The Best New York Style Cheesecake You'll Ever Make - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (2024)

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The cheesecake style made in New York has been loved for many generations and has gained popularity over the decades as it spread across America. It typically consists of a rich, creamy filling made with butter, cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla which is then baked together on a delicate crust made of graham cracker crumbs and sugar.

This New York Style Cheesecake recipe is a staple for any home cook. You can make a million different cheesecake flavors and unique cheesecake recipes using this one foundational recipe.

– Ashton

Ideas for More Cheesecake Flavors

You can build on this basic cheesecake recipe for so many more unique cheesecake flavors and ideas!

• Chocolate Chip Cheesecake – add 1 cup mini chocolate chips to the filling
• Peanut Butter Cheesecake –replace 8 ounces of the cream cheese with 1 cup of creamy peanut butter
  • Monster Cookies Cheesecake –make a peanut butter cheesecake filling, mix in 1 cup plain M&Ms and top with homemade chewy peanut butter granola.
• Mint Chocolate Chip – replace the graham crackers in the crust with chocolate graham crackers, add 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract and 1 cup mini chocolate chips to the filling.
  • Grasshopper Cheesecake –same as above + serve with a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce.
• White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake – replace the graham crackers in the crust with chocolate graham crackers, add 1 cup white chocolate chunks to the filling, and swirl in 8 tablespoons of raspberry preserves.Top with whipped cream.
• Tuxedo Cheesecake – replace the graham crackers in the crust with chocolate graham crackers and spread homemade chocolate ganache over the top.

New York Style Cheesecake

Yield: 12-16 slices

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

This recipe for New York Style Cheesecake is a staple for any home cook. You can make a million different cheesecake flavors and unique cheesecake recipes using this one foundational recipe.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 18 whole graham crackers (or 3 cups crumbs)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 56 ounces (7 bricks) full fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs, room temperature

Instructions

For the Crust:

1. In a food processor, blend together all of the ingredients until they form a moist, crumbly mixture. See my graham cracker crust post for tips and tricks for a couple of shortcuts.
2. Press mixture into the bottom of a 10" springform pan and up the sides as much as you can.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, and then let cool completely.

For the Filling:

1. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the sugar, flour, heavy cream, and vanilla. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each addition.
2. Pour filling into the crust.
3. Bake for 45 minutes*. Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF and bake for 30 minutes more. Turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar for 1 hour.
4. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely. Chill for at least 6 hours and until ready to serve.

Notes

*Optional: before baking, set pan inside a large, shallow roasting pan. Carefully ladle boiling water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of springform pan. This will keep the cheesecake from cracking along the top.

I don't typically care too much about cracking (I usually cover up the top with whipped cream and berries), and so I don't do this extra step... because it's just that much more work. Plus, using room temperature ingredients really goes a long way in minimizing the cracks anyway.

But if avoiding the cracks on the top are important to you, be sure to add this extra step!

Recommended Products

• 

  Precut Parchment Paper Liners for 10 Inch Round Pan

• 

  200 count - 10 Inch Parchment Paper Rounds

• 

  Wilton Non-Stick Springform Pan, 10-Inch

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 653Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 179mgSodium: 430mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 1gSugar: 42gProtein: 10g

What is the difference between New York Style cheesecake and regular cheesecake?

The differences between cheesecakes (there are several different styles within the United States alone!) are subtle, but they’re there if you know what you’re looking for.

New York Style

The most distinct feature of a New York Style cheesecake is simply the amount of cream cheese in the recipe–a lot. New York Style Cheesecake is extremely rich and dense made with cream cheese, heavy cream, and oftentimes egg yolks in addition to the eggs. It’s typically not baked in a water bath and begins baking at a higher temperature for a short amount of time before it’s brought down to a lower temperature for the remainder of the bake time. This gives the cake a rich and cream interior with its signature golden brown top.

I used a graham cracker crust in my NY Cheesecake, but apparently the traditional New York crust is more cake-like.

“Regular” Cheesecake

This recipe uses sour cream instead of heavy cream, is typically baked in a water bath to prevent cracking on top, and has a graham cracker crust. It has a lighter taste and texture than NY Style.

Italian Cheesecake

There are some similarities between this cheesecake and the New York Style cheesecake. However, the differences are notable in the fact that Italian cheesecake incorporates ricotta cheese into the filling. It also normally has no crust at all or a sugar cookie-type crust.

I made this Ricotta Cheesecake several years ago, and it sounds like it fits the description pretty well. It’s absolutely delicious!

What are the different styles of cheesecake?

• New York Style Cheesecake –dense and filling, no frills
• Philadelphia –deep flavor, smooth texture, uses Philadelphia cream cheese
• Chicago Style –fluffy, creamy on the inside, firm exterior, shortbread crust
• Roman Cheesecake –no crust; made with flour, honey, and ricotta; topped with poppy seeds
• Swedish Cheesecake –served warm and involves a process that curdles the dairy
• Vegan Cheesecake –made with tofu and/or blended cashews
• Japanese Cheesecake – pillowy and soft, made with egg whites that are whipped into stiff peaks
• No Bake Cheesecake –lacks the thick texture of a baked cheesecake, but is usually still creamy; no eggs
• Italian Cheesecake –uses ricotta cheese
• Classic Cheesecake –uses a water bath for baking at a moderate temperature, uses multiple forms of dairy, graham cracker crust

New York Style Cheesecake FAQ

Homemade Toppings for Cheesecake

More Cheesecake Recipes

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