Sour Cream Topped Cheesecake is a classic, ultra-creamy dessert with a buttery crust, silky vanilla topping with perfect touch of sweetness.
This delicious cheesecake recipe is similar to a classic homemade New York Cheesecake, but the addition of sour cream makes it even lighter and softer. It’s the perfect Cheesecake Recipe to enjoy for a holiday or family get-together.
Sabrina’s Sour Cream Topped Cheesecake Recipe
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. However, 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.
Recipe Card


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 going 1 inch up the sides.
Sour Cream Cheesecake Filling:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then wrap a 9-inch springform pan in a large piece of foil to protect from the water bath. Prep 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.
- 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
Table of Contents
About this Recipe
One of the best things about cheesecake is all the amazing toppings you can add to it. Plain cheesecake is the perfect blank canvas for any number of your favorite dessert sauces and toppings.
Serving Ideas
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.
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.
Variations
- Lemon Cheesecake: To add a tangy lemon taste to the cheesecake, mix 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice and ½ tablespoon of lemon zest into the 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.
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Made this a few times exactly as written. It’s always a hit
Glad you enjoyed the Cheesecake and thank you for the five star review, Rose.
This cheesecake was AMAZING! My absolute favorite part was the whipped sour cream! Omg! Making this again for our ladies get-together this weekend!
One of the best cheesecake recipes I’ve seen! Excited to let my family have a taste of it.
This sour cream topped cheesecake makes a great dessert for the next family gathering! Can’t wait to let them taste this amazing recipe.
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:)