18 Outstanding Cheesecake Recipes

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.

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

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

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

Pastry chef Kate Zuckerman uses goat cheese to lighten the texture and tangy crème fraîche to cut the sweetness in these mini cheesecakes. They're topped with wine gelées for the finishing touch.

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

Grace Parisi brilliantly layers chocolate cookies with a quick mix of cream cheese, chocolate syrup, and a little water to form this icebox cheesecake. The cookies soften as the cake chills overnight, creating a perfectly moist, chocolaty dessert.

"The cheesecake itself is very straightforward—cream cheese, sugar, a graham cracker crust, and a water bath to ensure gentle heat; you know the drill," chef and cookbook author Marcela Valladolid says. "What's fun here is the dulce de leche marbling." She notes that dulce de leche is earthy and "finds a gorgeous home in this creamy classic."

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.

Pastry chef Pichet Ong's variation 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.

Upgrade your classic cheesecake recipe with picture-perfect red velvet marble swirls. A hint of unsweetened cocoa powder, red food coloring, and a wooden skewer are the secrets to this luxurious vermillion-hued delight.

F&W 2020 Best New Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph bakes a perfectly creamy cheesecake, without a water bath and with no risk of a cracked or sunken top, by incorporating whipped cream cheese with heavy cream to make the batter. To make the cake properly, you're going to have to burn it. The more caramelized it becomes, the sweeter and creamier the batter becomes, and it intensifies the flavor.

Hidden beneath a mound of juicy summer berries (chef Andrae Bopp uses WA-native huckleberries, but blueberries are fine), a thin layer of sweetened sour cream crowns this luscious no-fuss cheesecake based on his great-grandmother's recipe. Dollop the fluffy batter into the pan gently for the best results.

With a perfect graham cracker crust and two layers of peach puree, this no-bake dessert from F&W Culinary Director at Large Justin Chapple is a hit. The perfect ratio of cream cheese to ricotta gives this layered cake an extra-creamy texture.

This vegan cheesecake is just as creamy and tangy as dairy-based cheesecakes thanks to cultured nut-based cream cheese from Miyoko's Creamery, founded by vegan visionary Miyoko Schinner. For the cheesecake base, the agar must reach a temperature of 208°F to be activated and ultimately set. Don't worry if you don't have a thermometer — just keep the lid on the pot for three to four minutes until the agar has dissolved thoroughly, and then check the texture. When the agar runs off a rubber spatula without sticking, it's ready to use.

This vibrant purple cheesecake, flecked with bits of fruit, sits in a sweet, buttery crust and gets topped with juicy, syrupy macerated currants. Folding egg whites into the batter creates a light, fluffy texture.

Elinor Klivans, the author of Fearless Baking and three other cookbooks, got her start as the "cheesecake specialist" at a restaurant in Camden, Maine. Her creamy, tangy lemon cheesecake bars are a success — plus, they're portable enough to bring on a picnic. For the best results, slice the cheesecake bars with a warm knife, wiping off the blade between cuts.

Crowned with candied pistachios and draped in tart, glistening cranberry gelée, pastry chef Claudia Fleming's cheesecake is extra creamy thanks to a combination of tangy goat cheese and mascarpone. Be sure to beat in the mascarpone at low speed to preserve its extra-smooth texture. Don't skip straining the cranberry mixture after adding the gelatin; removing the foam is key to a clear, glossy gelée.