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 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.
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This is the BEST Easy Cheesecake Recipe you’ll ever try! It’s got that perfect creamy, cheesecake consistency that you are looking for and it’s super easy to make too. It’s a delicious dessert that everyone will rave about!
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
Tip: To get butter and cream cheese to room temperature quickly use this tip. Place them on a baking tray and put them in the oven with the OVEN LIGHT turned on for about 10 minutes. The heat from the light of the oven should be warm enough to help soften the ingredients. Be careful not to leave them in for too long because they will melt!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 311
- Sugar: 18
- Fat: 22.5
- Carbohydrates: 25.5
- Protein: 3
Keywords: cheesecake without eggs, cake for people with egg allergies
this recipe was originally posted 5/2016 updated 5/2018
Do you use an Instant Pot? I tweaked this recipe and came up with a Instant Pot Cheesecake Recipe.
Hi Amy,
I’ve been using your recipe for a while and it is just the best!! I was wondering could I add cocoa powder or melted chocolate to it for a chocolate cheesecake? If so, how much would you recommend?
★★★★★
Hi Melissa! I really need to experiment with this, I can’t believe I haven’t yet. I would melt 1 cup to 1.5 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a separate bowl, and once it has cooled down, stir into the batter. I seriously need to make a chocolate cheesecake! If you try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Hi Amy, I’m really excited to see this eggless cheese cake recipe and I’m quite impressed with the success stories in the comments!
I wondered if there’s a suggestion you have for substituting cream cheese. I outside the US and they don’t have cream cheese here with quite the same thickness as American cream cheese. I may try a softer cheese drained through cheese cloth or something. Anything else?
Thanks a ton!
Hi Chava! I think if you have a mild flavor, soft cheese it could work if you drained it through a cheese cloth. I’ve never used this method but I think it’s worth a try. Do they sell marscapone cheese where you live?
Hi! Can we use whip cream or cream with 25% fat instead of heavy cream and any substitute of sour cream because it’s hard to get sour cream at my place.
Hi Shruti,
I’m pretty sure that the whipped cream or cream with 25% fat will work as a substitute for sour cream. If I was going to substitute cream for sour cream, I would add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the recipe. Can you please share your results so that it may help others with the same issue? I hope this helps!
Can you suggest a gluten free flour for the filling? I can’t use the corn starch.
Thanks!
Hi Rebecca,
I’ve heard that you can use arrowroot powder, tapioca starch or potato starch in place of corn starch.
Hi Amy,
I have a friend who is allergic to eggs. I would like to do a lemon flavoured eggless version. (I checked your lemon cheesecake recipe and it has eggs in). How much lemon would you add to the mix, and do you think it will curdle the cream mixture?
Hi Hermione,
I would add the same amount to the filling, 6 tablespoons of lemon juice. Because this recipe is eggless, I would taste the filling to make sure it has enough lemon flavor before you bake it. It should not curdle the cream mixture.
Hi Amy!
So I really wanted a baked cheesecake which is eggless, and yours looks fantastic.
I really wanna try it, although i can’t get hold of sour cream.
Any substitute of sour cream that I can use to replace in this recipe?
Also I wanted to make mango cheesecake. So was thinking of adding mango pulp inside. How much pulp would I need approximately?
And would I need to reduce or add something to your recipe If i’m adding mango pulp inside?
Hi Ruchi,
Can you get a hold of plain greek yogurt to replace the sour cream? I would add a cup of the mango pulp.
Hi Amy
Can I make this 3 days in advance and leave it in the fridge?
Thank you
Hi Dee! Yes you can. I would leave it in the spring-form pan until you are ready to serve it.
This came out perfect…thank you Amy
★★★★★
Awesome!! 🙂
actually i forgot the egg on my cheesescake..i just realized it halfway of baking time?..so i hurried to check google if there’s eggless recipe for cheesecake..just to justify my poor memory hahaha. .relieved that i found your recipe..and oh it really turned out and taste great?
Awesome!
Thanks for posting this recipe. It’s the best eggless cheesecake we’ve ever tried. We’re always looking for eggless recipes we have egg allergies in our house. This one is fantastic!
★★★★★
You’re so welcome! ?
Very easy and very good. I will be making this again. Thanks!
★★★★★
You’re so welcome! Glad you liked it 🙂
Do we have bake at 320 degrees for an hour …
Yes, you will bake the cheesecake for an hour at 320 degrees.
Hi Amy, I was wondering if I could use a normal rectangular baking pan instead of the spring-form pan and if it would turn out the same just rectangular shape.
Yes you can. I would make a parchment paper “sling” that you put under the crust. Cut the parchment so that it hangs off the sides about an inch. That way you can use it to pick the cheesecake up and out of the pan once it’s cooled completely. I hope that makes sense!
Great recipe! It turned out to be one of the best cheesecake we ever had ?
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
How long do you prebake crust?
Also, do you grease the sides of the spring form pan?
I put the crust in the fridge to set up in this recipe but if you want to pre-bake it, I would do it for 10 minutes and let it cool. I don’t grease the sides of the pan. I use would use parchment paper to line the sides of the pan.
I am currently on an egg free diet and was desperate for cheesecake. Almost every recipe I found had egg. I found Amy’s recipe and thought I would give it a try. Seriously BEST cheesecake I’ve ever had! Moist, the graham crust turns out crunchy and amazing and I’m in heaven!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi there,
While baking the cheesecake, I noticed butter from the crust leaking out of the bottom of my pan which then started dripping on the bottom of the oven during baking. The cheesecake itself looks pretty good on top, just a minor crack since I didn’t do the bath. Should I be concerned with the crust? Will it be greasy or will affect the cheesecake? I can’t really look at it now since it has to cool and set in the fridge. Have you ever experienced this? Should in have prebaked the crust? Thanks for the recipe, I’m hoping its not affected despite the butter leaking out.
Yes definitely pre-bake the crust. This happens sometimes but should not affect the final outcome.
Ok, I just followed the recipe instructions and put the assembled crust in fridge until ready to fill. It came out pretty good in the end. I’m just wondering what the flour in the filling is for? Thanks again!
The flour helps with the texture of the filling. It makes it a little denser.
What type of flour do we use, is it all purpose flour? Thanks.
You can use all purpose flour or substitute corn starch.
What type of flour is to be used? Is it all purpose flour? Thanks.
Yes all purpose flour
Hi Amy,
Can you add Bailey’s Irish creme to your recipe?
Thanks!
hay amy i want to make a cheesecake but i have no cream what can i use instead?
Hi Sarah, I’ve read that you can melt 1/3 cup of unsalted butter and add to 3/4 cup of milk to replace the heavy cream in recipes. I’ve never tried this personally but I think it would work in a pinch. Please let me know if you decide to try it!
Hello – can these be made into mini cheesecakes? If so how long should I cook them for? Thank you!
Hi Tracy, yes you can. I would bake them about half the time and check to make sure they are still a little jiggly in the center before removing.
What would I do differently if I wanted to make mini cheesecakes in a cupcake pan instead? How many cupcakes do you think it would make?
★★★★★
Hi Jayla! I think just spreading the crust and filling evenly into 12 cupcake liners would do the trick. I would bake about half the time to make sure they don’t over bake.
Amy, I wanted to make a caramel pecan topping to put on top of the vanilla cheesecake for Thanksgiving. Do you happen to have a recipe for that? Thank you!
Hi Carolina, I’m sorry for the late reply. I would buy some caramel sauce and pecans, mix them and pour over the top of cheesecake for a simple topping. That sounds really delicious!
Absolutely loved this cheesecake! I made this for a friend of mine for her birthday and I added a little surprise (snickers), it turned out great!
That sounds awesome!
Hi Amy! So glad I found this eggless recipe (and the waterbath tip). I made an eggless cheesecake last year at thanksgiving and it was sunken in the middle (I put a blueberry filling on top so it was ok). Anyway, I want to try your recipe this year, but then came across the oreo cheesecake recipe! Any thoughts on how to incorporate the oreos but still make an eggless cheesecake?
Hi Vidhi. I would use this recipe and simply add crush oreos to the mix before baking. I would also use oreos for the crust instead of graham crackers. Crush 14 whole Oreos and use 4 tablespoons of melted butter to make the crust. I think there are 36 Oreos per package so just use the rest in the filling. It will be delicious!
Thanks so much. Can’t wait to try it!
You’re welcome!
Really nice recipe. would try out using honey graham crackers too.
★★★★
Hi Amy,
I wnat to make this around two weeks ahead of time. Can you provide inrtucyions for freezing?
Also can you tell if the white chocolate mouse cheesecake is super sweet?
Thanks!
Hi Maddy!
If you want to freeze the cheesecake make sure it is completely cool first. I would leave the bottom of the spring-form pan on and then wrap the cheesecake with several layers of plastic wrap and then a layer over the outside with aluminum foil. Always freeze cheesecake WITHOUT the topping and add the topping before serving. Thaw the cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator the day before you are ready to serve it.
Hi Amy,
If I wish to make lemon cheesecake how much lemon juice should I add??
Also I should replace vanilla extract with lemon juice right? Or use both??
Hi Charmi, here is a link to my lemon cheesecake recipe https://amyinthekitchen.com/lemon-cheesecake/
I tried this recipe yesterday and it was a big hit! I didn’t have to change a thing – followed the instructions exactly as described and it came out perfect! No cracking on top. The taste was superb as well. This will be my go-to cheesecake recipe from now on.
★★★★★
I’m so glad it was such a hit! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Hi am Archie, I tried your cheese cake for an order I got for a vegetarian dessert and it was a hit.thank yoi
Awesome!
Hi, I was wondering if there was anything I could use to substitute the sour cream with? Or can I just omit it? Thanks
I would use some full fat greek yogurt to replace it. I’ve never tried it but I think it would work.
My cheesecake is in the oven right now. I didn’t have any sour cream and used the Fage brand greek yogurt instead. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Hi Jennifer, please let me know how it turns out!
It turned out great! Thanks for the recipe, I’ve been trying to find a good one since we found out my son is allergic to eggs. My husband says this should be my go-to cheesecake recipe from now on.
That makes me so happy to hear! 🙂
Hi, I was just wondering if I could make the cheesecake without the crust. Could I still follow the recipe as is (just omitting the initial step of making the crust and lining the bottom of the pan with it).
Thank you!
Hi Kavita! I’m not really sure, I’ve never tried that before. I would make sure the spring-form pan has a good tight fit so that none of the batter leaks. Please let me know if you try it!
Hi Amy would it be OK to add fruit purée into the batter of this cheesecake to make it a fruit infused cheesecake if so how much fruit purée could be added? If not would it be better to just do a fruit Cooley on top?
Hi Maggie, I think it would be ok to swirl the fruit puree into the batter. I would probably use about 1/2-1 cup. It’s making me hungry just thinking about it! I guess you couldn’t go wrong with putting it on top. Please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
If you really love cheesecake I would try my recipe for Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with White Chocolate Mousse. It is really the best cheesecake I’ve ever had!
My parents don’t eat eggs so I made this cheese cake for Mother’s Day. Everyone loved it . My first time making it and now my friends are asking me for the recipes. I will make it again for Father’s Day.
★★★★★
Hi Vinesh! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know how it turned out 🙂