The Best Vanilla New York Cheesecake Recipe online! Silky, Rich, Creamy and perfectly smooth, this cheesecake is the dessert of your dreams! With a few tips and tricks, you can make a restaurant favorite right at home! Better than the Cheesecake Factory or Juniors!
What is New York Cheesecake?
What makes a New York cheesecake official is its dense texture, which feels so smooth and rich you can’t eat more than a small slice without regretting it later. It’s that heavy. New York cheesecake should be tall, bronze-skinned, and dense.
At the center, it should be cool, thick, satiny, and creamy; going outward, it goes gradually from velvety to suede-like, then, finally, about the edges, it’s cake-like and fine-pored. My mouth is watering even as I type out these words. You may have had this classic at famous places in Junior’s Cheesecake in New York.
Ingredients
How do you get that rich, creamy but also light, fluffy texture? It all starts with the ingredients! These are my key ingredients for the perfect texture!
- Cream Cheese (I go with full fat!)
- Heavy Cream (the cream when mixed in the batter lightens it like a whipped cream and makes it utterly delicious!)
- Sour Cream (provides moisture, additional texture elements)
- Secret ingredient: All purpose flour (this ingredient brings structure to the ingredients and provides a flawless no cracked top!!! Even without a water bath!)
Tips for the BEST New York Style Cheesecake!
TIP 1: The best cheesecake starts with a perfect crust. The graham cracker crust must be crisp, buttery and sweet. I have some awesome tips on How to Make a Graham Cracker Crust in this post. Prebaking the crust also makes sure that it stays crisp.
TIP 2: Start with room temperature ingredients. This will ensure that your cheesecake does not have lumps. And believe me, you don’t want that.
TIP 3: For extra insurance against cracks, USE A WATER BATH! Don’t be fooled, once your cheesecake is in the oven, even with the incredible moist ingredients, you are not in the clear yet. You still run the risk of a dry cheesecake. To prevent this, we bake a cheesecake with a pan of water in the oven. This will generate steam, and a steam oven will prevent the cheesecake from drying out. Put the roasting pan of water on the lower rack and bake the cheesecake on the upper rack.
TIP 4: Don’t open the oven while baking! You don’t want to let all that steamy air out. Changes in temperature during baking can cause the cheesecake to crack or sink in the middle. Don’t poke anything into the center of a cheesecake to see if it’s done. All you’ll do is make a hole in it. Instead, just give it a jiggle. If it’s firm at the edges and still wobbles a little in the center, it’s done.
TIP 5: Keep it chilled in the fridge overnight until you are ready to serve. MAKE SURE YOUR NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE IS COMPLETELY CHILLED OR YOU COULD END UP WITH A WARM CHEESECAKE THAT BEGINS TO SWEAT IN THE COLD FRIDGE TRAPPING CONDENSATION THUS CREATING A SOGGY CHEESECAKE.
Additional Water Bath Tips
Triple wrap your cheesecake pan all the way up the sides with heavy duty foil. I also use parchment paper underneath the foil just in case.
MAKE SURE THE PAN IS COMPLETELY COVERED. IF THERE ARE ANY OPENINGS, WATER COULD SEEP IN AND YOU COULD HAVE A VERY SOGGY CHEESECAKE.
The result should be simple and minimalist, sweet and rich. It should not be citrusy, vanilla-scented, fluffy, mousse-like, leaden, gummy, chewy, or starchy. It should be absolutely perfect. So much so, it could turn the most avid cheesecake hater into a believer.
THE BEST VANILLA NEW YORK CHEESECAKE RECIPE ONLINE!
Ingredients
For The Crust
- 1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 5 tbsp melted butter
For The Cheesecake Filling
- 4 cream cheese packages 8 ounces packages/ room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
For The Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9 inch springform pan with at least 2 ¾ inch sides or a 10 inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray. Make sure it is properly secured too!
- Whisk together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of the springform pan and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
For the Cheesecake Filling
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth. Next add heavy cream then add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated.
- Next add sour cream, vanilla bean paste and flour and mix until smooth.
- Pour cheesecake filling into baked crust.
- Bake cheesecake for 1 hour and 5 minutes then turn the oven off and allow the cake to cool in the oven with the door closed for 4 hours.
- Remove cheesecake from oven and allow it to come to room temperature for an additional 30 minutes then store in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Ann says
Does the cheesecake needs to be covered while in the fridge?I always covered mine and,even though they were cooled,I always found them sweaty the next day.
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
For the cheesecake, you want to let the cheesecake rest completely to room temperature before adding to the refrigerator. Because they are still usually warm, they end up sweating when that happens.
Maria says
I am hoping to convert this recipe for the Keto diet. Wish me luck!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
Oh amazing! I’d love to know the changes you make to make it keto. Please send me an email.
Jayne Castillo says
I make many different cheesecakes. New York style is always a hit.
It is always a tie between MY style and “Death by Chocolate” cheesecake.
Love your site!
Karly says
This cheesecake is perfection!! Thanks for sharing!
Allen Morgan says
I used a water bath and the new type of springboard pan with a special glass bottom., I substituted 3X Madagascar “The King of Vanillas” to 1 Tbs. to have a strong vanilla flavor. Louisiana Cane Sugar both raw and refined.
Everything else was as listed, though I did lower the oven temp slightly for a convection oven. The cake came out beautifully. It serves so well with any fresh fruit compote, or fresh berries. I will make it again this fall for a larger family reunion. At that time, I will top it with Sicilian gelato.
Thank you again, Jocelyn!
Kay Little says
The ingredients say 4 (4 ounce) packages of cream cheese. Are the packages 4 ounces? I have never seen 4 ounce packages. I want to make the cheesecake and this really makes a difference in the recipe.
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
Hi Kay, thanks for catching that. It’s 4 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese.
Vicky says
Being a native New Yorker, you had me at New York style cheesecake. It really brings back memories of home. By the way, I just love the layout and photos and look of your blog. Great work!
Jordin says
This cheesecake is SOOO beautiful! I’m drooling already, i need to try this out!
Natalie says
I love New York cheesecake! Looks so delicious, rich and creamy – just the way I like it!
Tawnie Kroll says
This cheesecake looks absolutely perfect, thank you so much!! Saving.