Tall and Creamy Cheesecake Recipe • 5★

Recipe from Dorie Greenspan

Adapted by Emily Weinstein

Updated December 28, 2025

Christopher Testani for The New York Times

2:40Credit...The New York Times

This is not really a New York cheesecake recipe — there’s no lemon (although there could be) — this is an all-American cheesecake of the big, beautiful, lush and creamy variety, the kind that causes gasps of delight when you bring it to the table and sighs of satisfaction when you and your guests savor bite after bite. The cake’s velvety texture is a result of a long turn in the mixer, and a cool-down process that requires patience, but not much effort. It’s also a cheesecake you can customize. You can make the cake milder or tangier by using all heavy cream or all sour cream, or a combination of the two. You can add fruits or nuts, swirls of chocolate or drops of extract. —Emily Weinstein

Featured in: The Baker’s Apprentice: Cheesecake

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1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs

½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

2 pounds (four 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 ⅓ cups sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ⅓ cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two

Step 1To make the crust: Butter a 9-inch springform pan — choose one that has sides that are 2 ¾ inches high (if the sides are lower, you will have cheesecake batter left over) — and wrap the outside of the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil.

To make the crust: Butter a 9-inch springform pan — choose one that has sides that are 2 ¾ inches high (if the sides are lower, you will have cheesecake batter left over) — and wrap the outside of the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil.

Step 2Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. (You can do this with your fingers.)

Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. (You can do this with your fingers.)

Step 3Turn the ingredients into the springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don’t worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach above or below the midway point on the sides. Put the pan in the freezer while you heat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)

Turn the ingredients into the springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don’t worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach above or below the midway point on the sides. Put the pan in the freezer while you heat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)

Step 4Center a rack in the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. To make the cheesecake: Put a kettle of water on to boil.

Center a rack in the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. To make the cheesecake: Put a kettle of water on to boil.

Step 5Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft and creamy, about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft and creamy, about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light.

Step 6Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs, one by one, beating for 1 full minute after each addition — you want a well-aerated batter. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.

Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs, one by one, beating for 1 full minute after each addition — you want a well-aerated batter. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.

Step 7Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the pan with some space around it.

Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the pan with some space around it.

Step 8Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan. The batter will reach the rim of the pan. (If you have a pan with lower sides and have leftover batter, you can bake the batter in a buttered ramekin or small soufflé mold.) Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan. The batter will reach the rim of the pan. (If you have a pan with lower sides and have leftover batter, you can bake the batter in a buttered ramekin or small soufflé mold.) Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Step 9Bake the cheesecake for 1 ½ hours, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven’s heat and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another hour.

Bake the cheesecake for 1 ½ hours, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven’s heat and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another hour.

Step 10After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster — be careful, there may be some hot water in the aluminum foil — and remove the foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.

After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster — be careful, there may be some hot water in the aluminum foil — and remove the foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.

Step 11When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, although overnight is better. At serving time, remove the sides of the springform pan — you can use a hairdryer to do this — and set the cake on a serving platter.

When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, although overnight is better. At serving time, remove the sides of the springform pan — you can use a hairdryer to do this — and set the cake on a serving platter.

Serving: The easiest way to cut cheesecake is to use a long, thin knife that has been run under hot water and lightly wiped. Keep warming the knife as you cut slices of the cake.

Storing: Wrapped well, the cake will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or for up to 2 months in the freezer. It’s best to defrost the still-wrapped cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator.

Best cheesecake recipe that I have found- creamy and decadent. I have made it with the foil, and without. Easiest to just put a roasting pan of hot water in the low rack of the oven at the same time, and put the springform pan on a cookie sheet on middle rack. No worries for leaking, and no cracking happened. Wait for just the right jiggle in the center, and cool slowly.

If you click on the book title above the recipe, "Featured in: The Baker's Apprentice: Cheesecake", you will find a lengthy explanation of how the recipe came from Doris Greenspan.

This is Dorie Greenspan's recipe. Why haven't you given her credit? This is word for word from her cookbook sitting on my counter.

Followed this recipe to a 't' and it turned out SOO good-- an hour and a half was plenty of time in the oven for the filling to bake. I used Tate's chocolate chip cookies for the crust to make it gluten free and it was magnificent. WOW! Guests said it was better than The Cheesecake Factory. Will definitely be making this again!

Use only wide heavy duty aluminum foil.

Took longer than 1.5 hours

Adapted from "Baking From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton-Mifflin, 2006)

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015672-tall-and-creamy-cheesecake