Lemon Cheesecake With Graham Cracker Crust

This super creamy lemon cheesecake with graham cracker crust recipe is easy to make. All you need are 10 ingredients and a few minutes of hands-on preparation time, and the creamy filling, fresh lemon flavor, and buttery base just work.

Decorate with candied lemons, meringue, or blueberry sauce to your liking. If you enjoy classic cheesecakes, you might also like this air fryer cheesecake.

Jump to:

• Video Instructions
• Try This Creamy Lemon Cheesecake
• Why You’ll Love It
• Ingredients
• How to Make Lemon Cheesecake With Graham Cracker Crust
• How To Decorate Lemon Cheesecake
• Recipe Tips
• What Can You Serve With This?
• FAQs
• Recipe

Video Instructions

Try This Creamy Lemon Cheesecake

I love New York-style cheesecake recipes like this because they look impressive, but the steps are actually pretty straightforward once you understand the basics.

You get that rich cheesecake taste, but the lemon keeps it light enough that it doesn’t feel too heavy after a meal.

Why You’ll Love It

• Just the right amount of balance: I love how the lemon cuts through the richness so it doesn’t feel too heavy.
• Perfect Texture: Smooth, creamy filling with a slightly firm edge and soft center.
• Classic but fresh: Feels like a traditional cake, but the lemon adds something extra.
• Make-ahead friendly: Even better after chilling overnight in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

• Cream cheese: The base of the cheesecake. I always use room-temperature cream cheese, so it blends smoothly without lumps.
• Graham cracker crumbs: This creates that classic buttery crust. I prefer making crumbs in a blender for a finer texture.
• Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps balance the lemon flavor.
• Lemon juice & lemon zest: These are what give the cheesecake its bright taste. Fresh lemons make a huge difference here.
• Sour cream & heavy cream: These help create that ultra-creamy filling. I’ve found skipping them makes the texture less smooth.

How to Make Lemon Cheesecake With Graham Cracker Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line the bottom and the sides of a 9" (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper. Watch the photo-tutorial in the blog post above on how to line a springform pan properly. Set aside.

2. Graham cracker crust: In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until evenly moistened. Transfer to the prepared pan and press the crust with the back of a flat-bottomed cup into the bottom and halfway up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the counter until you are done with the filling.

3. Lemon cheesecake filling: In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the cream cheese, sugar, and flour just until combined; no lumps remain. 

4. Add sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla, and stir to combine. Add one egg at a time and mix the batter just until combined before you add the next egg. Scratch down the bowl before you add the last egg. Mix to combine. Don't overmix at any step. Too much air in the filling can cause cracks while baking.

5. Pour filling into the prebaked crust and spread evenly. Place a piece of parchment paper under the springform pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until the edges are set. The center should be very bright and almost set with a 3-4 inch wobbly spot in the center. I baked mine for exactly 45 minutes.

Tip: Don't overbake until the cheesecake is browned because this is a common reason for cracked cheesecake. The cheesecake will firm up as it cools.

6. Turn off the oven, crack open the door (pinch a wooden spoon), and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for another hour. Then remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. 

7. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Decorate before serving, if desired. You find additional recipes for toppings in the blog post. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.

How To Decorate Lemon Cheesecake

Meringue

Here's what you need:

• 3 large egg whites

• ¾ cup caster sugar (150g)

• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Fill a saucepan 2 inches high with water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl (preferably glass) and set over the saucepan. The bowl should not touch the water.

2. Whisk continuously for 3-5 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. (Make sure the meringue doesn't get too hot, or the egg whites will cook through, and the meringue won't be stiff but lumpy. Remove from the saucepan in between to cool down a bit, if necessary.)

3. The meringue should be warm to the touch. Remove from heat and beat with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed until shiny, glossy, and stiff peaks form, for about 5-7 minutes.

4. Fill a piping bag or spoon on top of the chilled cheesecake. The meringue may start to weep a little bit after 2 days. Because the egg whites are warmed, you don’t need to worry about salmonella.

Candied Lemons

Here's what you need:

• 1 cup granulated white sugar (200g)

• Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

• 2 organic lemons, thinly sliced

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and brush lightly with oil. Set aside.

2. Wash the lemons carefully and dry them with a paper towel. Set aside. In a large skillet, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium heat. 

3. Cook until lemons are translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Stir regularly. Transfer lemons to the prepared sheet and let them dry. Do not overlap the lemons. The oil on the paper makes sure that the lemons don't stick to the paper when they dry.

4. If you want to brown a few of your lemon slices, remove all the sugar liquid from the pan and place a few lemon slices back in the pan. Let them caramelize for about 1 minute or until brown.

5. Cover and store them at room temperature. Place on top of your chilled cheesecake just before serving.

Blueberry Sauce

Here's what you need:

• ½ cup granulated white sugar (100g)

• Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

• 2 heaping cups blueberries (about 300g)

1. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium heat. 

2. Cook until the blueberries are soft and the sauce has thickened up and is reduced by ⅓, about 5-10 minutes.

3. Let it cool down to room temperature. Spoon on top of the chilled cheesecake before serving.

Recipe Tips

• If you cover the bottom and the sides of the springform pan entirely, you don’t need to worry about how to remove the baked cheesecake from the springform pan. After baking and chilling, just open the pan and remove the paper from the cheesecake.
• The fastest way to get graham cracker crumbs is to place the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until finely ground into crumbs. Alternatively, you can place them in a zip-lock bag and smash them with the rolling pin into fine crumbs.
• The recipe works with either brick-style cream cheese (US) or spreadable cream cheese (UK). Brick-style cream cheese should be at room temperature, and spreadable cream cheese can be cold.
• You don't need to wrap aluminum foil around the pan to catch the liquid that is leaking during the baking process. I always place a piece of parchment paper under the pan to prevent liquid from dripping onto the bottom of the oven.

What Can You Serve With This?

• Fresh berries
• Whipped cream
• Fruit sauce
• Coffee
• Tea

FAQs

Recipe