New York-Style Cheesecake

One of the best I have made or tasted. A real family hit! The only change made was I made my graham cracker crust a bit different, but all in all followed the receipe and it turned out perfect.

This is the tastiest cheese cake in Sweden!

I made this recipe twice and it came out perfect. Two things I did differently. I lowered the temperature of the oven by 20 degrees to prevent over heating since I was using a dark, nonstick springform pan which absorb more heat. Also to keep my cheesecake moist I placed a pan with water on the bottom rack while I was cooking the cheesecake on the rack above it. No cracks, easy to make. Hassle free!! Love it, Yes I would recommend this recipe. Enjoy!

For crust 18 crackers is way too much especially for the little butter he adds. I would use only NABISCO original graham ..About 12-15 crackers should do it, finely crushed -add 6tbs melted unsalted butter, a dash of kosher salt and 2 tbs of white sugar if you wish along with dashes of cinnamon/ nutmeg powder. I baked crust for 10 minutes at 350 (others bake theirs at 375 for 7 minutes). I foil a cookie/sheet pan not the actual springform as I don't place mine in a water bath (I simply fill a rectangular pan with hot water and place it on the lowest rack of the oven -- cheesecake/ cookie sheet on middle rack). I zest lemongrass rather than a lemon, and orange zest. I use high grade vanilla extract (haitian vanilla essence is amazing in my opinion). I mix light or heavy cream with lowfat or regular milk to total 2/3 cup of "milk". Sour cream, eggs, cream, milk, butter all at room temp and have to be very very very soft or warm because I mix everything by hand/spoon. I bake my cake at 325 not 350 for just under 1 hour ( 57-58 minutes does the trick with toasted sides puffed up and a bit of jiggle in the middle. I crack oven door open to cool with no heat for exactly ONE hour. No cracks EVER! Cool on counter for ONE hour - chill in fridge overnight covered with foil or plastic wrap. When taken out of oven I run warm butter knife around edges to prevent from sticking to ring. AMAZING!! Amazing!!????

Made this over the weekend and did a mixture of half cream cheese half quark. Soooo delicious!

this recipe is NOT good at all, i made it, fallow all the directions and it does not taste like cheesecake at ALL, the crust had no taste to it and after looking at other recipe is missing sugar. I would've give no start but I have to so one it is.

I really liked this recipe. I did add a little more butter to the crust so it would stick to the sides of the pan better. I used my KitchenAid mixer to mix the filling ingredients but I over beat it the first time I made it and it was too airy. I was more careful the next time and it came out perfect. That time I didn't have a lemon or an orange to zest so I substituted key lime and tangelo zest. I had to take it out of the oven a little early so I could cook my roast. It cracked a little, but not as much as most of my cheesecakes have. I have served it with homemade blackberry sauce and with homemade lemon curd. Both were ever so tasty!

My mom wanted a NY style cheesecake for her birthday so I decided to make her one. Glad I found this recipe. It was easy to make and mine did crack a bit on top but I think that I may have over baked it a little bit. Both my mom and aunt are from NY and they raved about this, other friends of my mom could not stop eating it. Will be my go to recipe from now on. Easy to make, not a lot of ingredients and light and tasty.

This is an amazing recipe. It came out perfectly and is the best cheesecake I have ever tasted, and that's including any cheesecakes ever purchased in bakeries.

This cake was fantastic!! Some complained that it was dense, but honestly, that's kinda the point of cheesecake. Also, to anyone giving bad ratings to cheesecakes because it cracked, it's not the recipe's fault. Cheesecake cracks because the internal temperature gets too high, not because there is something wrong with the recipe. It really bothers me when I see one-star reviews because the cheesecake cracked. It's your fault, not the recipe's.

Almost perfect. It was really easy to make. My only hiccup came with the graham cracker crust--it wasn't enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Maybe I prefer a thicker crust, but I found myself crushing even more graham crackers and melting even more butter twice. Consider doubling the amounts for butter and graham cracker. Other than that, it was so good, my mouth is watering typing this review.

GREAT Cheesecake recipe! Moist, delicious, dense this is now my go to for cheesecake.

I'm sorry. Nothing personal, but I followed this recipe to a "T" and it doesn't taste like New York Style cheesecake. It is far too sour and doesn't taste at all like cheesecake. But, that is strictly my opinion. By the reviews, many people like it. I love New York Style cheesecake, but this isn't it for me. -- Again, I'm sorry about this review.

My only "quibble" such as it is - clarity of a couple of details. "Small spot" in the middle - apparently my spot was TOO small, as I ended up slightly overbaking it. Also recipe doesn't specify to soften the cream cheese - I know it needs softened - but someone completely unfamiliar with making cheesecake could get frustrated wondering how the heck to whisk solid cream cheese! I also subbed about 2 tsp of lemon juice as I didn't have zest on hand - flavor was superb. Oops, also subbed 1 cup greek yogurt for the sour cream - texture and flavor was still excellent. Overmixed - my fault, I know better. The overbake - had never made it this way before, and my guess on the "small" was off. I should've shut off the oven when it was about silver dollar size.

Absolutely loved this recipe! I made it for a friend's birthday because she doesn't like regular cake (She was going to make it herself, tsk). She loved it, I loved it, it was so dense and heavy and rich and perfect. I just now sent the link for this to a friend, seriously so so good. The only thing I changed was the base, I used digestive biscuits because you can't get graham crackers in my country.

My daughter requested a Home-Made cheesecake for her graduation. I couldn't find the recipe I have used for years so I came to Allrecipes looking for a good cheesecake. My cheesecake always cracks so I liked that this recipe included a trick to prevent that. Even though Chef John's cracked in his video. I followed the recipe with the exception of needing to add a little more butter and adding sugar to the crust mixture. I baked for 50 min then turned off my oven and let it sit. I checked after a couple of hours and still no crack!!! After cooling in the oven and on the counter for 3 + hours I placed in the fridge uncovered so avoid moisture buildup. Next morning I took it out of the fridge and had my husband witness that I had successfully made a cheesecake with no crack!! It was BEAUTIFUL and looked perfect from top to bottom. Next test... the taste at the party. I had the graduate take the first piece and she loved it!! I felt it was a little on the lemony side but otherwise great taste and texture. YUMMY!! We have a new cheesecake recipe in the family for sure. Thanks Chef John!

This was the first time I tried my hand at making a cheesecake! It came out perfect!!! Now everyone wants me to make one. Great Recipe!!!

Best (and easiest) cheesecake ever!! I make it REALLY simple and buy the premade graham cracker crusts (6 minis or larger one) so I don't worry about the crust! It always comes out perfectly--except mine ALWAYS crack on top no matter what you do. I'd say just accept it! I just made Brownie Cheesecake Bars using this recipe. Make brownies according to box or use other recipe, then pour THIS cheesecake over the top and bake! It's cooking now, so we'll see how it turns out!! ???? P.S. To the user that gave it one star and said there was no sugar (no wonder it didn't taste good to them!), the recipe DOES call for sugar, so they most likely forgot it! Which yes, in that case it WOULD probably taste gross!

Teriffic and tasty

Loved it, so creamy and smooth. I didnt have orange zest and use a tablespoon of lemon juice since I didnt have lemons & still great. I did lower the temperature to 325 instead though since I halfed the recipe.

Have made this twice. Excellent! I love the texture...a bit lighter than a real heavy New York cheesecake but definitely enough "weight". Smooth and creamy. Love the hint of citrus...why chef calls it "sunshine"! Mine cracked both times but that doesn't bother me at all. I too made a little bit more graham cracker crumbs for the bottom and I did grease the pan....no sticking. This is a keeper for sure.

I have to send a huge thank you to Chef John! He has taught me so much when it comes to cooking and baking! I have finally made a cheesecake! The recipe videos are wonderful for a beginner baker! I have made this recipe 4 times now. The first time I made it exactly as stated. The other 3 times I did not add any zest. Loved it, absolutely Amazing! Thank you Chef!

This cheesecake was a hit! I made it exactly as described in the recipe. Used the wooden spoon technique and everything (although I was very tempted not to and use the KitchenAid mixer instead). I used my food processor for the graham crackers, which worked out perfectly. One thing I did was take it out of the oven after a couple of hours and let it sit out, covered with wax paper, at room temperature, for a while. In all it cooled about 3 hours before we ate it. This cheesecake was the perfect consistency, no cracks, and the crust was divine. It was delicious when it was cooled, ate some for breakfast the next morning with my coffee. I will definitely make it again!

I finally made one that didn’t crack. I put a roasting pan with water in the oven with it. I read somewhere that it raises the humidity enough to keep moisture in the oven so the cake doesn’t crack. Thanks Chef John!

Very bland in taste! The crust needed way more butter, the cake had little to no taste and leaving it in the over after it was done cooking only over cooked it. I might try it again, but increase both the sugar and the vanilla. I will also either under cook it and leave it in the oven or fully cook it and take my chances on the cracking.

I loved the cheesecake, but the 3 to 4 hours thing is probably not the best thing I liked to put it in the refrigerator over night which gave it a cool and fresh taste!

Oh my! This is the first NY style cheesecake I've ever made. I am an experienced baker & was skeptical about leaving it in the oven for so many hours after baking, but it turned out perfectly. No cracks! My only change was subbing non fat milk & light sour cream. It was creamy & with a light citrus undertone. My dad & husband loved it. Thanks, Chef John!

Be sure to leave the cake in the oven and refrigerate! I cut my cheesecake prematurely and it was soggy in the middle and the crust crumbled. Then I decided to refrigerate it for a few hours and it came out perfect! This recipe made cheesecake easy to make, albeit a long process. Thank you!

I love cheesecake I added key lime juice instead of milk only 1/2 cup of fresh key lime juice I have looked at the recipe's for key lime cheesecake no I used Chef John's recipe and tweeked it and OMG people this is it love it and was a truly big big hit will only make this from now on it was awesome and my cheesecake didn't crack Yeah give it a try people and I didn't mix it by hand used my kitchenaid mixer and I baked the crust n a 350 degree oven for 8 mins

I’ve made this two times following the instructions carefully and both times it’s split terribly. Really disappointing.

I've NEVER even baked, let alone make a cheesecake....but this was not only delicious, it was BEAUTIFUL! I'm 55 years old and I don't know when I've been more excited about something I cooked!!

great cheese cake !!!

Thanks for sharing the recipe and the video as it helps a lot. This is my first cheese cake and its turn out great. Dense and delicious. Even thought I am force to do some substitution as where I lived, sour cream is not available and I dont have yogurt in hand, I use homemade buttermilk.(as buttermilk is not available as well) For the graham crackers I used 2 1/2 cups (crushed) as I do not know how much is 18 graham crackers. For topping I use homemade Golden syrup.(recipe by Todd kitchen)As I did not leave long enough in the fridge to set, when cutting the crumbs did comes a bit lose. Its taste better the next day and less crumbs.

recipe not bad, but I thought the pan size was off, this recipes should have a minimum of a 10 - 12" sprong form pan for best results

This is my go-to recipe for Cheesecake. Hands-down the best. The zest gives this a great contrast to the sweet. I cannot say enough great things about it and it has become the most requested desert in my office and at home.

This cheesecake is exceptional! I used my own crust, but the base recipe is exceptional! My entire family loves it!

This recipe is easy peezy! I love it. This is my 3rd time making a cheesecake with this recipe and it comes out perfect each time. The last time, I put the cheesecake pan in a hot water bath. But either way it still comes out perfectly without cracks! Thanks Chef John

My husband won't quite asking me to make this again he and I both absolutely love this!!

I made it and got a crack on top just like the one in chef john's video! But then I made it again, and again--- they were EXCELLENT. No changes to the recipe, followed chef johns video instructions, never made a cheesecake before, will probably never use another recipe again because we love it so much. Now I'm looking for variant cheesecake recipes! Tried to upload the photo I took of it and posted on Facebook, but the iPad is limited :-(, so you'll just have to take my word for it!

Best cheesecake I've ever had. Even my mother-in-law loved it. She wouldn't stop talking about it the whole time she was visiting. I made it along with Chef John's strawberry sauce. You can't go wrong with this.

This is my "go to" cheesecake recipe. I personally omit the citrus ingredients and instead of graham cracker crust make my own oreo crust. Everyone who's had it (I make it A LOT) absolutely love it and even offer to pay me to make them one. Chef John, you did GOOD

I always get perfect results.

After MANY failed attempts at a beautiful cheesecake with no cracks, I finally have in to the water bath. It made all the difference. This recipe has always tastes great even with the cracks, but now I'm proud to show it naked! Thank you Chef John!!

The crust was way too dry. The cake had a large crack in it. It was not cooked in the middle.

This is the first cheesecake I have ever made and the response that I got from my family.. It's the only cheesecake I will ever make. This is a great recipe!! I get request to make these cheesecake all the time. Thanks for the amazing recipe.

Great recipe. It turned out well for me. No cracking, amazing texture and taste. Everyone absolutely loved this cheesecake. Loved it. Now people are asking me to make them cheesecake for the holidays. The citrus really brightens up the flavor and like Chef said... made it feel lighter, despite being very dense, rich and creamy. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us all.

I wonder if yogurt could be substituted for the sour cream successfully? I have been wanting to make a REAL New York Cheesecake from scratch for quite a while now, I guess it always intimidated me, now that I FINALLY purchased a springform pan, and found this easy recipe, I will certainly make it. My granddaughter, and I simply love cheesecake! I will be making it for her birthday as she prefers that instead of cake :)

Wonderful recipe. Loved the addition of the citrus. This is the first cheesecake I've ever made that did not crack. Followed recipe as written. Next time I may double the crust recipe to go all the way up the springform pan.

awesome easy recipe

I made it and was very much looking forward to a real oven baked NY style Cheesecake... however the result was no more a Cheesecake than I am. It tasted more egg than anything else. Unfortunately a total waste of time and money on a worthless recipe that has nothing to do with a NY style Cheesecake. The final result went right into the trash.... Perhaps if I had used a bacon & sausage topping instead of strawberries it would have gone down better. Guess it`s back to making the no bake cheesecake, at least it is sweet and tastes somewhat like the real thing.

It was a hit, l made it for my son inlaws birthday everyone enjoyed it.

Excellent...not too sweet. The zest makes a novel taste. Good for a changeup.

This was amazingly good! I made it as directed and it turned out just like the pictures. We ate it after it cooled in the pan and never refrigerated it. It was the most awesome tasting cheesecake I've ever had, bar none. I used a can of raspberry pie filling on top.

I love it!! I did a half a recipe and used a store bought graham cracker crust. Fast to make and delightful to eat!!

Due to some mistrust towards my oven, I overbaked mine and it came out custardy and almost gelatinous in a way— that’s completely on me though. The flavor was awesome still. I served with some raspberry sauce. Looking forward to making it right next time!

This is a great recipe. I love the citrus zest flavor in addition to vanilla. It adds depth! It uses sour cream instead of heavy cream, which keeps it more moist in my opinion. If you don't have 3 or 4 hours to let the cheesecake cool as directed because you need your oven, bake in a water bath to further prevent cracks. Wrap the base of the pan in several tight layers of foil (to prevent water from getting inside the pan), place on metal baking pan, put hot water in the pan, and bake for an hour as directed. Then, turn oven off and let cool in the oven for only an hour. Finish cooling the cake on the countertop until it is completely cool. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours prior to serving.

This cheesecake is really good! It is worth the waiting, as in it is best to wait and let it cool completely and then chill it in the refrigerator overnight before indulging. Instead of plain graham crackers I used chocolate, it was really good.

Since I had a dark coated pan, I will cook it at 300 and not 350 the next time and I will add a pan of water in the oven to add moisture. I topped mine with strawberry glaze, strawberries and blueberries. It was awesome!

Made this only change added more butter to graham cracker crust. Also only used lemon zest, never had the orange zest. Definitely will be making this again. Everyone loved it

This was my first attempt at making cheesecake. It cracked pretty good. Had the exact same crack as the one in Johns video actually. But lawdy, did it ever taste good! I topped it with cherry pie filling. Took some to work, and even one guy who admittedly doesn't like cheesecake raved about it. I was informed that is was "BOMB" in a good way. Next one I make I'll top with a homemade raspberry sauce. I plan on making many more of these. They're yumminess will overpower all, and the peasants will rejoice under the rule of their new cheesecake overlord!

STILL HAD CRACKS IN TOP. TASTE WAS GREAT.

This is one of the BEST cheese cakes I've EVER made! I followed every step and its delicious! The whole family loved it!

Much better 2 or 3 days later.

sorry I couldn't rate a 6 stars , my husband always says that the cheese cake is missing something , but this one he loved!!!!

Great cheese cake

I am making this cheesecake for the 4th time this morning for my 10 year old step-daughter's bday. She has never liked cheesecake and raves about this! This is my go-to recipe from now on! I do also add a bit more butter to the crust to help it stick together but otherwise I follow the recipe and it is soooooo yummy!

It was moister and creamier than cheesecake normally is, It was quite good.

Very good....wouldn't change a thing....

Delicious, everything that Chef John prepares is amazing!

I made it for my family and co-workers and we all loved it. Ther was no cracks but because I am chicken I still put in a pan of water in the oven for the steam.

very easy !

This is actually the second time that I made this cheesecake, my fiancee and nieces didn't let me finish putting the topping on it the last time so it didn't last 4 hours. This time was almost the same, except I got to it before they could start cutting and doling it out.

First time making a cheesecake the recepie was really easy and the cheesecake was supppperr gooooodd.

Only change was I used golden Oreos for the crust.

My first time making a cheesecake ever — turned out fabulous! Only change I made was to increase the butter by another 2-3 tablespoons for the crust. It just wasn't enough for the amount of crackers called for in the recipe. I served this with a drizzle of raspberry sauce & chocolate sauce. Everyone loved this cheesecake at the party. I couldn't believe I made this! Thank you Chef John!

I did not use lemon or orange zest. We doubled the Graham crackers and trip led the butter amount. We're funny like that. Everything else was done the same.

I don’t bake, but with this recipe you can’t go wrong. Making it for second time this week. Going to try fruit swirl in.

The cheesecake was fine, the flavor turned out no better or worse than other cheesecakes I've made. Leaving it in the oven, however, left the largest cracks I have ever had in a cheesecake. Also the top went crusty and brown, remarkably the cheesecake wasn't dry--it just looked terrible on the outside. I'm not trying that suggestion ever again.
I agree with others, the crust is too dry to stick together, it needs twice as much butter. For my springform pan, it made way too much crust (especially since it wouldn't stick to the sides of the pan). I only had 3 packages of cream cheese so I did 2/3 of the filling recipe--it was lucky that I did as the full recipe wouldn't have fit in my pan.

Really good cheesecake, didn’t expect it to turn out as well as it did because I didn’t have enough cream cheese or sour cream. I reduced the amount of sugar and replaced graham crackers with digestives, a good substitute. Will try this again!!

I love chef John and I love his recipes, this one included. I made 4 cheesecakes altogether. Two using his method of keeping them in the oven after cooking, one using my never fail water bath, and the last using his method again. The water bath never fails!! His method gave me the nastiest cracks I've ever encountered, tasted great but looked terrible.. Water bath was great... Just bake for 25 minutes longer and let cool on a rack.

Awesome recipe! I've made cheesecakes from several recipes and this is my favorite. Thanks, Chef John.

Made it, but it still cracked, I'll try it another day. Flavor is good, but I'm not crazy about the texture, not how I remember NY cheesecake.

I do not like cheesecake but my husband and father in law love it so I thought I would try this for them. They loved it! They said it was rich, creamy and delicious.

I've never made cheesecake before so I tried this one.....My neighbor is requesting for a WHOLE one instead of a slice...She wants to take it to a party on Mon. Yes I made some changes I did not have any lemons so I used Lemon juice instead. My other friends are requesting I make another one as well....

I just finished making this recipe and it made enough batter for 2- 9inch cakes. Great flavor though!!

So simple and it came out fantastic!!!!!

I made without the crust ...good no cracks ....topped with caramel sauce yummy.

I loved the step by step video. Perfect the first time. I did have mine in a water bath.

The cheesecake turns out really good. Where I am (China) is impossible to find sour cream so I just greek yogurt instead and it works perfectly!

I have made this cheesecake 3 times and every time it has tasted AMAZING. I have one piece of advice for first timers making this: make sure you let your cream cheese get to room temp before creaming with sugar... it is 100x easier than dealing with cream cheese you just bought and/or took out of the fridge. Also, I've made it 3 times and haven't been able to keep it from cracking. I've tried exactly as the recipe stated, as well as turning down the oven temp and decreasing the actual baking time (recipe calls for ~1 hour)... All 3 times the cheesecake still cracked massively. Unsure how to beat this problem.

Tried this recipe over the weekend and the whole family loved it! Ours had a little crack too, but that didn't keep us from enjoying it! Will be making mini-versions of this for Christmas as gifts. Thanks to the app that adjusts the recipe's ingredients--very helpful! Thanks!

Love this recipe, the only things I did to change it was the flour to gluten free and used zing and left out the zest. And replaced it with almond extract. It came out so good it’s almost gone already. Will be making this again

I used chocolate graham crackers for the crust and added 1/3 cup sugar with 1/3 cup butter. Followed the rest of the recipe, but omitted the lemon and orange zest. Added 1 tsp of lemon juice. Tasted amazing! Thick, rich, and just the perfect amount of sweet. Delicious with fresh strawberries. My daughter requested this for her 17th birthday today!

I made this for my brother-in-law's birthday dinner. He's from New York and always wants a cheesecake for dessert on his day. This cake was gone in minutes. My mother-in-law even thought it was the same as her mother's was.

Followed the recipe to a T. I put it in the refrigerator for a full day. The consistency was perfect. A perfect New York cheesecake. Delicious!

Absolutely the best tasting cheesecake I’ve ever made! It was a big hit for Christmas Eve dessert! Only problem was mine did crack but it sure didn’t affect the taste! I followed the directions of turning off the oven and letting it sit but it still cracked. I will definitely make it again.

I have made this recipe several times, always with different toppings. It's so versatile, and I love the citrus accents. Definitely my go to recipe!

Fantastic!

This is THE best cheesecake I have ever had. Followed the instructions exactly, and it came out perfectly. Better than anything I've ever bought or ever had at any restaurant.