New York Cheesecake has a velvety smooth filling, buttery graham cracker crust, and just the right balance of tangy and sweet, it will quickly become a family favorite dessert.
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Cheesecake is a type of dessert that is loved by kids and adults. While this style of baked cheesecake requires a little more patience than no bake kinds, like my No Bake Cherry Cheesecake, No Bake Oreo Cheesecake, or No Bake Bailey's Cheesecake, once you've enjoyed a few bites of this creamy dream, you won't mind the little bit of extra work that is required.
Why This Recipe Works
Cheesecake can be fancy enough for special occasions, but it's simple enough to whip up when you're just craving a slice of deliciousness.
Creamy cheesecake is an amazing standalone dessert, but it's even better when you drizzle some cherry sauce or strawberry sauce on top.
Let's Gather The Ingredients
- Graham crackers: use honey graham crackers or purchase pre-packaged graham cracker crumbs
- Cinnamon
- Dairy: unsalted butter, softened full-fat cream cheese, and sour cream
- Vanilla extract: use regular vanilla extract or clear extract
- Eggs: room temperature eggs
- Sugars: granulated sugar and powdered sugar
How To Make New York Cheesecake
- Step 1: Add graham crackers to food processor and pulse until they turn into fine crumbs. Add crumbs, cinnamon, and melted butter to a large bowl and combine with fork. While oven preheats, add an inch of water to a large baking dish or roasting pan, big enough to hold the cheesecake pan, and place the dish in the oven to warm it up.
- Step 2: Line pie pan with parchment paper. Transfer crust mixture to the lined springform pan or other cheesecake pan. Use the back of a small measuring cup to gently press the crumb mixture into the pie pan. Make sure the crust goes up the sides of the pan a bit to help form the sides of the crust.
- Step 3: Add room temperature cream cheese, white sugar, sour cream, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer, or to a mixing bowl if using an electric mixer. Mix until it reaches a creamy texture, scraping down the sides of the bowl and ensuring everything at the bottom of the bowl gets incorporated.
- Step 4: Add room temperature eggs and mix until the cheesecake batter is combined.
- Step 5: Lay two large pieces of aluminum foil down perpendicular to each other, forming a + sign. Place the pan on top of the foil and wrap the pieces of foil around the outside bottom of the pan. This is to prevent the hot water from getting into the cheesecake pan as it bakes in the water bath.
- Step 6: Transfer the creamy filling from the mixing bowl into the pan with the crust.
- Step 7: Remove the large baking dish with water from the oven and carefully place the unbaked cheesecake into the water bath.
- Step 8: Bake cheesecake. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for a few hours to overnight.
- Step 9: In a small bowl, whisk sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract together until combined.
- Step 10: Remove from the pan and spread topping.
Recipe Tips
- Room temperature ingredients are the key to making a creamy, velvety smooth, lump-free cheesecake filling.
- Cheesecake continues to set as it cools, so don't overbake it.
Recipe Faq's
NY Cheesecake has more cream cheese and heavy cream or sour cream to add a slight tang. Regular cheesecake may have other ingredients like cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, or mascarpone cheese, which may give it a lighter texture. New York Cheesecake is typically denser than the lighter, fluffier kind.
Yes, this great recipe freezes quite well. Cool the cheese to room temp. Freeze as a whole cheesecake or freeze leftover slices. If freezing whole, wrap it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent it from getting freezer burnt. If freezing slices, wrap each slice with plastic and place in freezer safe container, bag, or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight. For slices, leave at room temp for 30-45 minutes.
Gently tap or jiggle the pan while it's still in the oven. If the edges of the cheesecake look slightly puffed up and appear set while the center has a slightly jiggly, it should be done. The center should not be liquid or runny. If slightly jiggling, it will firm up a bit as it cools. If you touch the center it should be firm but slightly soft, like custard. If needed, use a meat thermometer to see if the filling has reached 150F.
Tecnically you can, but the custard filling is delicate. Baking in a water bath provides a more even bake and keeps the cheesecake moist and helps prevent cracking.
Preventing cracks is all about controlling the baking environment and treating the cheesecake gently! But inevetibally sometimes it does happen. The sourcream topping will cover any cracks that might happen.
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Rich and Creamy New York Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pkgs honey graham crackers or 2 cups pre-packaged graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 4-8 ounce pkgs cream cheese at room temperature only full fat
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla I used white vanilla but regular will work just fine.
- 5 eggs room temperature
Sour Cream Topping
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees place a large baking dish (one the cheesecake can fit in) filled with about 1-inch water into the oven on the middle rack while it preheats. See notes
- In a food processor add the graham crackers and pulse until fine. In a large bowl add the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and melted butter and mix with a fork until combined.
- Place a small piece of parchment paper into the bottom of an 8 inch springfoam pan. Add the crumb mixture and press gently. Take two large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil and lay them down making an X. Place the springform pan in the center and wrap the pieces of foil around the outside bottom of the pan, to prevent water from leaking in while it's baking in the water bath.
- Using a stand mixer or electric mixer, beat the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy making sure to scrape down the sides.
- In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and add them a little at a time into the cream cheese mixture just until combined.
- Pour the filling into the crust and carefully place it into the water bath.
- Bake for 12 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 50-60 minutes, or until set but still a little wobbly in the center.
- Remove cheesecake and place on a wire cooling rack to cool for 2-3 hours then place in the refrigerator overnight. Do not remove the springfoam pan.
- Once chilled, use a butter knife to run along the top to release any part of the cheese cake that might have stuck to the sides. Then release the spring and remove the springfoam pan.
For the sour cream topping
- In a small bowl add sour cream, sugar, and vanilla and mix until combined..
- Spread the topping over the top of the cheesecake evenly, slice and serve. Garnish with fresh fruit if desired!
My new daughter in law requested I make this New York Style Cheese Cake again. Thanks for the Brownie point 😋 This recipe by far is the best homemade cheese cake on the planet. Making a head of time so the flavors merry perfectly. Thank You Wendie
I always let it cool down for a couple of hours then place it in the refrigerator.
Hi, can I put this in the fridge too cool off?
Oh. My. Goodness. The New York Style Cheesecake with Sour Cream topping was absolutely amazing! This was my sister’s first time making it, and let’s just say that we might not have enough left by the end of this weekend! Thank you so much for sharing, Miss Wendy!
It's 1 cup I've fixed the error, thank you Morgan 🙂
The ingredients list 1 cup sour cream under the topping section, but the instructions say use 1/2 cup of sour cream?
All fixed Bethany, thanks for letting me know 🙂
I'm confused. The ingredients say 1 cup of sour cream, 2 tbsp of powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla under the topping section but in your instructions it says combine 1/2 c sour cream and 3 tsp sugar and nothing about vanilla.
I don't want to screw this up, please advise.
Thank you.
I usually use unsalted butter. But I have used salted butter when that's all I've had on hand and it turned out fine.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe?