The Best Cheesecake Recipe
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Today I’m so excited to show you how to make the best Cheesecake Recipe of your life. Simple, classic, and no water bath required!! The texture is smooth, rich, and creamy, served over a crisp homemade graham cracker crust.
I’ve included tons of detailed tips and important info in today’s post so you can make the perfect creamy cheesecake every time. For a visual how-to, be sure to check out my step-by-step video beneath the recipe!
The Perfect Cheesecake Recipe
This cheesecake recipe has been a long time coming.
For a recipe with so few ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, sugar, sour cream, vanilla & salt), it took a lot longer than you might think to develop the perfect version. I’ve shared a few cheesecake variations in the past, including my No-Bake Cheesecake, but getting a perfected classic version took lots of testing. Finally, here we are.
Oh, and we are skipping the water bath! I’ve always found them to be largely unnecessary with cheesecakes. Cook yours on a low temperature and follow my tips below and you’ll have a perfectly creamy and crack-less cheesecake without all the hassle of a water bath.
Other tested/perfected classics to try: my Pound Cake, Chocolate Cake, and Carrot Cake, (to name just a handful).
Must-Know Tips for Baking the Perfect Cheesecake (Without a Water Bath!)
Use room temperature ingredients
It’s important that your cream cheese comes to room temperature before you begin making your cheesecake. This will prevent any lumps and ensure a cheesecake with a smooth, creamy texture. However, to ensure that all of your ingredients blend together nicely and give you the desired result, they should all be at room temperature before you begin.
Take it easy on the eggs
Over-beating your eggs is one of the quickest ways to ruin a cheesecake. Over-beating can ruin the texture and can cause cracks. To prevent this, lightly scramble each egg before adding it into your batter. Keep your mixer on low speed and stir until just combined. Be sure to pause after each addition and scrape down the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl.
Don’t open the oven!
I know how tempting it can be to want to check on your perfect, beautiful cheesecake, but wait until it’s finished baking (or close to it) before opening the oven door! Yes, you will have to test for doneness at some point and there’s a real possibility it will need more time in the oven, but minimize opening the oven as much as possible.
Opening the oven door can drastically reduce the temperature of your oven, which will slow the baking process and might cause your cheesecake to sink or crack.
Free your crust!
Once your cheesecake is done baking, allow it to cool for 10 minutes on top of the stove. Then, run a knife around the inside of the springform pan to loosen the crust from the sides.
As your cheesecake cools, it may to shrink a bit. If the crust is stuck to the pan, your crust won’t give but your cheesecake will (leaving you with cracks). Free the crust from the sides so it can contract with your filling as needed.
Cool at room temperature before moving to the fridge
I always let my cheesecake come to room temperature before chilling. For bests results, let it cool as gradually as possible. I put mine on top of my oven (the warmest spot in my house) so it can gradually cool off as the oven does.
This pre-chilling cooling period can take an hour or two, but it’s worth it. An abrupt temperature change (moving the cheesecake directly from oven to fridge) is likely to make it crack.
How to Store Cheesecake
Cheesecake should always be stored chilled in the refrigerator. When I’m ready to store mine, I’ll usually replace the springform ring and then cover the top with foil.
Cheesecake shouldn’t be left out at room temperature for more than 4 hours (or less if it’s particularly hot/humid!).
Can I Freeze Cheesecake?
Yes, you can freeze your cheesecake! Fortunately, this cheesecake recipe actually freezes very well. To freeze, first allow your cheesecake to cool on the stovetop and in the fridge as instructed. Once it’s chilled, you can freeze by wrapping thoroughly in plastic wrap and then wrapping in foil. Cheesecake will keep in the freezer for several months.
To thaw, transfer to the fridge and let it thaw there overnight.
Here’s a great source for more information on freezing cheesecake, including suggestions if you’d like to freeze by the slice.
Other Cheesecake Variations You Might Like:
- Oreo Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cheesecake
- Or try something different and serve this cheesecake on an Oreo Crust!
Enjoy!
The BEST Cheesecake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust¹
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, (170g)
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, (can substitute white)
- 7 Tablespoons butter, melted
Cheesecake
- 32 oz cream cheese², softened to room temperature (910g)
- 1 cup sugar, (200g)
- ⅔ cups sour cream, (160g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F (160C).
- Prepare Graham Cracker crust first by combining graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and brown sugar, and stirring well. Add melted butter and use a fork to combine ingredients well.1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 7 Tablespoons butter
- Pour crumbs into a 9” Springform pan and press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of your pan. Set aside.
Cheesecake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl (using a hand mixer) add cream cheese and stir until smooth and creamy (don’t over-beat or you’ll incorporate too much air).32 oz cream cheese²
- Add sugar and stir again until creamy.1 cup sugar
- Add sour cream, vanilla extract, and salt, and stir until well-combined. If using a stand mixer, make sure you pause periodically to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula so that all ingredients are evenly incorporated.⅔ cups sour cream, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low speed, gradually add lightly beaten eggs, one at a time, stirring just until each egg is just incorporated. Once all eggs have been added, use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl again and make sure all ingredients are well combined.4 large eggs
- Pour cheesecake batter into prepared springform pan. To insure against leaks, place pan on a cookie sheet that’s been lined with foil.
- Transfer to the center rack of your oven and bake on 325F (160C) for 50-60 minutes (or longer as needed, see note 3). Edges will likely have slightly puffed and may have just begun to turn a light golden brown and the center should spring back to the touch but will still be Jello-jiggly. Don't over-bake or the texture will suffer, which means we all suffer.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on top of the oven⁴ for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes has passed, use a knife to gently loosen the crust from the inside of the springform pan (this will help prevent cracks as your cheesecake cools and shrinks). Do not remove the ring of the springform pan.
- Allow cheesecake to cool another 1-2 hours or until near room temperature before transferring to refrigerator and allowing to cool overnight or at least 6 hours. I remove the ring of the springform pan just before serving then return it to the pan to store. Enjoy!
Notes
1) Graham cracker crust
For more details on making this crust or to use whole graham crackers, please see my Graham Cracker Crust Recipe.2) Cream cheese
Make sure that you use the brick-style cream cheese, not the spreadable version that is available in tubs.3)Bake time
Exact bake time can vary depending on your oven, whether you bake your cheesecake on a baking pan or not, the color of your springform pan (light or dark), and even the precise temperature of your ingredients. Because of this I recommend checking your cheesecake at 50 minutes and adding time as needed. However, it is not uncommon for the cheesecake to take as long as 75 minutes to bake, but it's better to check sooner.4) Cooling cheesecake
I recommend the top of the oven because it is usually the warmest place in my house (after it’s been on for over an hour). This will help to cool the cheesecake more gradually and will also help avoid cracks).Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I am wondering if you could make this in a pre-made graham cracker crust? The filling seems like it would be too much for just one pie premade graham cracker crust? Would you recommend cutting the ingredients filling in half? I could also just make 2. My husband loves cheesecake. Thank you!
Hi Kathy! You are correct! This recipe will fill about 2 of those pre-made crusts. I can’t say for sure what the bake time would be though so keep an eye on it as it bakes. Enjoy! 🙂
I recently moved to Colorado, should I make any adjustments for the higher altitude?
My Mom made a similar cheese cake in the 1960’s , her top had the sour cream mixed with a little sugar.
Hi Heidi! Unfortunately I am not very familiar with high altitude baking so I can’t say for sure if any adjustments would be needed. 🙁 Hopefully someone else can chime in with any advice they have for high altitude baking. I actually have a New York cheesecake that has a sour cream topping. 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on a recipe before. But this cheesecake recipe deserves one. It is the BEST cheesecake I’ve ever made or eaten, for that matter. It was perfect. I followed your recipe to a T, didn’t change a thing. Used your recipe for blueberry topping to serve with it and it was devine. I don’t eat a lot of cheesecake usually as it’s so rich, but this one is hard not to eat a lot of. Thanks for an amazing recipe. And also the tips. There were no cracks and it was perfectly creamy and smooth. Yummy!
Thank you so much for the kind review, Robyn! We are so happy the cheesecake turned out so beautifully for you 💕
Can this recipe be adjusted for a 6″ spring form pan? There are only two us. Thank you.
Hi Patti! This will make enough batter to fill probably 2+ 6 inch spring form pans so as long as you don’t overfill the pan it can be baked in a smaller pan. I’m not sure on a bake time.
I cut the recipe in half and used it in a 6-inch spring form. seems to have worked well, though I haven’t tasted it yet! Bake time ended up being around an hour, but I started checking it at 40. Important to note: I use a convection oven.
As I sit here finishing off the last 1/4 of a cheesecake I made three days ago, I feel like I should warn potential users: this is an AMAZING recipe.
This was also the first cheesecake I’ve ever made. I’ve had a springform pan for decades but never actually used it. Well, it’s officially out of retirement now!
Taste and texture are a solid 10/10. It’s every bit as good as any plain cheesecake I’ve paid $10–15 per slice for.
The only issue I had (if you even want to call it that) was that the center collapsed a little as it cooled. I imagine I mixed it a bit too much and incorporated too much air into the batter. I’ll also bump the crust up to 2 cups next time because I like it a little thicker.
Amazing work, Sam!!!
I just wanted to point out that when I clicked the link for the No Bake Cheesecake, as I wanted to compare the time and ingredients; it is pointing to no bake COOKIES instead.
Hands down best cheesecake recipe I’ve ever worked with. I double the recipe and it’s a little much haha. Would you refrigerate the leftovers or just wait and use the rest same day?
Hi Meagan! I haven’t personally tried resting it overnight. I think it could potentially work. It may need to be stirred again in the morning. If you have the ability to bake it the same day I would recommend doing that. 🙂
Wondering if I can add a can of pumpkin in this? For pumpkin cheesecake?
Hi Antonia! I actually have a pumpkin cheesecake I would recommend trying. 🙂
Second time making this recipe. First one was so good we did it again. Just came out of oven. Neither time did I put aluminum foil on the cookie sheet and what appears to be butter leaked out of the spring pan. ? How does the foil stop this? I’ll try it with foil the next time. Thank you. I’m sure this one will taste as good as the first one did. No cracking
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the cheesecake, Cheryl! The foil just makes cleanup easier. Springform pans are notorious for leaking so the foil catches it. 🙂
This email came at an excellent time! Made a disappointing cheesecake a few days ago – awful texture, watery. I know SSR recipes are always foolproof with guaranteed excellent results. So many have now become family favourites. Will most definitely be trying this one. Thank you
Thank you so much for trusting my recipes, Maria! I hope you love this cheesecake! 🙂
can. this cheesecake be frozen
While I haven’t personally frozen this cheesecake, several others have reported doing so with success. 🙂
Yes, you can freeze cheesecake. I recommend slicing and place in a cookie sheet and freeze for a couple of hours, until firm, then wrap in plastic wrap then store in airtight container or freezer bags. I do this all the time!
I tried this cheesecake for daughters birthday and followed the instruction to the T. The cheesecake turned out heavenly!!! Thank you so much for a lovely recipe and the detailed video with amazing instructions!! Will come back for more from this website!!
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Rajani! I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
I have been making this recipe for years!! And it still is my family’s favorite. Just made it with homemade dulce de leche (boiled in alow cooker for 4 hrs in can) and strawberries and it was incredible! Do I refrigerate it now? Wish I could post a picture ❤️ thank you!!
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it so much, Renay! I would definitely recommend refrigeration of the cheesecake. 🙂
Absolutely the best!
I made this cheesecake for Sunday lunch. It was delicious and EASY! Mine turned out perfectly with no cracks. I’m normally not a graham cracker crust fan, but I used all brown sugar and it was great. I also smashed strawberries with sugar for a topping. Everyone loved it.