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This creamy New York Style Cheesecake is a slice of dessert heaven! A dense, velvety filling sits on top of a classic graham cracker crust. Simple and delicious, it will make you fall in love with cheesecake all over again.
Table of Contents
- The Best New York Cheesecake Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This New York Style Cheesecake
- What Is a NY Cheesecake?
- Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make New York Cheesecake
- Tips for Success
- NY Cheesecake Topping Ideas
- Proper Storage
- Can You Freeze New York Style Cheesecake?
- More Cheesecake Recipes
- Watch How To Make It
- Get the Recipe
The Best New York Cheesecake Recipe
If you’re a cheesecake fanatic like me, you have to try this New York cheesecake. It’s as tasty as it gets and more. Rich with cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, and egg yolks, the vanilla cheesecake filling is stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth delicious. Dense and extra creamy and with a lovely hint of lemon, this cheesecake stands out from others. Plus, it sits on top of a buttery graham cracker crust that is the perfect combination of crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth. Trust me. This one is a must-try.
The number of cheesecake recipes I have published over the years is seemingly endless. Of course, I think you should try all of them at some point (I am only slightly joking). But, if you’re looking for something extra special, this New York-style rendition has to be one of my top picks.
Why You’ll Love This New York Style Cheesecake
Out of all the cheesecake recipes on the market, why choose this one? You’ll see once you make it, but in the meantime, let me share some my favorite things about it.
- Texture. This NY cheesecake is smoother and creamier than any I’ve ever tasted. It has a firm density to it that makes it sinfully satisfying to bite into.
- Rich. If you are looking for a decadent dessert, this is it. The extra cream cheese and egg yolks in this recipe provide an unparalleled richness that will cause you to savor and appreciate each, incredible bite.
- A touch of lemon. The added touch of lemon zest really takes the flavor of this cheesecake over the top. It balances out the richness of the filling beautifully and brings the perfect amount of zing to the dessert.
What Is a NY Cheesecake?
NY cheesecake is really something else. It’s all of the yum of a classic cheesecake but with an added density and richness that is totally addictive. When compared to a classic cheesecake, New York-style cheesecake uses more cream cheese (and a little extra sugar to balance it out), heavy cream instead of sour cream, and extra eggs and egg yolks. The result is a firm, dense, incredibly rich cheesecake. It’s delicious.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a list of ingredients needed to make this rich cheesecake. You only need 9 ingredients. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
For the Crust
- Graham cracker crumbs – Vanilla wafer crumbs would work just as well.
- Salted butter – Unsalted works too.
- Sugar
For the Cheesecake
- Cream cheese – Bring your cream cheese to room temperature before making your cheesecake so that you don’t end up with a lumpy filling. Also be sure to use brick-style cream cheese. Not the kind in the tub.
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour – Feel free to use a 1:1 gluten-free flour here instead.
- Lemon zest – Don’t skip the zest. It gives this cheesecake part of its signature flavor.
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream – For an extra creamy cheesecake.
- Eggs – The eggs should be at room temperature. Otherwise, they won’t mix as smoothly and easily into the filling.
- Egg yolks – The egg yolks should also be at room temperature so that they incorporate more smoothly into the filling. This cheesecake uses both whole eggs and egg yolks. The extra yolks give the cheesecake some extra flavor, so don’t leave them out.
How to Make New York Cheesecake
Here’s a quick look at how to make this classic New York-style cheesecake. Scroll on down to the recipe card below for more thorough instructions.
Crust
- Prep. Preheat oven to 325°F and line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- Make the crust. Combine the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Leak-proof your pan. Check out my post on How to Bake Cheesecake in a Water Bath
Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven. Reduce oven to 300°F.
- Make the filling. Mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Mixing between each addition, add the lemon zest followed by the heavy cream, followed by the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time.
- Bake in a water bath. Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust and place the leak-proofed pan inside a larger pan. Fill the larger pan halfway with warm water. Bake for 2 hours.
- Cool slowly. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit inside for 30 minutes. Crack the oven door and let it sit for an additional 30 minutes.
- Chill. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and water bath. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
- Free the cheesecake! Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and place on a serving dish. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips and tricks that will help guide you in your journey toward making the best NY cheesecake possible. Feeling extra studious? Check out my post, How to Make a Perfect Cheesecake: 10 Tips and Tricks for the ultimate cheesecake guide.
- Use a springform pan. Unless you want to deal with a big old mess, use a springform pan. It will make removing the cheesecake from the pan a breeze.
- Leak-proof your water bath. Check out my post on How to Bake Cheesecake in a Water Bath. No one wants water leaking into their cheesecake filling. It’s a surefire way to ruin your dessert.
- Room temperature ingredients. Make sure your cream cheese and eggs have reached room temperature before you start on your cheesecake. This will ensure that everything incorporates smoothly, easily, and uniformly and will help prevent you from over-mixing (see my next tip).
- Mix on low speed and not for too long. When making the filling, mix on low speed and only until everything is incorporated. No more. This will help to reduce the amount of air added to the filling and, thus, help to keep your cheesecake from cracking.
- Scrape the bowl. As you add ingredients and mix them in, be sure to pause the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl intermittently. This will help ensure that everything makes it into the batter.
- Cool slowly. Follow the gradual cooling steps prescribed in the recipe card closely. It might take some time, but it is important. The cheesecake will continue to bake as it cools, first in the closed oven and then in the cracked oven. Cooling the cheesecake slowly will also help prevent cracks from forming in the top.
NY Cheesecake Topping Ideas
This vanilla cheesecake is a lovely blank canvas for all sorts of toppings. Here are some of my favorites.
- Fresh Fruit: Top your cheesecake with fresh raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries for a fruity and colorful treat.
- A delicious sauce. I love drizzling some Caramel Sauce, Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce, Blueberry Sauce, Strawberry Sauce, Raspberry Sauce (in the pictures), or Lemon Curd over a slice of NY cheesecake.
- Whipped cream. Pipe swirls of Whipped Cream or Strawberry Whipped Cream over the top of the cooled cheesecake for a little extra flare.
- Chocolate Curls: Dress up your cheesecake with some fancy-looking chocolate curls. Feel free to use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate. The choice is yours.
Proper Storage
Once the cheesecake has firmed up and you’ve removed it from the springform pan, place any leftovers in an airtight cake carrier or wrap the whole cheesecake in a double layer of plastic wrap. If you already sliced the cake, arrange the slices in a single layer in an airtight container. Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can You Freeze New York Style Cheesecake?
Yes! Once the cheesecake has firmed up, wrap the whole thing in a double layer of plastic wrap and store it in the freezer. Alternatively (maybe preferably), you can wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer that way. They make for the perfect, quick, crave-quenching dessert. Either way, the cheesecake will be happy in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge before topping and serving.
More Cheesecake Recipes
If you’ve been following my blog for longer than like a day, you already know that I am cheesecake-obsessed. I’ve done my best to put my obsession to good use by producing a ton of cheesecake recipes for you. Here are a few of my top picks.
- The Best Cheesecake Recipe
- Easy Strawberry Cheesecake
- Mini Cheesecakes
- Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
- Best Oreo Cheesecake
- Banana Cream Cheesecake
Watch How To Make It
Print
New York Style Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 12-14
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This smooth and creamy New York Style Cheesecake is a slice of dessert heaven! It’s a rich, velvety cheesecake with a classic graham cracker crust.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 3/4 cups (235g) graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tbsp (84g) salted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp (26g) sugar
For the Cheesecake
- 40 oz (1130g) cream cheese, room temperature (five 8 oz packages)
- 1 3/4 cup (362g) sugar
- 3 tbsp (24g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (115g) heavy cream
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.
- Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan.
- Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil so that water from the water bath cannot get in (see how I prepare my pan for a water bath). Set prepared pan aside.
Cheesecake
- Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (148°C).
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour on low speed until completely combined and smooth. Be sure to use low speed to reduce the amount of air added to the batter, which can cause cracks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add the heavy cream and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing slowly to combine after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust. Your pan will be very full.
- Place the springform pan inside another larger pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.
- Bake for about 2 hours. The edges should be set and the center should be somewhat set, but still jiggly.
- Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for 30 minutes. The cheesecake will continue to cook, but slowly begin to cool as well.
- Crack the door of the oven for 30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to continue to cool slowly. This process helps prevent cracking.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and water bath wrapping and refrigerate until firm, 5-6 hours or overnight.
- Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and place on a serving dish. Refrigerate cheesecake until ready to serve.
- Serve with your favorite toppings. Cheesecake is best when stored well covered and eaten within about 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 449
- Sugar: 30.6 g
- Sodium: 298.2 mg
- Fat: 31.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.6 g
- Protein: 7.2 g
- Cholesterol: 176.2 mg
This was fantastic!!! I am curious about making it without a crust. How would I go about that? Butter the sides and bottom? Parchment paper around the sides and on the bottom? Help please!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I usually use foil if I’m not making a crust and press the foil very tightly against the sides and bottom of the pan.
Hello! I am making a Biscoff cheesecake and want to use this recipe as the base because it always turns out perfectly. Would it be okay to add 1 cup of Biscoff cookie butter to the batter? Do you think that that would that change the consistency for the worse?
It will change the consistency, but not necessarily for the worst. You’d probably want to swap something out so it doesn’t way too long to bake. Maybe leave out the heavy cream and use the Biscoff. That’s more Biscoff than cream though, so the baking time will be longer. You probably don’t need the lemon either.
This is my go to cheesecake. I’m thinking of making an apple pie crumb cheescake this year. Do you think this is the recipe I should use? Would it be too much to add a layer of pie filling and crumb topping? I found another recipe to use, but I hate to not use this one!! I also don’t want to make a mess either! Thoughts??
I’m so glad you enjoy it! I can’t guarantee a mess, since I haven’t made this cheesecake that way before, but I do think it’d be fine. With a layer of pie filling in it, it may just need to a bake a touch longer and may seem more jiggly when you remove it from the oven.
Lindsay, This is the BEST cheesecake I ever did make. I will NEVER make any other. This ticks all the boxes. You are a genius. Thank you.
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
Can I add melted chocolate to the batter?
Sure. But to get enough of a chocolate flavor, you may also need to add some cocoa powder. You could replace the flour with cocoa powder.
I LOVE this recipe!!! My daughter has made it for me several times, because I love cheesecake. Now I am tasked with making one for my youngest daughter for her wedding, but she only wants a 6” cheesecake. We purchased a 6” springform pan that is 3” tall. I’m wondering how to modify the recipe to make a smaller cake?
I’m so glad you enjoy it! I have a post on modifying cheesecake sizes, which might be helpful. I haven’t made this particular cheesecake in a smaller size, but you’d likely want to reduce the amounts by about 1/3.
I enjoy making this recipe and the end result is fabulous! I am using a 9 inch springform pan with the interior height of 2 3/4 inches. After filling my spring form pan I have about 2 cups of batter leftover. I am hoping someone can recommend a spring form pan which might be taller so I can use all of the batter rather than wasting it. Thank you in advance for your help!
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it! This is the springform pan I use.
I’ve made this recipe MANY times and it’s perfect! My question is this: can I use sour cream instead of heavy cream?
So glad you enjoy it! It’s been a while since I did all the testing with this recipe, but I’m pretty sure I tested sour cream. It works just fine, but I believe I preferred the heavy cream in this cheesecake. But yes, you can use it. The bake time might be slightly less.
I am curious about timing with 4” pans for this recipe…and would I still need to water bath them? And how long for oven time? I have 4 4” pans to use
I have not made this cheesecake in a 4 inch size, so it’s hard to say for sure. You could check out my guide for adjusting cheesecake sizes. The recipe it goes off of is my regular cheesecake, but it may be helpful.