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I’m so excited to teach you how to bake the best cheesecake! With a rich and creamy texture and a crunchy graham cracker crust… it’s even better than the cheesecake factory cheesecake.
Chilled in the refrigerator, you can store in the springform pan for up to 5 days, and top with whipped cream right before serving. Water bath guide and cheesecake step-by-step video tutorial in the recipe card.
Let’s Bake Cheesecake!
If you’re a cheesecake lover, this cheesecake recipe is going to change your life!
Because let’s be real, what’s better than than sinking your fork into a slice of cheesecake? From the crunchy graham cracker crust to the silky smooth cream cheese filling… this seemingly fancy dessert is pure perfection! And actually quite easy to make at home.
And did I mention that cheesecake is the ultimate holiday dessert? Because you can make it days – or even months – in advance. Which is a good thing because although it’s an easy dessert, it’s definitely a time consuming one. This recipe can be made up to 3 days in advance and chilled in the refrigerator… yay for make-ahead dessert!
I’m Cheesecake Factory Alumni
Have you ever wondered: how are cheesecake factory cheesecakes baked? Well, you’re not alone in pondering this question. I worked there over 5 years, serving dessert to thousands of cheesecake lovers. And during that time, people asked me that exact question over and over again.
I’ve probably consumed over 1 million calories from cream cheese taste-testing my way to the answer! I’d take a slice or two home almost every night… sometimes even more! And quickly it became my life mission to learn how to bake next level cheesecakes. After years of research, I finally created the perfect recipe to share with you.
The Best Cream Cheese?
The most important ingredient in this recipe is cream cheese! With dozens of cream cheese options, it can be hard to know which variety works best, right? Well, I can tell you that after baking HUNDREDS of cheesecakes, the best cream cheese is brick-style cream cheese. I love Philadelphia brand, but use your favorite.
Just be sure your cream cheese is:
- Brick-Style
- Plain (Unflavored)
- Full-Fat
- And Room Temperature (before you begin baking)
Cheesecake Ingredients: Start with Room Temperature Ingredients
- Cream Cheese: Our number one ingredient, so be sure to read all my cream cheese tips above. And do not attempt to make this without cream cheese.
- Granulated Sugar: I don’t suggest reducing the amount of sugar in this recipe. Or using an alternative sweeteners, not even brown sugar.
- Eggs: Use large eggs and bring them to room temperature before use. You’ll use both whole eggs and egg yolks. Save egg whites for another recipe. Be sure to add the eggs one at a time, as sdding eggs one at a time helps avoid over mixing.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract adds so much delicious rich flavor. Do not use artificial or imitation vanilla.
- Heavy Cream: Aka heavy whipping cream, don’t sub with milk, half and half, or sour cream.
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: Pre-crushed graham cracker crumbs are the easiest choice. If you can’t find them, you can crush graham crackers in a blender until they’re fine crumbs, then use them as called for in the crust.
- Butter: Unsalted butter works best, but salted butter will work just fine.
Some people ask if they can add lemon juice to this recipe to cut the richness, and you can. But don’t add more than a teaspoon.
Make the Graham Cracker Crust
- Wrap a springform pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. The foil will protect the pan from the water bath, keeping your graham cracker crust nice and dry!
- Spray the pan with non-stick spray. Or grease the pan with butter. Greasing the pan ensures no sticking. No sticking equals perfect slices!
- Combine the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar. This is your graham cracker crust mixture!
- Press the graham cracker crust firmly into the bottom of the springform pan. A firmly packed graham cracker crust will bake up thick and won’t crumble much when sliced.
How to Make Cheesecake
- Cheesecake Prep: Turn the oven on and preheat the oven 20 minutes before you plan on baking. Prep you baking pan by wrapping it with aluminum foil and spraying it with nonstick baking spray.
- Par-bake the Graham Cracker Crust: This step ensures a crunchy graham cracker crust. Allow the crust cool as you make the batter.
- Make the Cream Cheese Batter: Use a food processor, stand mixer, or a handheld electric mixer to make the batter. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust and smooth the top.
- Bake in a Water Bath: Place the springform pan inside roasting pan and fill with hot water. If you don’t have a roasting pan, use a large pan with high sides.
Let’s Bake Cheesecake
- Bake the Cheesecake: After you preheat the oven, you’ll bake the cheesecake. Until the edges look firm, but the center is a little wiggly. Don’t over bake, it’ll firm up a good amount as the cake cools.
- Cool: The cheesecake cools in the oven first. Let it cool in the oven, without opening the oven door. Then you’ll cool again at room temperature, and finally chill in the refrigerator. This is a lot of chilling but I promise it’s worth the wait!
- Slice and Serve: Use a large sharp knife and wipe it between slices. Top with whipped cream right before serving! Or try homemade chocolate sauce or raspberry sauce.
- Storage: Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Or follow my guide below and you can freeze this extra rich and creamy cheesecake for up to 2 months.
Make a Water Bath: Grab a Springform Pan and Aluminum Foil!
A water bath is an essential step in making the best cheesecake! The water bath helps the cake stay nice and moist – and gives it that signature creamy texture! A water bath also ensures the cheesecake doesn’t crack as it begins to cools down.
You will let the cake cool in the water bath, in the oven, without opening the oven door. Then you’ll remove the cheesecake from the water bath as you cool it to room temperature and eventually chill in the fridge.
I promise, making one isn’t as hard or scary as you might think, and once you do it a few times, it becomes second nature.
This creamy dessert will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days! To keep it even longer, you can freeze it!
- Let it cool completely at room temperature! This will take several hours, so be patient.
- Wrap the whole cake – or slices – in two layers of saran wrap. Then wrap tightly in aluminum foil.
- Transfer to a freezer bag, tightly seal, and place in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To defrost, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Do not attempt to thaw in the microwave or oven!
Cheesecake Factory Menu Inspired Desserts:
- Oreo Cheesecake
- Key Lime Cheesecake
- New York Style Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
Even The Kitchn wrote a review on this recipe (saying it’s the only one you need)!
The Best Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 cups (198 grams) graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) sugar
- 7 tablespoons (99 grams) butter, melted
For the Creamy Cheesecake:
- 5 blocks full-fat cream cheese (40 ounces total) room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 3 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113ml) heavy cream room temperature (Use an extra 1/4 cup for even creamier cheesecake)
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly spray a 9″ springform pan with non-stick spray.
- Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with heavy duty tinfoil. I recommend doing several diligent layers here to ensure no water creeps through when you place the pan in the water bath. Set pan aside.
- In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter; stir well to combine. Firmly pat the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Place partially baked crust on a cooling rack and set aside while you prepare the filling.
For the Creamy Cheesecake Filling:
- In the body of a high power blender, food processor, stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a very large bowl using a hand held mixer, beat the softened cream cheese until completely smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add sugar and vanilla and beat smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add in the eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add in the cream and beat until it’s just incorporated in the batter.
- Pour filling into prepared crust and, using a silicone spatula, smooth the top.
- Place the cheesecake pan into a large, deep pan. Fill the pan with 2 inches of hot water. This is your water bath and will help ensure your cheesecake comes out crack free.
- Carefully place the pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Turn oven off and let the cheesecake sit, undisturbed, for 45 minutes, inside the oven with the door shut. The cheesecake should be still slightly wiggly.
- Remove cake from oven and gently run a knife very around the edge of the cake. Place the cheesecake pan on a cooling rack and cool completely, then loosely cover the pan with saran wrap and chill for at least 8 hours.
- Cheesecake will keep, covered in the fridge, for 5 days. Cheesecake may be frozen for 2 months. Thaw overnight before slicing.
I just made this and am dying for a slice! My all-time favorite cheesecake recipe. Figured it was about time I write a review! Thanks Ash!