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!
What does putting a pan of water on the rack below cheesecake do?
Hi Maureen! Some recipes call for that to help with cracks, but it’s not necessary here. 🙂
The cheesecake sounds wonderful, however, you said to use the brick type cream cheese not the spreadable. I make my own cheesecake and it is more spreadable than the hard brick kind. Will this work? I don’t want to make it and have it fail as that’s
a lot of wasted ingredients if it does not work.
Hi Pat! The problem with the spreadable cream cheese is that it doesn’t set very well. This would lead to a runny cheesecake. Not knowing what is in your cream cheese you are making I’m not sure how it would turn out.
Hello,
I am making this cheesecake tonight with my daughter. When should I remove the springform ring? After it chills in the frig or after the cool down time after baking? Please help.
Thank you!
Hi Christine! I remove my ring just before serving. 🙂
We loved this and made it for my mom’s birthday! Do you have recommendations for doing an Oreo cheesecake?
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it, Jenn! I actually have an Oreo cheesecake that is also really really tasty. 🙂
Getting ready to make this now, so excited to devour it!!
Wondering though, should I use salted or unsalted butter?
Hi Olivia! For the crust either one is fine. 🙂
I made this cheesecake for my Mom’s birthday. It was absolutely the best cheesecake I’ve ever made!
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Angel! 🙂
Mine turned out excellent! Thanks for sharing this wonderful easy recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Mya! 🙂
Well, I am not the greatest cook. I followed your directions by mine cracked deep around the edges. Smells good though. I’m going to cover them with whipped cream and then serve with fresh strawberry topping. Taking this to church tonight….
Sounds like the perfect fix! I hope everyone loves it. 🙂
Made this cheesecake yesterday, it was a huge success. Everyone loved it. Absolutely no cracks either. Will be making this again. Thank you!!
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Margaret! 🙂
Could you use this recipe to make cheesecake cupcakes?
Hi Jessie! I actually have a mini cheesecake recipe I would recommend following. 🙂
Hi! I only have a 8” deep pan. Will that work?
Hi Deedee! The pan probably won’t hold all of the batter but you can still use it. Be careful not to overfill the pan. 🙂
What is the baking time if I half the recipe?
Hi Marlene! I haven’t baked it with only half a batch so I am not sure how long it would need bake. Just keep an eye on it. 🙂
I’ll be trying this soon! I have bought pie pans and baked two separate cheesecakes in them. Will the temperature and time in oven be any different?
Hi Brenda! If you are just baking them in pie pans the time will definitely change but you will want to use the same temperature. 🙂
This recipe is for a 9inch pan. I have an 11inch pan, do I use the same measurement? Please help! Thank you!
Hi Ruby! If you have an 11 inch springform pan, in order to get the same thickness you will need to increase the batter by about 33%. 🙂
I love this recipe ! I followed the directions including beeting each egg one at a time before I added it in the bowl with the rest of the things!
It’s just heavenly! Thank yooo!
I am so happy to hear it, Bobby! Thank you for trying my recipe. Enjoy! 🙂
Made the cheesecake in an 8” deep dish pie pan. Used your recommended crust ingredient amounts and followed your directions. For cheesecake filling, I cut the amount of each ingredient in half. Followed your directions exactly.
Baked at 300 degrees for 65 min. Moved like jello. Out of oven, after 10 minutes ran sharp knife around outside of crust. Perfect! Cooled on top of stove till near room temperature. Refrigerated overnight.
Delivering to birthday boy who requested it. Thank you ☺️.
I am so glad it turned out! I hope everyone loves it. 🙂
Play my cheesecake is in the oven so I have no crack problems but I just want to say I have ״Run some scientific taste testing״ I have to say it’s awesome I’ve been craving cheesecake for months finally get this I’m feeling just a little hunch it’s going to taste amazing
I’m glad it’s going well! I think you are going to LOVE the final product. 🙂