Best Eggless Cheesecake
This recipe makes the BEST Eggless Cheesecake you will ever try! It's wonderfully creamy and silky, and it's also one of the easiest to make! A delicious and melt-in-your-mouth classic dessert that will leave everyone asking for seconds. Must try!
Servings 12 slices
Calories 421kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 ¾ cups (150 g) graham cracker crumbs (about 27 square sheets graham cracker)
- 1/3 cup (75 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
Filling:
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream (I use full fat)
- 3 tablespoons (30 g) cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
- 24 oz (678 g) full fat cream cheese, softened (3 pkg 8oz. each)
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream
- 1 can (14 oz - 397 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- Strawberry sauce for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).
Crust:
- Lightly grease a 9-inch round springform pan and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine graham crumbs, butter, and sugar with a fork until evenly moistened.
- Pour the crumbs mixture into the springform pan and press the crumbs down into the base and up the sides. Tip: Use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to press down the crumbs evenly. Bake crust at 350º F (180º C) until set and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before filling. Note: If you are short of time you can just refrigerate the unbaked crust until you make the filling. I have done it both ways, and it works fine. Baking the crust ensures that you have a crispier bottom, though.
Filling:
- In a medium bowl, whip cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 2 - 3 minutes. Set aside.
- Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
- Place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth and free of any lumps. Add sugar and sour cream and continue mixing until incorporated. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk and beat until creamy, for 1-2 minutes. Add lemon juice, vanilla extract, and cornstarch mixture; beat until well incorporated. Turn off the mixer.
- Add whipped heavy cream and gently foil in using a spatula. Set aside.
Prepare the Pan:
- Place the cheesecake pan on two large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it (this is to keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake).
- Pour the cheesecake mixture over the crust; tap gently to remove any air bubbles.
Water Bath:
- Place the cheesecake into a large roasting pan and pour hot water in (avoiding the cheesecake, of course) until it’s about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
- Bake at 350º F (180º C) for 40 minutes or until the edges are just barely puffed, but the filling is pale—you're not looking for golden brown.
- Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for 40 more minutes (leave the cheesecake inside of the oven). The cheesecake will continue to cook, but slowly begin to cool as well.
- After 40 minutes, remove the cheesecake from the oven. The cheesecake center should still wobble when you remove it; it will continue to cook as it cools on the counter. Next, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and wrapping. Let it cool at room temperature. Then refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight (better).
- Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Unmold and transfer to a cake plate.
Video
Notes
Store: You can store your Eggless Lemon Cheesecake covered and in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Freeze: Eggless Lemon Cheesecake can be frozen for up to three months.
- First, cool the cheesecake on the counter before freezing—you can skip cooling it in the refrigerator.
- Next, remove the outer rim of the springform pan (leave the base).
- Then wrap the cheesecake and the bottom of the pan with a few plastic wrap layers, then a final layer of aluminum foil. Don’t freeze your cheesecake with any toppings!
- Plan ahead! Cheesecake is one of those desserts you have to plan in advance. It takes a long time to chill and set.
- Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Preheat the oven at least 15 minutes before getting started to give it plenty of time to reach the ideal recipe temperature.
- Leaky pans are a cheesecake’s arch-nemesis. After many years of cheesecake making, I have concluded that most springform pans leak, so to avoid water leaks, I like to wrap the springform pan with a double layer of heavy-duty foil and then a slow cooker liner. To do so, I place the springform pan in the middle of the slow cooker liner, grab all that excess baggage, wind it up, and tie the end with a knot, covering the underside and coming all the way to the top.
- Ovens are all different, so baking times are always approximate. Oven thermostats are sometimes inaccurate, and that will all affect baking time, so keep an eye on things.
- Avoid overcooking the cheesecake, or it will crack. The center of your cheesecake should still wobble when you remove it from the oven; it will continue to cook as it cools on the counter.
- To prevent cracks during cooling, it’s important to loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan after baking. First, cool the cheesecake on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then carefully run a knife between the cheesecake and the inside of the pan. Don’t remove the sides of the pan yet.
- Allow the cheesecake to chill for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator before attempting to cut. For a very clean-cut, use a warm knife (the best way to warm a knife is to run it under hot water and then dry it off just before cutting), and wipe the knife clean between cuts.
Nutrition
Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 161mg | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 1140IU | Vitamin C: 3.7mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 0.8mg