New York Style Cheesecake + Tips to make the perfect cheesecake!
Sep 19, 2017, Updated May 07, 2023
All the tips you need to make the perfect cheesecake at home every time. This classic New York-Style Cheesecake has a biscoff cookie crust and is even better than the one at your favorite restaurant!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
The perfect and creamiest New York Style Cheesecake aka the classic Cheesecake! I am sharing with you guys all the tips that you need for making a restaurant style cheesecake at home. Don’t forget to read all the tips before making this recipe!
Guys I was not going to share this recipe today. The reason is that I just made this new york style cheesecake over the weekend and I usually don’t do such a quick turn around on blog posts. But this cheesecake was such perfection that I had to share it, like I could not wait one more day. Let’s get straight to the cheesecake business today. I know most people love cheesecakes and I am no exception. The Cheesecake Factory is my absolute favorite for this very reason! Over the years, I have made several cheesecakes but no one has ever come close to being this perfect. I seriously was very proud of this cheesecake as I mentioned on my instagram !
This is a classic new york style cheesecake with a cookie crust, creamy cheesecake filling and nothing else really. Usually a classic cheesecake has graham cracker crust, but I used my husband’s favorite “Biscoff Cookies” for the crust here. Have you guys tried them? They are such delicious cookies, Sarvesh is addicted to them and so I usually have a huge box lying in my pantry. So I thought why not use these and they worked so well in this recipe. It was my little brother’s birthday over the weekend and I made this cheesecake for him. He loves the classic new york style cheesecake and requested me to bake it for him. To my delight, it turned out so good, everyone said it’s even better than the Cheesecake Factory! ?
I topped the cheesecake with a strawberry sauce but trust me, it’s not even needed. I mean almost everyone said that the cheesecake tastes so good on it’s own that the sauce is not needed.
This New York Style Cheesecake
✓ is super smooth and creamy
✓ melts into your moth, so much creaminess!
✓ has a super smooth top without a single crack!
✓ uses sour cream for that characteristic tangy cheesecake taste
✓ is topped with a strawberry sauce, which is completely optional
Okay I realized there’s too much usage of smooth and creamy here! ? But I didn’t know what else to use for describing the texture!
Cheesecakes can get tricky to bake. If you look at the ingredients list for a classic cheesecake, it’s usually few ingredients and a very straight forward recipe. Yet, more often than not homemade cheesecakes are not able to achieve that restaurant perfection. Well now you can! I am sharing with you guys today all that I have learned in this post. If you follow everything, I promise you will end up with the most perfect cheesecake. So let’s begin, shall we?
How to make the perfect Cheesecake every time – All Tips + Tricks to get it right each time!
CHOOSE THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS
When it comes to baking, it’s very important to choose the right ingredients to get good results. This is particularly important in case of a cheesecake where the whole taste will depend upon the type of cream cheese you use! I recommend using full-fat cream cheese. My favorite brand for cream cheese is Philadelphia but any good brand would do, just make sure it’s full-fat.
The second part of the cheesecake is the crust. Often cheesecakes have a graham cracker crust but if you can get hold of it, I highly recommend using Biscoff cookies in the crust. They just make the whole thing so much better. And biscoff cookies are really sweet so you don’t need to any sugar to the crust. Hooray for one step less!
USE ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS
I think this is the most important thing to get that creamy cheesecake filling. You don’t want any lumps in your cheesecake batter, it should be totally smooth and for that you would want all your ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, sour cream) at room temperature. I would say put you ingredients out of the refrigerator for 2 hours before you make the cheesecake.
DON’T OVER-BEAT THE BATTER
You would never want to over-beat your cheesecake filling. The reason is that when you beat too much, you are incorporating air into the batter which will eventually cause the cheesecake to rise and then deflate once it’s out of the oven. Beat at medium speed using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer.
LIGHTLY SPRAY THE SPRINGFORM PAN
Spray the bottom and sides of your springform pan lightly with a non-stick spray. Just spray very lightly, you can even wipe off the excess with a tissue. This will make sure that the crust and sides do not stick to the pan once the cheesecake it baked. It will make it super easy to lift the cheesecake from the pan and transfer to a serving plate.
USE WATER BATH TO KEEP THE CHEESECAKE MOIST
So, in my opinion you cannot skip this step if you want the perfect texture in your cheesecake. I was one of those who always avoided it because let’s face it water bath can get tricky and you may end up ruining your cheesecake if you are not careful. Plus it’s an extra-step so most people skip it. But you should not! Water bath means placing hot water around the cheesecake as it bakes in the oven. It adds moisture to the oven and thus prevents cheesecakes from cracking, it also helps in keeping the cheesecake moist. Water bath provides more even heat, which is needed for the cheesecake.
How do you make it? Wrap your springform pan with at least 3 layers of aluminium foil. Start from the bottom of the pan and then go to the sides. Use a strong, heavy-duty and wide aluminium foil (preferably the 18 inches one) and wrap at least 3-4 times. This is just to make sure that no water seeps in inside as the cheesecake bakes. Even if water seeps in, it will only get to the first layer of the foil, this is why it’s important to make several layers. And don’t forget to wrap both the bottom and the sides of the springform pan completely. If you are not careful here, your cheesecake will be completely ruined so please be careful and do those extra layers, it’s worth it.
Once you have done that, place the round pan into a sheet pan (choose a sheet pan which is few inches in height) and then place hot water all around. The water should at least be 2 inches around the pan. Then carefully place the cheesecake into the oven to bake.
BAKE AT A LOW TEMPERATURE & DON’T PEEK
Two things, bake the cheesecake in the lower third of the oven so that it doesn’t get brown too quickly and bake at a low temperature of 300 degrees. Remember to not open the oven door while the cheesecake is baking, you don’t want all that steam out!
DO NOT OVER-BAKE IT
Over baking is probably the worst thing you can do to your cheesecake. You have to bake till the sides appear set but the center is still jiggly. Don’t bake it to the point where the center no longer jiggles, you have over-baked the cheesecake then.
LET IT COOL DOWN IN THE OVEN
Once you have baked the cheesecake, switch off the oven and let it remain inside the oven (with the door closed) for another 60 minutes. Cheesecakes are sensitive, if you expose them to a sudden difference in temperature, it will collapse and crack. So let it come down to room temperature in the oven first and then take it out of the oven.
CHILL THE CHEESECAKE BEFORE SERVING
It is mandatory to chill your cheesecake for at least 6-8 hours before you plan to cut slice and serve it. Do not try to cut the cheesecake when it’s out of the oven. Once it has come down to room temperature, run a knife around the pan and then cover it loosely with a cling sheet. Chill overnight or at least for 6 hours before serving.
CHEESECAKES TASTE BEST AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
So after you have chilled the cheesecake, take it out of the fridge and let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. As you can see, you need to plan in advance with cheesecakes. They take some time to come together.
So that’s tons of information on how to make the perfect cheesecake every single time. I hope you guys find them helpful and bake the very best cheesecake!
Method
Wrap the bottom and sides of your 9 inch springform pan with heavy duty and broad aluminium foil. Make at least 3 layers of foil all around so water doesn’t seep in when you bake the cheesecake using the water bath. Spray the pan lightly with a non-stick spray. Set aside. Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees.
Place biscoff cookies into a food processor and pulse till they turn into fine crumbs. You may use graham crackers or any other cookie of choice for the crust.
Transfer the cookie crumbs to a large bowl. Add melted butter to it and mix till combined. The crumbs should feel like wet sand.
Now transfer the crumbs to the prepared springform pan.
Press the crumbs tightly into the bottom of the pan. Use the back of a measuring cup to press it really tight. Bake the crust at 350 F degrees for 8 minutes. Once the crust has baked, take it out of the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 F degrees.
While the crust is in the oven, make the cheesecake filling. Transfer room temperature cream cheese to the steel bowl of your stand mixer.
Beat the cream cheese on medium speed for 1-2 minutes till smooth. You may also use your hand mixer here.
Add sugar, sour cream and mix till combined, around 30 seconds.
Once the sugar and sour cream is well combined, add the vanilla extract and eggs. Mix till eggs are combined.
Do not over-beat the mixture at this point. Your final cheesecake batter should be totally smooth, without any lumps.
Place the springform pan on a sheet pan and then pour the filling over the baked crust.
Now carefully pour few inches of hot water (around 2 inches at least) around the pan. Carefully lift the entire pan (the sheet pan with the springform pan) and transfer to a 300 F degrees oven. Bake at 300 F degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Once time is up, switch off the oven (without opening the door) and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for another 65 minutes, with door shut.
Take out the cheesecake from oven, let it sit in the pan for 15 more minutes. Remove the springform pan from the sheet pan and run a knife lightly around the edges.
Cover the cheesecake loosely with a cling sheet and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours. If you are making the sauce, make in an hour before serving the cheesecake. To a pan, add sliced strawberries along with sugar and lemon juice on medium heat. Let the sugar dissolve and strawberries get soft. Mash some of the berries using a masher. Meanwhile dissolve cornstarch in water and add to the pan and let it all simmer for a minute or two. Remove pan from heat and chill the sauce for an 1 hour before using on the cheesecake.
Once the cheesecake has chilled, take it out of the refrigerator and let it sit for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Top the slices with strawberry sauce and enjoy!
* The total time doesn’t include the 1 hour you have to leave the cheesecake in the oven after it has baked. It also does not include the chilling time!
New York Style Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups cookie crumbs I used biscoff cookies, 40 of them
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
Cheesecake filling
- 3 x 8oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 1.25 cups granulated white sugar 250 grams
- 1 cup sour cream 230 grams, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 15 ml
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
Strawberry sauce
- 1 lb strawberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1.5 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Wrap the bottom and sides of your 9 inch springform pan with heavy duty and broad aluminium foil. Make at least 3 layers of foil all around so water doesn't seep in when you bake the cheesecake using the water bath. Spray the pan lightly with a non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees.
- Place biscoff cookies into a food processor and pulse till they turn into fine crumbs. You may use graham crackers or any other cookie of choice for the crust.
- Transfer the cookie crumbs to a large bowl. Add melted butter to it and mix till combined. The crumbs should feel like wet sand.
- Now transfer the crumbs to the prepared springform pan.
- Press the crumbs tightly into the bottom of the pan. Use the back of a measuring cup to press it really tight.
- Bake the crust at 350 F degrees for 8 minutes. Once the crust has baked, take it out of the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 F degrees.
- While the crust is in the oven, make the cheesecake filling. Transfer room temperature cream cheese to the steel bowl of your stand mixer.
- Beat the cream cheese on medium speed for 1-2 minutes till smooth. You may also use your hand mixer here.
- Add sugar, sour cream and mix till combined, around 30 seconds.
- Add the vanilla extract and eggs. Mix till eggs are combined. Do not over-beat the mixture at this point. Your final cheesecake batter should be totally smooth, without any lumps.
- Place the springform pan on a sheet pan and then pour the filling over the baked crust.
- Now carefully pour few inches of hot water (around 2 inches at least) around the pan. Carefully lift the entire pan (the sheet pan with the springform pan) and transfer to a 300 F degrees oven.
- Bake at 300 F degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Once time is up, switch off the oven (without opening the door) and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for another 65 minutes, with door shut.
- Take out the cheesecake from oven, let it sit in the pan for 15 more minutes at room temperature.
- Remove the springform pan from the sheet pan and run a knife lightly around the edges.
- Cover the cheesecake loosely with a cling sheet and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours.
- If you are making the sauce, make in an hour before serving the cheesecake. To a pan, add sliced strawberries along with sugar and lemon juice on medium heat. Let the sugar dissolve and strawberries get soft. Mash some of the berries using a masher. Meanwhile dissolve cornstarch in water and add to the pan and let it all simmer for a minute or two. Remove pan from heat and chill the sauce for an 1 hour before using on the cheesecake.
- Once the cheesecake has chilled, take it out of the refrigerator and let it sit for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Top the slices with strawberry sauce and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
New York-Style Cheesecake
Can you please suggest a good alternative for eggs in this recipe. Thank you.
I have not tested this recipe without eggs, i would need to make it without eggs before recommending an alternative. Cornstarch is generally a good substitute in cheesecake for eggs.
Rather than setting the cheesecake in a water bath I place a pan of water on the shelf below the cheesecake. It saves having to wrap the cheesecake pan in foil and you get the same result- nice smooth top, no cracks.
Hi Manali, l loved all your recipes and also tried my hand on many. Those all came up so nice. Would love to try this as well. Is there any way to make it eggless? TIA.
I haven’t yet tried an eggless cheesecake, I will share when I try one
Why did my cheesecake taste geliness
you mean feels like a jelly? probably underbaked. you should check your oven temperature settings and bake for more time next time.
Going to give this a try today! It looks delicious! I’m wondering when you should release the pan? Before you refrigerate or after? Thank you for the explanations and the steps, such a help!!
after it has chilled. hope you like it!
I am interested in making this recipe, but in small personal sized springform pans. Can you please advise on how many this recipe will yield and whether the cooking time and temp need to be adjusted. Thanks in advance 🙂
You mean 4 inch springform pans? probably make 6 to 8 servings and I would bake for 35- 40 minutes?
I have a smaller springform pan how would I cut the recipe in half to accommodate the pan?
hmm I have not tried to cut this recipe in half but you can give it a go. Also with a smaller pan, bake for a lesser amount of time.
I have 6″ Springfield pans and have searched for the baking time for a smaller cheesecake. Any suggestions on a source or baking guide?
hmm I don’t have a 6 inch springform pan. Try cutting the recipe in half and see if that works.
This is a wonderful recipe! I overcooked it slightly (it was kind of brown on top), but it tasted fantastic! The Biscoff cookies were a scrumptious choice for the crust. Thank you for sharing <3
Thanks Maria! Biscoff cookie is my husband’s favorite and we always have it in bulk in my pantry lol so I thought why not use them for the crust! and it worked out so well! I am glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the recipe and tips . May I know what size pan you used for this measurements.
9 inch springform pan Jaishree! Sorry I forgot to mention, just edited the recipe to add 🙂
Thank you for the tips! It looks amazing! Delicious!
I wish I could send you some 🙂
me too sorry