This easy and creamy cheesecake is absolutely delicious! Make your own crust or use storebought. Cream cheese, eggs, sugar, sour cream make it the best!
HOW TO MAKE EASY AND CREAMY CHEESECAKE
This is one of the easiest cheesecakes you will ever make. Cross my heart. And forget about all those cheesecake recipes from the past where you had to leave the oven door open for 5 hours after baking for the cheesecake to set. This recipe has an easy baking method that takes all of the scariness out of making cheesecake
Y’all might remember from my last post, BEST EVER POTATO SALAD, that I got this cheesecake recipe from my husband’s Navy boss at the time, Chief Wilson. It was a recipe his Mom had given him so I was so grateful when he gave it to me. He made this cheesecake for every get together (he usually made two). They were famous in our little American military community in England. Everyone requested he make a couple of them when we had potlucks. And I loved it because it was more of a sweet cheesecake rather than tangy.
MAKE A HOMEMADE CRUST OR USE STORE-BOUGHT
I have changed it a bit over the years. I added sour cream to help give it a slightly smoother texture. Chief always made this cheesecake using premade graham cracker crusts. And most of the time, I do as well. Every now and then I’ll make the crust from scratch so I’m going to include that recipe in here also.
lemon juice (optional)
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR EASY CHEESECAKE:
For the crust:
Originally published: February 2011
Updated and re-published: April 2019
Easy and Creamy Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1-¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/3 cup melted butter
For the filling:
- 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice, optional
- 2 eggs
Instructions
For the crust:
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter and pack mixture firmly into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie pan.
- Chill in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
For the filling:
- Preheat oven to 300f degrees.
- Mix cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract and lemon juice in a mixer.
- Add eggs one at a time to the mixture and thoroughly combine.
- The key to getting a really creamy cheesecake is to mix these ingredients together really well until the mixture is kind of thick and smooth (about 4-5 minutes).
- Pour into pie crust.
- Bake for about 65-70 minutes at 300f degrees. Allow cheesecake to cool completely in the refrigerator before serving (about 3-4 hours)
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Craving more cherry desserts? Try these!
MINI CHERRY CHEESECAKE PIES
CHERRY CHEESECAKE DIP
NO-BAKE CHERRY YUM YUM
CRESCENT CHERRY CHEESECAKE COBBLER
THE BEST INSTANT POT CHEESECAKE
Oh how I love cheesecake! YUM
This looks wonderful, Brandie! Your son knew a good thing when he saw it 🙂
Gosh this cheesecake looks so creamy and lucious. I end up with cracks in mine. Nothing a bit of strawberry topping wouldnt fix.
When finished baking turn oven off then put a lot holder in the door of the oven then shut it leaving only the slight opening from the pot holder. I do this and I get a perfect cheesecake with no cracks
How long do you leave it in oven after you put pot holder in door?
Oh how I love your comment about your son and his first table food! Kids crack me up!! My son will pretty much inhale anything I put in front of him (he's 10 months) but I'm trying to slow him down. Isn't that funny? With my first son I was ready for him to be eating like YESTERDAY. WHen this one came along I teared up when I stared spoon-feeding him. Ah, they get so big so fast. Anyway – I think I'd be pretty happy if my first real food was cheesecake!! 🙂 – Katrina
That is a beautiful slice of cheesecake. It looks so delicious. I have never tried making a cheesecake before. I really need to surprise my guy with one since it's his favorite dessert.
This looks great! I need a good easy cheesecake recipe. It's so intimidating to me whenever I make one.
Also, I'm kind of late but I did comment on your last post and just loved it.
mmm My favorite..love the photo and looks so so so delicious!!!
This looks fantastic! We are all cheesecake lovers here, I love that it was your sons first food! That cracked me up. My son was the same way with food, his first real food was butter loaded mashed potatoes, it's the only thing he liked besides applesauce.
Cheesecake is one of my favorite things and this recipe looks so good. Love your stories!
I love cheesecake!! I don't really bake that much but I will make time for cheese cake any day of the week…:)
mmmmmm….cheesecake….(((drool))) must. make.
Brandie-You're absolutely right about being the easiest cheesecake, ever. Fort one thing, it's not a lot of cheese, or eggs involved, it's simple, basic, and made in a pie pan, and also the baking temp. and time is the perfect time, and temp.
Well done…beautiful result!
This is a beautiful cheesecake, and the recipe sounds pretty straightforward and you don't have to bake it for 5 hours. Love the story about your son:)
It does sound easy and it looks so delicious. My sons all love cheesecake, too.
Im all about easy peasy!! AND cheesecake!! Mmmmmm
Such a cute little extra story at the end 🙂 What kid wouldn't want a big slice of cheesecake? I know I love it!
This looks really easy to make! Thanks for the recipe 😉 Love the story about your son too 🙂 Sounds like my kids 😉
This cheesecake looks so creamy and delicious! Yum!
I love your stories! Cheesecake has a special place in my heart- my mom makes the same chocolate chip cheesecake ever year for Thanksgiving. My first Thanksgiving memories that I have are eating her cheesecake. 🙂
Yum! I love a classic cheesecake over any other fancy flavored cheesecake, and this looks undoubtedly delicious!
There is nothing better than a good piece of cheesecake. This looks devine. Love the story of your son. It is perfect that it is still his favorite.
your son must have brighten your day.
the cheesecake looks AMAZING. I'd love a slice, or two.
thanks for sharing Brandie, hope you'll have a wonderful day
I've never made a real cheesecake. I usually leave that up to my sis because she makes the best. This one does look really good and easy though I might have to give it a try!
A beautiful looking cheesecake, one of my favourite desserts!I don't often make baked cheesecakes if I do there's usually ricotta added. Love the simplicity and flavours of this cheesecake.Lovely! x
How funny that it was your son's first food 🙂 It looks delicious!
I love cheesecake! And this one is so easy to put together that really helps. I made my own cream cheese this week and have way to much on hand now. Maybe I'll try making cheesecake with it. Thanks for sharing!
I just love this story. The Cheesecake looks so good, a great recipe that wouldn't take all day to make. Thank you so much for bringing it to Full Plate Thursday and please come back!
Mmmm, I've been having a craving for cheesecake, and this wonderful recipe is making it worse! 🙂
I have a similar recipe, can't realy remember when I found it but it works every singe time and it is so delicious! Your looks so inviting and yummy, thank you for sharin and wishing you a wonderful weekend 🙂
Oh how I love cheesecake! I would glady help you eat the whole thing if you like. 😉 It looks soooo good!
Mmm, I love a good piece of cheesecake. Sounds delish. I hope you'll come by and link it up to Sweets for a Saturday #6. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/02/sweets-for-saturday-6.html
MMMMM, cheesecake. I love the stuff. I love that this is "easy peasy." It looks fantastic.
looks delicious!!! Going to see you recipe for Peanut Butter Rice Krispies! I've made yesterday treats with Krispies and Peanut Butter but they look totally different. Yours look better 🙂
Don't feel bad about giving your kid cheescake as a baby. You have to convince their taste buds to start trying new things, right? My daughter's first table food was pumpkin pie, no crust. After that, I could sprinkle a little pumpkin pie spice on cooked sweet potato or carrot and she would gobble it up. They're so easy to trick at that age. 😀
THIS LOOKS DELICIOUS!!! I do have a quick questions, though. What exactly do you mean by a mixer? I don't think I have one…will I get the same results if I mix the ingredients for the filling by hand with a whisk? Thanks! Can't wait to try it.
Never attempted to make cheesecake, but your recipe made it seem easy enough to try. I just made it and I’m loving it! Just didnt know how long to let it cool down before placing it in the refrigerator, but I figured it out. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I just finished making it!!!! I took a tiny little piece from the side of cheesecake while it was still warm and OMG its so good!!!! Thankyou for this recipe:)
My first cheese cake!!
i have an even easier recipe my family has passed down generations u use 2 8oz cream cheese softened beat will mixer add in 3/4 cup of white sugar and 1 tub 8oz cool whip mix till smooth put into extra serving graham crust and refridgerate till serving add any toppings
Hi. I like your recipe cos the number of ingredients are less and we're using huge amounts of cream. But everybody says we should bake cheesecake in a waterbath. Any advise?
I made this cheesecake and it turned out perfect! Ive already made it twice this week. 🙂 Such a crowd pleaser. Great recipe!!
Looks really good can't wait to try this and really there is nothing unhealthy about it.
Made this for dessert last night for the family and everyone loved it! first time making cheesecake im a happy girl! thanks for the recipe!
I have made this recipe 4 times now, and it always turns out delicious! It's so easy to make too. This is the best recipe ever!
This one is a winner for sure, so glad you have enjoyed it.
You said you made a few changes over the years and mention adding flour but in your recipe there was no mention of flour. Planning to make this and wondered if I need to add flour and if so, how much.
Hi Rosalind! I have tried it but decided it wasn’t essential to the overall cheesecake. I did, however, liked the addition of the sour cream so left that in the recipe. 🙂
I wasn’t able to go to my family’s house for Christmas, so making dessert was up to yours truly. I am no baker but love cheesecake. I made your recipe and fell in love!!! Even my husband, whom normally isn’t a dessert kind of guy has helped me eat this up!! Tasty, flavorful and easy to make thank you!!
I made this recipe for christmas and it was a winner. Even my brother took some back with him for a friend to try the best recipe I have found for a cheesecake and I have made a few. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.
This recipe was so easy and turned out absolutely perfect! I followed the recipe exactly as written. My graham cracker crust turned out perfectly (there’s that word again!). I did chill it as recommended and I think that makes a huge difference when it comes time to add the cheesecake filling. My son was turning 30 and he usually asks for angel food cake but this year…”I think I’d like cheesecake, Mom.” What?! I searched, read a lot of recipes and selected this one. Again, it was not only easy with excellent detailed directions but was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone at my son’s birthday dinner. Making another one this weekend to take to my sister and niece…can’t wait for them to try it. I know it will be a hit! Definitely 5 stars. Thanks!
Oh Debbie that just makes my heart smile!! So glad it turned out to be a family favorite. Thanks for taking time out of your day to come and leave me such kind words.
I made this last Friday night and it was so easy and delicious. Thank you so much for such a great recipe.
Hi Janelle! Thanks you SO much for coming back to let me know! So happy to hear it turned out good for you!
Been making this cheesecake since I ran across your recipe a couple of years ago. It’s awesome and easy to make. Never lasts long when I make it. I like your recipes because most of them are simple and use ingredients I usually have on hand and most of them are down home country cooking! Thank you for all your hard work, It sure is making me a better cook!
Since I’ve discovered your recipe for this cheesecake that is all I go to now
Absolutely, love this recipe
Thanks again ,
Thanks so much Elizabeth for taking time out of your day to let me know how much you enjoy the recipe.
I’ve made many a cheese cake; but this one is by far the Best!! I’ll never do another any other way. My family loved it, it was extremely easy..I will be making this a lot, especially for family gatherings and holidays. Thank you again, it is a great recipe.
Hi Jackie! Wow – thank you so much! What an amazing compliment! I sure appreciate you coming back to let me know!!
Amazing! So I was looking for a recipe that didn’t call for alot of cream cheese. (I had 2 blocks in my fridge, not enough for a “regular” cheesecake) Which was perrrfect! I recently had a baby shower and I bought these fantastic mint chocolate covered espresso beans for a mexican themed “jelly bean” counting game and I had a ton extra. Soo I smooshed them up into my crust using chocolate graham crackers and 3 and half tbsps of butter and pressed it into a spring form instead of a pie crust. I cooked it at 325 for 50 minutes and turned it off and let it sit like a regular cheesecake ( I also was a little scared to cook it like the recipe so I put it in a water bath). I put a white chocolate lace on top and oh boy that is some amazing cheesecake!!! Thank you for this recipe, I’m sure i’ll be preparing different variations soon! BTW I bought the espresso beans at NUTS.com. great site.
No water bath needed?
Can you use a simple pie crust, instead of Graham cracker crust?
I made two if these and that cook time was too long on the first. My husband and daughter loved it but an hour was to long of a cook time. The second one I adjusted the cook time and it was PERFECT. I also put the second in a water bath. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS recipe. ..
Glad you found what worked in your oven. I know they are all a tad different. Mine has a hot spot on the right side so I have to constantly rotate – ha! So happy you liked this recipe – YAY!
Ugh – am I the only dumb one that can’t see what the bake temperature is?? Help!!
never mind – I see it in the notes! 300!
Hi ,I’m kind of confused doesn’t the cream cheese mixer melt when baked in the oven or I must only bake the crust?? Please clarify
somewhere on your site is there a recipe for peanut butter cheesecake with a chocolate ganache topping?
Hi Marilyn! Sorry, that wasn’t me. Hope you find it though! 🙂
Omg thank you so much. I bought the wrong amount of cream cheese for the recipe I was making for Thanksgiving so I was looking all over the place for a simple recipe with the ingredients I had on hand. I decided to try this and at first I thought it was a fail because it was super poofy and cracked on top. I also cut into it before I let it cool completely, and it wasn’t great. My mistake. BUT, we just tried it after letting it cool overnight and oh my word. My whole family loved it. I’m going to definitely print this recipe and stick it in my binder. It’s a keeper for sure. So dang delicious!! Next time I’m going to double the recipe. So so so good. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Thanks so much for your wonderful recipe. It was the first time I had made a cheesecake and your recipe was truly easy and turned out delicious. I made one for Thanksgiving to take to my sisters house and have already made two more since then. I plan to make more for a few special friends when I go for a visit. Thanks again, it’s so nice to have a sweet treat you can make with very little effort that you know will turn out so great every time!
The only issue I have with this recipe is it says preheat to 300° but I can only assume that is the same baking temperature?
I love cheesecake and I knew before I tried this, it was going to be easy, but I did not know it would taste sooo good. I used Strawberry topping. The texture is wonderful and so tasty!. Thanks for sharing!
My family loves this recipe. I have made it 3-4 times and it comes out perfectly. I cool it, refrigerate overnight and add cherry topping in the morning and put back in the fridge until ready to serve. 5 stars!!
I made this last night and wasn’t overly optimistic that it would be good since it was so easy, but wow, was I pleasantly surprised! It’s a good as any of the more difficult recipes I’ve used, and is now my new “go to” cheesecake recipe. Thank you so much for sharing.
Woo hoo!! Love hearing that! Thanks Lora!
My husband loves his sweets. Unfortunately, I don’t really consider myself a “baker”. I found this easy recipe and thought I would try it. My husband absolutely loved it. It is so easy to put together and I really don’t mind making it for him. I’m on my second time tonight and feel it Will come out even better than the first time. So glad I found this recipe! Thank you.
Made this tonight, and added chocolate chips! It was amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Just made this and it turned out soo good!!! Thank you for sharing, will be my go to recipe! Very easy, didn’t change a thing!
Turned out beautifully once again. Thank you for this wonderful recipe
Today was the first time I ever made a cheesecake and this recipe is so easy to follow, I gave my daughter a slice and she gave me a big thumbs up, it’s so delicious!
Hi my cheesecake is in the oven. Of course I tasted the batter and I was extremely impressed. Wouldn’t change a thing! My question is after I take it out of the oven how long do I let it cool before putting in the fridge???? Help. Thankyou.
It turned out great
DH has been having some serious cheesecake cravings, so rather than going out and buying one, I figured I’d try it myself. This is the first cheesecake recipe I came across, and the first one I ever made. It was FABULOUS. 4 out of 4 approved. No cracks at all, which is something I’ve seen a lot of complaining about (other recipes). Tried a different recipe, chocolate cheesecake, for the second, and it was horrible, and cracked all over the place, texture was off, taste was lame.
I know it goes against the “rules”, eating uncooked batter, but how can you not taste it, seriously? Scrumptious! I’ll take my chances.
This cheesecake lives up to it’s name, Easy and Creamy. Just do it, you won’t regret it.
Made this cheesecake for our Harvest Dinner at church and it was a hit! It’s so easy to make and is smooth and creamy with good flavor. Will be making this again soon!
I never write comments on blogs, but this recipe deserves a rave review!
Made it for Christmas Eve dinner, which is also for my cousin’s birthday, so the pressure was on to make a tasty cheesecake. This was my first attempt at making a cheesecake, and it was easy peasy! Other recipes I found used a springform pan (which I did not have) or a water bath (which seemed like too much work), so I skipped those. This one had easy to find ingredients and simple instructions, so I had to try it.
The result? A creamy, slightly tangy, and not too sweet cheesecake that was a hit with the family! My brother even said it was the best cheesecake he’s had, promptly after getting his second slice.
Thank you for this great recipe!
Hi Brandie, currently baking this cheesecake …
Once it has baked for the right amount of time am i to leave it in the oven to cool, or am i taking it out right away and putting it in the fridge?
Some instructions for after baking would be very helpful, thanks 🙂 it smelled wonderful cant wait to eat it 🙂
I made this recipe for my daughter’s birthday. She said it’s the best cheesecake she has ever eaten! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!!! I’m making it again tonight for a dinner I’ll be attending
Hey I’ve never made a cheese cake before but I followed your recipe, and the cheese cake is perfect ????????????????
Hi Rainah! Yay!! Love, love hearing this!! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know!
No problems I had a lot of fun making it
This was my first cheesecake I have ever baked and it turned out beautiful and delicious… my son wants me to make one for his birthday in May
Can you use this recipe for the small pie crusts that some
Stores carry ?
Heck yes!!
This recipe was so easy and turned out awesome! Thank you for sharing.
Woo hoo!! Yay!! Thank you so very much for the lovely review!!
I tried this recipe about a year ago ever since then the only way I make a cheese cake is by this recipe . Everyone loves it thank you
This makes me so happy!! Thank you so much Isabel!
Best cheesecake EVER
Woo Hoo!! Thank you so much Liz!!
I never leave reviews but this recipe will be the only cheesecake recipe I use! It was amazing!!
I am honored then that you would write a review for this one! Yay!! Thanks so much Jenna!!
Can I make this a day ahead?
Hi Carolyn, yes you sure can! Just keep it in the refrigerator. 🙂
Can I put the store bought Graham crackers crust crumbs into a springform pan?
You should be able to also do this in a springform pan – yes. 🙂
I hope the springform pan worked. I cant find my go to cheesecake recipe because I just moved & already made my crust in my springform pan & then noticed this recipe didn’t call for springform! Hopefully it’ll work out. 🙂
I’ve never made a cheesecake before and I made this for the first time and it came out perfect everyone loved it thank you so much for this recipe I used a store board gram cracker crust the first time. I am encouraged by my first try and want to do a homemade graham cracker crust this time. Should I bake the crust and let it cool or just refrigerate it ?
Made this cheesecake on Sunday morning for my birthday on Monday. Followed the instructions to the “T”other than subbing heavy cream for sour cream because I mixed them up when purchasing ingredients. After baking for 70 minutes I cooled ok a rack for 1.5 hours before refrigeration. Ate it last night and wow, turned out absolutely amazing! First time making my own crust and it was SO much better than store bought. My friend raves about how tasty it was too. Thank you for such a great recipe! Highly recommend for anyone who is nervous about making cheesecake because it’s easy and foolproof.
Amazing comment – thank you so much Hyde for taking the time to come back and leaving feedback. Love hearing that!
how much heavy cream did you use
Wow, this was so delicious, creamy and just one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever eaten. This will now be my go to recipe for cheesecake. Thank you for sharing this wonderful easy but amazingly delicious full proof recipe. ❤️
Good morning! Loved this cheesecake with our dinner last night. It went well with our smoked ribs. Question: Is the nutritional info per serving?
I am going to make this in a spring form pan, what size do you suggest?
Can I freeze these if I make several at a time.
Hi Mary! You sure can!
Oh, no! I was mixing up recipes, added 3 eggs rather than 2! I hope it turns out ok! The batter tastes wonderful so fingers crossed. Will update after trying it.
Has anyone used Rumchata as a stir in for this base cheese cake pie? If so what measurement and was it replacing anything?
I haven’t tried it Camille but I think it would be wonderful! Let me know if you try it!
Phenomenal! Perfect texture and flavor.
My niece has been bugging me to bake a cheesecake with her. Today was the day we made it and right now we’re enjoying it. My sisters says they’re better than the store bought one. A real hit with the family.
I made cheesecakes before, usually in a springform pan I wanted something quick and easy and that I could use my purchased walnut crust with. I made your recipe for this cheesecake last night and served it to my guests today. Everyone loved it! This is a definite keeper and I will make it again. Thank you for sharing it with us.
I have tried many cheesecake recipes in the past but today I only had 2 (8oz.) blocks of cream cheese so I decided to try this recipe. I added about 1/2 cup homemade lemon curd to the batter to make it lemony (I was craving lemon desserts) and will top with a little bit more lemon curd and some fruit sauce. Looking forward to this as cheesecake is my husband and I’s favorite dessert!
Brilliant!
Made this last night and it was so easy and DELICIOUS. But how could you turn it into a chocolate cheesecake? Or maybe you can’t.
Hi Becky! I am sure you could! Let me play around with the recipe and I’ll try and get back to you on that one! 🙂
I have to say that this recipe is now my main go to when I want a quick and easy cheesecake. So easy and I was amazed at how creamy and full of flavor it came out. I am a mom to 5 and a grandma to 13 who is known for serving scrumptious deserts. I spend a ton of hours finding new things to surprise them with at family meals. I took 5 of these cheesecakes Sunday and am proud to say there wasnt a crumb left. Everybody raved it was as good as the ones I spend hours making,baking in water baths, and fighting my springform pan to release. I even used pre-made crusts so am super happy with this recpe. Thank you so much. ❤
This makes me so happy to hear Sue! Thank you so very much for taking the time to come back and leave such a wonderful comment!
Love just good old plain cheesecake, so I love this recipe. One thing I’ve learned though is to not buy the store brand cream cheese. I made that mistake this time, and I had to beat the filling for a long time to get the lumps out. Sometimes it pays to go ahead and spend the extra $$ on a good brand.
Thank you so very much Patty!!
Hello Brandie and other followers.
Can anyone share how this recipe would fill a 7″ X 3″ spring form pan? Or how it could be altered to fill a 7″ X 3″ spring form pan?
Thanks for any insights
I used this exact recipe with 3- 4inch springform pans. Perfect amount of ingredients.
thats what i am using in a bit i was wondering if it turned out with the springform pan ,,,mmmm can’t wait to taste it
My son and I made this yesterday and I was skeptical – I’ve never made a cheesecake without a water bath. Wow this was wonderful
It turned out absolutely perfect, creamy and delicious. Thank you!
Can you use a spring foam pan and does it need to cool in the oven??
This was the BEST cheesecake…so easy to make! The lemon zest added a freshness to the cheesecake… I used a pre-made crust. My family loved it!!! Thank you for posting
Very easy & quick cheesecake. Very creamy, I added a cherry topping. My husband really liked it. I added a teaspoon of vanilla & the lemon , still think it could have used more flavoring.
I baked it for 58 minutes , I would do 55 minutes next time.
Definitely recommend.
I made this cheesecake and it is delicious! Very creamy and thick. I used store brand cream cheese and had no problems with it. Made the crust from scratch. I used a 9 inch pie plate and I guess it wasn’t deep enough because I had a little extra filling. I used a mini heart shaped pan and baked the extra in that. Turned out great! Definitely making this again.
This was so easy to make and so creamy!
It disappeared 5 minutes after I put it on the table!
Thanks for such a great recipe!
Thank you so very much Naomi!!! Yay!