Easy Cheesecake Pie (Recipe & Video) – Sally’s Baking Addiction

This pie recipe wasn’t actually in my original plan for posting on the website, but it just kind of… happened. I was working on perfecting the recipe and technique for graham cracker crust, and needed something easy and reliable to use on repeat for a filling… approximately 75 cheesecake pies later, I thought: Well, I should probably share this recipe, too!

Here’s Why You’ll Love This Easy Cheesecake Pie

• It’s cheesecake… without the fuss
• Batter & crust come together quickly
• Same velvety, creamy texture and tangy-sweet taste as my classic cheesecake
• 6 simple ingredients, plus a 3-ingredient graham cracker crust
• Bakes and cools much faster than a regular cheesecake
• It’s very adaptable to taste and season, depending on toppings

What Is the Difference Between Cheesecake and Cheesecake Pie?

Today’s cheesecake pie is like a regular cheesecake, only (1) the filling layer isn’t as thick and tall and (2) you bake it in a pie dish instead of a springform pan. Basically, the taste and texture are the same, but you don’t have as much filling in each bite.

If you’re in the mood for real, classic cheesecake… definitely put in the time and effort to make a real, classic cheesecake. However, if you love cheesecake and don’t have the energy for a water bath, accidentally over-baking or under-baking it, exceptionally long cooling and chilling times, plus the possibility of large cracks on the surface, just make a cheesecake pie!

(Because regular cheesecake can be finicky, right?!)

I have made at least 12 of these in the past few weeks and every single taste tester, neighbor, family member, and friend has said it tastes exactly like regular cheesecake. (And that’s because it is! Only thinner!) You’re going to love this dessert.

Can I Skip the Water Bath?

Yes! As if there wasn’t enough to persuade you to make this cheesecake pie! You see, water baths are used to help an egg-heavy dessert like traditional cheesecake bake in a humid environment. The humidity evenly bakes the rich and creamy filling so it doesn’t burn, sink, and/or crack. Since today’s filling isn’t as tall, we don’t have those problems. So, skip the water bath today!

Success Tips for a Perfect Graham Cracker Crust

We’re using my perfected graham cracker crust recipe. You need 3 ingredients including graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. The ratio of ingredients is imperative and what you’ll find below (and also on the graham cracker crust page) yields a crisp, crumbly crust that holds shape beautifully. But what’s more important than the ingredients is the technique you use to press the crust into the pan.

Over the years, I’ve learned exactly what makes and (literally) breaks a great graham cracker crust:

1. Don’t pack too tightly: The crust needs to be compact, so it doesn’t crumble apart, but not so tight that it bakes into a hard, dense crust. You really just want to pack it until the shape has set and it’s no longer crumbly.
2. Use your hands first: Press the bottom and around the sides with medium-firm pressure until the crumbs aren’t moving around anymore—you don’t want any loose crumbs. You can even use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help smooth out the surface.
3. Keep it rounded: This sounds a bit odd, but you don’t want a right angle at the bottom edges where the sides and the bottom meet. Instead, you want it a little bit rounded so it stays connected when you slice into it—so the side crust doesn’t immediately separate from the bottom crust. Slide a spoon around the inside of the crust where the sides and bottom meet, to get that rounded shape.

Here is a photo of the rounded crust. Be sure to pre-bake this for 10 minutes before adding the filling.

Grab These 6 Ingredients for the Filling:

1. Blocks of Cream Cheese: Philadelphia cream cheese isn’t affiliated with this post, but it IS my favorite cream cheese brand. Whichever brand you use, make sure you’re using blocks of full-fat cream cheese and not the cream cheese you use for spreading on bagels. Make sure you do the same when making cream cheese frosting and strawberry cream cheese pie.
2. Granulated Sugar: You’ll love that this cheesecake isn’t overly sweet. Vanilla sugar would be great here.
3. Sour Cream: My team and I tested this cheesecake pie several (several!!!!) times and there was a major difference between the pies with sour cream and the pies without sour cream. You need 1/4 cup of sour cream to help bind and smooth out the filling so it tastes creamy. Without it, the filling tasted like cream cheese, not cheesecake.
4. Vanilla Extract: Feel free to use homemade vanilla extract in this pie!
5. Lemon Juice: A splash of lemon juice adds a little freshness and I don’t recommend leaving it out. The cheesecake does not taste like lemons.
6. Eggs: A main ingredient in any baked cheesecake! Careful not to over-mix these, and be sure to add them right at the end.

Feel free to use the swirl and filling from these white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars instead.

Pour the filling into the warm pre-baked crust, and then bake:

Can I Add Chocolate Chips to the Filling?

I have no idea if anyone would even ask this question, but I love chocolate chips in cheesecakes and the answer is YES! Feel free to add 3/4 cups mini or regular chocolate chips to the batter. (What we do when making amaretto cheesecake.) This version would be tasty served with salted caramel on top.

Cooling & Chilling is a Breeze

You know how you have to wait a few hours for a regular cheesecake to cool and then you have to wait some more for it to chill in the refrigerator? You’re doing the same thing here, only in a fraction of the time. The cheesecake cools for about 1 hour at room temperature (no need to let it cool in the oven like some cheesecake recipes!) and then you chill it for about 2-3 hours before serving.

Low maintenance cheesecake!

What to Serve With Cheesecake Pie

You can, of course, serve the cheesecake pie plain but I like to add raspberry sauce, whipped cream, and fresh raspberries. Or you can spruce it up with:

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