A great Cheesecake Recipe doesn’t have to be hard. I’ve got the creamiest, easy to make cheesecake recipe for you, plus tips and tricks to guarantee that it turns out perfect every time!
THE PERFECT MAKE AHEAD DESSERT FOR PARTIES!
First and foremost, you must plan ahead. A cheesecake needs time to set-up properly, preferably overnight, so that means you need to bake it at least one day before you intend to serve it. You can make it up to 3 days in advance! Just store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
the perfect graham cracker crust!
I’m not sure but … the crust just might be my favorite part. The secret is light brown sugar. That, plus a little vanilla extract, gives the crust a rich, sweet flavor that is to die for!
The first thing I hear when someone takes a bite is … “Wow, this crust is amazing!”
use room temperature ingredients.
In order get the smoothest filling possible, start out with room temperature ingredients. Remove the chilled ingredients from the fridge at least a half hour before you’re ready to start baking.
TIP: If you’re in a pinch for time, turn the light in your oven on. Place the cream cheese and butter on a baking tray and pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes. The heat from the oven light is just warm enough to help soften them up a bit faster. Make sure to keep an eye on it so they don’t start to melt!
a cheesecake recipe without eggs?
Whether you have an egg allergy or you just don’t like eggs … You can still enjoy a delicious slice of cheesecake! A few people have asked me why this cheesecake must be baked if it has no eggs? I’ve tried not baking it and just letting it chill overnight but it didn’t set up properly. It must be baked!
Use A Cake Pan for a Leak Proof Water Bath
Use A Cake Pan for a Leak Proof Water BathUse a water-bath when baking cheesecakes! The hot water surrounding the cheesecake creates a gentle heat that bakes the cheesecake more evenly than a dry heat. There will be less cracking on top as well. To create a leak-proof water-bath, place the spring-form pan inside of a wider cake pan before you place it in the water-bath. ( see photo above)
Make sure you watch my short video if you’ve never done this before. You will be thanking me … This is one of my favorite tips! Video Tutorial – How to Create a Water Bath for Cheesecakes!
Did you know you can freeze cheesecake? To freeze, prepare the cheesecake and let it set up in the fridge overnight. Place the cheesecake, unwrapped, in the freezer until frozen solid. Wrap the frozen cheesecake in 2-3 layers of plastic wrap and then wrap with 2-3 layers of foil. Pop it back into the freezer, where it can stay for several months. When you are ready to serve, take it out and let thaw in the fridge overnight.
Other Cheesecake recipe you might like!
- Tiramisu Cheesecake
- Oreo Cheesecake
- Lemon Cheesecake
- Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
- Chocolate Covered Cheesecake
If you tried this Simple Cheesecake recipe let me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! Make sure to RATE this recipe and leave me a message in the comment section below! Follow me on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST and INSTAGRAM to see more yummy food!
Simple Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 1.5 cup 127 g graham crackers, crushed (I think honey graham crackers taste the best)
- 1/4 cup 50 g light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup 115 g butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 oz 500 g cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup 227 g sugar
- 1 cup 240 ml heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 cup 230 g sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup 30 g flour (or corn starch)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust
- Line the bottom of a 9" spring-form pan with parchment paper.
- Place the crust ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir together with a fork until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of the spring-form pan and place in the refrigerator until the cheesecake filling is ready.
Cheesecake Filling
- Preheat oven to 320 degrees.
- Using a stand mixer or electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together on low speed until there are no lumps and the cream cheese is smooth. Scrap the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the rest of the ingredients one at a time, beating on low speed until each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrap the sides of the bowl between each addition.
- Pour the filling into the pan and gently tap it down on a hard surface to help remove any air bubbles. Prepare water bath (optional, see video for instructions)
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour and then turn the oven off, crack the door and let it cool down for 1 hour.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and run a sharp knife around the inside rim of the pan to release the cheesecake from the sides. (This will help prevent cracking as it cools)
- Let the cheesecake sit on the counter until it's completely cooled and then place in the refrigerator overnight to set up.
- When you are ready to serve, remove the spring-form pan and let sit out for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
this recipe was originally posted 5/2016 updated 5/2018
Do you use an Instant Pot? I tweaked this recipe and came up with an Instant Pot Cheesecake Recipe.
These cheesecake turned out great! I tried it in a 12-well cupcake pan and taste wise they were still perfect, but for some reason the bottoms of the cheesecakes became a little wet after refrigerating. Any idea why this would be? Thanks in advance!
Hi Sap, did you cover the cheesecake with plastic? Sometimes the moisture can cause condensation.
Made this again for like the 5th time… it doesn’t disappoint!
Could you add cocoa powder and chocolate chips to this? Or maybe just cocoa powder?
Yes you could add either. If you add cocoa powder, I would add 1/4 cup and taste to see if you should add more. I would also SIFT the cocoa powder into the mixture to avoid any lumps.
I have made this a couple of times, and I love it. Super delicious. I was wondering, though…has anyone tried eating this without baking it? You could, right? I was wondering because I made my sister in law a brownie-bottom turtle cheesecake for her birthday today, using the cheesecake recipe here for the cheesecake filling. She requested a 6inch so I just made the full recipe, but put the extras in the fridge, and I kind of want to eat it with a spoon. What changes happen when baking the cheesecake that I will miss if I just dig in with my spoon??
Hi Rebecca! I have actually tried to make this cheesecake without baking it and it did NOT set up overnight in the fridge! It must be baked unfortunately. It will still be tasty! Just not set like a regular cheesecake. Let me know if it does set up for you because I’ve only tried it one time and it didn’t set!
I had been looking for an egg-free recipe that gets the texture and taste of cheesecake just right and this is perfect. While I have never tried a cheesecake baked with egg, all my friends who have had some of the best cheesecakes in New York loved this better! They especially love the crust. I had to bake it twice in two weeks because they loved it so much. I am sharing this recipe with everyone I know. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Thank you Parita! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed this recipe enough to make it twice in two weeks!
i made this yesterday just to practice. I had a family gathering today and took it along. I was afraid it might not be so good and here i am sharing with 20 people. They all loved it!! Thank you.
That’s awesome! 🙂
How long does it need to set in fridge after cooling?
Atleast 6 hours. Over night is best.
I dont like sour cream. Can I substitute another cup of heavy cream for the sour cream? Or will that cause a texture or other problem? Thank you.
I’ve never tried it without the sour cream but I don’t really taste the sour cream in the final product. I would substitute a half cup of heavy cream and 4 oz. of cream cheese in place of the sour cream. I hope this helps and if you decide to try it, please let me know how it turns out!
This came out amazing!! I substituted yoghurt for sourcream, and it was still super delicious and creamy. I also made a 4-inch cake for my daughter’s 5th month birthday, so I quartered the recipe, the quantity was just perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this recipe and turned out awesome. Just wondering if I could do crustless? Please give your suggestions.
Thank you.
Hi Sita, I have never done it crustless before but I believe it can be done. I would definitely wrap the bottom of the spring form pan with foil, just in case to prevent leaking.
Hi Amy. Well developed recipe and love the eggless part. I was able to use reduced fat ingredients and it still tastes great. Thanks for your special tips, especially about the water bath and incorporating other flavors into the cheesecake. My boys finished the cake in one day with some help, and asked for another one. Fortunately, this is easy to make. Thanks so much.
I’m so glad you and you’re family enjoyed this recipe! And thank you for such a great review 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe. I have looked at many others and none compare to this one in terms of the light, not too sweet flavor. It was easy to make and I am not a baker. I did reduce the butter in the crust to reduce the overall fat content. Worked out just fine.
I am allergic to eggs as well.It was so easy to make and it was delicious!!!
This was excellent – my son has an egg allergy so we try and avoid eggs where possible (and is a picky eater – he wouldn’t eat this chesscake anyway). I subbed in monk fruit sweetner for the sugar and it was great – my wife can usually taste a sugar sub a mile off but even she said it was delicious. Will definitely use this as my go to cheesecake – may experiment with some flavour additions (lemon peel, choc chips, raspberries etc).
I made this recipe twice it turned out great! Thank you for having an eggless cheesecake recipe.