17 Indulgent Cheesecake Recipes

By Food & Wine
Updated July 29, 2019
Credit: Abby Hocking / Food & Wine
Creamy, tangy, and decadent, cheesecake is a timeless dessert that we can never get enough of. While we love the classic version with a graham cracker crust, we’ve also tested plenty of spins and variations that we’d happily make again and again—including Alex Guarnaschelli’s sweet take, brightened with marmalade and pink grapefruit, or Marcela Valladolid’s creamy, rich dulce de leche cheesecake. Tempted? Read on for more cheesecakes we love.
Start Slideshow

1 of 17

Mini Black-Bottom Cheesecakes

Credit: © Tina Rupp
Go to Recipe

In these single-serving desserts from Grace Parisi, the rich and creamy cheesecakes are baked atop a chocolate-wafer base. You don’t need any special equipment to make them—just a muffin tin and foil liners.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 17

Triple-Cheese Cheesecake with Amaretti Crust

Credit: Johnny Miller
Go to Recipe

This killer cheesecake has an ethereally light, creamy texture and fantastic crunchy crust made from honey graham crackers and amaretti cookies.

3 of 17

Slow-Cooker Sour Cream Cheesecake

Credit: © Ellie Miller
Go to Recipe

Cheesecake cooked in a slow cooker has an unbelievably silky texture because the machine steams the cake as it bakes. The toughest part about making it is resisting the urge to peek inside the slow cooker—the lid must stay closed to retain heat.

Advertisement

4 of 17

Pecan-Praline Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce

Go to Recipe

You can use store-bought pralines to make the crust for this fluffy cheesecake, but Big Sugar’s quick praline recipe is worth the extra effort, as is the buttery caramel sauce that gets pooled on top.

5 of 17

Lemon, Poppy and Chèvre Cheesecakes with Rhubarb

Go to Recipe

“I am obsessed with the chèvre from Texas’s Pure Luck Farm,” says Laura Sawicki. “I love how well it pairs with the cooked rhubarb in my cheesecakes.”

6 of 17

Mini Chocolate-Hazelnut Cheesecakes

Credit: © Fredrika Stjärne
Go to Recipe

Grace Parisi breaks up whole, cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor with hazelnuts and butter to create a supercrunchy crust for these delectable little cheesecakes. The cream filling in the cookies both sweetens the crust and prevents it from becoming too crumbly.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 17

Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust

Credit: © William Meppem
Go to Recipe

This dessert pairs well with a sweet, fortified, fragrant Muscat.

8 of 17

Gingerbread with Quark Cheesecake

Go to Recipe

This clever recipe combines two cakes in one: gingerbread and cheesecake. The cheesecake half is light and creamy, with a pleasant tang from quark (a soft, unripened cheese that’s similar to sour cream), while the gingerbread half is fragrant, moist and delicately spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

9 of 17

Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake Parfaits

Credit: CON POULOS
Go to Recipe

The three components in these parfaits—the creamy, tangy cheesecake custard, the crunchy cornmeal shortbread and the fresh blueberry compote—are fantastic together, but each can be used in lots of other ways. Try the custard with any fresh fruit, serve the shortbread with sorbet or drizzle the compote over ice cream.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 17

Mini Cheesecakes with Wine Gelées

Go to Recipe

This recipe also can be adapted to make one 6-inch cheesecake.

11 of 17

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Caramel Swirl

Credit: © Alexandra Rowley
Go to Recipe

These decadent chocolate-crusted bars are topped with a homemade caramel that sinks into the pumpkin cheesecake batter during baking.

12 of 17

Icebox Chocolate Cheesecake

Credit: © CON POULOS
Go to Recipe

Grace Parisi brilliantly layers chocolate cookies with a quick mix of cream cheese, chocolate syrup and a little water. The cookies soften as the cake chills overnight for a perfectly moist, chocolaty “cheater’s” cheesecake.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 17

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos
Go to Recipe

Earthy and less cloying than caramel, dulce de leche finds a gorgeous home in this creamy classic.

14 of 17

Strawberry Almond Cheesecake with Matzoh Crust

Credit: Abby Hocking
Go to Recipe

This silky cheesecake gets sweetness and tang from a blend of cream cheese and sour cream. Matzo meal and ground almonds replace the usual graham crackers in the crust for a nutty, toasty crunch. Topped with sugary strawberries and toasted almond slivers, this cake makes a beautiful centerpiece at any table.

15 of 17

Sour Cherry–Cheesecake Trifle with Black Pepper and Saba

Credit: Christopher Testani
Go to Recipe

At Brothers and Sisters in Washington, D.C., pastry director Pichet Ong’s riff on a proper British trifle retains the classic form while reinventing the components. Cheesecake stands in for egg custard; pound cake replaces ladyfingers. Rather than sherry, Ong’s trifle uses saba, a syrup made from cooking down grape must, which has a flavor similar to balsamic vinegar.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 17

New York–Style Cheesecake with Pink Grapefruit and Marmalade

Credit: Charissa Fay
Go to Recipe

“I watched New York–style cheesecakes spin around in the glass cases of various coffee shops my whole childhood,” says TV personality Alex Guarnaschelli. “While there are as many definitions of various cheesecakes as there are types of barbecue, New York–style is defined by a browned top with a silky cream cheese interior.”

17 of 17

Red Velvet Cheesecake

Credit: Abby Hocking / Food & Wine
Go to Recipe

Upgrade your classic recipe with picture-perfect red velvet marbling.

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

By Food & Wine