How to make the creamiest, BEST Cheesecake Recipe! Oh, and there’s no water bath required!
PREPARATION TIME
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour15 minutes
Cooling Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 7 hours35 minutes
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust¹
1 ½cups graham cracker crumbs(170g)
2Tablespoonssugar
1Tablespoonbrown sugar(can substitute white)
7Tablespoonsbuttermelted
Cheesecake
32ozcream cheese²softened to room temperature (910g)
1cupsugar(200g)
⅔cupssour cream(160g)
1 ½teaspoonsvanilla extract
⅛teaspoonsalt
4large eggsroom temperature, lightly beaten
Recommended Equipment
9″ Springform pan
Mixing bowls
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325F (160C).
Prepare Graham Cracker crust first by combining graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and brown sugar, and stirring well. Add melted butter and use a fork to combine ingredients well.
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs,2 Tablespoons sugar,1 Tablespoon brown sugar,7 Tablespoons butter
Pour crumbs into a 9” Springform pan and press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of your pan. Set aside.
Cheesecake
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl (using a hand mixer) add cream cheese and stir until smooth and creamy (don’t over-beat or you’ll incorporate too much air).
32 oz cream cheese²
Add sugar and stir again until creamy.
1 cup sugar
Add sour cream, vanilla extract, and salt, and stir until well-combined. If using a stand mixer, make sure you pause periodically to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula so that all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
⅔ cups sour cream,1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract,⅛ teaspoon salt
With mixer on low speed, gradually add lightly beaten eggs, one at a time, stirring just until each egg is just incorporated. Once all eggs have been added, use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl again and make sure all ingredients are well combined.
4 large eggs
Pour cheesecake batter into prepared springform pan. To insure against leaks, place pan on a cookie sheet that’s been lined with foil.
Transfer to the center rack of your oven and bake on 325F (160C) for 50-60 minutes (or longer as needed, see note 3). Edges will likely have slightly puffed and may have just begun to turn a light golden brown and the center should spring back to the touch but will still be Jello-jiggly. Don’t over-bake or the texture will suffer, which means we all suffer.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on top of the oven⁴ for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes has passed, use a knife to gently loosen the crust from the inside of the springform pan (this will help prevent cracks as your cheesecake cools and shrinks). Do not remove the ring of the springform pan.
Allow cheesecake to cool another 1-2 hours or until near room temperature before transferring to refrigerator and allowing to cool overnight or at least 6 hours. I remove the ring of the springform pan just before serving then return it to the pan to store. Enjoy!
Notes
I have not tested this recipe in a convection oven.
1) Graham cracker crust
For more details on making this crust or to use whole graham crackers, please see my Graham Cracker Crust Recipe.
2) Cream cheese
Make sure that you use the brick-style cream cheese, not the spreadable version that is available in tubs.
3)Bake time
Exact bake time can vary depending on your oven, whether you bake your cheesecake on a baking pan or not, the color of your springform pan (light or dark), and even the precise temperature of your ingredients. Because of this I recommend checking your cheesecake at 50 minutes and adding time as needed. However, it is not uncommon for the cheesecake to take as long as 75 minutes to bake, but it’s better to check sooner.
4) Cooling cheesecake
I recommend the top of the oven because it is usually the warmest place in my house (after it’s been on for over an hour). This will help to cool the cheesecake more gradually and will also help avoid cracks).
