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
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
Recommended Equipment
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
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Cindy Graff
Loved this recipe! 1st time ever making a cheesecake and everyone loved it. Directions were very detailed and easy to follow. Can I use light sour cream? I don’t always have regular sour cream handy.
Sam
Hi Cindy! It may work here but I haven’t tried it. I have always had bad experiences baking with the low fat sour cream. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out. 🙂
Rhon
I’ve tried other cheesecake recipes and this is a keeper. I only had 24oz of cream cheese o hand though but it was still creamy and delicious. I added juice of half a lemon and added a little more sour cream on mine.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Sharon
Can I add mango puree to this recipe about two mangos
Sam
Hi Sharon! Unfortunately I am not sure how that would work. You are introducing a good bit more liquid here so I’m not sure how it would turn out.
Dilek
Great recipe!! I made two cakes for a large party and both turned out great! Everyone enjoyed it! Thanks!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Dilek! 🙂
Stephanie
I followed directions as stated and when I took it out of the oven the center pulled away from the edges. Would a water bath fix this problem or what could I have done wrong?
Sam
Hi Stephanie! Just to check did you run the knife around the crust and the pan to loosen it from the pan?
Mandi Freedman
Great recipe. I made it in a 9.5” pyrex glass pie dish. I had to make a little more of the graham cracker crust so that it came up the sides of the cheesecake. This is an easy and delicious recipe. Huge hit with my family!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Mandi! 🙂
David
I have never made a cheesecake before, although I have eaten a bunch of them . Being a guy, I am somewhat handicapped in the kitchen, but I followed your recipe word for word and made the best tasting cheesecake ever ! Thank you for the clear directions, and tips !!!
You ROCK !
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear that it turned out so well and that you enjoyed it, David! Thank you for trying my recipe! 🙂
Karen
I made cheesecake a few weeks ago for my son’s 31st birthday. He raves about it to all his friends and said it was the BEST cheesecake he has ever had!!!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Karen! 🙂
Dawn Taylor
Hi
I will be trying this recipe tomorrow and I was wondering can dark brown sugar be used just curious
Sam
Hi Dawn! For the crust, dark brown sugar is fine. I do not recommend it in the cheesecake. Enjoy! 😊
Taneka
Hi, can I use this same recipe to make a Oreo cheesecake? Also can I use a little more sour cream to make it more creamy?
Sam
Hi Taneka! I actually have an oreo cheesecake recipe and I wouldn’t add more sour cream here.
Taneka
Thanks
Elis
Can the sour cream be replaced with something else like heavy cream?
Sam
Unfortunately heavy cream wouldn’t work, but you could substitute plain Greek yogurt.
Joyce
I have tried this recipe. I still bake with water bath to play safe. It turns out to be my very first while successful cheesecake. It’s a simple recipe to follow! Have been trying out a number of your recipes. Most turn out very nice even on my first time trial and my boyfriend really love the dessert I made (He used to think that I can only cook Chinese food but not western dessert!!). I’m going to make this again today for our anniversary! Thanks for all the sharing. 🙂
Sam
I am so glad you have enjoyed everything so much, Joyce! Happy anniversary. 🙂
Carol
Do you use 4 bricks of cream cheese or 2?
Sam
I use four 8-oz bricks 🙂
Jazz Bae
First time making cheesecake ever!
It’s in the oven we tasted the filling before adding the eggs and it was magnificent.
When it’s finished in the oven and I put it on top of the stove to cook for 10 minutes am I supposed to pop the spring during the 10 minutes or after the 10 minutes?
Sam
Hi Jazz! I hope it turns out awesome for you! I typically leave my cheesecake in the pan until I’m ready to serve it, then I will pop off the outer ring. 🙂
Frankie Short
I just finished all the steps for your cheesecake, and it smells amazing! But I didn’t know to put the gram cracker crust up the sides of the pan… Hopefully you will see this comment soon enough to give me some pointers on how and or to remove from the pan so I don’t destroy the cheesecake when I take it out! By the way , This is the first time attempting this. Hopefully it will come 🙏 out with out falling apart. Thanks for the recipe. Frankie Short. Baltimore Maryland. 😊
Sam
Hi Frankie! You should just be able to run a knife around the edge to free it from the pan. I hope it turned out for you. 🙂
George M.
I love this recipe and the cheese cake tastes delicious, but a word of caution. If you don’t have a way to include a water bath like myself, do NOT cook for 75 minutes. I cooked my cheesecake in a traditional pie glass and at 75 minutes the internal temperature was 210F… Cheese cake is traditionally considered “done” at 150-155F. Oh no. It was cracked and as it sat it deflated. I’m sure it will still taste good, but 45-50 minutes may have been the golden time. I was busy grilling and didn’t check on it. I made a note and will try again in the future.
Ive made this recipe with great success before, so I know it’s a 5 star recipe, but I missed the mark today! This cheese cake was supposed to be a surprise for my wife who’s on vacation and coming back tomorrow. Guess we’ll discover what over baked cheese cake tastes like tomorrow. 😛
Sam
I hope it’s still delicious, George! 75 minutes has always worked for me, were you able to fit all of the batter in a traditional pie plate? Usually they are considerably more shallow than the springform pan indicated, which could necessitate a reduced baking time, though. I’m glad it’s been such a hit in the past, though! 🙂
George M.
I actually had quite a bit left over this time since last time I used the whole batch it over spilled while baking. That’s probably it! Definitely the pan and amount. When I cook it again I’ll I will let you know what works for a 9.5″ pie glass. It is definitely something I did wrong and not your recipe. It still tastes delicious though. I snuck a piece. . .for science.
Sam
O no! Hopefully it goes better next time. Testing is ALWAYS required in my kitchen. 😉
RLasater
So, I didn’t have vanilla extract, and decided to use lemon instead, and it’s still delicious! I followed the instructions carefully, noted some cracks around the edges when I first pulled it out of the oven, but everything settled back into place and baked a little longer in the Springform. The edges browned AFTER I pulled it out of the oven, so I’m glad I didn’t leave it in there longer. It’s so smooth and creamy and delicious with our fresh picked huckleberries (made a sauce with them)! Will definitely make this again!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂