Look no further for a creamy and ultra smooth classic cheesecake recipe! Paired with a buttery graham cracker crust, no one can deny its simple decadence. For the best results, bake in a water bath.
Not a Plain Cheesecake Recipe
As much as I love cheesecake, I’ve never published a classic cheesecake recipe. There’s been peanut butter cheesecake, blueberry swirl cheesecake, Snickers cheesecake, pumpkin swirl cheesecake, lemon cheesecake, caramel turtle cheesecake, or Amaretto cheesecake. Plus more cheesecake in my published cookbooks. That’s a lot of cheesecake recipes without a single nod to where it all originates: classic cheesecake.
To me, classic cheesecake is creamy, rich, and smooth. My cheesecake recipe is not as dense as New York cheesecake, but it’s just as special. It’s thick, it’s velvety, and there’s no denying its decadence. When I imagine what Chandler and Rachel’s stolen cheesecake tastes like, it’s this!
While there’s a glaring absence of chunks, swirls, and sprinkles in this ivory crowned jewel, there’s nothing plain about it.
Preparing my cheesecake recipe is rather simple—it’s baking the cheesecake that could result in a flop. Many factors are at play like the springform pan leaking, the surface of the cheesecake cracking, under-baking, over-baking, etc. I have plenty of tricks that will help guarantee classic cheesecake perfection, including determining when the cheesecake is done and everything you need to know about a cheesecake water bath.
How to Make Classic Cheesecake
You only need a few basic staple ingredients for this cheesecake recipe.
- Brick cream cheese: Four 8-ounce bricks of full-fat cream cheese are the base of this cheesecake. That’s 2 pounds. Make sure you’re buying the bricks of cream cheese and not cream cheese spread. There are no diets allowed in cheesecake, so don’t pick up the reduced-fat variety!
- Sugar: 1 cup. Not that much considering how many mouths you can feed with this dessert. Over-sweetened cheesecake is hardly cheesecake anymore. Using only 1 cup of sugar gives this cheesecake the opportunity to balance tangy and sweet, just as classic cheesecake should taste.
- Sour cream: 1 cup. I recently tested a cheesecake recipe with 1 cup of heavy cream instead, but ended up sticking with my original (which can be found here with blueberry swirl cheesecake!). I was curious about the heavy cream addition and figured it would yield a softer cheesecake bite. The cheesecake was soft, but lacked the stability and richness I wanted. It was almost too creamy. Sour cream is most definitely the right choice.
- A little flavor: 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and 2 of lemon juice. The lemon juice brightens up the cheesecake’s overall flavor and vanilla is always a good idea.
- Eggs: 3 eggs are the final ingredient. You’ll beat the eggs in last, one at a time, until they are *just* incorporated. Do not overmix the batter once the eggs are added. This will whip air into the cheesecake batter, resulting in cheesecake cracking and deflating.
And as always, make sure all of the cheesecake batter ingredients are at room temperature so the batter remains smooth, even, and combines quickly. Beating cold ingredients together will result in a chunky over-beaten cheesecake batter, hardly the way we want to start!
How to Make a Graham Cracker Crust
Since classic is the keyword of the day, we’re sticking with cheesecake’s main squeeze: a graham cracker crust. I reduced the butter from my original graham cracker crust recipe by 1 Tablespoon. I find this crust remains a little more crunchy. Make sure you pack the crust in tight and pre-bake it to help prevent any sogginess.
You could use this Oreo cookie crust instead. No big changes necessary to the recipe below, but I do encourage you to lightly grease the bottom of the springform pan because Oreo crusts tend to stick. Or you could use a Biscoff pie crust instead if you’d like.
I like to use the bottom of a small measuring cup to smooth the crust mixture into the springform pan. Speaking of, you’ll need a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. A springform pan has removable sides so you can safely release the cheesecake without having to flip the pan over or struggle to cut the cheesecake inside the pan. Springform pans can leak if you’re baking the cheesecake in a water bath (more on that below!), but this particular pan is reliable. I haven’t had any leaking issues.
Cheesecake Water Bath
I promise a water bath is nothing complicated. All you’re doing is placing the springform pan in a roasting pan, filling it with hot water, and baking. What’s the point, you ask?
I actually have an entire post and video tutorial for How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath.
You see, cheesecake loves a humid environment. The steam from the hot water will lift the cheesecake up slowly and evenly, reducing the risk of cracks on the surface. Additionally, this slow and even baking method helps prevent the cheesecake from sinking back down as it cools. Taking a few extra minutes to prepare a water bath for this cheesecake recipe is well worth it.
Cooling & Chilling Cheesecake
Another way to help prevent cheesecake cracks is to initially cool it inside the oven. You can see me do this in the video below. When the cheesecake is done, turn the oven off, crack open the oven door, and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour. A drastic and sudden change of temperature isn’t ideal for cheesecake—from hot oven to cool counter—so do your best to control the environment by leaving the cheesecake inside. Does this make sense?
After the cheesecake cools in the oven for 1 hour, place it on the counter to cool. After it’s cool, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or even overnight. There’s no greater test to your willpower than those several hours you’re forced to wait as the cheesecake cools down and then chills in the refrigerator. But every minute is completely worth it when you take that first luscious bite.
For a quicker, easier alternative to making a classic cheesecake, try this cheesecake pie or pumpkin cheesecake pie. Or if you want to completely skip the baking and cooling process, try my no-bake cheesecake instead.
4 Success Tips for Perfect Cheesecake
To summarize, here are some tricks I discussed:
- Do not over-mix the cheesecake batter.
- Bake in a water bath.
- Leave cheesecake in the cooling oven for 1 hour.
- Cool completely at room temperature.
Cheesecake Toppings
Enjoy your velvet-rich cheesecake as is or get a little fancy with a selection of toppings. I love cheesecake best with fruit, so I serve it with this simple raspberry sauce. Or you could top with homemade lemon curd, chocolate ganache, salted caramel, strawberry topping, blueberry sauce topping, or homemade whipped cream. Get creative or keep it simple. Either way, it’s going to impress. (And you’d totally eat it off the floor… Chandler and Rachel style.)
If you’re really looking to take your toppings to the next level, check out my pecan pie cheesecake or caramel apple cheesecake pie.
How to Freeze Cheesecake
- Cool the cheesecake on the counter before freezing. No need to chill it in the refrigerator.
- Freeze on springform pan: Remove the outer rim from the springform pan. Wrap the cheesecake with the bottom of the pan with a few layers of plastic wrap, then a final layer of aluminum foil.
- Freeze without springform pan: After the cheesecake has completely cooled, run a sharp knife underneath the crust to release it from the bottom of the pan. Carefully slide it onto a parchment paper lined piece of cardboard or use a plate. Wrap it all in a few layers of plastic wrap, then a final layer of aluminum foil.
- Freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Do not freeze cheesecake with any toppings. Add toppings, like homemade whipped cream or salted caramel, when serving cheesecake.
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PrintBest Classic Cheesecake Recipe
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 7 hours, 45 minutes (includes chilling)
- Yield: serves 12-16
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Look no further for a creamy and ultra smooth classic cheesecake recipe! Paired with a buttery graham cracker crust, no one can deny its simple decadence. For the best results, bake in a water bath.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full sheet graham crackers)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake
- 32 ounces (904g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (optional, but recommended)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the crust: If you’re starting out with full graham crackers, use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in sugar until combined, and then stir in the melted butter. Mixture will be sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour into an ungreased 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and partly up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly and you can use the flat bottom of a small measuring cup to help smooth it all out if needed. Pre-bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the hot pan on a large piece of aluminum foil. The foil will wrap around the pan for the water bath in step 4. Allow crust to slightly cool as you prepare the filling.
- Make the filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon juice then beat until fully combined. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. After the final egg is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. To help prevent the cheesecake from deflating and cracking as it cools, avoid over-mixing the batter as best you can. You will have close to 6 cups of batter.
- Prepare the simple water bath (see note): If needed for extra visuals, see my How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath; the visual guide will assist you in this step. Boil a pot of water. You need 1 inch of water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. I use an entire kettle of hot water. As the water is heating up, wrap the aluminum foil around the springform pan. Place the pan inside of a large roasting pan. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to smooth it into an even layer. Carefully pour the hot water inside of the pan and place in the oven. (Or you can place the roasting pan in the oven first, then pour the hot water in. Whichever is easier for you.)
- Bake cheesecake for 55–70 minutes or until the center is almost set. If you notice the cheesecake browning too quickly on top, tent it with aluminum foil halfway through baking. When it’s done, the center of the cheesecake will slightly wobble if you gently shake the pan. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven in the water bath as it cools down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and water bath, then cool cheesecake completely uncovered at room temperature. Then cover and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean and dip into warm water between each slice.
- Serve cheesecake with desired toppings (see Note). Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: This cheesecake can be made the day before. It has to chill for quite some time before serving. See step 5. Another way to make this cheesecake ahead of time is to freeze it. Cheesecake can be frozen up to 3 months. See instructions in blog post above.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | Glass Mixing Bowl | 9-inch Springform Pan or 10-inch Springform Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Roasting Pan | Rubber Spatula
- Oreo Cookie Crust: Feel free to replace the graham cracker crust with this Oreo cookie crust. Spray bottom of springform pan with nonstick spray, as Oreo cookie crusts tend to stick. Pre-bake the crust, just as you do with the graham cracker crust in step 2 above.
- Toppings: One of my favorite toppings for this cheesecake is raspberry sauce. Or you could top the baked and cooled cheesecake with salted caramel, lemon curd, strawberry topping, chocolate ganache, red wine chocolate ganache, fresh fruit, or whipped cream. The topping from my pecan pie cheesecake is also an option!
- Alternate Water Bath Method: This method works as well, and you don’t have to bake the cheesecake IN water. Boil a kettle or pot of water. You need 1 inch of hot water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. Place the cheesecake on the center oven rack of the preheated oven. Place a large metal baking or roasting pan (do not use glass—I usually use a 9×13-inch baking pan or an extra-large cast iron skillet) on the bottom rack. Pour boiling water into the empty pan, about 1 inch deep. Immediately close oven to trap the steam inside. This unique water bath adds steam to the oven without having the cheesecake sit inside the water itself. No need to wrap the springform pan in foil. See How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath for more information.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring all cold ingredients to room temperature before beginning. Room temperature ingredients combine quickly and evenly, so you won’t risk over-mixing. Also, beating cold ingredients together will result in a chunky cheesecake batter, hardly the way you want to begin!
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 200g ground digestive biscuit crumbs (about 2 cups; 13–14 biscuits), 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, and 6 Tablespoons (85g) melted butter. Pre-bake the crust for a bit longer, about 12–14 minutes. And from what I understand, spreadable cream cheese sold in a tub in countries outside of the US is a little different from the spreadable cream cheese in the US. It’s thicker, sturdier, and more solid and should be OK for this recipe. I have no experience with it, but this is what I’ve heard from other non-US readers. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
This cheesecake is everything!! This is, hands down, the best cheesecake. I’ve been using this recipe for years and it always gets rave reviews whenever I make it. I made it for the Super Bowl and served it with the Blueberry Sauce from your Blueberry Lemon Icebox Cake! Such a tasty combo and such a hit. Thank you for your amazing, reliable, easy-to-follow recipes!
This recipe is delicious and easy to prepare. I swirled a raspberry purée through mine and decorated with fresh raspberries. My family loved it!
Made this for the first time. Was so delicious. Making it again today 2/11 for Super Bowl. Recommend everyone to make this one. Used a lemon for the lemon juice. Great flavor.
Hi Laura, you can try cutting the recipe in half for a 6 inch pan. We have not tested it this way so we’re unsure of the bake time. Or, you may enjoy this small batch cheesecake which uses a loaf pan.
This was a very easy to follow recipe and it tasted fantastic!
Amazing recipe and my cheesecake came out beautiful! Expect that my pan leaked and the bottom is soggy do you have any recommendations on how to fix it after it has been removed from the oven?
Hi Maddy, unfortunately there isn’t much that can be done to remedy the crust at this point. For next time, you can try the alternate water bath detailed in the recipe Notes. It involves a pan of water on the rack underneath the springform pan, so there is no risk of leaking. It works wonderfully!
The cheesecake is in the oven right now. I can’t wait to see the end result. I never used this way to bake a cheesecake before,but it smells absolutely delicious. I will top it with a mix of berries sauce. By the way,your recipes are wonderful,every single one of them. My familly loved them all. So,no doubt this will be a favorite. Congrats Sally for all your hardwork,sending you hugs from Portugal.
Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes, Andrea. We hope you love this cheesecake!
Best cheesecake recipe! I’ve made it many times and it’s always delicious.
Absolutely love this recipe. I always thought cheesecake was too hard to make, so I just never tried. I came across this recipe and made it for the holidays. Followed the instructions, and it turned out great. Made the lemon curd to top it and your homemade whipped cream.
Then, I decided, why not try to make a red velvet cheesecake (Cheesecake Factory style). I used this recipe, made it crustless and split it in two rounds. I used your AMAZING red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting recipes for the cake. Then I layered everything into one tall cake. Absolutely loved it! Still working on the appearance of it, but flavor was fantastic. Thanks! Loving the site.
Sounds like an incredible version of this recipe! I have to try it sometime. Thank you for sharing, and I’m so glad to read that you love this cheesecake!
Hi! I was wondering if you had any recommendations on how to adjust this recipe to make it white chocolate cheesecake? For example, how much white should should I add, and should I reduce any of the other ingredients? Love your site, and every recipe I try! Thank you!
Hi Tess, We haven’t tried this recipe as a white chocolate cheesecake before, but let us know how it turns out if you do!
Can you freeze a Chessecake and for how long??? How to thaw it out??
Hi Kalee, Cheesecake can be frozen up to 3 months. There’s a section in the middle of this post called How to Freeze Cheesecake.
I’ve been using this recipe for YEARS now and love it so much. Everyone raves about it. I am looking to make a chocolate cheesecake but want to use this recipe. Do you think this recipe could handle ganache being folded in and made into a chocolate cheesecake?
Thanks!
Hi Bri, We haven’t tested a chocolate version, but you can try to slightly reduce the sour cream and add 3 or 4 ounces of melted (and slightly cooled) unsweetened chocolate. Another option would be to add in chocolate chips like we do with our Amaretto Cheesecake or simply top the baked cheesecake with chocolate ganache. Let us know what you try!
This recipe is amazing! I used an 8″x8″ pan and still followed step by step and the cheesecake was a hit! Also made the strawberry topping and chocolate whipped ganache- AMAZING!
Hi there! Is there any easy and safe way to transfer from the pan to a cake box? I want to give this as a gift, but don’t want to give away my pan bottom. Haha.
Hi Kelly, you can try very gently sliding a spatula between the pan and crust to help move it to a cake box. Some bakers also like to put a parchment paper cake round on the bottom to help it more easily remove from the pan. Hope this helps!
I have been wanting to do a red velvet cheesecake for Valentine’s Day. I did some research that said to add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and red food coloring. Would this work!! Thanks 🙂
Hi Tori, we haven’t tested a red velvet cheesecake but please let us know how it goes if you do!
Hi! Is it possible to use a regular cake pan?
Hi RR, a springform pan is definitely ideal for cheesecake, but you could try a pie dish instead – you will have enough filling for 2 since most pie dishes aren’t as deep as springform pans – or cut the filling recipe in half for one.
Thanks! I was just about to ask this!
I was confused on what to preheat too. I looked all throughout the recipe and only could find how to preheat the crust, 350. So I just went for that. Overall, this is a super good recipe and taste rich and creamy! Would do again. Just confused on some parts of the instructions:
This is a wonderful recipe, thank you!
We opened a restaurant/bakery in June serving cakes and pies. In September I made your classic cheesecake and topped it with raspberry sauce. It was completely gone within a couple of hours. I have added on cherry topping, chocolate sauce with Snickers, and key lime with Lime curd. The customers rave how creamy and delicious they are. This is definitely the absolute best cheesecake recipe ever!
I absolutely love this Cheesecake recipe. I’ve made it twice and it turns out perfect every time! This is now my new favorite dessert!
Hi! This review isn’t so much a review of your cheesecake recipe as it is you and your wonderful site! My mom passed away several years ago, back when I had no interest in baking. She was an amazing cook and baker and left us with many wonderful recipes however, they weren’t always very instructive. Fast forward 10 years and I’ve developed a love for baking and wanted to make my mom’s New York style cheesecake but other than the ingredients and measurements there weren’t any instructions. But I knew exactly where to go to find help! Your site has been my constant companion on my “learning to bake” journey and I can’t thank you enough! Every sin
Thank you so much for this sweet comment, Samantha! We’re so thrilled to hear that you can carry on your mom’s recipes and memory with the help of our site. We wish you the best and happy baking!
I made this last night. I used to work in a fine dining restaurant and that’s the last time I ever made cheese cake. I found this recipe and followed it to a tee. OMG it’s perfect, everyone loved it. Will be doing this again !
I like to make cherry cheesecake tarts around the holidays. While they taste fine, I’ve always taken the cheesecake out and then the middle collapses when I put the cherry filling on. I’m going to use the techniques you’ve described here.
A couple of questions:
1) Can I use the water bath method with a muffin tin?
2) If I make too much batter, will it keep for my second batch or should I make enough for a batch at a time?
Thanks so much!
Hi Ryan, I usually like to use a water bath of sorts when making mini cheesecakes. Are you making the cheesecakes in a muffin pan? If so, see my margarita cheesecakes post and recipe. (I use a pan of boiling water on a rack underneath the baking cheesecakes as the “water bath”.) For your second question, you can keep batter at room temperature as the 1st batch bakes. I’m assuming that is what you were asking? Apologies if I’m misunderstanding.
Do I need to do water bath if I’m using an already made crust that comes in the pan ?
Hi Cherry, we still do recommend a water bath, as it is to help with keeping a moist cheesecake without cracks. You can learn more about cheesecake water baths here.
Made this for Christmas dinner this year – Yum!!!!!!!
Hello!
I’ve done this recipe a couple of times now and it’s always the highlight of the night so thank you so much!
The only problem I’ve been having is, I’m doing the crust with Oreo cookies and butter (I though putting sugar on those will make it too sweet) but when it comes out it’s never crunchy, it comes out soggy as if the water from the water bath leaked inside, I tried double wrapping the pan but it didn’t work. I don’t know what else to do!
Thank you!
Hi Melissa! See recipe notes – we recommend following the alternate water bath instructions. Works great!
Also try coating the “crust” with an egg wash and baking for 5-10 minutes prior to adding the filling
Can you cook this without the crust bottom? I want to use it as a middle layer between two red velvet cakes.
Hi Susan, We’ve never used this recipe for a crustless cheesecake but you can certainly try it. Obviously the pre-bake is not necessary. The total cheesecake bake time should be the same though. Keep the cooling and chilling process the same as well.
This is a great recipe, always turns out perfect.
Have made this twice now with wonderful results each time.
I also make the raspberry sauce which is heavenly! I could put it on everything. It’s so simple but perfect.
This is now my go to cheesecake so thank you!
This is the perfect cheesecake every single time