Making the best New York cheesecake takes legit skills, and I’m here to help you do it! This recipe creates the ultimate creamy and silky texture that you can only dream of biting into. With my pro tips, you’ll be whipping up a a New York cheesecake so good, you will put Cheesecake Factory and Juniors to shame. Facts!
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“The best cheesecake ever.”
—PAMELA M.
For some folks, making cheesecake is one of those super intimidating, daunting experiences. But I’m here to make it as easy as possible. And not just that but I’m going to ease the intimidation while also giving you the best recipe there is online. Y’all ready?
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 should be satiny and creamy, with a seriously velvety taste. My mouth is watering even as I type out these words.
The Lowdown of the Best New York Cheesecake Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Classic American
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Dairy packed. Can be made gluten-free with some ingredient swaps
Key Flavor: Seriously decadent, rich, creamy and filled with vanilla-y tangy notes
Skill Level: Intermediate (Bring those baking skills)
Restaurant-Worthy
If you are used to buying a slice at a restaurant, you will be amazed at how this bakery-quality masterpiece rivals anything you have ever tasted while dining out.
Silky, Rich and So Dreamy
This legit will be the best classic New York cheesecake recipe you will ever taste. It’s luxuriously smooth with each bite being straight up heavenly and decadent.
More Foolproof Than You Think!
Whipping up a New York style cheesecake is actually easier than you think. Follow my tricks, tips and straightforward instructions, and you can achieve greatness boos!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make New York Style Cheesecake
- Graham Cracker Crust: I combine the texture of graham cracker crumbs with a hint of sugar and melted butter creating that classic crunch that contrasts with the smooth filling.
- Cream Cheese: Go with full fat baby! Make sure you keep it room temp to mix it up super smooth.
- Granulated Sugar: This gives the perfect sweetness to the filling.
- Eggs: These help bind the filling together and bring in some richness.
- Sour Cream: This adds that tang and moisture to the mix so it’s smooth.
- Heavy Cream: If you want a super-duper rich and creamy cheesecake, toss in the cream.
- Flour: This ingredient brings structure to the ingredients and provides a flawless no cracked top!!! Even without a water bath!
- Vanilla bean paste: This takes that vanilla flavor to new heights!
How to Make New York Cheesecake
How to Serve New York Style Cheesecake
- Dollop It Up: Add a nice dollop of whipped cream and some berries to the side of each slice like a restaurant would.
- Get Fruity: Add drizzles of strawberry sauce, strawberry preserves or apple butter to the side of each slice of this New York cheesecake recipe.
- Drizzle It Up!: Spoon chocolate ganache or easy caramel sauce over the top of each slice.
Recipe Substitutions
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: You can swap these out with Oreo crumbs or shortbread crumbs.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: You can use half-and-half or evaporated milk here.
- Sour Cream: Greek yogurt is a great sub here boos.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: You can replace with vanilla extract if that’s all you have around.
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Booze It Up: Swap out some of the heavy cream with a delish Irish cream liqueur.
- Extract Swap: Change the vanilla to orange, lemon or even almond extract.
- Get Into the Chocolate: Replace the flour with cocoa powder to get that chocolate in the mix.
- Gluten-Free: Replace the flour with your fave baking 1:1 gluten-free option and gluten-free graham cracker crumbs swap.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- 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.
- Start with room temperature ingredients. This will ensure that your cheesecake does not have lumps. And believe me, you don’t want that.
- Use a Water Bath: For extra insurance against cracks and more moisture, 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.
- 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.
- Cool Completely Before Chilling. Keep it chilled in the fridge overnight until you are ready to serve. This will prevent a warm cheesecake from sweating in a cold fridge trapping condensation and creating a soggy cheesecake.
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.
How to Store New York Cheesecake
Once your New York style cheesecake has fully cooled (totally cooled boos, don’t play around), cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or pop it in an airtight container. Keep it in the fridge, and it’ll stay fresh for a good while.
How long will New York Cheesecake last in the fridge?
This cheesecake will last 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
Can I freeze New York style cheesecake?
Yep, you can freeze it! Wrap the whole cheesecake or individual slices (no need to defrost the entire thing! Unless you wanna eat the whole thing, I won’t judge) in plastic wrap and then foil, or use a freezer-safe bag. It’ll stay fresh for up to 3 months y’all.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way is to wrap the bottom of your springform pan tightly with aluminum foil to prevent leaks, place the pan in a larger baking dish, and pour about an inch of hot water into the dish. Just make sure your springform pan is completely covered so no water gets in making it soggy.
You can but I prefer full-fat cream cheese to get that super luscious flavor.
The best way to cut clean slices is by using a sharp knife dipped in hot water, wiping it clean between each slice.
New York Cheesecake
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Ingredients
For The Crust
- 1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 5 tbsp melted butter
For The Cheesecake Filling
- 32 oz cream cheese 4 (8 ounces) packages/ room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping 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.
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Hello,
Where I live, I have not seen real heavy cream, only plant based cream (usually from palm oil). Should I use that or it would be better if i exclude that ingredient?
Thank you!
I wonder if it is called something else where you live. You could try asking the grocery store clerk, they would know. I am not sure if the plant based cream would work the same.
This is the best cheesecake recipe it took a little longer to prepare than I expected but it was worth it thank you so much Jocelyn
how do you cook it if you have a convection oven
I haven’t baked this particular recipe in a convection oven but you could potentially bake at 250F for about 50 minutes or so.
The best cheesecake ever.
I made this today for my boyfriends birthday request and it came out with no cracks! I’m so pleased. I think I did have it too high up a rack in the oven because it’s a bit darker on top but it’s still soft and creamy. I guess now that I was confused about how the water bath worked because I wrapped the spring form in tinfoil with parchment paper, but I put the cake on the rack above the water instead of inside it. Whoops!! But the cake still came out beautifully! Thanks so much!
I was a bit confused about the water bath as I’ve never done that before and the recipe tips mention to place the pan of water on the bottom rack with the cake pan on the top rack. My cheesecake cracked, but I don’t even care. Best tasting cheesecake ever! And the graham cracker crust too! Super simple to put together.
I’ve tried multiple cheesecake recipes and I’ve never been able to achieve a clear white top – mine always brown. The same thing happened with this recipe. What is the secret? Your pictures show a perfectly creamy white top…
I am wondering where you are placing the cheesecake in your oven. I’m also wondering if your oven may need to be calibrated as well since it seems like it might be baking your cakes fast. You can test the temperature in your oven by hanging a thermometer in the oven and setting it to 350 degrees. See if it matches up.
The cheesecake was very good! My wife and I enjoyed it! I always thought that cheesecake was too difficult to make, but it wasn’t at all.
What to do if I don’t have vanilla bean paste?
You can replace the vanilla bean paste with vanilla extract.
I have a question about the water bath: You say to triple wrap the pan in heavy duty foil – does this mean the pan sits directly in the water or should the bath go on the next rack down?
Also, my friend wants a strawberry swirl IN the cake – is it OK to swirl in some strawberry syrup (i’ll figure that out) in before it bakes or will that mess with the bake?
Thanks!
You sit the cheesecake in the pan with the water which is why you need to be absolutely certain that you wrap it very thoroughly. If you have concerns, you can definitely avoid doing the water bath since this recipe hardly ever cracks. Also I think you would be ok with a strawberry swirl. I wouldn’t add too much since it could change the ratios of the recipe but sounds so delicious. Enjoy!
Best Buy ever! I use silicone cheesecake wraps now. Forget the fingers crossed foil wrap. The baking pan fits into the wrap and it goes up the sides of the pan-fits snugly. If interested bought them on Amazon and wraps come in various sizes to fit your size pan using.
Can I substitute pure vanilla extract if I can’t get the vanilla bean paste? If so how much of the extract.
Yes you can. You use the same amount.