This classic Cheesecake is a tall, ultra-creamy, New York-style cheesecake. Baking with the water bath method is the secret to ensuring the perfect rise with a level top and no cracks.
This is a make-ahead, freezer-friendly dessert that is well-loved by all of our family and friends. Watch the video tutorial and you will be a pro in no time!
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Watch the Cheesecake Recipe Video:
If you have never made a homemade cheesecake, you are in for a treat. We love this homemade version even more than the original Cheesecake Factory cheesecake in taste and texture. Top a slice with homemade Cherry Sauce or even Strawberry Sauce and it’s a winning combination!
About Cheesecake:
Cheesecakes are essentially rich cheese and egg custards baked over a graham cracker crust. It’s not technically a ‘cake.’ The creamy and decadent texture of cheesecake is irresistible and all you need is a short list of basic ingredients: cream cheese, eggs, sugar, a bit of sour cream, and vanilla. The 3-ingredient crust is even easier.
Homemade cheesecakes are surprisingly easy to make and require very little active time. Your mixer does most of the work and the hardest part of the process is waiting for it to bake, cool, and chill overnight. It’s also one of the best parts about cheesecakes – they are a make-ahead dessert and also freeze well.
What Does a Water Bath do for a Cheesecake?
In searching for the perfect cheesecake recipe, we wanted to completely eliminate cracks, shrinkage, overbaking, and browning. We adapted our original (no water bath) Cheesecake recipe slightly, so if you enjoyed that one, you’ll completely fall in love with this one. Here’s why a water bath works so well:
- The center and edges of the cake cook at the same rate
- Steam moisture protects the top of the cake
- Gentle, even rise with minimal shrinkage and no more cracking!
- The cake is ultra-creamy all the way to the edges
- More forgiving and less likely to overbake
Our Favorite Cheesecake Crust:
A cheesecake crust is easy peasy with only 3 ingredients: graham crackers, sugar, and butter. You can pulse the crumbs in a food processor or blender, or put them in a sturdy Ziploc bag and roll with a rolling pin until fine crumbs form. They are also sold as crumbs to save time.
- Combine crumbs together with melted butter and sugar and stir until moistened.
- Press the crumbs into a 9″ springform pan, going up the sides slightly.
- Bake in the center of the oven at 350˚F for 8 minutes then cool to room temperature.
Tips for Making the Best Cheesecake:
Our best tip is to not rush the process of making or cooling the cake. Each step is important for making the perfect cheesecake. Read through this advice before starting your cheesecake and be sure to watch the video tutorial.
- Make sure cream cheese is at room temperature so you don’t end up with lumps of cream cheese.
- Beat cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth. This step is your last chance to ensure a smooth batter.
- Use the paddle attachment to avoid over-mixing.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and the attachment frequently to ensure the mixture is smooth.
- Reduce speed when adding eggs.
- Bake until the cheesecake looks set and the center wobbles slightly when you tap the pan.
- Always chill your cheesecake before serving, or it will be soupy in the center.
How to Bake a Cheesecake in a Water Bath:
- Boil a pot of water. Boil more than you think you’ll need to ensure you have enough.
- Place 2 large sheets of heavy-duty foil on the counter (use the extra-wide foil to go all the way up the sides).
- Fold the foil up the sides of the pan ensuring there are no rips or holes. Fan the foil out slightly at the tops to keep the rim clear for rising and to block any boiling water from splashing into the pan (don’t worry if a little water gets in).
- Pour cheesecake filling into the foil-lined springform pan and place into a deep roasting pan. Fill with 1 1/2 to 2″ with water. It should be about halfway up the side of the springform pan.
Safety Tip: Use oven mitts to transfer the roasting pan in and out of the oven for safety and transfer slowly to avoid sloshing.
Pro Tip: How to Cut a Cheesecake:
Cheesecakes can get ugly fast if cut the wrong way. To get clean professional looking slices, dip a long knife into very hot water (I pour hot water in a tall mason jar). Once the knife warms up, wipe with a paper towel and slice through the cheesecake. For best results, dip and wipe your knife between slices.
Our History with Cheesecake!
We are major cheesecake fans over here. For years, we have perfected our cheesecake recipes with everything from No-bake Cheesecake to Mini Cheesecakes and even Pumpkin Cheesecake.
Print the Recipe below then head to the grocery store to stock up on ingredients. This is bound to become your new favorite Cheesecake Recipe!
Perfect Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, from 12 whole crackers
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
For the Cheesecake:
- 2 1/4 lb cream cheese, room temperature (4 1/2 packages, 8-oz each)
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
How to Make Cheesecake Crust:
- Crush graham crackers into crumbs. In a medium bowl, combine crumbs together with melted butter and sugar and stir until moistened.
- Press crumbs into a 9" springform pan, going up the sides slightly. Bake in the center of a conventional oven at 350˚F for 8 minutes then cool to room temperature.
- Place 2 large sheets of extra-wide heavy-duty foil on the counter. Set the springform pan in the center and fold the foil up the sides of the pan ensuring there are no rips or holes. Fan the foil out slightly at the tops to keep the rim clear for rising.
How to Make Perfect Cheesecake:
- Preheat oven to 450˚F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine cream cheese and 1 1/4 cups sugar. Beat on medium/high speed for 5 minutes until completely smooth, scraping down the bowl and attachment as needed.
- Reduce speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, letting them incorporate between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Reduce speed to low and add 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/2 Tbsp vanilla and mix just until incorporated. Pour batter over the foil-wrapped springform pan with your cooled crust.
How to Bake Cheesecake in a Water Bath:
- Boil a pot of water (boil more than you think you'll need to ensure there's enough). Set your cheesecake pan in a deep roasting pan. Pour hot water around the edges about halfway up the sides of the springform pan (1 1/2" to 2" of water).
- Carefully transfer cheesecake to the center rack of the oven and bake at 450˚F for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 225˚F and without opening the door, bake additional 60-75 minutes or until center of cheesecake wobbles slightly when you tap the pan.
- Remove cheesecake from the oven and let it rest in the roasting pan with water for 45 minutes then transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Cover pan with plastic wrap, being careful that it doesn't touch the surface, and chill in the refrigerator overnight to fully set before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
We can’t get enough of this classic cheesecake recipe. It bakes up beautifully and you can’t beat the flavor and creamy whipped texture. Make this and you will get recipe requests.
Natasha, I made this along with the no bake strawberry cheesecake for my mom‘s 86th birthday. Both turned out fantastic!
I really appreciate the recipes and tips along the way. I borrow recipes from your site often and the meals are always delicious.
Thank you for appreciating my recipes, Sam. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
I followed your recipe exactly as written, but the cheesecake batter curdled and was somewhat soupy. I did let it refrigerate over night as well and it still stuck to the springform pan and it is non stick?… I don’t know what I did wrong? I also watched the video. It seems easy.
Hi Tash, if the batter seemed curdled, the most likely reason is not having the cream cheese softened adequately. That can make the mixture curdle. The only other thing I can think of is if an ingredient was expired it was a true curdling (I’ve never seen that happen), unless some kind of addition or substitution was made.
Hi Natasha, I really enjoy all your recipes. They are awesome! I would like to make this cheesecake for my husband’s birthday but wondering if I can refrigerate the cheesecake for 4-6 hrs instead of baking it? Would appreciate your advice on this. Thanks in advance!
Hi Samar, since it has eggs, it will need to be baked. I haven’t tried a refrigerator method for this.
Hi Natasha. I made this cheesecake for my husband’s birthday and it was so good. I went looking for cream cheese today to make it again. I did have one problem though. My crust stuck to the pan. I didn’t take it off the pan when I refrigerated it so I am not sure if that was the problem. Any suggestions? But the cake was awesome. Thank you for all the tips to make it. That is the secret!
Hi Tina, using a non-stick springform pan definitely helps. I haven’t had that issue but one thing if you notice sticking on your pan is to line with a round of parchment before putting down the crust so its easier to slide off the bottom of the springform pan.
Thanks Natasha. I did use a non stick spring form pan but I will definitely try the parchment paper!
Excellent recipe as always. Thank you Natasha. One question though!! What to do with it if the water creep in the cheese cake? Anyway to save it?
Hi Anna, I haven’t had that happen to know what to try. I hope it wasn’t too much, and it all works out!
How can I adjust the ingredients to fit a smaller 8” pan?
LOVE THIS RECIPE!
Hi Patty, if you have a taller 8-inch pan, it may work, but it may overflow without an adjustment. I haven’t tried that, however, to advise. I also don’t have a convection oven, and I recommend looking into the oven setting recommendation. If you happen to experiment with these adjustments, I’d love to know how you like it.
I made this and it was excellent and got rave reviews! Along with the exceptional cherry sauce:) My only concern is when I cut into it even after letting it set in the fridge overnight. The texture was perfect expect the very center of the cake was a bit runny. Any ideas of what might have cause this?
Hi Amanda, make sure to add hot water to the pan which helps it set faster, and also give the pan a jolt to ensure it looks right in the center before taking it out of the oven. Lastly, make sure your oven is preheating correctly. An in oven thermometer costs about $10 and really helps with that. It helped me realize that my oven is always 25 degrees under when it says it’s done preheating and it gets there eventually but it lies to me when it says its ready so now I give it more time to preheat.
We have made your Cheese Cake many times it is better than the Cheese Cake Factory!!!
Yay! That’s awesome feedback, thank you for the review!
I am so sad! I followed the directions carefully and everything was great until the baking. At 450 degrees it browned within 8 minutes. I went ahead and reduced the heat to 225 degrees at that point otherwise it would have ended up black. I read other recipes and did not see any that started off that high. Of course now it is ruined and ugly and I wasted all of the time and ingredients.
Warning to others: don’t cook that high.
Hi Lori, when following these baking instructions, our cheesecake ended up with hardly any color on top. A few things that could have caused that – avoid using a broil setting. Make sure you are not using a convection mode, but only conventional oven settings. Also, make sure you are using a water bath with hot water. The steam creates a barrier for the top of the cheesecake that prevents browning. I highly recommend watching the video also to see where things may have gone wrong with your cheesecake. I hope that helps for next time.
Hi Natasha, I really love how light and creamy this cheesecake recipe is, it is a hit at all my gatherings.
I would like to know however, what is the shelf life of this cheesecake?
Hi Alicia, This cheesecake recipe will stay good in the refrigerator for several days. And it does freeze well! If you are freezing an entire cheesecake, wrap it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place it in an airtight container.
Delicious! my 7year old daughter loves to bake and it was her first attempt at making a cheesecake. the video is great she watched it and made it all on her own! so easy to make. although will need to lower the oven rack alot lower next time as it did burn a bit on the top. Will definitely be our go to receipe for cheesecake!
thank you so much for all your hard work you put in to make the videos.
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Tanya! I love it when the kids want to help in the kitchen. I’m all smiles
So sad… After 15 minutes at 450 the top of the cheesecake is brown/black spotted on top as if it is burned. The oven is at the correct temp and boiling water around it. Just hope it is salvageable. All your other recipes are spot on, but will return to my old cheesecake recipe.
Hi Teresa, ovens vary greatly, especially if cooking at a different altitude. It depends on the oven people use if it’s gas/ electric, etc. On my first attempt, the top went dark, too, so the second time I made it, I lowered the rack, and there was minimal browning. I was making it for the 3rd time and lowered the rack even more. I hope this helps!
I had the same problem, so I put a cookie sheet directly above it and put the cake on the lower part of my oven. None of the browning matters when you smother it in cherries! 🙂
I’ve made cheesecake before, but this recipe is excellent!!! So light and creamy! My family raves about it! I will only make this one! Tyvm!
Great to hear that it was a huge hit!
I’ve made this twice and served it with your strawberry sauce. Both times it was delicious. I followed your directions to the tee, but both times the top of the cake browned while yours didn’t. Can you suggest something to prevent this browning? Thanks….I’ve made many of your recipes and they have all been great!
Hi Colleen, it depends on the oven people use if it’s gas/ electric, etc. On my first attempt, the top went dark, too, so the second time I made it, I lowered the rack, and there was minimal browning. I was making it for the 3rd time and lowered the rack even more. I think it will take care of the browning.
Hi I have made many cheesecakes. This is the first time I ever used this high of temp. It Has brown spots now on the top. What’s wrong?
Sharon
Hi Sharon, it depends on the oven people use if it’s gas/ electric, etc. On my first attempt, the top went dark, too, so the second time I made it, I lowered the rack, and there was minimal browning. I was making it for the 3rd time and lowered the rack even more. I think it will take care of the browning.
Natasha, you’ve really inspired me to cook more at home! Your cheesecake has been a hit for all parties. Thank you for all that you do and happy holidays!
I’m so glad it was a hit! We love making it for the holidays also!
I made this last year around Christmas and was told by my family it was the best cheesecake they had ever had! I would like to make it again this Christmas. Question: How far in advance can I make it? How long can it stay refrigerated prior to freezing? Thank you!
Hi S, These keep well in the refrigerator for several days. And it does freeze well! If you are freezing an entire cheesecake, wrap it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place it in an airtight container
Your cheesecake recipe is the best, and the directions are easy to follow. Have you configured a 7-inch pan version, by any chance?
On another note, did you know that setting your springform pan in a larger cake pan; i.e., 9-inch springform pan into a 10-inch cake pan eliminates the need to for a foil wrap and guarantees no leakage! Thank you for the game-changing hint, America’s Test Kitchen.
Hi Connie, thank you for that tip about using a 10-inch cake pan – are you lining with parchment paper up the sides or how do you get it out of the cake pan afterwards without the cake falling apart? Also, I Haven’t tested this as a 7-inch version. I think you could scale it down though.
I took her to say that she puts a 9” springform into a 10” springform which acts as the foil and then she puts them in the water bath? It seems like the 10” springform would leak water into it, no? I’m curious because I only had an 8” and a 10” so I made the 8” and had left over filling, which my husband had to have some with Graham crackers…so far it’s cooking good! It got through the 450° stage! Thanks for all your awesome recipes! You are one of my most favorite go to’s for recipes!
I tried this recipe for the first time after trying your pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving. The pumpkin cheesecake was a hit but it cracked so I wanted to give this one a try in a water bath. It didn’t crack and looked perfect. There wasn’t any jiggle. I followed the recipe to a T and refrigerated overnight. The taste was delicious but it didn’t seem to set correctly. Overall it was soft and the middle especially was very soft. Any idea why? Maybe I needed to bake it longer? Thanks for any suggestions. I’m going to try it again sometime!
Hi Haley, it’s hard to say what caused that without being there, but it sounds like either the water got in or needed more bake time. I recommend ensuring your oven temp is accurate and calibrated!
Hi Natasha,
I love this recipe, can I make this into a chocolate cheesecake?
Hi Alicia, I don’t have a video on how to make a chocolate cheesecake but thank you for your suggestion, and if you so experiment with chocolate please let me know how you like that.