The Best Homemade Cheesecake Recipe

This is the best cheesecake recipe ever! We’ve been making this homemade cheesecake for over 15 years and it never fails. The flavor is classic and the texture is so creamy. The recipe uses simple ingredients and it’s worth every bite. Sharing everything you need to know for how to make a cheesecake below!

If you have as big of a sweet tooth as we do, you’ve probably tasted a cheesecake before (or a hundred of them!). It’s a hugely popular dessert that’s been enjoyed for thousands of years. In fact, the first recipe was written down way back in 230 AD, showing that our love of cheesecake definitely isn’t new!

If you’re looking to make one for friends, family, or just for you, here’s the best cheesecake recipe out there.

Why We Love this Recipe

This recipe has been our go-to cheesecake recipe for years. If want to make another flavor of cheesecake, we alter this exact recipe like our blood orange cheesecake. We’ve even added peanut butter, caramel swirls over the top before.

The best part is the rich and very creamy flavor and the buttery graham cracker crust. It’s a pretty simple to make, just takes time to cool and bake. The ingredients are simple too!

How to Make a Cheesecake

Ingredients

• Graham Crackers – Honeymaid are perfect for this recipe. You can actually buy crumbs or make your own in a blender.
• Granulated Sugar – This is used to sweetened the crust and the cheesecake.
• Unsalted Butter – To hold the crust together.
• Cream Cheese, room temperature. We use the classic Philadelphia cream cheese for this recipe.
• Vanilla Extract – Adds extra flavor to this classic cheesecake.
• Eggs, room temperature. Used for structure and organic are best.
• Heavy Cream. Adds to the flavor and creates the most creamy cheesecake! We can’t imagine this recipe without it.

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Directions for Graham Cracker Crust

• In a blender or food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they become crumbs.

• Add the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt in a bowl and stir. Add in the melted butter and mix together.

• In a buttered, round springform pan (this is super important to use) press the crust down in an even layer. We use a 9″ springform pan.

• Wrap tinfoil around the bottom of the outside pan, bake the crust for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

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Directions for Cheesecake Filling

• Turn the oven to 325 degrees and boil some water in a pot or kettle for later.

• Beat soft cream cheese on medium (about 4 min until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides. Make sure you scrape the bottom and sides to remove any clumps of cheese.

• With the mixer running, add sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 mins.

• Beat in the vanilla and add eggs one at a time, beating full after each addition.

• Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream.

• Pour batter on top of the crust, leaving a little room at the top for the cheesecake to rise. We usually have a little batter left in the bowl that we discard.

• Place the foil wrapped pan in a larger roasting pan and pour boiling water around the edges, halfway up to the springform pan, kind of like when you’re baking a soufflé.

• Bake for 1 hour, until the top of the homemade cheesecake is a very light brown.

• Turn the oven off, prop the door open with a wooden spoon and let the cheesecake sit in there for 1 hour.

• Take it out and let it cool at room temperature, then place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Tips for Making the Best Cheesecake Recipe

Cream cheese must be room temperature and soft. If it’s not, there will be lumps of cheese in the cheesecake. If you need to quickly get the cheese to room temperature, remove it from the packaging and tinfoil, add it to a bowl and microwave it for 1 min until super soft.

All of the ingredients should be room temperature.

Always bake in a water bath, it’s the best way method for baking a cheesecake and doesn’t take much time to do. More on how to do his below.

Let the cheesecake cool in the oven while the door is propped open.

Why Baking in a Water Bath is GOOD!

You do not need to be scared of baking your cheesecake in a water bath! This is a simple and classic method for making a moist cheesecake and it’s just a few easy extra steps. This way of baking will always yield a much better, super moist and delicious dessert.

It’s not as scary as it seems either! We suggest wrapping the springform pan with tin foil (bottom and sides) really well. Do this when you bake the crust first. Then, leave the pan wrapped well the entire time, even as you pour the batter over the crust.

Position a roasting pan in the middle rack of the oven. Set the uncooked cheesecake, still wrapped in foil, in the middle of the roasting rack, then pour the boiling water around the pan. Shut the oven and bake. This way you don’t have to move the pan with boiling water.

When the cheesecake is baked and has cooled in the oven, you can remove the tin foil. It’s okay if some water comes out of the bottom of the foil when you remove it. Just let the excess drip out, your cheesecake is not ruined. Let the cheesecake rest for another 3- 4 hours.

Classic Cheesecake Toppings

This is a classic cheesecake recipe, so you can decide how you want to serve it and what toppings to use. We suggest seasonal toppings like fresh berries. You can also use any of these ideas below:

• Chocolate Sauce
• Whipped Cream
• Cherry Pie Filling
• Lemon Curd
• Caramel Sauce
• Peanut Butter

How to Store a Cheesecake

Your homemade cheesecake should always be stored in the fridge to stop it from going bad. It’s best to let your homemade cheesecake cool before putting it in the fridge and wrap it first. Try to get it as airtight as possible by following these steps:

• Place the cheesecake on a cake board or plate
• Wrap the cake in plastic wrap
• Ensure all of the edges are held down securely

If the wrap causes imperfections on the surface of your cheesecake, simply smooth it out with a spatula when you unwrap it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Should Cheesecake Cool Before Going in the Fridge?

If you don’t let it cool, you can change the texture of the cake and end up with a soggy mess. To make sure it’s cooled completely, we recommend leaving it at room temperature for at least 3 hours while it’s still in the pan.

Why Did My Cheesecake Crack?

The most common cause of cracks in a cheesecake is down to overbaking. It’s super easy for people to over-bake their cheesecake, but the trick is to take it out when it still looks a little undercooked. There should be an area of around 2-inches to 3-inches that’s still wobbly right in the center of the cheesecake when you take it out, which will solidify as it continues to cook out of the oven.

A waterbacth helps prevent cracks too, so if you’re baking it without a water bath, this will add to the cracking.

Other tips to stop cracks include:

• Letting the cream cheese reach room temperature before using it
• Not opening the oven door during baking
• Run a knife along the edge before it comes out of the oven to stop it from sticking to the sides of the pan

Can You Cook a Cheesecake Without a Water Bath?

It’s common to cook cheesecakes using a water bath (or a bain-marie) to get that creamy, smooth texture that everyone looks for. It generates moist heat, even heat, and prevents too much browning on the top. But do you have to use one?

Technically, no. You can cook it without a water bath but it will be trickier and it might not come out quite as evenly cooked. We’d always recommend using a water bath and, if you can, go for it!

Can You Freeze a Homemade Cheesecake?

Yes you can! After cooking yours using our baking tips, follow these steps to keep yours fresh for a month longer:

1. Cool before putting it in the fridge to chill completely
2. Cut the cheesecake into slices or leave it whole, it’s up to you!
3. Put your cheesecake on a round of cardboard or leave it on the bottom of the springform pan.
4. Wrap it first in plastic wrap and then in foil

When it’s time to serve, thaw it completely in the fridge before giving it a try. It should taste as though it’s freshly baked!