Best Easy Cheesecake Recipe (No Water Bath!)
Ingredients
Crust
1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs, about 1½ sleeves graham crackers (198g)
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
32 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1⅓ cups granulated sugar (267g)
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper if you want to easily be able to remove the whole cheesecake from the pan.
Pulse graham crackers in a large food processor or blender until they are fine crumbs. Add sugar and melted butter and pulse again to combine.
Press the graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. It helps to use a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup to compact the crumbs into the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes to set the crust.
Meanwhile, beat softened cream cheese in a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed just until creamy and smooth. Do not overmix.
Add sugar and mix again just until combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bottom with a rubber spatula.
Add sour cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix again until evenly incorporated, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again. Do not overmix or it will add air to the batter which can result in cracks in the cheesecake.
Lightly beat the eggs with a fork in a separate bowl. Add beaten eggs to cheesecake batter and mix just until combined. Pause to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
Pour cheesecake batter into graham cracker crust. Bake for 70-80 minutes until the edges have turned a very light golden brown and the center is barely set but still has a slight wobble to it if you jostle the cheesecake in the oven. Do not overbake.
Remove the cheesecake and let it cool for 10 minutes in a warm place. I like to turn off the oven completely and open the oven door wide to let it cool in there, but you need to be careful if there are others in the kitchen who might run into the open oven door.
After 10 minutes, run a thin knife around the edges of the crust to separate it from the springform pan. Let the cheesecake cool gently at room temperature for another 1-2 hours before transferring it to the fridge to chill for 4-6 hours. Remove from the springform pan and slice with a sharp knife before serving.
