Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Tangy and sweet, with a burst of freshness from the raspberry topping.
Texture: Ridiculously smooth, creamy, and luscious with a nice contrast from the buttery crunchy crust.
Ease: Definitely doable. I’ve included a ton of extra tips below so you can nail this recipe.
Pros: It’s a perfect cheesecake!
Cons: Requires patience between baking, cooling, and chilling.
Would I make this again? Absolutely!
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I am so excited to share the best Cheesecake Recipe EVER with you!
Cheesecake is that perfect combination of sweet and tangy flavors and smooth yet rich textures. Cheesecakes can come in all shapes and sizes, and an endless combination of flavors.
I have many super delicious cheesecake recipes – like my indulgent Death by Chocolate Cheesecake, my crowd-pleasing Oreo Cheesecake, and my stunning Raspberry Lemonade Cheesecake Bars.
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But this Classic Cheesecake Recipe keeps me coming back over and over again. Sometimes, you just can’t beat the simple buttery graham cracker crust + creamy, tangy cheesecake combination. Top it all off with raspberry sauce, and I’m in heaven.
This Ultimate Cheesecake Recipe is the perfect centerpiece for any birthday party, Easter, or Christmas dessert. People will be asking what fancy bakery you went to!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make the BEST Classic Cheesecake Recipe
What is the Best Cream Cheese for Cheesecake?
- Be sure to buy full-fat cream cheese bricks for this Cheesecake Recipe.
- Do not use cream cheese meant for spreading on bagels.
- I recommend using a high-quality brand whenever possible. Some generic brands are watery and rubbery.
- The MOST IMPORTANT thing is to ensure your cream cheese is completely and totally softened to room temperature. If it’s too cold, you’ll end up with a lumpy cheesecake batter.
What if I Don’t Have Graham Crackers?
I’ve included both the volume measurement of the graham crackers and the weight measurement, so you can swap in any other crushed cracker, cookie, or biscuit. Some other cheesecake crust ideas:
- Vanilla wafers
- Digestive biscuits
- Speculoos / Biscoff cookies
- Amaretti cookies
Why is There Lemon in This Cheesecake Recipe?
There’s just enough lemon zest and juice to brighten this very rich cheesecake and enhance the tangy flavor. Don’t worry, it doesn’t taste like lemon cheesecake.
What’s Pan for This Cheesecake Recipe?
- This Cheesecake Recipe requires a 10-cup, 9-inch diameter springform pan like this one.
- Not all springform pans are made equally. You want one that’s heavy-duty and sturdy.
- Avoid dishwashers. Hand washing will extend the life of a springform pan.
- Just because your pan is 9-inches in diameter doesn’t necessarily mean it has a 10-cup batter volume capacity. Every brand may vary slightly. Luckily for this recipe, the batter can stand close to 1/4-inch from the top of the pan since it won’t rise much in the oven thanks to the water bath.
Can This Recipe be Made Into Mini Cheesecakes?
- To make mini cheesecakes, bake in two standard-sized muffin tins lined with paper or foil liners.
- Divide crust mixture evenly among cavities and bake at 325°F for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Fill with cheesecake batter and bake for 17 to 20 minutes – no water bath needed.
- Allow to cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator overnight.
How to Prevent Cheesecake Cracks
When you follow this Cheesecake Recipe as written, there won’t be a single crack in sight! That’s no easy feat if you’ve baked your share of cheesecakes. The trick is gentle, even baking, and no abrupt temperature changes. We accomplish this by doing three things:
- Bake the cheesecake in a water bath.
- Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool completely in the oven.
- Run a flexible knife around the edge of the cheesecake pan after it cools, so it can release easily without cracks.
How to Prepare a Water Bath for Cheesecakes
Check out this article here on how to prepare a perfect water bath for cheesecake. The two keys? Heavy-duty aluminum foil and heat-safe oven bags!
How to Tell When Cheesecake is Done Baking
- Let me say this as clearly as possible: don’t overbake your cheesecake!!
- The residual heat of the oven will continue to cook the cheesecake even after the heat has been turned off.
- That means you want your cheesecake to look dry at the edges but slightly wobbly or jiggly like Jello in the center when the baking time has ended.
- The internal temperature should be 150°F.
How to Chill & Serve Cheesecake
This Classic Cheesecake will ONLY finish setting up after it has cooled completely, then been chilled in the fridge for at least 5 hours but preferably overnight. Only then should you remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and slice it.
How Long Does Cheesecake Last?
This Cheesecake Recipe will last for 3 days in the fridge. Any longer and the crust will become mushy.
Can You Freeze Cheesecake?
Yes! This Cheesecake Recipe freezes very well. Here’s how to best freeze cheesecake:
- You can place a whole cheesecake or individual slices on a baking sheet inside the freezer until firm.
- Wrap the cheesecake or each individual slice in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.
- Freeze for up to 2 months.
- To serve, defrost a whole cheesecake in the fridge overnight.
- You can also defrost individual slices in the fridge overnight, or at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Cheesecake Topping Ideas:
- Chocolate ganache
- Salted caramel sauce
- Butterscotch sauce
- Whipped cream
- Fresh fruit
- Fruit compote
More Easy Cheesecake Recipes:
- Ultimate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Oreo Cheesecake
- Classic Cheesecake Bars
- Nutella Cheesecake Bars
- Raspberry Lemonade Cheesecake Bars
Ultimate Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 3/4 cups (230 grams) graham crackers crumbs (about 15 whole graham crackers)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 32 ounces (907 grams) cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (173 grams) sour cream or plain full fat yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
For the topping:
- 12 ounces (340 grams) fresh raspberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For baking the cheesecake:
- Boiling water, for the water bath
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Prepare a 9-inch springform pan for a water bath. Place a large square of heavy-duty aluminum foil underneath the pan. Gently fold the edges up and around the pan. Repeat twice so there are three sheets of foil, to ensure a waterproof seal. Gently fold the top of the foil around the edge of the pan. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the crust:
- In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until the mixture is moistened. Press firmly into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan. Place gently on oven rack and bake for 10 minutes. Place gently on a wire rack to cool. Maintain oven temperature.
Make the filling:
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese on medium speed until completely smooth and free of lumps, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the sugar and beat until combined. Add in the sour cream, lemon zest, and juice and beat until combined, continuing to scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into the foiled-wrapped springform pan. Tap the pan against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles in the batter. The cheesecake won’t rise much while baking in the water bath, so it’s okay if the batter fills up most of the springform pan.
- Place the springform pan in a larger roasting pan or deep sauté pan. Place on oven rack then carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake at 325°F for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the top looks slightly dry, especially at the edges. If the middle is slightly wobbly like jello, that’s fine. The internal temperature should read 150°F with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center. Err on the side of underbaking rather than overbaking.
- Turn off the oven heat and open the oven door open just by 1-inch. I use a wooden spoon to keep it open. Let the cheesecake cool inside the oven for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This will prevent cracks from forming.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and from the water bath, unwrap the foil, and transfer it to a cooling rack. Run a thin-bladed flexible knife around the edge of the cheesecake, to make sure it's not sticking to the sides (which can cause cracks as it cools). Let the cheesecake cool completely to room temperature on the rack.
- Once completely cooled, refrigerate in the springform pan until completely chilled, at least 5 hours or up to 3 days. Store the cheesecake uncovered to avoid creating condensation, which will create a mushy texture.
Make the topping:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the topping ingredients. Heat, stirring and breaking up the raspberries often, until the raspberries release their juices and begin to form a syrupy sauce, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a spatula, press the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl to remove the seeds. Let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before using. The sauce will be on the thin side.
- Release the cheesecake from the pan onto a cake stand or serving plate and top with any desired toppings. Slice using a big sharp knife, running under running hot water and wiping it off in between cuts, for clean slices. Serve.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with recipe improvements, additional recipe tips, and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Previous Baking Challenge
This recipe was one of our recent picks for the Handle the Heat Baking Challenge. Every month, we select a recipe, you make it, snap a photo, and enter to win PRIZES!
Every time I make your cheesecake it turns out PERFECT and Amazing. Everyone always loves it and we usually finish it same day or next day. Thank you for making me look like a cheesecake professional every time!
I would love to try out this recipe but sadly I live in Portugal where Brick like style cream cheeses aren’t available at all in the country , only spreading ones like philadelphia but mascarpone cream cheese is available do u think one of them would work or which one would work better. Thank you
We haven’t tried this recipe with mascarpone cream cheese, so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out! Good luck, let us know how it goes if you find a great substitution!
I have made this a couple times and it came out great both times, thanks for a great recipe. This is my go-to recipe now!
One question though – when I bake the crust it comes out a little mushy and not hard / baked the way you would want it to. So I always end up freezing the crust before putting the batter in and it always comes out fine. But is there a reason why the crust isn’t getting set…too much butter or too much heat?
Thanks!
So happy you love this recipe! You noted that your crust comes our mushy prior to adding the cheesecake filling. How long are you baking the crust for and at what temperature? Do you have an oven thermometer to ensure that your oven is at the proper temperature when beginning the bake? Everyone’s ovens are different – mine actually takes an additional 15 minutes after the oven beeps that it’s ready before it’s actually at the correct temperature. It’s possible that your crust just needs additional time in the oven, especially depending on the type of pan you’re using. Lastly, you had mentioned possibly too much butter. Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? Using a digital scales guarantees precision when making a recipe, so you know for sure that you’re not adding too much of an ingredient. I just added the grams measurement of the butter to the crust recipe. Hopefully this helps, but please let me know if you have further questions, and definitely let me know how your next cheesecake turns out!
This is the first time I’ve made cheesecake! I kinda expected it to be a flop, but It came out perfect! And tastes amazing! Thank you for this recipe and the extra tips! Very helpful!
So happy to hear your first-ever cheesecake was perfect, YAY!!
Question- does the lemon make this taste lemony? Can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Hi Michelle! The lemon juice and zest are only added to brighten this very rich cheesecake and enhance the tangy texture-you shouldn’t be able to taste them (neither Tessa or I can), though some readers who don’t like lemon noticed a bit of the tanginess. You’re more than welcome to experiment with vanilla bean paste or extract instead, though we haven’t tried that. Let us know what you think of this recipe when you give it a try 🙂
This recipe is fantastic. Once you understand the chemistry of how a cheesecake is made, it is also easily adapted. For instance, I made a goat cheese cheesecake using this recipe as a base. Never skip the water bath, and the cooling process is just as important to prevent cracking, lending a uniformly consistent texture. My favorite sauce with the base recipe is a Blueberry Lemon Cayenne sauce that balances perfectly with the creamy, slightly tangy flavor of the cake.
Oh wow, that sauce sounds incredible!! Love how you’ve made this recipe your own!
*Sigh*
I followed this method and it absolutely did not work for me. I followed the instructions for the water-bath, and the pan leaked so hard it flooded, I even had it in a huge pan for the Water-bath to avoid pouring water into the cake by accident. The timing for cooking it also didn’t work, and I suspect a combination of the water-bath not working & too high of a cooking temp as additional factors.
I couldn’t even have left the cake in for longer because of how flooded the pan was. I actually had to pour water out of the foil, the bag, AND the pan; lol I was so careful too, and I had triple wrapped the aluminum foil just to be extra sure.
The actual cake batter tasted very yummy, but for some reason the cooking methods didn’t produce an edible cake. It was beautiful on top, And completely dry for the first CM, but the rest of the cake underneath was completely mushy, even after cooling in the oven, and then in the fridge overnight. I actually had to flip the cake upside down and repan it the next day in order to finish cooking the bottom half, and it was terribly ugly lol
I honestly can’t understand how it leaked so much or how to prevent so much leaking. The pan I used was brand new and seemed to have a nice seal around the base. I’m also confused why the top 1/4 was cooked enough to pass the wobble test but the bottom half and sides were basically pure mush
I’m going to test this recipe out again, however I’m concerned it will leak again.
I have to wonder if the use of the slow cooker bag might be better inside the pan next time, as well as in combination with aluminum foil & bag on the outside?
Second question, could the foil have created micro-tears in the bag, and is it better to put the bag on the outside of the foil, or in between the pan and the foil in your experience?
One more thing… my fully wrapped and filled pan actually floated around inside the water-bath like a Rubber Ducky … is that normal? Lol I’ve never had that happen to me before, I actually have to laugh.
Sorry you had issues using the water bath, May! It sounds like something was pierced before the cheesecake went in the oven. I’d suggest trying the “Low & Slow Method” described in our Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe instead. I hope you give this recipe another try, please let us know how it goes if when you do!
This is an amazing cheesecake! Smooth and creamy but also nice and firm. The only con I have is that with the added lemon & zest, this is a lemon cheesecake. Can I hold the lemon and add vanilla bean paste if I want a plain cheesecake?
Hi Stacy! So glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 The lemon juice and zest are only added to brighten this very rich cheesecake and enhance the tangy texture-you shouldn’t be able to taste them. You’re welcome to experiment with vanilla bean paste, though we haven’t tried that. Please let us know how it goes!
I would like to make a smaller cheesecake, I think my smallest springform pan is 8in, should I can the recipe by a 1/3? 1/4? And suggestions would be appreciated and helpful!
Hi Ashley! We haven’t tried that, though it should work! Reading through some of our reader’s comments, one person halved the recipe and used an 8″ pan with great success. Here is a great article I found on Google detailing the difference between an 8″ and 9″ pan. Their suggestion of leaving a cup or so of batter out might be an option also (you could bake the leftovers in a muffin tin!). Please let us know how it goes!
So i found out that my oven cookware i have can be conventional/convection. So is this cheesecake better to bake on a conventional setting mode on the same temperature?Thank you
We always suggest following a recipe exactly to ensure perfect results, so I’d recommend baking with the conventional setting. Let us know how your cheesecake turns out!
I was honestly surprised at how easy it was to make this, and how well it turned out. Super creamy and full of flavor! I added raspberry sauce on top…YUM! It does take a while to make, but worth every minute!
Delicious!!
How can I make this in 4″ springform pans?