Best Sour Cream Cheesecake (easy recipe)

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This is the perfect cheesecake with sour cream. It's smooth and creamy, uses few ingredients, it's hard to mess up and is a crowd-pleasing dessert. It was my go-to recipe for years, and I can't believe I'm posting it almost a decade after starting this blog! It was worth the wait.

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On a greyish background an eaten slice of cheesecake with silver fork coming out and red jam.

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You might or might not have realized that I'm a cheesecake fanatic. A complete groupie and a purist.

I like my cheesecakes to taste like sweet cheese, and if I'm making a flavored version, the ingredients I add are necessary. So you will hardly see flour, cornstarch, or gelatin in my cheesecake recipes.

This is the first cheesecake I ever made when I started baking, and the only one I made for years. It embodies my strong beliefs about cheesecake: few ingredients, a smooth and creamy filling, and a no-fuss buttery graham cracker crust.

Then I started alternating with this cheesecake recipe that's versatile, simple, and has some heavy cream in the filling.

What makes a sour cream cheesecake?

What separates it from a classic cheesecake recipe is the higher amount of sour cream. It competes directly with the amount of cream cheese used.

This recipe uses almost the same amount for both, making it a cheesecake recipe with sour cream, for sure.

A white cake stand with a plain cheesecake missing a slice, grey and white background.

Sour cream in cheesecake

Most old-fashioned recipes have a sour cream topping. A layer on top of the cheesecake was added during the last minutes of baking.

We add it to the cheese mixture instead. Why?

Tanginess: it gives the cheesecake a tang that balances the sweetness nicely and is characteristic of cheesecakes.
Lighter filling: it softens the cream cheese a bit, so the result is less dense than an all-cream cheese recipe.

Watch the step-by-step video recipe

Ingredients

For best results, use the best quality you can afford.

Crumb crust: use a homemade graham cracker crust, or buy it from a good source.
Cream cheese: the regular type, full-fat cream cheese is needed for consistency and creaminess. I always use Philadelphia original cream cheese, but other premium brands work fine.
Sour cream: the regular type, full-fat sour cream cheese is used for richness and creaminess.
White, granulated sugar.
Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.

White surface with bowls with ingredients for cheesecake including eggs, sugar, crust mixture, sour cream, vanilla. Text overlay.

Kitchen notes

Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature.
Flavorings: vanilla extract or paste are always my first option for a classic cheesecake. But the sky's the limit if you want to add lemon zest and fresh lemon juice, other extracts, spices, or a tablespoon of liqueur.
Freezing: sometimes I feel that this cheesecake is creamier after being frozen for a week or two. Just to say that it's a great dessert to have frozen. Thaw in the refrigerator and then bring to almost room temperature to eat.

Preparing the pan

I line the bottom of my cake pan with aluminum paper. This makes it super easy to remove.

Take a large piece of foil, a few inches bigger than your pan, press it lightly so that it takes the form of the removable bottom part, and then close the side part over it. You will have the overhanging foil outside the pan.
Take the foil and wrap it upwards so that it will adhere to the sides of the pan.
When you're ready to remove the cheesecake, straight from the refrigerator, turn the foil down, remove the pan side, and then lift the cheesecake placing your whole hand between the foil and the bottom of the pan. Since the cake is cold, it will lift easily.
Peel the foil carefully while holding the cake in your palm, and place it on the serving plate.

We all know by now that this type of crust is the best for cheesecake and ourselves because it's so darn easy! Mix two ingredients and pat them onto the cheesecake pan. That's it.

Graham cracker crust: it's the traditional base for cheesecakes. And for a reason: they pair wonderfully.
Vanilla wafers or digestive biscuits: are an alternative, especially if you live outside the US. And they let the filling shine.

But really, any plain cookie you like can be used. As long as you like how it goes with a cream cheese filling.

I also use chocolate wafers when making my baked cheesecake with berry topping or the creamy pumpkin cheesecake and you can certainly use it for this one.

Close up of a colorful plate with a bitten slice of plain cheesecake, crumbs and fork marks

The cheesecake batter

The most important part of any cheesecake is that the filling is creamy and smooth.

So use good ingredients, follow instructions closely and, very importantly, pay attention to the cooling process.

Cooling down process: cheesecakes need to cool down gradually and spend several hours in the refrigerator before eating; that's how we achieve a creamy consistency.
Mixing equipment: I make the filling by hand, with a whisk and a spatula, something that's not hard if the ingredients are at room temperature. You can use an electric mixer for the first part when you need a lump-free cheese mixture. But don't use it after that as we don't want to incorporate unwanted air. I don't recommend a stand mixer as it tends to overbeat preparations, but you can use it with the paddle attachment.

Pouring cheesecake mixture into round cake pan lined with aluminum foil.

Serving

This is a simple baked cheesecake recipe you can serve with whatever topping you like. Or eat it plain.

Berry sauces will always be my favorites, like this perfect blueberry sauce and this easy strawberry topping.
Or top it with decadent things like dulce de leche (sweet milk jam) or your favorite caramel sauce.
Fresh fruit: depending on the season, mix fresh berries (as we do with the ricotta cheesecake) or a mix of tropical and stone fruit like mango, pineapple, and peaches.

Storage

Refrigerator: besides the mandatory 8 hours in the fridge, you can keep it there for several days, always well wrapped or covered to avoid drying.
Freezer: this cheesecake was made to be frozen! A friend of mine says it's even better after it. I tend to agree. But keep in mind that you need to first refrigerate it for at least 4 hours before freezing. Well wrapped, it can last up to 2 months.

A fork plunged on a plain slice of cheesecake, colorful plate, close up image.

Why did my cheesecake crack?

There are several possible answers: too much beating, overbaking it, and/or temperature too high, drastic change in temperature (from the oven to the refrigerator), it stuck to the sides of the pan and cracked when it started to cool down as the sides couldn't shrink. One or several might be the cause.

Can you make cheesecake without a crust?

Yes, you can. Omit the crust and butter the pan. I have an Orange Ricotta Cheesecake with no-crust in this blog.

Do you need a water bath to bake a cheesecake?

I don't use a water bath since my experiences never turned out well; some water inevitably seeped into the crust or filling. That said, you can put a roasting pan with hot water on the oven floor, and the steam will make the environment more humid as the cheesecake bales. Also, a low oven temperature helps achieve a wonderfully smooth and creamy filling.

Half cheesecake with dripping red jam on a white cake stand, grey background

Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
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