The must-have lemon cheesecake recipe. It’s sweet & tart, smooth and creamy texture and has a homemade graham cracker crust. Step-by-step instructions, uses simple ingredients and full of delicious lemon flavor.
Lemon cheesecake is one of our favorite Thanksgiving desserts and the holidays. For best results, this cheesecake is baked in a water bath. Follow our method to never crack a cheesecake again!
Plan ahead with making homemade cheesecake. It needs time to bake, cool and refrigerate in order to set, before serving. If you love lemon desserts, this cheesecake is a must-try!
Be sure and try lemon cake recipes; lemon loaf cake, lemon Bundt cake, lemon blueberry loaf – and my newest recipes, lemon layer cake and Lemon Jell-O cake. I used Boston fruit slices for added decoration. Boston fruit slices were a fond treat from my childhood and go perfect with this cheesecake.
Why this recipe works
- Ease – Simple steps ensure the perfect cheesecake each and every time. Made in one bowl with either an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer.
- Uses simple ingredients – Readily available in grocery stores.
- Flavor – Full-fat cream cheese and sour cream, along with pure vanilla extract give this cheesecake delicious flavor.
- Texture – Mixing room temperature ingredients only until combined gives this cheesecake a creamy and rich texture.
What you’ll need
- Graham Crackers – Make your own graham cracker crumbs or purchase crumbs in the baking aisle of your favorite grocery store.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar is used in the graham cracker crust and in the cheesecake filling.
- Butter – Butter is what binds the graham cracker crust together.
- Cream cheese – A high-quality cream cheese will yield the best texture. Our favorite brand is Philadelphia.
- Sour cream – It’s best to use full-fat sour cream. You can also substitute full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Eggs – Use large eggs and be sure they are at room temperature for best results.
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream gives this cheesecake recipe a rich taste and creamy texture. You can also substitute real full-fat buttermilk if needed.
- Vanilla extract – We always recommend using a high-quality brand of pure vanilla extract.
- Lemon oil – Pure lemon oil and lemon juice give this lemon cheesecake incredible flavor. Lemon oil is made from the rinds of lemons. It does not contain any alcohol. (Do not substitute lemon extract! It’s not the same product!)
- Lemon juice – Fresh lemon juice is best.
How to make a lemon cheesecake
- Make graham cracker crust – In a medium size bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Use a spoon to combine the melted butter.
- Press into springform pan – Use your hands or the back of a measuring cup to press crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of pan.
- Line pan with aluminum foil – Wrap two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the bottom and up the sides of the baking pan.
- Beat sugar and cream cheese – Cream together sugar and cream cheese together with an electric hand mixer or in a stand mixer until creamy.
- Add eggs – Add eggs one at a time, be careful not to mix the batter too much.
- Add remaining ingredients – Add sour cream, heavy cream, lemon juice, lemon oil & vanilla extract. Combine until smooth.
- Pour into baking pan – Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared springform pan.
- Place in water bath – Place baking pan on half sheet pan or into a metal roasting pan, pour hot or boiling water around the cake.
- Bake – Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 90 minutes (see full baking instructions below!)
- Let cool – Let cool gradually inside the oven. DO NOT open the oven!
- Refrigerate – Refrigerating the cheesecake helps it set fully.
The secret to making a good cheesecake
- Use quality ingredients.
- Use room temperature ingredients. This is an essential to making good cheesecake! This will help ingredients combine well, prevents lumps and create a creamy texture.
- Mix on low/medium speed, avoid overmixing so there aren’t air bubbles in the batter.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Line your pan with a double or triple layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil (18-inches)
- Use a springform pan.
- Press the crust in firmly into the pan.
- Water bath (either in a half sheet pan or roasting pan)
- Monitor the oven temperature and the baking time.
- Use the wobble test. If the center of the cheesecake jiggles, it’s done. Don’t poke it with a toothpick!
- No opening the oven and peeking! This will let heat out of the oven and prevent the cheesecake from properly baking.
Why bake a cheesecake in a water bath?
With this recipe, wrap the springform pan well with heavy-duty aluminum foil and then bake in a water bath. Set the cheesecake in a half sheet pan or roasting pan filled with hot or boiling water.
A water bath helps create humidity in your oven, which helps the cheesecake stay soft, prevents it from drying out and cracking. This also creates a steady, even heat, controlling the rate of cooking preventing it from overcooking and creates a velvety, smooth cheesecake. This baking method also helps prevent the cheesecake from sinking back down as it cools.
More easy lemon desserts
Did you make one of my recipes? Please take a moment to leave a star rating. Also, if you are on Pinterest, please feel free to leave a comment there! Follow A Farmgirl’s Kitchen on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST and YouTube and subscribe my mailing list for ALL the latest recipes!
Lemon Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 sleeves graham crackers
- 25 vanilla wafer cookies
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) salted butter, melted
Cheesecake (10-inch springform pan)
- 3 (8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups full-fat sour cream
- ½ cup heavy cream or buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon pure lemon oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- A few drops of yellow food coloring (optional)
Lemon Cream Topping
- 1 (3.4-ounce package) Lemon Jell-O
- 1 teaspoon pure lemon oil (optional)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- In a food processor, pulse graham crackers and vanilla wafers until they are fine crumbs. You could also put them into a large zip-style freezer bag and use a rolling pin to make fine crumbs.
- Pour the crumbs into a medium bowl. Mix in sugar and combine with melted butter. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to stir and combine well.
Cheesecake
- Add a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil under and around the sides of a 10-inch springform baking pan. Be sure and wrap the springform pan very well.
- Line a 10-inch springform pan with a parchment round. Press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumb mixture flat and slightly up the sides of the pan.
- In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer with a beater or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, cream together cream cheese and sugar until creamy.
- With the mixer on low/medium speed, add the eggs one at a time and combine. Add vanilla extract, lemon oil, lemon juice, sour cream and heavy cream.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are combined. (Don’t beat on too high of speed or you will add air bubbles to the cheesecake!)
- Pour the cheesecake batter into a prepared springform pan. Place the pan on a half sheet pan or into a roasting pan. Pour about 4 cups of hot or boiling water around the cheesecake. Be very careful not to get any water into the cheesecake!
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 90-95 minutes. Turn the oven off but DO NOT open the oven! Set your timer for another 2 hours. (This will help the cheesecake further cook and cool down gradually to prevent cracks.)
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven, lift from the pan with water. Discard the water. Remove the foil and set the springform pan on a wire rack to cool. Let it cool for 1-2 hours.
- Put toothpicks into the cheesecake top and wrap with a layer of plastic wrap. The toothpicks will help prevent the plastic wrap from sticking to the top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate the cheesecake for a minimum of 5 hours or overnight. Use a butter knife or a thin, sharp knife to gently loosen the crust from the inside of the springform pan. Remove from the springform pan prior to slicing.
- While the cheesecake is cooling, prepare your lemon pastry cream.
Lemon Pastry Cream
- In a large bowl add the lemon pudding, lemon oil and milk; blend together with a whisk for 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator to set. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1-hour.
- Add the heavy cream to a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer to whip to stiff peaks. Fold the pudding mixture and whipped cream together using a spatula.
- Top the cheesecake with lemon pastry filling before serving. Serve immediately and refrigerate any leftovers.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: As an Affiliate Marketer, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click a product affiliate link on A Farmgirl’s Kitchen and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you! I own every cooking product I recommend and love how they perform.
Seanna says
Love this cheesecake recipe! Making this for my husband. He’s going to love it too!
Jessica Robinson says
It’s adapted from one of the recipes in my mom’s cookbook. She got this recipe from a lady at my dad’s work in the 70’s. If you love lemon, you’ll love this cheesecake!