Desserts Cheesecakes Cake Cheesecake

This tall and creamy New York Style Cheesecake is dense, velvety smooth, perfectly sweet and so easy to make at home! It packs a punch in flavor and is known for its creamy, dense and ultra-rich texture!

New York Style Cheesecake - a slice sitting on a plate with strawberries

The name of the game is ‘simplicity’! This recipe uses simple ingredients, it’s simple to make and tastes incredible! It’s the perfect indulgent dessert to share during those big holidays and can even be dressed up for birthdays or just a weekend treat!

New York Style Cheesecake -

Looking for more cheesecake recipes? Start with my Chocolate Cheesecake which is ultra-indulgent, my Strawberry Cheesecake Bars or my Eton Mess Cheesecake!

Table of Contents

What makes this a New York Style Cheesecake?

What makes a New York Style Cheesecake different (and honestly amazing) to other cheesecakes is that it’s dense, creamy, light and ultra-rich which makes one slice the perfect serving amount. Unlike other cheesecake types like no-bake cheesecakes and regular baked cheesecakes that rely more on cream or sour cream for their fluffy texture, a New York Style Cheesecake is heavy on the cream cheese. What you’re left with is a perfectly smooth with no bubbles in sight!

Equipment you’ll need.

Springform pan – to make this cheesecake, you’ll need a springform pan. This is a cake tin with removable bottom. Other equipment that will help is a
Food processor – to blitz the cookie crumbs. Although you can do this by placing your cookies in a zip lock bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.
Piping bag and tip – to pipe your cream on top. Optional, but I think it adds a bit of flair.
Large baking dish and cake tin slightly larger than your springform pan to get a no seep gentle water bath bake. See below for more info!

No More Soggy Cheesecake!

This gorgeous New York Style Cheesecake bakes gently, giving you a creamy, dense and light cheesecake interior and the way to achieve that texture is by baking in a water bath. Most recipes will have you wrap the springform pan in aluminum foil. I have to tell you, I’ve tried this method. It’s disastrous every time. It doesn’t matter how many times I wrap it in how many layers of foil, the water seeps in and gives me a soggy biscuit base.

No ma’am. I am not about that soggy bottom 😂

My method is much better. No soggy base but you still get that gentle bake. Simply add a clean kitchen towel to a large and deep baking dish. It needs to be bigger than your springform pan. Place a cake tin slightly bigger than your springform pan on top and place your filled cheesecake into the cake tin. There is absolutely no way water is seeping into that!

Ingredients To Make this gorgeous Cheesecake!

Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.

Jump to Recipe

Vanilla cookies – USA, use graham crackers, AU and UK, use digestives! Arnot’s Marie biscuits will also work. Crush your biscuit very finely. Use a food processor for best results.
Caster sugar – granulated sugar will also work.
Salt – I used fine salt
Unsalted butter – make sure you let your butter cool slightly before adding to the biscuit base
Corn starch – this helps stabilize and bind your cheesecake mixture once baked.
Lemon – you’ll only need the zest. Surprisingly it gives the cheesecake a lot of citrusy flavor which is delightful.
Cream cheese – I used Philadelphia cream cheese blocks. This is not the same as spreadable cream cheese which will not work for this recipe. Make sure your cream cheese os softened. You can do this by letting it thaw to room temperature on your kitchen bench or by microwaving it for 20 second bursts, turning over each time until softened. Make sure it doesn’t get hot or sizzle. It will effect the outcome of your cheesecake. You want to just gently softened it if microwaving.
Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt – I used Greek yogurt because I always have it in my fridge but sour cream will also work. Make sure it’s at room temperature before using.
Vanilla Extract – Always use good quality vanilla extract when baking, it makes a huge difference. I have a great recipe here for it if you’d like to try your own!
Eggs – Make sure your eggs are at room temperature.
Chantilly Cream – to use on top! I used a quarter of my recipe for this cheesecake.

How to make the BEST Cheesecake of your life!

Line the bottom of your springform pan with baking paper to help taking it out easier once baked. Clip the sides back onto the bottom of the pan.
Add your biscuits, sugar and salt to a food processor and blitz until you get fine crumbs.
Add the butter and pulse to coat the crumbs.
Add to your springform pan and spread evenly across the bottom and halfway up the sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Take out of the oven and allow to cool.

Add sugar and lemon zest o a bowl and rub together to infuse sugar with lemon oils.
Add the softened cream cheese, sour cream and vanilla.
Mix until smooth using a spatula, not mixer!
Add the eggs one at a time.
Mix until mixed well and smooth.
Pour into the cake tin. Bake in the water bath for 90 minutes or until the center is a little wobbly. Cool in the oven for an hour then take out of the oven and cool to room temp. Transfer to the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

Run a knife around the top
Release from springform pan
Use a knife dipped in hot water to slice!
Oops! I decided last minute I wanted to pipe cream haha.

Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!

Make sure you use room temperature ingredients! It’s the best way to get a perfectly smooth cheesecake mixture without over-aerating it.
Make sure your cream cheese is softened, and I mean really soft! Otherwise, you’ll end up with a lumpy cheesecake mixture.
Use a spatula, not a mixer to mix your cheesecake ingredients. You don’t want to over-aerate it which can cause cracks.
Gentle Cool! Cool in the oven for an hour before taking out to prevent cracking.
For super clean edges – use a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped with a paper towel to slice the cheesecake. Wipe with every slice for super sharp edges!

What should I serve with my cheesecake?

Fresh fruit
Chocolate Sauce
Chantilly Whipped Cream
Raspberry Sauce
Lemon Curd
Chocolate curls

Frequently Asked Questions about making a New York Style Cheesecake

How do I store this?

Store your cheesecake in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also tightly wrap this cheesecake in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months!

Can I make this into mini cheesecakes?

I haven’t tried doing that so I can’t say for sure, but I have a yummy No-Bake Nutella Cheesecakes recipe and a Strawberry Cheesecake Bar recipe that you might like!

Can I make this into a chocolate cheesecake?

Yes! I have a Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe on the blog which is fabulous!

Help, my cheesecake cracked!

This can happen for a couple reasons, it mostly has to do with the way it was mixed or the way it cooled.

Whipping too much air into the cheesecake layer can cause it to crack so use a spatula and don’t overmix.
If your oven was too hot or the cheesecake didn’t cool down gently in the oven, it will crack.
Cracking can also be caused by overbaking which can cause the edges of your cheesecake to

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New York Style Cheesecake