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This Easy Coconut Cheesecake is simple to put together with layers of buttery graham cracker crust, thick and creamy cheesecake and fluffy whipped cream! It’s full of the refreshing flavor of coconut!
So there was a day this week that was even crazier than your average day with twin babies. For whatever reason, they just would not sleep during their naps. It was chaos. I had taken Ashton to the doctor earlier in the day and went out to get his medicine while my mom stayed with the boys during their nap. We crossed our fingers that they’d sleep all the way through and I’d get back before they woke up.
Well on my way home I got a call from my mom and as soon as I answered I heard all the crying in the background. I clearly needed to be home ASAP and wasn’t far away (although it felt like the longest drive ever). So when I pulled in the garage, I quickly ran in the house to help.
Fast forward to the next day. I go out into the garage to get something from our fridge out there and notice that when I’d shut the driver side door of the car the day before, I hadn’t shut it all the way since I was in a hurry. I was sure the car battery had died, so I opened the car door to check and pushed the “push to start” button to see if the lights would come on. They didn’t. The battery was dead. SUCH a bummer! I texted the hubs at work to let him know so that he could help me when he got home.
Well that night at dinner, I was telling him about how I hadn’t closed the door all the way and how I noticed it earlier and checked the car. His first question was, “Well did you have the key with you when you tested the button?”
“Ummmm…no. But I don’t need it, right? It’ll still light up without they key.”
I was met with silence and a grin from the hubs.
“Let me just go have a chat with this car and make sure it doesn’t do this to you again,” he says with a big grin.
Turns out the battery wasn’t dead, I’m just a dummy and didn’t have the key with me. Ha! Oh well, at least we didn’t have to go through the trouble of fixing it or jumping the battery! Whoops! I’m going to blame tired mom brain.
Well, making this cheesecake is about as easy as fixing a dead car battery that isn’t dead. Ok, so not quite that easy, but close! As far as making cheesecake goes, this really is as easy as it gets!
The crust is made with graham cracker crumbs, some sugar and a little melted butter. Mix it all together and spread it evenly in the pan. You’ll want to bake it for a few minutes while you make the cheesecake filling, so that the crust holds together well once everything is baked and sliced.
The filling is made with just a few simple steps. Cream cheese, sugar and flour are combined first. The flour gives the cheesecake a touch of texture, which I’m a fan of. You want to be sure that the cream cheese is room temperature and not too cool, or you could end up with chunks when mixing it all together. Also, be sure not to mix on on too high of a speed or for too long or you’ll add too much air to the batter, which can cause cracks in a baked cheesecake.
Next up is the sour cream and coconut flavoring, then the eggs. Again, be sure not to over mix the batter or mix on a high speed.
The cheesecake is baked without a water bath (yay!) and then cooled slowly to help prevent over-baking and getting cracks in the cheesecake.
Once the cheesecake is cooled, top it with the coconut whipped cream and some toasted coconut! The final cheesecake is so thick, creamy and smooth – I love it! With the flavor of the crust and the smooth whipped cream, it’s a cheesecake I could just keep on eating! SO good!
Watch How To Make It
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Easy Coconut Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 15-18 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Easy Coconut Cheesecake is simple to put together with layers of buttery graham cracker crust, thick and creamy cheesecake and fluffy whipped cream!
Ingredients
CRUST
- 2 1/4 cups (302g) graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tbsp (39g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (112g) salted butter, melted
FILLING
- 24 ounces (678g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- 3 tbsp (24g) all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (173g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 3/4 cups (420ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- 1 1/4 cups (95g) toasted coconut
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease a 9×13 pan.
2. Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F (148°C).
5. In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese, sugar and flour on low speed until well 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.
6. Add the sour cream and coconut extract mix on low speed until well combined.
7. Add eggs one at a time, mixing slowly to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
8. Pour the batter into the pan with the crust and spread evenly.
9. Bake the cheesecake for 30 minutes.
10. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 20 minutes.
11. Crack the door of the oven, with the cheesecake inside, for 15 minutes. This slow cooling process helps prevent the cheesecake from cracking.
12. Put the cheesecake in the fridge to cool completely, 3-4 hours.
13. To make the whipped cream, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and coconut extract to a large mixer bowl. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
14. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cheesecake and top with the toasted coconut.
15. Refrigerate cheesecake until ready to serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 403
- Sugar: 25.8 g
- Sodium: 308.4 mg
- Fat: 25.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 38.5 g
- Protein: 6.8 g
- Cholesterol: 94.5 mg
Enjoy!
This was a wonderful, easy cheesecake I made for my husband for early Father’s Day. I used my 9 inch cheesecake pan so had to figure out baking time. We drizzled caramel sauce and/or strawberry pie filling over the slices and both were amazing. My husband raved that the cheesecake was so light and fluffy. I will definitely be using this recipe again. Only modifications used were for light cream cheese and light sour cream. I also substituted store bought lite whipped cream and added the extract and toasted coconut. Thanks for this “keeper” recipe.
Wonderful! So glad it was a hit!
This was an easy recipe really proud of myself did not crack thank u for sharing
So glad to hear that!
I would like to make this recipe the day before. Will the Whipped Cream topping hold up?
Yes, as long as you use the powdered sugar, it shouldn’t wilt.
I lightened it up a bit with 1/2 light cream cheese, egg whites and 1/2 splenda. Turned out absolutely amazing. It was a show stopper.
absolutely superb! my husband said probably the best dessert i’ve made, and i make a lot! didn’t think to save the picture i took but my sister said it looked GEORGOUS (although not as pretty as the one in this picture)! i did add the ¼ tsp coconut extract to the whipped cream and next time i would add a smidgen more – i also whipped the cream and sugar together. will be making this again for sure! oh, and i did the water bath and only one tiny split towards the edge of the pan, the middle was perfect!
This was so simple to make and turned out amazing! I swapped a couple of ingredients to make it gluten free… you’d never know! Will definitely make again.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi there, silly question…. i have 2 bricks of cream cheese each one 250 grams. I am short by 178 grams. I know i could go to the store…but…can i adjust flour or sour cream or maybe it wont make much of a difference.
Please advise…Birthday Dinner
Hi Lindsay, can you help me out with the baking temps & timing if I were to make half this recipe? Also, any suggestions where to buy toasted coconut? Excited to attempt this, thank you!
Having not tried it, I can’t say for sure. But for timing I’d try around 35 minutes, then turn off the oven for 10-15 minutes. Same temperature. And I don’t buy coconut toasted, you can just toast it in the oven. Spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake it for a few minutes at about 350. Keep a close eye on it because it toasts very quickly.
I brought this recipe to a party a few years ago and before I even had time to cut pieces for everyone, I had four of my friends eating straight out of the baking dish with a fork. They not only said it was the best dessert at the party but the best they’ve ever had. I lost the recipe but remember how distinct the directions were with the cooking process. Days before my mother’s birthday I’m glad to have come across this again. Thank you again for this AMAZING recipe. I cannot wait to make it again and again!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Hey can i add coconut flakes to the cheesecake mixture
Sure, that should be fine.
Would this freeze well?
Cheesecake generally freezes pretty well. Just be sure to cover it well and thaw in the fridge.
This is a delicious recipe, I am making it for the 2nd time right now for my 10 year old sons birthday, because he liked it so much. I am changing it up just a tad because we love those Carmel delight girl scout cookies… I stuck a couple packs of the cookies in the food processor for the crust with butter. Then kept everything else the same except drizzled a little Carmel and chocolate syrup on top of the finished product. A-m-a-z-i-n-g!
Also sorry to hear the boys are getting sick this winter, we’re dealing with the same thing over here right now too, so I totally understand how it just put everything else on hold. We always tease that we wish we could skip February because we always get sick. My 4 year old has a tummy ache, 2 year old the respiratory flu, and my 6 month old, and one of my 8 year olds (twins) has a cold. Oh the joys of a big family… They’re sharing all their germs!! 🙂 Can’t wait for the spring!
That crust sounds delicious!!
And I hope everyone is feeling better!
This is a great recipe; I made it for company and everyone raved about it. I am wondering if you might have instructions on making it in an instant pot??
I’m glad it was a hit! I actually got an instant pot over Christmas and have been meaning to try it out but haven’t had a chance yet. My kids and I have all been sick so it has slowed things down a little bit around here.
Is that really 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS of coconut extract for the filling? that sounds like so much!!!
It’s is. I find that with the strong flavor of cream cheese in cheesecake you need to use a good bit of extract to get good flavor. Feel free to adjust, it if you prefer.
Can you convert this recipe for a 9″ springform pan please?
Tastes great! Reminds me of coconut cream pie!
So glad you enjoyed it!