Best New York Style Cheesecake

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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.

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

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