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!
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Pin This RecipeHomemade 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.
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!
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The Best Homemade Cheesecake
Ingredients:
Crust
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 5 Tbsp sugar
- ⅓ cup melted butter
Filling
- 3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1½ 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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Is this 3 x 8oz cream cheese or 8 oz total?
3 x 8-oz for a total of 24-oz cream cheese. 3 blocks
I had made this recipe twice came out wonderful and we loved it. Making it again for my sons birthday and today baked for the 35 min @325 and then let sit in the oven for an hour. And when took it out it was still super jiggly in the middle and could tell it was not done. Put back in the over @325 for 15 min and rest in the oven again seems better but the top is now a little over done. Ever had that happen? Have you ever checked the cheesecake to make sure it is done at the 35 min mark to know if it needs to bake more?
I thoroughly enjoyed this cheesecake. I messed up and put 1 tbs instead of 1 tsp of vanilla but it was still really good! Everyone loved it!
I love this recipe! Cheesecake is my husband's favorite so I needed this. I just made it and put it in the freezer. How long can I leave it in the freezer? I was going to have guest come over tomorrow night, but plans got changed to the day after tomorrow.
It will keep several weeks or up to a month in the freezer. You are good. Enjoy!
Mine cracked big time down the center. Is that normal? I didn't everything exactly how it said to.
In all the times I’ve made the cheesecake, I’ve never had it crack. It could just be the differences in ovens. Not sure. Sorry!
Help!My cheesecake has sunk in the middle! Why? I did everything according to instructions. Maybe I should have mixed all the ingredients together at the same time rather then creaming the egg yolks and sugar and then adding everything else….I would be really happy if I got your reply.Thank you!
I’ve never had an issue with the cheesecake sinking. I’m not sure why that happened. I make the cheesecake exactly as written and never have any issues. It turns out just like the photo.
I’ve made this over and over, and it turns out perfectly each time!!! Thank you for an amazing cheesecake recipe!!! We love it!!!
So glad you and your family enjoy the recipe!
Do you have to use a springform pan?
I've only made this recipe in a springform pan. You can try lining a cake pan with foil and baking it in that. You might have some leftover filling.
Does it matter if the butter is salted or unsalted?
Does it matter if the butter is salted or unsalted?
No – I always use unsalted, but salted is fine in this recipe. Enjoy!
can you use a regular circular cake pan for this instead of springfoam?
I've only made this in a springform pan. I don't think a cake pan would be deep enough and it will be harder to get out of the pan.
Does brown sugar work for the crust?
I have not made the crust with brown sugar, but it should be fine.
can you use this recipe for mini cheesecakes?
I'm sure you could. You will have to play with the cooking time.
Ok, i've made this twice now exactly as written. Everyone loved loved it and i get requests ro make it for my family members birthdays! Thanks so much for the easiest and best cheesecake recipe!!!!��
are we using 8 eggs in total?
Nope. Just 4 egg and in tota
Recipe came out great! First set of eggs white WOULD NOT get firm so I had to redo that step but the cheesecake came out great and tastes great as well! I cooked it for 35 mins as suggested then let it sit in the oven for an hour. I did not use a water bath although I saw many comments where it was suggested and the cheesecake still came out beautifully.
So glad you enjoyed it!!! A water bath is totally unnecessary for this recipe. It never fails me!