretzel salad, it’s the same idea: a crunchy layer that actually lasts.
The cheesecake layer is thick and tangy, and I beat the heavy cream right into the cream cheese so it’s one bowl instead of two. The pumpkin layer uses sugar-free vanilla pudding mixed with pumpkin puree and warm spices. I actually used individual spices the first time (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves) because I couldn’t find my pumpkin pie spice jar in the back of my cabinet, but 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice works the same way.
What sold me on this recipe was the taste test. My sugar-loving kid ate a full slice and didn’t notice it was sugar-free. That’s the real test in my house. The layers are rich enough that it doesn’t read as a “diet dessert,” and the caramel drizzle and pecans on top make it look like something from a bakery case.
I like to bring this to holiday dinners because it feeds a crowd and travels well in its casserole dish. A 2-quart dish gives you about 12 servings, so I’m not scrambling to make two desserts. For more fall ideas, my keto pumpkin roll is another one I rotate in, and mini keto cheesecakes are great when I want individual portions.
The finishing touch is a drizzle of sugar-free caramel and chopped pecans. That combination of sweet, salty crunch on top of cool, creamy layers is what makes people come back for seconds. I’ve made this low carb dessert for Thanksgiving two years running now, and it’s the first thing gone from the table.
Prefer the traditional bake? Here is my keto cheesecake recipe.
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Ingredients
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened -
1/2 cup sugar-free sweetener
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1 cup heavy cream
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2 cups milk of choice
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2 (1.7 oz) packages sugar-free vanilla pudding
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1 cup pumpkin puree
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1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
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1/4 teaspoon allspice
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1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
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9 oz package Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Cereal
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sugar-free caramel syrup, optional topping
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chopped pecans, optional topping
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make cheesecake layer
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sweetener together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form.
- 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar-free sweetener
- 1 cup heavy cream
Make pumpkin layer
In a medium bowl, whisk milk, pudding mix, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves. Mix until smooth.
- 2 cups milk of choice
- 2 small boxes sugar-free pudding
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Spread cream cheese layer
Spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture in the bottom of a 2-2.5 quart casserole dish. Scatter half of the cereal on top to form a thin layer.
- 9 oz package Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Cereal
Assemble lasagna
Top with half of the pudding mixture, then half of the remaining cream cheese mixture. Repeat the layers starting with the remaining cereal, then remaining pudding mixture and ending with remaining cream cheese mixture.
Refrigerate
Loosely cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Just before serving, drizzle with caramel sauce and top with chopped pecans if desired.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze this pumpkin cheesecake lasagna?
I've tried freezing it and I don't recommend it. The pudding layer separates when it thaws and goes watery, which ruins the whole texture. The cheesecake layer holds up fine on its own, but the pumpkin pudding breaks down completely. I stick to the fridge. It lasts 4-5 days covered, and I actually think it tastes better on day two than day one.
Why did my lasagna turn out runny?
My first batch was runny too. Three things fixed it for me: make sure your cream cheese is softened but not warm (room temp, not microwaved), whisk the pudding mix until it's fully thickened before you start layering, and give it a full 4 hours in the fridge minimum. I make mine the night before now because the layers firm up so much better with a full overnight chill.
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned?
I've tested both. Fresh pumpkin has more water content, so if you go that route, roast it first and strain it through cheesecloth until it's as thick as the canned version. Canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) is more consistent and what I always reach for. One less variable to worry about when you're layering something like this.
What milk works best for the pudding layer?
I use unsweetened almond milk and it sets up perfectly every time. Coconut milk from a carton (not canned) also works well. Whole dairy milk sets the pudding faster but adds carbs you don't need. I'd skip oat milk since it tends to make the pudding too thin. If you like that pudding texture, my sugar-free banana pudding uses a similar technique.
What can I use instead of Catalina Crunch cereal?
I've tried Magic Spoon and HighKey, and both work. Magic Spoon has a bit more crunch; HighKey is sweeter. You could also skip the cereal entirely and the dessert still holds together, you just lose that contrast between creamy and crunchy that I think makes it special. A crushed pecan layer works too if you want to go the nut route (just press them in, no baking needed).
Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of all the separate spices?
Yes, and I do this most of the time now. I only used individual spices the first time because I couldn't find my pumpkin pie spice jar in the back of my cabinet. About 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice replaces all five spices. I've made it both ways multiple times and I genuinely can't tell the difference.
How far ahead can I make this for Thanksgiving?
I make mine the day before and it's actually better that way. The layers firm up and the flavors develop overnight. I've pushed it to two days ahead and it was still great. Keep it covered in the fridge and add the caramel drizzle and pecans right before serving so they stay crunchy. I usually make a couple of pumpkin desserts for the table, and my pumpkin whoopie pies are good for people who want something handheld.
Can I serve this in a trifle dish instead?
I've done it both ways. A trifle dish looks gorgeous because you can see all the layers through the glass. I used my chocolate trifle dish for it. Same recipe, same proportions, just spoon the layers in instead of spreading them flat. The only trade-off is you can't cut clean slices, so plan on scooping servings with a big spoon.
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was gone before the other desserts.
Samantha, this is why I make it every fall. The non-keto people always go back for seconds before they realize there's no sugar in it, and that's my favorite part. When you cut into it and the layers show, that's what gets them. If you want it to look even more impressive next year, do it in a trifle dish so all the layers show through the glass, it photographs well too. The caramel drizzle on top is worth doing if you skipped it this time. Worth it.
15 servings from one dish is what got me. I've been hunting for batch keto desserts that aren't single-serving for months. Assembly is faster than it sounds, maybe 25 minutes once the cream cheese is soft and the pudding is whisked. And it portioned so cleanly after the overnight rest. Nothing slid or smeared, which isn't what I expected from a three-layer cold dessert. Individual slices in small containers, held through day four no problem. One thing to know: the Catalina Crunch softens in the fridge, so by day three it's more of a dense base than a crunch layer. Add a fresh sprinkle right before serving if that matters to you. Four stars for that, but the flavor actually gets better after a couple days.
Good catch, Rachel. I keep a bag of Catalina Crunch on the counter for this, sprinkle it right before serving. The flavor getting better by day two is real, which is why I always make it ahead.
Room temperature cream cheese means actually left out for a full hour. Not fifteen minutes from the fridge. Found this out the hard way when my first batch came out lumpy and wouldn't spread at all, even after beating it forever. Once it's truly at room temp, the cheesecake layer goes on smooth and looks like the pictures. The pumpkin layer is more forgiving, but the cream cheese is picky about this. Second thing: don't rush the fridge time. Four hours minimum, overnight is better. Layers stay cleaner when you cut it and the pumpkin sets up right.
Overnight. And that full-hour cream cheese rule applies to basically every no-bake I make.
Straight from the fridge, first bite cold, all three layers at once, that's the move. Added extra cinnamon to the cheesecake base around batch three and it's less flat now. Still tweaking the sweetener but this keeps getting made.
Extra cinnamon in the cheesecake base, I haven't tested that but want to. For the sweetener, allulose is where I landed. No gritty aftertaste and it blends into cream cheese without the cooling effect you get from erythritol.
Probably obvious but worth saying anyway: warm your knife under hot water before each cut. Cold knife drags the cream cheese through the pumpkin layer and you lose the whole visual. Wipe it dry between cuts. Once I started doing this it went from 'tastes great but looks like a mess' to something you'd actually photograph.
six months in and dessert was basically just berries. so finding something with actual layers and a spiced pumpkin filling kind of stopped me. made it on a Tuesday. the no-bake part is what got me, because I half-expected to spend two hours on something that might not even work.
Six months of berries is a sentence I understand. The pumpkin pudding is what made me nervous when I was developing it too - but it sets up firmer than it looks when you first pour it.
Subbed full-fat coconut milk in the pumpkin layer since I was out of regular. It set up way thicker than I expected, almost mousse-like. Couldn't taste the coconut at all once everything was layered. Didn't need to make a store run, so win.
Canned coconut milk does that. The fat content makes the pudding set up way denser than carton. Those pumpkin spices bury the coconut flavor completely.
I never make desserts (too intimidated) but it was way too hot to turn on the oven and this came up. Followed the layers exactly and refrigerated it overnight. By morning everything had set up and the pumpkin pudding layer was so much creamier than I expected from a mix. Genuinely proud of how it looked. Definitely making it again when pumpkin season hits.
No-bake first. Smart. The pudding layer always throws people because 'from a mix' sounds like a shortcut, but it builds real texture overnight, way more than it looks like going in. I always push it to 12 hours, even when 8 seems like plenty. And it slices cleanest cold, so pull it straight from the fridge when you're ready to serve. Caramel drizzle and the chopped pecans both, when pumpkin season hits.
My daughter has been asking for this since September and I finally caved and made it in June because no-bake meant I had no excuses. She ate her serving and then immediately asked if the Catalina Crunch layer would get soggy overnight. That's how I knew she was already planning her breakfast.
It does soften overnight, more of a dense cake layer than crunchy by morning. I've had it both ways and both are good. Breakfast is a valid plan.
Brought this to a friend's dinner last weekend expecting to spend half the night explaining what Catalina Crunch is. Two people pulled me aside asking where I bought 'that crunchy layer' and whether it came from a specialty bakery. Neither guessed it was no-bake or keto. First time a dessert has upstaged the main course.
The specialty bakery thing is the best part. Something about it chilled overnight with all those layers, nobody thinks 'cereal.'
Tried four or five keto pumpkin desserts last fall and they all had this weird flat sweetness. The pumpkin pudding here actually tastes like pumpkin pie filling, and the Catalina Crunch at the bottom gives it real texture. Making this one again.
That flat sweetness is what I was trying to fix. The cloves and allspice are the ones that push it into actual pumpkin pie flavor instead of just sweet orange cream.
Went in skeptical the Catalina Crunch would just turn to mush sitting overnight. It didn't, and that's the part that got me. Better texture than any no-bake pumpkin dessert I've tried.
That cereal holds differently than other brands. I tried Magic Spoon and HighKey, but Catalina Crunch's overnight texture stayed crispy.
I almost didn't make this. Couldn't picture how pudding and cream cheese layers would hold their shape without any baking. Made it Saturday, refrigerated overnight, sliced into it Sunday morning, and the layers were clean and distinct. The pumpkin layer has this spiced, custard-like texture I wasn't expecting from something that never saw an oven. Four stars only because I'm still new to keto desserts and need a few more tries before I really know what I'm doing, but this worked in a way I didn't think it would.
That custard texture from the pumpkin layer is the part people don't expect. It's the pudding-to-pumpkin ratio. Four stars is fair for round one.
I was convinced the Catalina Crunch layer was going to turn into mush after a night in the fridge. It didn't. Still has actual texture the next morning, which is more than I can say for every other no-bake keto dessert I've tried.
The cinnamon toast coating is what does it. Plain cereal would've gone soggy by hour two.
The layers set up beautifully after a full overnight chill, and the spice ratio in the pumpkin pudding layer is exactly right (I was half-expecting it to taste more like pie filling than cheesecake). One thing worth flagging: the Catalina Crunch at the bottom went pretty soft by day two. If you're planning to make this ahead, I'd hold the cereal layers until right before serving rather than building them in during assembly. Still a solid recipe, just something to know going in.
The bottom layer is kind of a one-day window. Good call holding the cereal back. I do the same when I make it ahead for Thanksgiving.