Ingredients
Method
- Line the bottom of a 7-8 inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- Thoroughly combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a mixing bowl. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the prepared pan, then refrigerate until ready to use.
- Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, pudding mix, and vanilla, then beat on high speed for approximately 4 minutes until thick and fluffy. Gently fold in the sour cream or yogurt.
- Spread the filling evenly into the crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Carefully remove the outer ring of the pan, using a hot knife if needed, then garnish as desired and serve chilled.
Notes
Tips
- the base may seem too crumbly, but press it well into the pan and it will set in the fridge
- it’s important to use heavy whipping cream. Make sure the carton says “heavy whipping cream”! Also, chill it very well right up to using it; otherwise it will not whip.
- beat the filling until it’s thick and fluffy, otherwise the cheesecake won’t be as airy as it should be
Ingredient substitutions
- Graham crackers: Feel free to use a different cookie for the base. Vanilla Wafers or Chocolate Digestives are also delicious!
- Cream: If you’d rather use whipped topping, feel free to skip the heavy whipping cream, icing sugar, cornstarch and vanilla extract. Instead, use one 12-oz container frozen whipped topping (thawed).
- Instant pudding mix: This helps to stabilize the cheesecake filling. If you don’t want to use processed ingredients, just skip it. The filling will be a little softer, but still fine. I previously used cornstarch in this recipe, but due to some reader concerns over using raw cornstarch I researched this swap to ease concerned minds. If you have no issue with the cornstarch, it’s obviously your personal choice to keep using it in this recipe if you’re previously made it this way.