Sour Cream Topped Cheesecake

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

6 Comments

5 from 5 votes
12 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Chilling Time 8 hours
Total Time 10 hours 15 minutes
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Sour Cream Topped Cheesecake is the perfect classic creamy cheesecake with a buttery cracker crust and sweetened vanilla sour cream topping.

This delicious cheesecake recipe is similar to a classic homemade New York Cheesecake, but the addition of sour cream makes it even more light and soft. It’s the perfect Cheesecake Recipe to enjoy for a holiday or family get-together.

Sour Cream Cheesecake side view with slice removed

This sour cream-style cheesecake may just become one of your favorite recipes ever. It does take some time to bake and you have to leave it in the fridge overnight so that it can set. But once it’s done, the velvety cheesecake texture and rich taste are well worth the work and the wait. It’s the perfect treat to serve for any special occasion you have coming up.

One of the best things about cheesecake is all the amazing toppings you can add to them. Plain cheesecake is the perfect blank canvas for any number of your favorite dessert sauces and toppings.

This recipe is already made with an amazing sour cream topping, but you can add other optional toppings to go along with it if you like. Sour Cream Cheesecake would taste amazing with Hot Fudge Sauce, Strawberry Sauce, or Caramel Sauce. You could even put out a few of these toppings and let your guests pick what they want to put on their piece of cheesecake.

Sour Cream Cheesecake preparation collage

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How to Make

  • Graham cracker crust: Add the graham crackers to food processor and pulse until they’re broken into coarse crumbs. Add them to a mixing bowl with ⅓ cup sugar, and 6 tablespoons melted butter. Once combined press the crust mixture into the base of the spring form pan and push it up the sides of the dish about an inch.
  • Prep: Preheat the oven temperature to 350 degrees, fill a large pan with water, and wrap the 9-inch spring form tin in a large piece of foil to protect the cake from the water bath.
  • Cheesecake filling: Add the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar to stand mixer. Beat ingredients together at medium speed with the paddle attachment. Carefully add in milk. Next add eggs one at a time with the electric mixer still going. Once combined, add the sour cream, vanilla, and flour. Continue mixing until combined.

Sour Cream Cheesecake baked in pan no topping and with topping collage

  • Baking time: Pour mixture into the prepared baking tin and use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly. Place the pan in the water bath and bake for 1 hour. After the hour, turn off the oven, open the door, and let the cheesecake cool for 1 hour. Remove the cool cheesecake from the oven and discard the foil.
  • Sour Cream Topping: Add sour cream, sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl, and whisk them together for about a minute. Fold in the whipped cream. Spread the mixture over the cheesecake and refrigerate overnight before slicing and serving.

Sour Cream Cheesecake baked on plate with topping side view

VARIATIONS

  • Lemon cheesecake: To add a tangy lemon taste to the cheesecake, mix 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice and ½ tablespoon lemon zest into the cheesecake batter.
  • Cinnamon cheesecake: Another flavor you can add to Sour Cream Cheesecake is cinnamon. Mix ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon into the cheesecake filling. If you want more cinnamon flavor, replace the sour cream topping with a cinnamon sugar topping. For the cinnamon topping, combine ½ cup white sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, and sprinkle it over the top.
  • Berries: You can add delicious berries to the cheesecake. Mix in 1 ½ cups of frozen berries with the cream cheese filling. Blueberries, raspberries or strawberries would all taste amazing. You could also use fresh berries to sprinkle over the cake as a colorful and delicious fruit topping.
  • Cheesecake cupcakes: For fun mini cheesecakes, try dividing the graham cracker crust into a muffin tin. Press the crust so it goes up the side of each muffin cup. Then pour the cream cheese mixture over the top until ¾ full. They’ll bake faster in the small containers so keep your eye on the mini cheesecakes while they bake.

Sour Cream Cheesecake baked on plate with topping and blueberries and slices cut top view

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How to Store

  • Serve: Don’t leave Sour Cream Cheesecake at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Store: Cover the cheesecake tightly in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
  • Freeze: To freeze the cheesecake, wrap it carefully in plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container. It will stay good for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge, and then leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Sour Cream Cheesecake side view with slice removed

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Dinner, then Dessert

Sour Cream Topped Cheesecake

Sour Cream Topped Cheesecake is the perfect classic creamy cheesecake with a buttery cracker crust and sweetened vanilla sour cream topping.
Yield 12 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 10 hours 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Sour Cream Cheesecake side view with slice removed
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

Graham Cracker Crust:

  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs , 12 full crackers
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Cheesecake:

  • 24 ounces cream cheese , softened
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons flour

Sour Cream Topping:

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream , whipped to soft peaks

Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust:

  • Mix the graham cracker crumbs, ⅓ cup sugar, and 6 tablespoons melted butter and press into the bottom of the springform pan and 1 inch up the sides.

Sour Cream Cheesecake Filling:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and wrap a 9" springform pan in a large piece of foil to protect from the water bath and a large pan of water you can set the springform pan in to bake.
  • In a stand mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar then add in the milk until combined.
  • Add in the eggs one at a time until fully combined then add in the sour cream, vanilla, and flour until combined before pouring into the springform pan.
  • Pour filling into pan over the crust and spread evenly.
  • Place the pan in the water bath and bake for 1 hour.
  • Turn off the oven, open the door a couple of inches to let the heat out gently, and let it cool for 1 hour.
  • Remove from oven, discard the foil.

Sour Cream Topping:

  • Whisk together in a large bowl the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla.
  • Fold in whipped cream.
  • Spread sour cream mixture over the cheesecake and refrigerate overnight before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 384mg | Potassium: 243mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 875IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 1mg

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Sour Cream Cheesecake slice on plate collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  2. This cheesecake was AMAZING! My absolute favorite part was the whipped sour cream! Omg! Making this again for our ladies get-together this weekend!

    Reply

  4. This sour cream topped cheesecake makes a great dessert for the next family gathering! Can’t wait to let them taste this amazing recipe.

    Reply

  5. Sabrina, Every recipe of yours has been delish! Thank you for sharing, I use some of them in my cafe and get rave reviews. I also am blessed to live in CA:)

    Reply