Best New York Style Cheesecake

This dense, creamy New York Style Cheesecake is a slice of dessert heaven! It’s a rich, velvety cheesecake with a classic graham cracker crust that will make you fall in love with cheesecake all over again.

Looking for more cheesecake recipes? Try this easy cheesecake recipe made with a classic water bath, or this simple no-bake cheesecake!

My Favorite New York Style Cheesecake

By now you certainly know that I’m a BIG fan of cheesecake. The number of cheesecake recipes I have are almost endless and yet, until now, I didn’t have a classic New York-Style Cheesecake. That had to change!

And there’s no doubt that this cheesecake recipe is as tasty as it gets! The cheesecake is ultra thick and dense, and it has the smoothest texture. If you’ve never tried a New York-style cheesecake before, you definitely need to! It’s for true cheesecake lovers, for sure!

What’s the Difference Between NY Cheesecake and Classic Cheesecake?

The primary difference between a New York-Style Cheesecake and other cheesecakes is how dense and rich it is. It’s stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth thick and creamy and my gosh, it’s so good!

There are a few differences between my Classic Cheesecake and this one, which gives this one it’s signature texture. First, this New York style cheesecake uses more cream cheese. As a result, there’s also a little more sugar to balance out that extra cream cheese.

This New York cheesecake also uses heavy cream instead of sour cream to make it a bit firmer and denser. Extra eggs and the addition of egg yolks contribute to this cheesecake’s denser texture as well and help bind everything together. They also add flavor – particularly the egg yolks. Finally, I like to add a touch of lemon zest to my New York cheesecake for added flavor! That little touch of lemon really takes the flavor of this cheesecake over the top!

Recipe Ingredients

For the Crust

• Graham Cracker Crumbs
• Salted Butter
• Sugar

For the Cheesecake

• Cream Cheese: Bring your cream cheese to room temperature before making your cheesecake so that you don’t end up with a lumpy filling.
• Sugar
• All Purpose Flour
• Lemon Zest: Gives this cheesecake part of it’s signature flavor.
• Vanilla Extract
• Heavy Cream
• Eggs: This cheesecake uses both whole eggs and egg yolks. The extra yolks give the cheesecake some extra flavor, so don’t leave them out.

How to Make New York Style Cheesecake

For the Crust

1. Prepare for Baking: Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.
2. Mix Ingredients: Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan.
3. Bake: Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes, then set it aside to cool.
4. Prepare for Water Bath: Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil so that water from the water bath cannot get in (see how I prepare my pan for a water bath). Set prepared pan aside.

For the Cheesecake

• Reduce Oven Temperature: Reduce the temperature of your oven to 300°F.
• Beat Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour on low speed until completely combined and smooth. Be sure to use low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add Lemon & Vanilla: Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until well combined.
• Incorporate Heavy Cream: Add the heavy cream and mix on low speed until well combined.
• Add Eggs & Egg Yolks: Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing slowly to combine after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
• Pour Mixture Over Crust: Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust. Your pan will be very full.
• Assemble Water Bath: Place the springform pan inside another larger pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.
• Bake: Bake the cheesecake for about 2 hours. The edges should be set and the center should be somewhat set, but still jiggly.
• Turn Off the Oven: Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for 30 minutes. The cheesecake will continue to cook, but it’ll slowly begin to cool as well.
• Crack Oven Door: Crack the door of the oven for 30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to continue to cool slowly. This process helps prevent cracking.
• Chill: Remove the cheesecake from the oven and water bath wrapping and refrigerate until firm, 5-6 hours or overnight.
• Place on a Serving Dish: Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and place it on a serving dish. Refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve!

Tips for the Best Cheesecake

• Bring Ingredients to Room Temperature: Make sure your cream cheese and eggs have reached room temperature before you start on your cheesecake. This will ensure that everything incorporates easily and uniformly.
• Beat at Low Mixer Speed: Use low speed when mixing your cheesecake ingredients to reduce the amount of air added to the batter, which can cause cracks. Be sure to pause the mixer between ingredients to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Cool Slowly: Follow the cooling steps for this cheesecake so it doesn’t cool too fast. If you remove it from the oven as soon as it’s done baking, it will cool too quickly and cracks will form.
• Don’t Let the Water Bath Leak: Follow these instructions to make sure you’re doing the water bath correctly without letting water leak into your cheesecake.
• Check out These Tips Too: For more advice on making the perfect cheesecake, refer to my top ten tips!

Serving Suggestions

• Fresh Fruit: Top your cheesecake with fresh raspberries, blueberries or strawberries for a fruity and colorful treat.
• Chocolate Sauce: Drizzle your favorite brand of chocolate sauce over your cheesecake or make my simple Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce!
• Raspberry Sauce: This Raspberry Sauce (seen in the photos) is a classic for cheesecake and pairs perfectly.
• Lemon Curd: The tang in this Lemon Curd would go great with this cheesecake.
• Chocolate Curls: If you want a quick and easy way to dress up your cheesecake, top it with some fancy looking chocolate curls!

How to Store Homemade Cheesecake

Store leftover cheesecake well covered in the refrigerator. Enjoy it within 5 days for best freshness. You can also freeze this cheesecake for about 2 months if you wrap your slices individually with plastic wrap!

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