This creamy thick New York Style Cheesecake Recipe comes together with fresh ingredients like eggs, cream cheese, and sugar. The graham cracker crust lends a nice buttery yet crunch to the cake. Worried about cracks forming in your cheesecake? Add a sweet sour cream topping that adds an additional layer of flavor and hides the cracks.
My mom grew up very close to her next door neighbor, Annie. So close that she was truly apart of her family. Every weekend her family would go over to Annie’s for dinner. Annie was famous for her New York Style Cheesecake Recipe. Before she got too old to remember how to make it my mom made her write down the recipe. Because like most classic recipes it was stored in her head and not on a recipe card.
My mom never attempted to make Annie’s cheesecake until after she was dead. My mom passed on Annie’s recipe to me at my bridal shower. Her and my Maid of Honor had all my friends and family give me their favorite recipe and put it in a book for me to keep. Shortly after being married I gained enough courage to make Annie’s famous New York cheesecake recipe. It came out perfect and just as I remember tasting it at Annie’s house. Every time I make this cheesecake recipe I think of Annie, and know that she is smiling down at me.
Table of contents
Ingredients
- Cream Cheese – Three packages of cream cheese is needed for this recipe. Make sure you set the cream cheese out and bring to room temperature 1-2 hours before baking.
- Granulated Sugar – You will need granulated sugar in both the crust and batter. You will notice it listed twice in the recipe card below.
- Egg – Whenever making any custard base you want the eggs to sit at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract – A little goes a long way. I buy the highest quality as I can tell when I use the inexpensive stuff in recipes.
- Graham Crackers – I like to buy store bought crushed graham crackers, but you can also crush your own graham crackers using a food processor.
- Butter – You’ll need melted butter top help bind the graham cracker crust.
- Sour Cream – I have grown up enjoying a sour cream topping on my New York Cheesecake, so I’ll walk you through that step below.
Directions
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- Invert bottom of springform pan, then lock on side and spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Stir together graham cracker, melted butter, sugar and salt in a bowl. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of buttered pan. Fill immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
For the Cream Cheese Filling
- Put a rack in the middle of over and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix until well combined, scraping down sides of bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Put springform pan with crust on a baking sheet with sides (to catch any drips). Pour filling into crust. Bake until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly, about 45 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. (Leave oven on).
For Sour Cream Topping
- During the last 10 minutes of cheesecake baking. Stir together sour cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a medium size bowl. Set to the side.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Pour sour cream topping in the middle of cheesecake. Use a spatula to smooth the topping all over the top of the cake. Make sure to leave a half inch of cheesecake exposed. Bake cheesecake for 10 minutes more.
- Turn the oven off. Let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 20 minutes with the door cracked open.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Run a knife around the top edge of cake to loosen it. Then let it cool completely in pan on a wire rack for about 1 hour. (Cake will continue to set as it cools).
- Refrigerate cake, loosely covered, for at least 4-6 hours. Remove side of pan, transfer cake to plate, serve cold or bring to room temperature before serving.
FAQs
A regular cheesecake calls for sour cream and heavy cream where a New York Style cheesecake uses cream cheese and eggs. This gives it a more custard thick consistency.
It just depends on the person and the moisture/altitude of the area you are baking. I live in Florida where our humidity is intense. I don’t do a water bath, but others find it helpful. Some people find that without the water bath the custard can take on a rubbery consistency.
Yes, you can; however, trying to get the cheesecake to remove from the cake pan is very difficult. If you don’t own a springform pan, but realy want to make a cheesecake you can use a 9×13 or 8×8 pan. You can also use a 8-inch, 9-inch, or even 10-inch round baking pan. Make sure you grease the pan very well. If you want to attempt to remove the cheesecake from the pan, line the baking dish with aluminum foil. You can remove the cake after you have completely cooled the cheesecake in the refrigerator.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks I’ve found helpful when making the New York Style Cheesecake Recipe.
- Rest – Cheesecakes need ample resting time. It’s best if you make this recipe the day prior to serving to give the baked cheesecake time to rest, set, and cool.
- Spring-form Pan – It’s best to always use a springform pan when baking Cheesecake. This will make it easier to slide the cake off the bottom of the pan.
- Storing – The cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. I like to keep the cheesecake in the spring form pan and place plastic wrap or aluminum foil over top.
- Toppings – You can top this cheesecake with jam, caramel sauce, strawberry compote, chocolate sauce, fresh fruit, etc. The sky is truly the limit!
Cheesecake Recipes
If you love cheesecake as much as I do you will love some of the very best cheesecake recipes I have.
If you make this classic New York cheesecake recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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New York Style Cheesecake Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 1-½ cups Finely ground graham crackers
- 5 tablespoons Unsalted Butter melted
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
For the Filling
- (3) 8 ounce Packages of Cream Cheese room temperature
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 5 Eggs
For the Topping
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- Invert bottom of spring-form pan, then lock on side and spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Stir together graham cracker, melted butter, sugar and salt in a bowl. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of buttered pan. Fill immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
For the Cream Cheese Filling
- Put a rack in the middle of over and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix until well combined, scraping down sides of bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Put spring-form pan with crust on a baking sheet with sides (to catch any drips). Pour filling into crust. Bake until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly, about 45 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. (Leave oven on).
For Sour Cream Topping
- During the last 10 minutes of cheesecake baking. Stir together sour cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a medium size bowl. Set to the side.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Pour sour cream topping in the middle of cheesecake. Use a spatula to smooth the topping all over the top of the cake. Make sure to leave a half inch of cheesecake exposed. Bake cheesecake for 10 minutes more.
- Turn the oven off. Let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 20 minutes with the door cracked open.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Run a knife around the top edge of cake to loosen it. Then let it cool completely in pan on a wire rack for about 1 hour. (Cake will continue to set as it cools).
- Refrigerate cake, loosely covered, for at least 4-6 hours. Remove side of pan, transfer cake to plate, serve cold or bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Spring-form Pan – It’s best to always use a Spring-Form pan when baking Cheesecake. This will make it easier to slide the cake off the bottom of the pan.
- Storing – The cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Toppings – You can top this cheesecake with jam, caramel sauce (pictured above), chocolate sauce, fresh fruit, etc. The sky is truly the limit!
Nutrition
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Katie
Awe, thanks A! Glad you enjoyed it!
Angelene
Yes, yes, yes!!! Will be making this very, very soon! Best cheesecake ever!!! Thanks Katie!
Anna Morgan
What size springform pan do we use?
Katie
Hi Anna, you can use a 9″ or 10″ spring form pan.