Easy Homemade Cheesecake with Sweetened Condensed Milk
This luscious, creamy homemade cheesecake is worthy enough for a celebratory dessert but simple enough if you just want some really delicious cheesecake. Add your favorite toppings while serving.
Equipment
- 1 9-inch springform pan
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients
- 1-½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup pecans
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) stick salted butter melted
Cheesecake Filling Ingredients
- 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk see note below
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Crust Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Before you begin, make sure the cream cheese has softened before starting.
- Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a parchment paper circle. This will make it easier to remove the baked cheesecake.
- Prepare the crust. If using whole graham cracker sheets and whole pecans, a food processor is recommended to crush the graham crackers and pecans into crumbs.
- Otherwise, you may use a gallon size Ziploc bag and rolling pin. This method works great too! Roll the graham crackers and pecans until the consistency is smooth crumbs.
- Next, combine all crust ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Press onto the bottoms and up the sides of a 9” springform pan on top of the parchment paper circle.
- Bake crust in a preheated 325°F oven for 8-10 minutes. Allow crust to cool while preparing the cheesecake filling and reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
Cheesecake Filling Instructions
- To prepare the cheesecake filling, beat softened cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
- Add vanilla and gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth on medium-low speed, scraping sides of bowl.
- In a small bowl, crack one egg and beat slightly. Add to the cream cheese mixture and mix on low speed after each addition. Repeat with the remaining two eggs. Mix until no egg remains visible, but do not overmix.
- Prepare a water bath to bake the cheesecake by carefully wrapping aluminum foil around the bottom the springform pan. Make sure not to tear any holes in the foil or water will seep into the pan into the crust. Fill a large rimmed pan (such as a roasting pan) with ½-¾” of hot water and place in the oven.
- Pour cheesecake filling into cooled crust and very carefully place the prepared springform pan wrapped in aluminum foil into the larger pan with water in the oven. This will protect the cheesecake from the direct heat of the oven so it bakes evenly.
- Bake at 300°F for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until cheesecake is well-set on the edges but barely jiggles in the center. Do not overbake. Remove cheesecake from the water bath and let cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
- Chill in the refrigerator at least 6 hours before serving. Remove from springform pan. It is best if cooled overnight and served the next day. Store, well covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
If you do not have sweetened condensed milk, you can also substitute ¾ cup sugar instead. The cheesecake will not be quite as creamy but it will still turn out delicious!