The Easy Way to Bake a Cheesecake without a Water Bath
You've just stumbled on our treasured, tried-and-true method for how to bake a cheesecake without a water bath! Don't believe what they say... it is totally possible to get a super creamy, flat, crack-free dessert without the dreaded hassle and downsides. Our “cheater’s” technique adds just the right moisture, cooks and cools gently, and prevents over baking.
Servings: 1 cheesecake
Calories: 551kcal
Equipment
- Baking spray flour should be on the ingredient label
- baking dish I prefer to use a 9x13 or something similar in size
Ingredients
- 1 cheesecake crust see notes
- 1 cheesecake recipe see notes
Instructions
Preparing the crust and batter
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prep a 9 inch springform pan by laying a large piece of parchment over the base, clasping the sides to lock it in place, then trimming the excess parchment with scissors. Spray the pan lightly with baking spray.*See the post for a photo of this step.
- Make your cheesecake crust according to the directions of the recipe you are using. Most crusts will bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Then make the batter according to the recipe, being sure not to overmix. Pour the batter into the crust.1 cheesecake recipe , 1 cheesecake crust
Baking without a water bath
- To bake, set the oven temperature to 325°F and position two racks in the oven— one in the middle and one on the lowest level.
- Heat 3 cups of water in the microwave. You want it to get very hot so that it will release steam during the baking process.
- Place the raw cheesecake on a cookie sheet, then place that cookie sheet on the middle oven rack. On the lowest rack, place a roasting pan or 9x13 pan. Pour the hot water into that pan, then immediately close the oven door.
- Bake at 325 for 55 minutes. Then turn the oven off and prop the oven door open slightly (I use a wooden spoon for this). Leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour. Don't open the oven all the way or the heat will escape and it won’t finish cooking in the middle.
- After 1 hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 3-4 hours at room temperature. Once cool, refrigerate overnight or until fully chilled (this usually takes several hours at least).
- Once fully chilled, release the cheesecake from the springform pan and serve. (Do not release it before it is cool or you risk cracking it).
Notes
This method is written for any 9 inch cheesecake recipe that calls for 24oz of cream cheese in the batter (this is a standard size found across many recipes). It is the method we use when baking almost every cheesecake on Borrowed Bites, and you can find all of our Cheesecake Recipes (including batters and crusts) in one place. If you are using a recipe that calls for more than 24oz of cream cheese, this method may not produce the same results or may need to cook longer to accommodate the extra filling.
Tips and Tricks
- Move quickly: When pouring water into the baking dish, shut the oven door right away. The goal is to trap steam to make a humid environment.
- Watch for browning: If the top starts to brown near the end of baking, you can loosely tent with foil. (After testing in multiple ovens, this has never happened to us, but every oven is different.)
- Trust the timing: Stick to the baking times as written. It will come out creamy, flat, and evenly colored without any stressful second guessing.
- Adjust if needed: If you like a firmer filling, you can add 5-10 minutes to the baking time. Just know that longer cooking increases the odds of browning or cracking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 537mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 1413IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 1mg
