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
- ⅓ 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
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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?
About one hour to leave oven door cracked opened to prevent cheese cake cracks.But I'll probably go a little beyond a hour.I just looked it up for you.
Such a cute little extra story at the end 🙂 What kid wouldn't want a big slice of cheesecake? I know I love it!
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...:)
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. 🙂
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.
Yum! I love a classic cheesecake over any other fancy flavored cheesecake, and this looks undoubtedly delicious!
Im all about easy peasy!! AND cheesecake!! Mmmmmm
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!
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.
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
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!
How funny that it was your son's first food 🙂 It looks delicious!