Easy and Creamy Cheesecake (+Video)
This easy and creamy cheesecake is absolutely delicious! Make your own crust or use store-bought. This recipe comes out perfect every time!
THE BEST FOOLPROOF CHEESECAKE RECIPE
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.
MAKE A HOMEMADE CRUST OR USE STORE-BOUGHT
I give directions below for both. Most times I am just picking up a store-bought graham cracker crust. When buying a graham cracker crust for this recipe, you will want to look for the one that says “2 extra servings” on the packaging.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- graham cracker crumbs
- sugar
- melted butter
- cream cheese – see my post on How to Soften Cream Cheese Quickly
- sugar
- sour cream
- vanilla extract
- lemon juice (optional)
- eggs
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST EASY CHEESECAKE:
Preheat oven to 300F degrees.
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:
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 filling into prepared pie crust.
Bake for about 65-70 minutes.
Chill in the refrigerator a few hours before serving. Optional: top with cherry or strawberry pie filling or drizzle with caramel sauce.
CRAVING MORE DESSERTS?
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 ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 Tablespoons sour cream
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice, optional
- 2 large 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
- You can make the pie crust, or you can just use a premade one from the store. If you use a pre-made one, try to look for the crusts that says “2 extra servings.” I you can’t find it, just go with the regular ones. You may just have a tad bit of filling leftover.
- Chill in the refrigerator a few hours before serving. Optional: top with cherry or strawberry pie filling or drizzle with caramel sauce.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: February 2011
Updated and re-published: April 2019
How funny that it was your son's first food 🙂 It looks delicious!
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
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!
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
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.
Yum! I love a classic cheesecake over any other fancy flavored cheesecake, and this looks undoubtedly delicious!
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. 🙂
This cheesecake looks so creamy and delicious! Yum!
This looks really easy to make! Thanks for the recipe 😉 Love the story about your son too 🙂 Sounds like my kids 😉
Such a cute little extra story at the end 🙂 What kid wouldn't want a big slice of cheesecake? I know I love it!
Im all about easy peasy!! AND cheesecake!! Mmmmmm
It does sound easy and it looks so delicious. My sons all love cheesecake, too.
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:)
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!
mmmmmm….cheesecake….(((drool))) must. make.
I love cheesecake!! I don't really bake that much but I will make time for cheese cake any day of the week…:)
Cheesecake is one of my favorite things and this recipe looks so good. Love your stories!
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.
mmm My favorite..love the photo and looks so so so delicious!!!
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.
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.
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
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.
This looks wonderful, Brandie! Your son knew a good thing when he saw it 🙂
Oh how I love cheesecake! YUM