My raspberry cheesecake is swirled with fresh raspberry flavor throughout. It’s baked on a classic graham cracker crust and, of course, is made without a water bath! Recipe includes detailed step-by-step photos and instructions and a how-to video tutorial.
The BEST Raspberry Cheesecake
My raspberry cheesecake recipe deviates slightly from the other berry cheesecakes I’ve shared here. With my strawberry cheesecake we used a plain base with the strawberries making an appearance only on the top. That worked beautifully there, but we needed more oomph here. Unlike with my blueberry cheesecake, using whole berries didn’t work so well here. Instead, we’ll make a homemade raspberry sauce for a concentrated bright, tart contrast to the sweet and creamy, dense cheesecake.
The end result is so pretty and completely irresistible. Seriously, it’s hard to stop eating this once you start, which is not something I often say about a dessert as rich as cheesecake!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No water bath needed! I don’t use a water bath in any of my cheesecake recipes (though it is a necessary step for making my chocolate pot de creme and creme brulee). Just make sure to follow my tips below for avoiding cracks!
- Bursting with raspberry flavor throughout! We’ll add a raspberry swirl in the middle, on top, and then drizzle with raspberry sauce before serving. I sometimes like to toss in some fresh raspberries with the sauce at the end for even more fresh raspberry flavor!
- Saves you a step, because there is no need to pre-bake the crust. Oh, and if you like raspberries and chocolate together, feel free to use an Oreo crust instead.
- Can be made year-round! This recipe tastes equally as good with frozen raspberries as it does with fresh, so you don’t have to wait for summer berries.
Ingredients
We stick to simple and fresh ingredients when making raspberry cheesecake. As always, I do have a few I’d like to mention before we get started.
- Raspberries. Either fresh or frozen berries will work. Decide what you want to use depending on when you make this raspberry cheesecake; fresh are best when they are in season.
- Sour cream. Cheesecake absolutely needs sour cream for the proper flavor–I feel very strongly about this and include it in all of my cheesecake recipes (even my cheesecake bites and no-bake cheesecake!)! If you don’t have sour cream, full-fat plain greek yogurt would also work.
- Cream cheese. You must use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese for this recipe to turn out properly. The spreadable kind sold in tubs will not work here, unfortunately.
- Eggs. 3 room temperature eggs are key to give the cheesecake base its classic firm but custard-y texture. More on this critical ingredient below!
- Graham cracker crumbs. These are for my go-to graham cracker crust. If you can’t find pre-crushed crumbs, just crush your own graham crackers. I use a food processor or put the crackers in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin.
SAM’S TIP: Let’s talk eggs! First, it’s important to use room temperature eggs. If you forget to set yours out ahead, use my trick to quickly bring eggs to room temperature. Second, add the eggs one at a time, and briefly beat each egg to break it up before adding it to the batter. Third, only mix your eggs into your batter until just combined. All of these tips will prevent over-mixing the eggs, ultimately giving you the smoothest texture, prettiest appearance, and best flavor.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Raspberry Cheesecake
Raspberry Sauce
- Cook the berries, water, lemon juice, and sugar until the berries start to break down and become juicy.
- Increase the heat and let the sauce simmer until thickened. Stir constantly during this time. There won’t be a huge change in consistency, but the sauce shouldn’t be quite as loose as it was initially and will darken in color.
- Pour the sauce through a strainer into a heatproof bowl. Press with a spatula to work the liquid through the strainer and into the bowl.
- Stir 2 tablespoons of the seeds from the strainer into your sauce, then discard the rest. This will give the sauce just a little bit of texture, which I love! Set the sauce aside and let it cool while you prepare your cheesecake.
Graham Cracker Crust
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugars, and melted butter. Remember, don’t do this when your butter is too hot, or your crust will be greasy.
- Press into your springform pan. Make sure to cover the bottom and as high up the sides as you can get it (this will prevent cracks!). I use a drinking glass to help me do this. Set the crust aside while you prepare your batter.
Raspberry Cheesecake Batter
- Stir the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Make sure to work any lumps out now, or they will end up in your cheesecake!
- Add the sour cream and vanilla and stir until just combined.
- Add the eggs. Do this one egg at a time, beating first in a separate bowl and then mixing on low speed until just incorporated. When you are done adding the eggs, make sure to give the sides and bottom of the bowl a good stir with a spatula to make sure everything is combined.
Assembly
- Pour half of the cheesecake batter into your crust, then drizzle some of the raspberry sauce overtop. You don’t have to be quite so precise with how this looks since it will be in the center of your raspberry cheesecake.
- Dollop the rest of the cheesecake batter over the raspberry sauce. Smooth the surface with a spatula so your final cheesecake has a smooth, even top.
- Add another drizzle of raspberry sauce overtop. Be more careful with this ripple as it will be the surface of your cheesecake and will make an impression. I use a knife to swirl the sauce into the batter and make it pretty. Note you will have some leftover raspberry sauce–save this for serving!
- Bake, then turn off the oven and crack the door. Let the cheesecake sit like this for an hour, then remove and cool to room temperature. This helps keep the cheesecake from cracking due to drastic temperature change. It will need to then chill in the fridge overnight before you serve (topping with additional raspberry sauce as desired).
SAM’S TIP: All of my notes from my other cheesecakes apply here to avoid cracks. This includes pressing the crust high up the sides so it can shrink as it cools, using room temperature ingredients, avoiding over-mixing, and cooling slowly.
Frequently Asked Questions
You could, but note that it will change the overall flavor as raspberry jam doesn’t have quite as fresh of a taste, nor will the swirls be as vibrant. I would briefly warm the jam in the microwave to make it smooth and spreadable (but not hot!) before swirling it through the cheesecake. I also would not recommend serving it on the side for a topping as you do with my sauce in the written recipe.
Yes! First follow the instructions for cooling and chilling (for at least 6 hours) as indicated. Then, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container. You can freeze individual slices or the whole cheesecake (store the raspberry topping separately. Thaw before eating (overnight in the refrigerator works well), or enjoy frozen!
Yes, if you opt to do so I recommend using the crust from my Oreo cheesecake recipe (you could even use the shells from my homemade Oreos to make this truly homemade!). That recipe has you remove the cream from the Oreos before pulverizing, unlike my traditional Oreo crust recipe (which is better suited for pies and not springform pans). I do this because I found that the cream sometimes melts out of the springform pan and into my oven.
What fruity cheesecake flavor would you like to see next? Cherry? 🍒 Mango? 🥭 Peach? 🍑
Let me know!
Enjoy!
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Raspberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
Raspberry Sauce
- 12 oz (340 g) raspberries fresh or frozen (about 2 ½ cups)
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Crust
- 1 ½ cups (170 g) graham cracker crumbs
- 2 Tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar firmly packed
- 7 Tablespoons (100 g) unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake
- 24 oz (680 g) cream cheese softened (use brick-style full fat cream cheese)
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature preferred
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
For the sauce
- Prepare the sauce first so it has time to cool while you prepare the cheesecake. Sauce may be prepared up to 3 days in advance. In a small saucepan,combine raspberries, sugar, water, and lemon juice over medium/low heat. Stir frequently, and cook until the berries release their juices (will take several minutes).12 oz (340 g) raspberries, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (60 ml) water, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- Increase heat to medium and bring mixture to a simmer while stirring constantly. Cook for several minutes until the berries break down and the sauce deepens in color and is slightly thickened (it will thicken only slightly).
- Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a heat proof bowl. Measure out 2 Tablespoons of your seeds left in the strainer and add them back to the sauce, discard the rest.
- Allow the mixture to cool while you prepare the crust and the cheesecake.
For the crust
- Preheat oven to 325F (165C).
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add the melted butter until crumbs are all moistened.1 ½ cups (170 g) graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar, 7 Tablespoons (100 g) unsalted butter
- Press the graham cracker mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” springform pan. Use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to help you. Set crust aside as you prepare your cheesecake.
For the Cheesecake
- Combine cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to stir together until smooth, creamy, and completely lump free.24 oz (680 g) cream cheese, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Add sour cream and vanilla extract and stir on low speed until combined.½ cup (120 g) sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a small bowl, lightly beat one egg and add it to the cheesecake batter, stirring on low speed until egg is just combined. Repeat with the remaining eggs, then scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly combined.3 large eggs
Assembly
- Pour half of the cheesecake batter evenly over the prepared crust. Take about ⅓ cup (80ml) of the cooled raspberry sauce and pour evenly over the batter.
- Gently dollop the remaining cheesecake batter evenly over the raspberry sauce and smooth it with a spatula.
- Drizzle with another ⅓ cup of raspberry sauce over the surface and use a toothpick or knife to swirl over the cheesecake. Reserve the rest of the sauce for serving (store covered in the refrigerator).
- Transfer to center rack of 325F (165C) preheated oven for 45-55 minutes. The center of the cheesecake will be jiggly but the cheesecake should be mostly set.
- When cheesecake is finished baking, turn off the oven, crack the door open a few inches and let cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour (this will help prevent cracks).
- After 1 hour, remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for an hour or until no longer warm. Once cooled, transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Serve, topped with reserved raspberry sauce (we serve the raspberry sauce on the side so people can add as much or as little as they’d like).
Notes
Storing
I store my cheesecake in the springform pan that it’s baked in. Once it’s cooled, cover with plastic wrap to avoid absorbing any odors from the fridge. Will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or may be frozen for up to several months.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.
Suzette Barker
Love this recipe!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Suzette! 🙂
David H Currier
This was excellent!! I made two slight changes: 1) I baked the crust for 7 minutes, and 2) I did use a water bath.
Emilyn
This was my first time making cheesecake without a water bath, and it did crack on top. But, despite the crack, it was DELICIOUS! So creamy! Definitely will make again. I made the coulis with frozen raspberries and the crust with gluten-free graham crackers for my celiac husband, and both turned out great. Tasted amazing, 10/10, but next time I’ll do a water bath because I’m apparently unable to make non-cracked cheesecake without one.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Emilyn! I do have some tips throughout the post and in the video on how to avoid cracks if you want to try again without the water bath. 🙂
Sandy
Hi,
I was looking for a raspberry cheesecake in the store, but couldn’t find one, so I decided to make one from scratch. This recipe sounds wonderful and I have already bought a 9″ Graham cracker crust but now see that a springform pan is recommended. Are there any adaptations needed if I’m using a ready made crust?
Thanks
Sam
Hi Sandy! The pre-made crust will likely only hold about half of the batter that this makes so you want to make sure not to overfill your crust. Your bake time will also be shortened, but I’m not sure exactly how long it would need to cook. I hope that helps! 🙂
Jeri
why save the seeds?
Sam
For a little texture in the swirls. 🙂
Linda
It would have been helpful to have the option to email the recipe back to myself as I do not have a printer.
Sam
Hi Linda! There’s a “save this recipe” section at the top. You can enter your email there and it will send it right to your email. 🙂
Claudia
Hello. I am from Uk and it’s really hard to ding the cream cheese in brick style and we only have the one in tub, spreadable one. Why it doesn’t work that one?
Thank you
Sam
Hi Claudia! The spreadable cream cheese typically has additives that help it spread and don’t allow the cheesecake to set up quite as nicely.
Amy Georgeadis
I’m making this now and tasted the raspberry sauce by itself. It’s quite sour. Will this balance out with the sweetness of the cake or should I do something to the sauce to sweeten it before adding it to the cheesecake ?
Sam
Hi Amy! Were your raspberries good? They are a more tart fruit so your sauce will be a bit tart. It should balance nicely in the cheesecake. 🙂
Patricia
sounds delicious. Quick question though.. do you serve the reserved raspberry sauce warm or cold?
Sam
Hi Patricia! Either way works fine. 🙂
Nancy
I was wondering if I could make this in an 8 x 8 square pan and use parchment to lift it out
Sam
Hi Nancy! I’m not exactly sure how it would fit into an 8 x 8, but lifting it out in the parchment paper could prove to be difficult. It may end up cracking a good bit.
Cathy Alberti-cooke
Hi Sam, I am placing some chopped white chocolate pieces on top of the Oreo cookie crust per my daughters request. Wondering if I should put a foil lined cookie sheet under it in case it leaks out and how that would affect my baking time. Thanks so much!
Sam
Hi Cathy! A foil lined pan is never a really bad idea. I’m not sure what will happen to the bake time. I don’t *think* it would alter the bake time, but I would just keep an eye on it. 🙂
Jessica G.
How would I adjust the recipe to make a 6” cheesecake ?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jessica! Cutting the recipe in half will make slightly more than will fit into a 6 inch springform pan. Just be sure not to overfill the pan and adjust your bake time, and you’ll be good to go 🙂
Jessica G
Wonderful, thank you so much! I’m going to try this out this weekend and will be sure to update! Much appreciated 😊
Wyatt
Loved making it but i didn’t have enough for the crust so I had to make more.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds like your crust might’ve been just a bit thicker than ours. We’re so happy you enjoyed it though!
Ruthlyn
My whole family loved this Raspberry Cheesecake! I loved it too and I really don’t like raspberries but it was so good! Thanks for sharing this recipe 🥰
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yay! We’re so happy it was a hit Ruthlyn 🥰 Thanks for giving it a try!
Jeanette
I waited for this recipe for so long! Absolutely worth the wait. This is by for my absolute favorite cheesecake. The sweet. And the tart. The creamy. The raspberry seeds. Oh I would die for this cheesecake.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it was worth the wait, Jeanette! 🥰
Baker
What size springform did you use for this recipe?
Sam
You will see it listed when you start making the crust. You’ll need a 9 inch springform pan. 🙂
Amanda
Can I replace raspberries with strawberries to make the sauce or do you suggest just doing the strawberry version linked at the very top? I like the way its swirled in for this recipe and strawberries are on sale right now lol
Sam
I would recommend the strawberry cheesecake. 🙂