Inspired by Cheesecake Factory, this easy cheesecake recipe is a New York-style cheesecake that is rich, dense yet creamy, and not overly sweet, just like our amazing mini chocolate cheesecakes. Together with the sweet with a touch of the salty base, this is the cheesecake that you want to make to impress! And it's baked without the water bath method!
Save This Recipe!
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Baking a cheesecake, more a big whole cheesecake like this is quite intimidating. Well, I'm here to tell you, it's not at all. It looks and sounds more difficult than it is.
This cheesecake is easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. Many of our readers who haven't even made cheesecakes before decided to try this recipe and it came out so successfully that they were so surprised! Now you know why this recipe is one of our readers' favorites, right? *wink!*
I'm going to share with you all my tips and tricks so you can make this amazing beauty with no problems.
Jump to:
Ingredients & Substitutions
Biscuit crumbs - I love to use digestive biscuits as they are sweet but slightly salty. Perfect balance for the whole cheesecake. They're easy to find in Europe and despite the name, they're not horrible, at all! Trust me.
Cream cheese - Plain and full fat. Here in Europe, cream cheese comes in a tub instead of a brick. It doesn't matter how it comes, as long as it's plain and full fat, like when I use it for my creamy no-bake strawberry cheesecake and no-bake key lime pie.
Sour cream - Full fat. It's going to make the cheesecake's texture light and creamy, just like in my blueberry cheesecake bars.
All-purpose flour - It helps to get that dense yet creamy texture for this New York-style cheesecake. It also prevents the cheesecake from cracking, like in our cinnamon roll cheesecake.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions/Additions
SUBSTITUTION: Use graham crackers or any sweet biscuits (a touch of saltiness would be a bonus!).
SUBSTITUTION: Full-fat Greek yogurt works great also.
SUBSTITUTION: Any dry sweetener works great. You can even use brown sugar, or coconut sugar but just know that the cheesecake's color will be slightly darker. Don't use liquid sweetener as it will affect the cheesecake to set properly.
Chef's Tip: Don't use whipped cream cheese or the one for spreading.
Why This No Water Bath Method Works
Everybody says you need to use the water bath method when you bake a cheesecake or else it's going to puff up and crack. Well, guess what? That is totally wrong!
I've been making cheesecakes for years and never once have I used a water bath for my baked cheesecakes. I've made this big whole cinnamon roll cheesecake, pecan cheesecake bars, and our top hit mini cheesecakes (just to name a few) and regardless of their shape and sizes, none of them was made using the water bath.
I'm going to share with you my secrets on how to make baked cheesecakes without the water bath.
- Less mixing - Mix the ingredients the least possible at every stage in the recipe. Mixing too much will incorporate air into the mixture and will make the cheesecake puff up while baking. And then as it cools down it's going to shrink and that different textures will cause the cheesecake to crack.
- Low temperature - The most crucial part is not using the water bath for baked cheesecakes. We want to cook the cheesecake very slowly (mimicking the water bath cooking environment without the hassles). Not only the cheesecake will not crack but it will also have the smoothest texture.
How To Make Easy Cheesecake
- Blend biscuits into a fine mixture, add butter, and mix. Pour into a 7-inch (18 cm) springform pan, and press to the base and the wall. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Using a handheld whisk on the lowest speed, whisk cream cheese until creamy.
- Add in sour cream, vanilla extract, sugar, all-purpose flour, and lemon juice. Mix well.
- In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
- Pour the eggs into the cream cheese mixture and fold everything together using a spatula.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 285ºF (140ºC), without the fan, on, on lower ⅔ rack, for 1 hour 45 minutes or until the edges have set and the center wiggles a bit when you lightly shake the pan. Cool completely at room temperature and chill for 8 hours. Decorate as you wish, slice, and serve!
Recipe Expert Tips
- Make sure to use the ingredients at the temperature specified in this recipe. This is to make sure they mix easily with each other without having to mix too much. Mixing the ingredients too much will cause the cheesecake to crack.
- Make sure to use the correct oven temperature. We want to bake the cheesecake at a very low temperature to avoid it from cracking. I always use a portable oven thermometer to avoid any problems. It's cheap by the way!
- Chill the cheesecake for 8 hours to give it time to develop flavor with great texture. You won't regret it.
How To Serve & Store
Serve - Every great cheesecake needs time to develop that amazing flavor and texture. As much as you'd want to slice it once it cooled down, well don't. Chill it in the fridge for 8 hours, it's going to be worth it. Serve chilled. Don't leave the cheesecake outside of the fridge for too long (especially if you're in hot weather).
Store - In the fridge. It lasts up to 5 days. Freeze in portions (easier to grab the amount you need!) in an air-tight container. Frozen cheesecake lasts up to 2 months, although the texture could change slightly, especially the base. My family doesn't mind, so I freeze mine all the time. Thaw in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
I don't recommend having it outside the fridge for more than 20-30 minutes. It also depends on the temperature of your place (or where you're going to have the party). If it's cold or you're in winter, then it could be longer. If it's hot or you're in summer, then just take it out right before serving.
It's because of these 2 reasons; the ingredients were over-mixed and the oven temperature was too high. Do refer to my tips above to easily solve this.
If you didn't change any of the ingredients and follow all the instructions in the recipe, then the oven temperature was too high. Ovens are not made the same and their temperatures are mostly not accurate. That's why I use my portable oven temperature to get the correct temperature every time I'm using my oven.
You can, yes. But why put so much effort just to rush it at the last step? Trust me, restrain yourself, it's going to be worth the wait.
It's okay. Try reducing your oven temperature by 70ºF (20ºC).
After 8 hours of chilling in the fridge, remove the springform part. Insert a small knife underneath the cheesecake crust and gently move it all around to help loosen the cheesecake from the pan. Using the same knife, lift the cheesecake a bit and insert a flat spatula underneath. Do the same in the opposite direction. Holding both spatulas, swiftly and confidently transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate.
Explore Related Holiday Desserts
If you tried this Easy Cheesecake or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the comments below!
Watch The Recipe Video
📖 Recipe
Easy Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 cup (300 g) digestive crumbs
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter , melted
Cheese Filling
- 16 oz (450 g) full fat cream cheese , room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup (285 g) sour cream , room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
- 3 tablespoon (24 g) all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs , room temperature
Topping
- some berries of choice
- some powdered sugar
Instructions
Crust
- Place digestive biscuits into a food processor and blend until you have a fine texture. Pour into a bowl together with butter and mix well.
- Blend biscuits into a fine texture, and add into a bowl with butter. Mix well. Pour into a 7-inch (18 cm) springform pan, and press to the base and the wall. Freezer for 30 minutes.
The Cheese Filling
- Mix cream cheese in a bowl, using a handheld whisk at the lowest speed, for a few seconds just until creamy. Add in sour cream, sugar, vanilla extract, flour, and lemon juice and mix. Set aside.
- Lightly beat the eggs in another bowl. Pour into cream cheese mixture, and gently fold everything together using a spatula. Pour the mixture into the springform pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 285ºF (140ºC), without the fan on, on the lowest ⅔ rack for 1 hour 45 minutes or until you see the surrounding of the cheesecake has set but the center still wiggles a bit when you gently shake the pan.
- Remove from the oven, cool completely and chill in the fridge for min 8 hours.
How To Remove Cheesecake From The Pan
- This is how I do it with all my cheesecakes. Take out cheesecake from the fridge. Remove the springform. Insert a small knife underneath the cheesecake crust and gently move it all around to help loosen the cheesecake from the pan. Using the same knife, lift the cheesecake a bit and insert a flat spatula underneath. Do the same in the opposite direction.
- Holding both spatulas, swiftly and confidently transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate.
Notes
- Use a portable oven thermometer for a more precise temperature reading (I use it too). This avoids the oven from being too hot, which will cause cracks on the cheesecake.
- Do not over-mix at any stage in this recipe to avoid having cracks on the cheesecake.
- Like any other cheesecake out there, this is better served chilled. I would recommend you plate it right before serving and keep the balance immediately back in the fridge.
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition facts provided are an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Anita says
Hi I love your recipe I’ve made this 5 times and it’s so delicious and not overly sweet! However I’m having trouble with the outer crust being loose and crumbly. The inside part of the crust touching the filling is perfectly moistened with butter. It’s the outside part of the crust that I’m having trouble with! Is there a reason why this could be happening?
Natalie Williams says
Do you bake in water bath
anghelita says
Hi! If I'm making this is in a 9 inch pan can I still not do the bain-marie method? Also will the baking time and temperature change? Thanks!
Bea says
Still no bain-marie method needed. The temperature stays the same but the baking time might vary. Hope it helps.
Janet says
Hi, can I half the recipe. If yes, how many eggs should I use? Thank you.
Bea says
If you want it in a smaller size, I recommend that you check my easy mini cheesecakes
Mitch Serran says
Hi may I ask if this recipe didn't taste like eggy since the eggs were the last ingredient you put and just fold it with the cream cheese mixture? I tried to make a burnt cheesecake and it smells and had a strong eggy taste. Thank you
Bea says
Hi, nope it doesn't taste eggy at all.
Gayatri Dikshit says
Hi mam I have tried your recepie and it's always great. I am in a dilemma, I am going back to India and the place where I will live doesn't have access to buying cream cheese.
Can you please do a video on how to make cream cheese that can be used to make this cheese cake.
Jerry says
Hello
will this cooking technique work with a shorter 9inch pan?
Bea says
Although I haven't tried but I think it would work. You'd have a shorter cheesecake though.
Jennifer S Archuleta says
I made this last year and I’m looking forward for this year 2020. It’s easy and it’s very delicious. Thank you!!
Bea says
Awesome! It's a keeper, right? Thanks Jennifer!
Susan Kuan says
Hi Bea, can I do without the side crust? Just for the base crust can I just do with 150g digestive biscuit with 60g of unsalted butter?
Thank you.
Bea says
Yes, you can. 🙂
Winnie kong says
I am Malaysian living in Germany.My husband's german. I made this cake and it was really delicious.Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I learned a lot from your tips. Thank you very much.
Bea says
Hi Winnie! Nice to see another fellow Malaysian here! Happy that you liked the cheesecake, thank you!
Sarala says
Hey I wanna try this recipe but I got no lemon with me. Is it okay if I use lime instead?
Bea says
Yes, it's fine 🙂
Lorinner says
Hi Bea..do I need to grease my baking pan with butter before I put the biscuits base? I noticed you did not mentioned about greasing the pan. Please advise. Thank you.
Bea says
Hi Lorinner, no there's no need to grease it.
Andrea says
Hola, tengo una pregunta acerca de la crema ácida, es crema para batir marca Lyncott? O es otro tipo de crema?
Bea says
Hola Andrea, la crema ácida o nata agria es la que en inglés se conoce como "sour cream", es la que ponen encima de los nachos. No es crema para batir. Lo de la marca no lo sé porque aquí en España no he visto esa marca que mencionas. Pero en Estados Unidos he visto que está la marca Daisy.
kay Trammell says
What are positive crumbs
Bea says
Maybe you meant digestive biscuits? You can read my post about them here 🙂
Elsa says
Hi Bea,
I so exited about trying this recipe, 1-I was wondering if the cooking temperature should change If my stove is a regular stove ( not electric ) Is a gas one. And also I was wondering how tall is your 7 inch pan?
Bea says
Hi Elsa! My 7 inch pan is 2.8 inch tall. I can't really say about the gas oven though, since I don't have experience using it. Sorry!
Marc says
Easy, Beautiful, Delicious...
Thank you so much dear Bea @elmundoeats