The Best Homemade Cheesecake

The Best Homemade Cheesecake – get the secret for the lightest and fluffiest cheesecake ever! Graham cracker crust, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Super easy to make and everyone raves about it! Once you taste it you will know why!

slice of cheesecake on a plate

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Homemade Cheesecake with No Water Bath

I’ve been making this cheesecake for years. The recipe came from a parent when my Mom taught school. This is truly The Best Homemade Cheesecake recipe on the planet! Chicken Legs says this is the best dessert that I make. He said other desserts I’ve made are good, but this is the absolute best!

What makes this cheesecake so great? It has a super light and fluffy texture. How does it get that way? The egg yolks are beaten in with the cream cheese and then the whipped egg whites are folded into the batter. That makes all the difference.

How to Make The Best Homemade Cheesecake

This dessert is easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Pour graham cracker mixture into a springform pan. Using a measuring cup or bottom of a glass, press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Wrap the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil and set aside.

Place cream cheese in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add sugar and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add egg yolks, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Mix well. 

In a large bowl, beat egg whites with a hand mixer on high speed until stiff and creamy. Carefully fold the egg whites into the cheesecake batter. Pour batter into the crust. Bake cheesecake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and keep the oven door closed. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for an hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool it on a wire rack. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and freeze for several hours before serving.

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • For best results have your ingredients at room temperature before making the cheesecake.
  • You can use any cookie crumbs for the crust.
    • Chocolate cookies, biscoff cookies, or gingersnaps are all delicious.
  • If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer.
  • Do I have to freeze the cheesecake? It is best to freeze the cheesecake, but you can refrigerate the cheesecake overnight before serving if you don’t want to freeze it.
    • It is VERY IMPORTANT to thoroughly chill the cake before serving. If you do not freeze or refrigerate the cake it will be too soft. 
    • The cheesecake needs to chill to properly set up.
    • Take the cheesecake out of the freezer 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
    • You can thaw the cake on the countertop or overnight in the refrigerator.
    • Run a knife around the edge of the springform pan to help release the cake and prevent cracks.
  • The cheesecake will keep up to 3 months in the freezer wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
The Best Homemade Cheesecake - get the secret for the lightest and fluffiest cheesecake ever!

How to Seve The Best Cheesecake Recipe

This classic cheesecake recipe is our absolute favorite dessert! My family and friends request this for cookouts, birthdays, and holidays. It tastes amazing! Top your slice with some fresh whipped cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, or cherry pie filling. We usually just eat it plain. Either way, this is sure to become your favorite cheesecake recipe!

Looking for more cheesecake recipes? Here are some popular from the website:

No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake

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slice of cheesecake on a plate

The Best Homemade Cheesecake

Yield: 12 people
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
The Best Homemade Cheesecake – get the secret for the lightest and fluffiest cheesecake ever!

Ingredients:

Crust

  • cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 5 Tbsp sugar
  • cup melted butter

Filling

  • 3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
  • cups sugar
  • 4 eggs separated
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Crust

  • Combine all ingredients and press against sides and bottom of 9-inch springform pan. (I use a measuring cup to do this – works great!)

Filling

  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.
  • Add sugar, 4 egg yolks, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
  • In another bowl, beat 4 egg whites until stiff and creamy. Fold egg whites into cream cheese mixture. Pour into crust in the springform pan.
  • Bake for 35 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour with the door closed.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and cool. Wrap the pan with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for several hours, up to 3 months, before serving.
  • Remove from freezer and remove from pan before allowing the cheesecake to thaw.

Notes:

  • Do I have to freeze the cheesecake? It is best to freeze the cheesecake, but you can refrigerate the cheesecake overnight before serving if you don’t want to freeze it.
    • It is VERY IMPORTANT to thoroughly chill the cake before serving. If you do not freeze or refrigerate the cake it will be too soft. 
    • The cheesecake needs to chill to properly set up.
    • Take the cheesecake out of the freezer 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
    • You can thaw the cake on the countertop or overnight in the refrigerator.
    • Run a knife around the edge of the springform pan to help release the cake and prevent cracks.
  • The cheesecake will keep up to 3 months in the freezer wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
  • For best results have your ingredients at room temperature before making the cheesecake.
  • You can use any cookie crumbs for the crust.
    • Chocolate cookies, biscoff cookies, or gingersnaps are all delicious.
  • If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Steph

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slice of cheesecake on a plate


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Comments

  1. I’ve been baking for over 50 years. Love cheesecake. This is by far my fav go to. I’ve made this at least half dozen times. Simple and delicious. Thank you for this recipe. It always gets rave reviews. 😊

  2. My crew demolished this! Hands down best cheesecake I’ve ever eaten, much less made myself. I only put the crushed crackers on the bottom (not up the sides) of the pan and it was beautiful like that. I served sweetened strawberries on the side, but this cheesecake is perfect with or without toppings.

  3. I love this recipe!! I’m wondering if you could use this exact recipe and divide it to make a few mini cheesecakes. Also, what would the cooking time be to make minis

    1. I made these into mini cupcake size cheesecakes, and into 6″ cakes. For cupcake size I did 325° for 25 minutes and let sit in the oven off 15 minutes with the door closed, and 6″ 325° for 32 minutes and in the oven off door closed for 45 minutes. Although, keep an eye on it since all ovens are different may vary a few mins

  4. I have been recipe for 10 years now and love it! No matter what kind I’m making whether it be pistachio…(which is all of our favorite) or white chocolate butter brickle or even jalapeño popper I always use this as a base and absolutely love it. I just have one question about my cheesecake “falling” in the middle. Would you recommend I freeze it sooner or what do you recommend?

    1. I am not sure why your cheesecake would fall in the middle. Here are a few tips to maybe help with that issue. Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. You could be over-mixing the batter. Maybe try cooking the cheesecake a few minutes longer before turning off the oven. Your oven may cook a little slower than ours.

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