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.
I originally published this recipe in 2018 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101. The one in the book also includes a recipe for an optional cherry sauce topping!
One reader, Randy, commented: “This is the best cheesecake I have ever had! I’m from New York and nothing there beats this—even in the fanciest of restaurants. The only problem is that everyone I’ve shared it with wants me to make more and more. They rave about it being the best ever. ★★★★★”
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 this simply stunning dessert.
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 cheesecake to the next level, check out my pecan pie cheesecake, cinnamon swirl 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.
Best 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. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
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 the 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 (you can use the flat bottom of a small measuring cup to help smooth it out if needed). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the filling.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and beat until fully combined. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Stop the mixer as soon as the final egg is fully incorporated into the batter; over-mixing can cause the cheesecake to deflate. You will have nearly 6 cups of batter.
- Prepare the simple water bath (see Note): (If needed for extra visuals, see How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath; the visual guide and video will assist you in this step.) Boil a kettle/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 1 or 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the springform pan—be careful if it’s still warm from baking the crust! Place the wrapped springform pan inside of a large roasting pan. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Use a spatula 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 the 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 should still slightly wobble if you gently tap or shake the pan. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. With the door ajar, let the cheesecake sit in the oven in the water bath as it cools down for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove from the oven and water bath, discard the foil, and place the springform pan on a cooling rack to cool completely at room temperature. When it has cooled, cover and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
- Run a knife around the edges of the springform pan to help loosen the cheesecake, then remove the outer rim. Using a sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean and dip it into warm water between each slice.
- Serve cheesecake with desired toppings (see Note). Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 4 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 | Silicone 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!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Sally I have made your cheesecake many times! This recipe is always my go to recipe for cheesecake!!
This turned out perfectly!! I was wondering though is there a way to make a chocolate cheesecake version of this?
Hi Amber, We haven’t tested a chocolate version, but what we would try is to slightly reduce the sour cream and add 3 or 4 ounces of melted (and slightly cooled) unsweetened chocolate.
Is it okay if I don’t use a springform pan for this recipe?
Hi Elizabyth, Springform pans are 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.
This is a great go to recipe. I have always used 1 egg for each 8 oz of cream cheese. It seems to make the cheesecake more “firm” for cutting. There obviously is a down side to the extra egg, though. Mind sharing?
Hi Candace, you could certainly add another egg if you’d like to play around with the recipe. We find 3 eggs are enough for structure and that adding more may cause the cheesecake to fall *too much* after rising in the oven. Glad you’re enjoying this recipe!
Could you use lemon juice powder
Hi Gail, we haven’t tested it ourselves, but we imagine that *should* work just fine.
I’ve baked this cheesecake more than I can remember. i would love to make this exact cheesecake into bars. Any suggestions on how I can donthat? Thank you
We haven’t tested this recipe as bars in a 9×13-inch pan but you can use our white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars as a guide for baking times. See the recipe notes for directions using a 9×13-inch pan size.
Thank you for the recipe! I actually just made this into bars today. I multiplied the recipe 1.5 times and created enough for a 13×18 inch pan. It measures out spot on to be 9 cups of batter, and it gives a nice bar height. I used a convection oven at 300 for 30ish minutes(I watched it very close at the end), with a water bath pan on the lower rack.
I want to add homemade strawberry rhubjam to this recipe. Would you recommend swirling it inside or just sitting the jam on top? If I swirled inside would I need to adjust anything?
Hi Maegan, we’d recommend adding a sauce to the top of the baked cheesecake rather than swirling inside of the batter. Cheesecake can be a bit finicky, so adding more liquid would require other changes to the recipe in order to ensure it still sets correctly. Hope this helps!
Ive made this with success and I noticed above you mentioned trying it with heavy cream and liked this one better. Have you tried condensed milk instead of the sour cream and sugar?
I love your site. It’s my go-to anything sweet or new to me. Thank you.
Hi Natalie, we haven’t tested this recipe using condensed milk, so we’re unsure of how exactly the cheesecake would set and the impact on taste. We appreciate you taking the time to make and trust our recipes!
I really want to make this but add white chocolate and raspberries into the batter. Would this work to just add them or would it compromise the cake?
Hi Stacey, it could take some adjustments to ensure the batter bakes up properly when adding different flavors and ingredients. You may want to reduce the sour cream a bit if adding melted white chocolate. Adding raspberries, though, should be fine without any other changes. If you’re interested, here’s my recipe for white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars.
I have made this recipe so many times and it is always a family favorite! Just a quick question, could I add strawberry pure to the batter just to give it a hint of strawberry taste a pink coloration? Or would that affect the recipe? Thanks in advance!
Hi Jennifer, in order to really taste the strawberry once baked and cooled, you’d have to add quite a bit of puree which would throw off the texture of the cheesecake. It would require some testing. You can try reducing some of the sour cream, though. I’m glad you and your family love the recipe as is!
I’ve tried to do it today, and this is my first attempt, I loved it so much! Right now it’s in the cooling phase, I still didn’t taste it. I just want to ask if it’s normal the surface is a bit golden?
Hi Lana, yes, that’s fine if it’s a bit golden on top. Hope it turns out great!
I made this for my grandmother’s birthday and it turned out beautifully! I got so many compliments. I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese because that was all I had, and I think it might have made it even fluffier! The texture was beautiful. I made Sally’s strawberry sauce and a sour cherry sauce for the top and they were delish. It was the first cheesecake i’ve ever made and the recipe was super helpful and easy to follow. Highly recommended! Thank you so much Sally! 🙂
Made this a couple of weeks ago, although I did change a couple of things, I used double cream instead of sour cream, and didn’t use a lemon curd top. Was amazing, tangy yet sweet, very light and creamy. I currently have a mango and passion fruit cheesecake in the oven, added some lime zest, also changed the buttery biscuit base to ginger biscuits. Crossing my fingers it tastes as good as the lemon cheesecake as i’m taking it to a bbq tomorrow :- I
32 oz cream cheese is 4 cups for us who buy the 1.5 kg size blocks
I only have 1/3 less fat cream cheese…can I use it in an emergency?
Hi Lily, the cheesecake won’t set properly, we don’t recommend it.
When you make something for others, it’s a gift. I made your cheesecake exactly as you described and used your homemade lemon curd for the top with fresh blueberries. I loved it, but the true test is when others make requests for you to make it on other special occasions! It has a light, airy, delicate lemon taste. I tried the Biscoff crust this time and am curious what the crowd will think. After getting over the water bath concept, I realized that this is not too hard and is way too delicious!
What does the lemon juice do? Just add flavor?
Hi Lily, lemon juice simply brightens the flavor.
This recipe is incredible. It is the closest thing to The cheesecake we have in a restaurant here called cheesecake cafe. I always buy the plain with callibeau chocolate drizzled over it. This recipe was every bit as good. If not even better. I am wondering if it’s possible to half the recipe for a smaller cheesecake. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you
Hi Karen, so glad you love this recipe! We do have a small-batch version here: https://route-span.live/creamy-small-batch-cheesecake/%3C/p%3E
Hi Sally! Just wondering if I can half this recipe to use a 6 inch or 7 Inch spring form pan (i have both sizes) would the baking times change ?
Hi Jane, 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.
Great flavor with the lemon juice. I added about 2 tsp lemon zest (about 1/2 a lemon) as well as the juice which amps up the lemon flavor without making it taste too lemony.
the best cheesecake recipe ever!! I’m interested in reducing the amount of sour cream in the recipe (for a slightly sweeter/less sour taste), any advice on what to replace/add?
Hi Bri, the sour cream is key for helping the cheesecake achieve the right consistency, but you can try reducing the sour cream by about 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) and replace with the same amount of heavy cream. Additionally, you can slightly reduce the lemon juice. Glad you enjoyed it!
Very delicious cheesecake. I live in dessert climate and mine took 55 min to cook. I did the water under cake and it worked out perfectly. There is some browning when it’s not directly in water bath but flavor and texture are not compromised. I used the biscoff cookie for crust. Omitted the sugar and reduced the butter a bit. Might be the best cheesecake I’ve made thus far.
This might be a silly question- what should it be covered with for the cooling in the fridge?
Hi Anne Marie, foil or plastic wrap will do the trick!
Thank you! I have been considering making my first cheesecake for several years, and finally decided to buckle down and make it happen. Your recipe was the first one I came across that really appealed to me – the instructions were so well written, and the specificity of your notes provided excellent insight into the reasons behind cheesecake do’s and don’ts.
The flavor was outstanding, the texture was light, creamy and just absolutely luscious!
Thank you again for putting in the research and testing for the rest of us – you have a real winner here!
This recipe beats anything store bought, including most local bakeries! “My” ( yours, lol ) cheesecake has become world famous – well, …….. in a couple small towns here in Northeast PA, anyway. Everyone loves it! And it really is not all that hard to make, just a wee bit time consuming, – but no problem when the only thing you enjoy more than baking is giving away what you bake!
This cheesecake recipe is THE BEST! I have made it six times now and everyone loves it! However, every time I remove the pan from the foil there is water in there which makes my crust wet. Only once did I find no water at the bottom (I didn’t do anything differently). I double lined the pan with foil each time so I don’t know what went wrong. Any advice?
Hi Vanessa, it sounds like it may be an issue with the pan itself not keeping moisture out. You can always try the alternative water bath method outlined in the recipe Notes, which avoids placing the cheesecake directly in water. It works wonderfully!
Thank you! I tried it this past week and it worked really well! I need to make a couple for a party can I bake two cheesecakes at once with using the alternate water bath method (pan below with water) with two cheesecakes on the rack above? Would I need to change the temperature or time at all? Thanks!
Hi Vanessa, if baking 2 cheesecakes at once, we recommend making the batters separately and make sure that the pans are baked on the same rack without touching one another. The bake time may be a little bit longer. Enjoy!
I made this cheesecake for my birthday last week. It was my first attempt at cheesecake. As usual, Sally didn’t let me down. It was a total triumph! My husband thinks this is the best cheesecake he’s ever had.
I love this recipe but I’m wondering if you can do a 6 inch version please?
My family loves this cheesecake! I’m asked to bring one to every gathering. I do make a few alterations. I use Neufchatel cheese and whole milk Greek yogurt in place of the full-fat cream cheese and full-fat sour cream. I’ve also cut the sugar in the cheesecake down to 3/4 cup. I do want to stress the great advantage of adding the lemon juice. I didn’t have a lemon one day and my frozen lemon juice cubes were gone. That was the time everybody asked what I did differently! We are now on a quest to try all the cheesecake recipes on your site – the Turtle was awesome! It was a request from my granddaughter for her golden birthday! The caramel sauce is now a staple for ice cream!
Fantastic and delicy
Thank you for this! Do you have a sour cream topping recipe (like Cheesecake Factory has on their’s) that I can add to this?
We don’t, so sorry!