In my humble opinion, a classic New York style cheesecake is one of the best desserts in the world. But, even though it is a simple dessert, I feel like most cheesecakes and cheesecake recipes simply don't hit the mark. But worry not, I have created for you the best cheesecake recipe you will ever eat. It is insanely creamy, decadent and delicious. You will never need another recipe.

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THE STORY BEHIND THE BEST CHEESECAKE RECIPE
I first fell in love with cheesecake as a college freshman. Our dining hall used to have a massive dessert bar with different flavors of cheesecake, and you could take one slice as one "side". I remember I became so obsessed with the cheesecakes that I once took a meal that was just five slices of cheesecake. Yup, it was bad. Yes, I did suffer from the freshman 15 (or 20). And so I had to boycott cheesecake for several years to come.
Then came this year, and I had a hankering for a good slice of cheesecake. Strangely, though, I couldn't find any that I actually liked. I tried all the famous places (including The Cheesecake Factory), and found that most baked cheesecakes had a dry, eggy, dense texture. That texture was no bueno, I wanted creamy cheesecake.
So I started developing my own recipe. After a few trials, I made the *perfect* cheesecake. I still remember the first bite: I was genuinely shocked at how good it was. I sent some slices to my friends and they were equally blown away. Here are some verbatim messages I got:
Omg, what a cheesecake! Literally melting in my mouth... perfection!!!!
I would die for this cheesecake. I have never ever had a yummier cheesecake. Truly. Unbiasedly.
I never related with the scene in Friends where Rachel and Chandler eat the cheesecake off the floor. But after tasting this, I know what they must have felt.
So, without further ado, let's dive in!


WHAT MAKES THIS THE BEST CHEESECAKE RECIPE?
Here is why this cheesecake is truly the best you will ever eat or make:
- It is simple and no-fuss. There are no fancy ingredients or complicated steps. All it takes is a little patience and you get rewarded with delicious yumminess
- The flavor is DIVINE. It is perfectly balanced: the cream cheese flavor shines without being over-powering, it isn't too sweet, and it has a touch of sourness that complements the cream cheese flavor and adds a beautiful freshness. In my opinion, it doesn't need any other flavor or topping as it is perfect in itself
- The texture is SUBLIME. This is what truly sets apart this cheesecake. It is not eggy, dry, or dense. Instead, it is creamy, melt-y, and rich. You will understand what I mean when you taste it! Just look at the pictures below to get an idea of the texture...


HOW TO MAKE THIS CHEESECAKE
Check out this video to see the cheesecake recipe in action!
Here is how you can achieve this perfect cheesecake:
1. Use high quality, full-fat ingredients
Don't try to use low-fat ingredients here, you won't get the same result. You want to use:
- Full-fat cream cheese that comes in blocks (not the spreadable kind). I love Philadelphia, but have also used other brands like Great Value and Good and Gather with similar results
- Full fat heavy whipping cream
- Full fat sour cream
2. Bring your ingredients to room temperature
This makes a big difference! You want to place all ingredients out in the kitchen for at least 1-2 hours before you start mixing them. Especially the cream cheese!
3. Pack in the graham cracker crust tightly and pre-bake it
Spend a good 5 minutes tightly packing the crust in the bottom of your pan. Then bake it for just 8 minutes or so before filling with batter. This will help ensure the crust is crispy and not crumbling into the cheesecake.
4. Thoroughly mix the cream cheese and sugar
Take your time in this step! First you will whisk the cream cheese on its own until it is very creamy and spreadable. Then add the sugar and keep whisking until fully combined and no longer grainy. Scrape down the edges of your bowl frequently to make sure there are no unmixed chunks of cream cheese in your batter.
5. Don't over-whisk the eggs and creams
Once you add in the eggs, whisk on low speed only until combined. This is important because both eggs and heavy cream can whip up to hold a lot of air, and we don't want to incorporate air into our batter. We want the batter to be very creamy to get a creamy cheesecake.
6. Bake in a water-bath at low temperature
A cheesecake needs to cooked slowly and evenly to achieve a consistently creamy texture. We ensure this by baking at a low temperature (325F instead of 350F), and using a waterbath. The water cannot go above 212F (100 celcius) so it ensures that the cheesecake doesn't heat too fast.
In order to ensure no water leaks into the cheesecake, you should use an airtight spring-foam pan (don't use an old, loose one), and cover the bottom and edges of the cheesecake pan tightly with aluminum foil.
Also, don't open the oven while baking. We want to avoid sudden changes in temperature, which can cause the cheesecake to crack.
Lastly, remember, the secret is to underbake the cheesecake! You should take it out when the edges seem firm but the middle is very jiggly. If the middle jiggles only a little bit or not at all, you have overbaked the cheesecake and it will now have a denser, eggier texture (still good, though!).
7. Cool the cheesecake overnight
I know, it's hard to wait, but patience is the name of the game! We first let the cheesecake cool down at room temperature, and then place it in the fridge overnight. This will ensure a slow, thorough chilling of the cheesecake which is critical in helping it set properly while retaining the creamy texture.
8. Decorate with whipped cream
The cheesecake is covered with simple, whipped heavy cream (no sugar). This is optional, and you can also play around with other toppings such as sour cream or jams.
(Inside story: I covered my cheesecake with whipped cream only to hide my accidental smearing of red strawberry color in different spots... turned out, piped cream looks really good!)
9. Enjoy the best cheesecake of your life!!!!!!
Don't try to count calories or limit yourself. Life is too short. This is worth it.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What can I use instead of graham crackers for cheesecake crust?
Graham crackers are the signature crust flavor, but if you don't have them in your country, try to find Wheat Digestive biscuits! They taste the same. If you can't even find them, use any plain packaged biscuits you like the flavor of.
How do I tell when my cheesecake is done baking?
Here's what I recommend:
- Do not open the oven until 70 minutes. During this time, just peek through the window to see what the cheesecake looks like. It should be puffy on the edges but visibly underdone in the center
- Around 70-75 min in, you can quickly open the oven door and jiggle the cheesecake gently. It should be firm on the edges but quite jiggly in the center. You can also touch the center of the cheesecake lightly - it should feel firm and bouncy. Close the oven door quickly!
- For an extra creamy cheesecake, take out of the oven at 75 min. For a firmer cheesecake, wait until 80 min
Why is my cheesecake crust soggy?
Chances are, water has leaked into your pan from the water bath. Here are 3 ways to prevent this:
- Use a good quality springform pan that isn't leaky. I like this one
- Tightly wrap the outside of the pan in aluminum foil for double protection. I take 3 large sheets and overlap them in different directions to make sure no water can get in
- If you're not confident in foil, you can put your pan in a larger pan or a silicon mold and then put it in the water bath


THE BEST CHEESECAKE RECIPE
- Total Time: 12-15 hours
- Yield: 12 servings
Description
This is the perfect cheesecake: light, ultra creamy, and balanced in flavor!
Ingredients
Crust
- 190g graham crackers
- 35g sugar
- 75g melted unsalted butter
Cheesecake
- 32 oz full-fat cream cheese (4 8oz blocks)
- 325g granulated sugar (about 1 ½ cups)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 4 large eggs
- 120g heavy cream (½ cup)
- 240g sour cream (1 cup)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2-3 tablespoon lemon juice
Topping
- Extra heavy cream for decoration (optional)
Instructions
- Bring all ingredients to room temp
- Preheat oven to 350F (conventional)
- Grind your Graham crackers, sugar and butter in a food processor until really smooth
- Butter the bottom of a 9” springform pan and add the crust ingredients. Pack very tightly using a measuring cup. You can push a little up the edges. Bake for 8 min, then set oven temp to 325F
- For the cheesecake batter, first cream the cream cheese for 3-5 min until creamy. Keep scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure everything combines evenly. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla and cream again for 5 min until well combined
- Break your eggs in a separate bowl and whisk lightly. Don’t overbeat because if the eggs get airy they will give a spongy texture to the cheesecake. Add them to the batter slowly and mix at a low speed until JUST combined
- Add the cream, sour cream, lemon juice and cornstarch and mix at low speed until just combined. Keep scraping sides of the bowl
- Pour the batter into the crust. Seal your pan tightly with aluminum foil on the outside (not on the top)
- Place a large tray in your oven and fill it with 1-2 inches of boiling water. Place the pan in the water and bake for about 75-80 min. Don’t open the oven. When done, the cheesecake should have firm edges but be very jiggly inside
- Cool at room temp for 15 min. Then release the cheesecake from springform edges using a butter knife (don't open the edges yet!), cover with foil and cool for 2-3 hours at room temp. After this, place in the fridge and chill overnight
- Decorate with whipped cream if you’d like & serve!
Notes
- Use full-fat ingredients for best results
- If graham crackers aren't available where you live, look for wheat digestive biscuits
- Make sure to use a tight springform pan to ensure water doesn't leak in
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 75 min
- Category: Cheesecakes
Keywords: Cheesecake recipe, Best Cheesecake, Creamy Cheesecake, New York Cheesecake, Classic Cheesecake
Note: This post contains affiliate links. By using these links, you can help keep Bake With Zoha in business!
Hina Siddiqui says
Hi Zoha, this looks so yummy. Do you remove the cheesecake from the oven after the given 75-80 minutes of baking? (No cracking the door or letting it sit till the oven cools?)
Zoha says
Thank you, Hina! 🙂 I remove the cheesecake around the 75-80 min mark, yes. I don't open the door at all before 75 min, but after 75 min, I open it and feel the top of the cake. If it feels not set, I give it a few more minutes. I think to be safe you can aim for 80 min (conventional oven).
Jas says
Can I reduce the quantity and make it ? Will it be as good as this
Asma says
This was awesome. Would recommend it to all. Never knew I could make a cheesecake like this. Pure love.
★★★★★
Zoha says
Thank you SO much!!
Ayma Malik says
I'm always so picky when it comes to cheesecake as it's my all time favourite. Every other recipe I have tried were either too dry or too crumbly. This recipe had the perfect balance in textures and has now become a family favourite! Easily the best cheesecake recipe I have ever tried!
★★★★★
Zoha says
That's exactly how I feel about this cheesecake! Thank you for enjoying it!
Miral says
I wanted to try making cheesecake for the first time and I decided to use this recipe. The cheesecake was divine! Everyone absolutely loved it.
★★★★★
Zoha says
That makes me SO happy! Thank you for giving my recipe a shot.
Nazeema says
It looks sooo good, I can almost taste it....and so appreciate the easy to follow steps, Thank You... Def on Eid Menu already....
★★★★★
Zoha says
It will be a MASSIVE hit on your eid menu! Thank you Nazeema!
Aya says
I made this for a Ramadan gathering and it was such a hit! I’m in now way a baker but this was so easy to follow and just absolutely delicious!!! I had so many guests ask me for the recipe. Best cheesecake I’ve had!
★★★★★
Zoha says
Yayyyyy!!! I am SO glad to hear that! Also, what a beautiful name 🙂
Kristen says
I’m trying to convert the 190 g of gram crackers. I wasn’t sure if you had a better measurement into cups or approximately how many full crackers would be needed? I’m looking forward to making this!!
Zoha says
Thank you Kristen! For an estimate, 1 full sheet of graham crackers is ~15g, so this would be 12-13 full sheets.
Rose says
Absolutely delicious and I’m not a big cheesecake lover but this one I ate and ate! Only problem I had was the Oreo cookie crust it was difficult to get out w the first slice of cake I had to chop at it a bit. Cooked it for the recommended 75 minutes it wasn’t golden around the edges so I was alittle nervous but it was perfect! Thanks for sharing 😊
★★★★★
Zoha says
Yay!!! Thank you SO much Rose, I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do! I don't think I've made this one with oreo crust - how did it taste?
Ayesha Zubair Shaikh says
Hey Zoha Api!! Can you tell me the temperature in Celsius without fan please??!
Eena says
Hi, can you use this recipe for making individual mini cheesecakes too?
Zoha says
Hi Eena. Yes, I have seen people do that! Just make sure you reduce the baking time (likely 10-20 minutes depending on how big they are).
Deb Everett says
Made this for Easter. Hands down the best cheesecake I’ve ever eaten!!! Pretty sure I ate half of it myself! 😬Making it again this weekend. Easy to follow recipe. Waiting for it to set until the next day was hard but so worth it. I will use this recipe from now on! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Zoha says
Yay, thank you so much, Deb! I am so pleased to hear you enjoyed this cheesecake just as much as I do. I too will never try a different cheesecake recipe again 🙂
Deb Everett says
I did make this again, but this time I had to use a KitchenAid mixer. Even though I thought I was not over mixing it, I ended up with way more cheesecake batter and overfilled the pan. I think I prefer to use a hand mixer over the KitchenAid because of a slight difference in texture. Bought the same pan you use but they sent me a 10” instead. 🙁. Will have to reorder .
Gen says
Hi Zoha
I was looking forward to trying this recipe. I followed your instructions to a T and have set my oven to convection. Unfortunately, the top once baked got brown in color. :0(
It seems as though i could remove the top. This is my first time baking a cheesecake. Next time do u suggest not baking with convection but just regular bake?
Looking forward to any of your suggestions…
★★★★★
Zoha says
Hi Gen! Thank you for trying this recipe.
My recipe uses a conventional (no fan) oven, not a convection oven (this is specified in the instructions, too). That's probably why you are getting a brown cheesecake as fan ovens run hotter. I recommend turning off the fan and then following these directions!
Deb Everett says
I did make this again, but this time I had to use a KitchenAid mixer. Even though I thought I was not over mixing it, I ended up with way more cheesecake batter and overfilled the pan. I think I prefer to use a hand mixer over the KitchenAid because of a slight difference in texture. Bought the same pan you use but they sent me a 10” instead. 🙁. Will have to reorder .
★★★★★
Zoha says
Aw, I'm sorry Deb! I agree that a hand mixer gives you a bit more control, with a KitchenAid it's easier to overmix. A 10" pan shouldn't be too different, though!
Chatha Assal says
Hi zoha hope you are doing well. I tried your recipe and it was phenomenal ! I was wondering what would be the baking time if iam baking this batter in cupcakes pan.
★★★★★
Zoha says
Thank you so much, Chatha! I have personally not tried these as cupcakes. Perhaps around 15 minutes? You will have to check for doneness using the signs I have shared. And the good thing is, you can do 1 test cupcake and see what time works best! If you make them, let me know too!
Shahzaib says
Chenee, thank you for such an EASY recipe! Cheesecake can be intimidating, but you made it easy. I love that no crust and no springform are required. The smooth, light texture and caramelized flavor on the “burnt” part are so lovely. I will be adding this to my regular rotation.
★★★★★
Zoha says
Thank you so much Shahzaib! Glad you enjoyed my Basque cheesecake recipe 🙂
Emily says
My entire family agrees this is the BEST cheesecake recipe and I have tried LOTS of cheesecake recipes. It is creamy and perfect for adapting to fit any cheesecake variation (Oreo, strawberry, raspberry, etc.) It take some time and prep, but the steps aren't difficult and you'll definitely be bringing a crowd favorite if you choose to bring it to your next event. Also - my 9" pan was missing it's bottom, so I used a 10" instead and it worked without any recipe adaptions except reducing the bake time by 10 minutes. Love love love this cheesecake.
★★★★★
Zoha says
THANK YOU so much, Emily!! It makes my heart sing when I read comments like this - thank you for trusting and trying my recipe, I am SO happy you liked the cheesecake just as much as I do!
Raazia says
Jazakallah for an amazing recipe. You were definitely not exaggerating when you said it's the best cheese cake recipe. I've made it twice now, amazing results with guests having multiple servings!
I'm thinking of trying it with a mango flavor next time for variety, do you think that's possible? Maybe substitute some heavy cream in the recipe with some mango puree?
★★★★★
Zoha says
Thank you so much for the wonderfully kind comment, Raazia!! <3 I am testing a mango version for this cheesecake and hope to share it soon. It is not as simple as replacing some of the cream with mango, as mango adds more moisture and it impacts the firmness of the cheesecake. Stay tuned!
Akruti says
Thank you so much for this recipe!! I made it a month ago and it was absolutely the best I've tried so far. This time I want to make it for 6 servings, could I just cut the ingredients in half and still get the same texture/taste? Would it be the same for the baking time? Instead of 75 mins, I would do 37 mins?
★★★★★
Zoha says
Hi there! Thank you so much! If you want to halve the recipe, you have 2 options: 1) halve everything and use a 6 or 7" pan; baking time will likely be around an hour but I haven't tested it myself; 2) halve the cheesecake filling but keep the crust quantities the same and bake in a 9" pan for ~50 min; this will make a thinner cheesecake
Afsheen says
This was quite possibly the best cheesecake I’ve ever made, and I’ve made more than a few over the years! The recipe was easy to follow and very precise. I must admit that I forgot to add the cornstarch, so I baked it for 85 minutes to ensure that it was set. I let it cool for almost 24 hrs before serving it topped with freshly sliced strawberries. Everyone loved it! This recipe is definitely going into my permanent cookbook! Thank you, Zoha!!
★★★★★
Zoha says
YAYYYY!! Thank you so much Afsheen! It makes my heart so happy when people love this recipe as much as I do 🙂
Nissrine says
Made it today for my family and it was AMAZING!!!!! Loved it👏👏
★★★★★
Zoha says
Always so happy when people try this recipe! <3
Mehjabeen says
Hi can i make this i have everything but no cream and no sour cream?
Zoha says
Unfortunately you do need those ingredients for this cheesecake
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Fatima says
made this for a dinner we were hosting and it was a hit, sooooo delicious!! I cute the recipe in half and it still came out perfect, kind of want to make it again for the next dinner we are hosting hahaha!
★★★★★
Lindsay says
Like the recipe title states, it’s absolutely the BEST cheesecake!! I made it for my mother-in-law’s birthday since cheesecake is her favorite and everyone raved about it!! The recipe was easy to follow (though I did have to do some gram to cup conversions) and so creamy and delicious!! I couldn’t get over the fact that I made such a tasty cheesecake!! Zoha, you’ll need to change the recipe name to the Best and Last cheesecake recipe you’ll ever need!! Thank you so much!!
★★★★★
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This is incredible! Baked 2 this Thanksgiving and everyone seriously loved and it went on and on about it.
★★★★★
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Lisa Williamson says
Sounds good but the picture looks underdone. I like mine a little firmer than that.
Chantal says
I guess just move on or cook it longer🤦🏼♀️ It’s even in the recipe notes. I mean why bother bringing that up if you didn’t even take the time to read the recipe?
Chantal says
This cheesecake has that exact texture that I love in a cheesecake!!! I don’t like the dry texture kind so I am so happy I found this recipe ❤️. Could you tell me if you baked it in a regular oven or convection oven because I have a convection oven and the baking and timing is so different and the last thing I want in the end result is a dry texture so I always have to adjust the temperature in a recipe if the person used a regular oven.