This creamy cheesecake has sweetened condensed milk baked inside. It is easy to make with just a handful of simple ingredients and it doesn’t require a water bath. Be prepared to have a new favorite cheesecake recipe.
This condensed milk cheesecake is super simple to make and is basically no fail. You don’t need a water bath and if you follow my tips, it won’t crack.
The sweetened condensed milk adds that rich creaminess, so you know it has to be good. And the recipe is easy enough you can probably commit it to memory.
My aunt Donna loves to spoil the whole family with cheesecakes. She is known for them and everyone gets excited when she pulls one out.
She makes this cheesecake, chocolate cheesecakes, round cheesecakes, square cheesecakes and more. My family always gets excited when she makes cheesecake, because they are all yummy!
So, of course I had to make her cheesecake recipe very early in this website’s life. It absolutely fit the bill of favorite family recipes, which was how this whole site started.
The best part is the recipe is easy and I never have any problems with it cracking. That’s saying something for a baked cheesecake!
This cheesecake has been requested for all sorts of occasions over the years. My sister requested it for her wedding cake.
It has been the requested treat at several birthdays. And a cheesecake or two has made an appearance at more holidays than I can count.
When I tell you this recipe is a favorite in our family, you know it is true. It has been at so many of our celebrations.
So if you need a fail-safe cheesecake recipe, this one is for you. It makes a great textured cheesecake that is the perfect mix of creamy and just the right density.
Can you use something besides graham crackers for the crust?
Of course! Any kind of cookie crumbs work well and this is a great way to easily change the flavor of this simple cheesecake.
Vanilla wafers, Oreos, or gingersnaps would all be great options to take this delicious dessert to the next level.
Carlee’s Tips for Getting Smooth Cheesecake Filling
Beat the room temperature cream cheese really well before adding anything else. This is your only real chance to get all of the lumps out.
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Once you start adding more liquid, it gets harder to beat out chunks of cream cheese. So make sure it’s softened, beat it well and scrape the sides of the bowl a few times before you move on.
Add the remaining ingredients a bit at a time to make sure they incorporate well. It’s worth taking a couple of minutes to do it right.
Once you start adding the eggs, keep the mixer on low. You don’t want to incorporate air at this point.
Give the cheesecake a couple of good taps on the counter before you put it in the oven. That helps get any air bubbles out.
Carlee’s Tips for Avoiding a Cracked Cheesecake
How do you avoid a crack without a water bath? Bake the cheesecake low and slow and let it cool slowly too.
This allows the cheesecake to bake through evenly. It helps give it that amazing texture as well.
Cooling it too quickly can also cause a crack. Once it is set, I like to turn off the oven and crack the door open but leave the cheesecake inside.
After about ten or fifteen minutes, I move the cheesecake to the counter to cool to room temperature. Then it goes in the fridge to chill.
The gradual cooling makes such a difference!
Storage
Cheesecake should be stored in the refrigerator. Loosely wrap the cheesecake and it will stay good in the fridge for up to a week.
For longer storage, you can freeze the whole cake or individual slices of cheesecake. Wrap what you would like to freeze in several layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. Allow frozen cheesecake to slowly defrost in the refrigerator before enjoying.
Topping Ideas for Your Condensed Milk Cheesecake
This cheesecake is great on it’s own, but it is also wonderful with something on top. Here are a few of our favorites:
- lemon curd
- blood orange curd
- blueberry sauce
- peach sauce
- fresh berries
If you want more cheesecake goodness, I have quite a few ideas for you. Check out my collection of cheesecake recipes for more tasty inspiration.
Sweetened Condensed Milk Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs*
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons butter melted
- 24 oz cream cheese softened
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon lemon extract or almond or flavor of your choice
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F
- Stir the 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar and 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs* together in the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan, add the melted 4 Tablespoons butter. Mix together and press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Make sure the cream cheese is really softened. In a large bowl, whip the 24 oz cream cheese until completely smooth, being sure the scrape the sides of your bowl a couple of times.
- Mix in the 14 oz sweetened condensed milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon lemon extract (if using) until smooth.
- Add the 4 large eggs, one at a time mixing until just combined. You don't want to whip air into the mixture at this point.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the crust. Thump it on the counter a couple of times to get out any big air bubbles.
- Bake until the middle doesn't jiggle, about an hour
- Let cool and then chill at least a couple of hours, preferably over night.
Notes
Video
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My son and I want yo make a turtle Cheesecake and was hoping to find one that I could bake AND use Dulce de Leche (caramel) sweetened condensed milk. Sounds like this recipe will be the perfect vehicle for the flavors I want!
I just told my son that for the top, we will put square caramels in a pan on very low heat on the stove and let them soften a bit, then push whole pecans into them and then move them to a plate to cool.
I’ll let you know how it goes. I wish I could send a pic.
That sounds like a fabulous idea! I will put on my thinking cap and see what I can come up with.
@Margaret, good idea, think I will try it with Ube sweetened condensed creamer.
Can you add melted dark chocolate and swirl it in this recipe, and then use peppermint extract
That sounds delicious! I would reserve a little bit of the cheesecake mixture, maybe a cup or so and stir in the melted dark chocolate. Then swirl the dark chocolate cheesecake mixture into the rest of the batter in the springform pan.
@Rosie, yes ma’am I have done the swirl & it turned out perfect, so DELICIOUS 😋😋😋 I’ve also done Raspberry swirl but chocolate is my favorite.. hope that helps u.
Oooh, now I want to make a raspberry swirl cheesecake!
I’m trying this recipe now. I don’t have a springtime pan, so I’m using a store bought Graham crust and a pie pan. These dishes are shallow, so I’m splitting the batter. For one, I am using almond extract and adding fresh cherry pieces and a few semi sweet chocolate chips. Garnishing with hot fudge sundae drizzle and fresh cherry pieces. The other…I’m just going crustless (because I have no crackers or anything) and adding vanilla extract and cocoa powder for a chocolate version. Hoping they turn out! Thank you for this recipe!❤
I hope they were wonderful! The toppings sound amazing and I am sure it will be tasty crustless too.
Hi Carlee,
I’ve never made my own cheesecake but love it. My question is what if I don’t have spring foam cake pan?? I was just scrolling looking for easy dinner desert that I had all ingredients. Seen this cheesecake recipe & dove in to read all info & comments. Covered all my questions except pan and flavorings that were mentioned. I have only vanilla extract. I went to Amazon & put in a order for pan but like to see if I can still make this easy cheesecake. But with heat so high in alot of states, me being TN. Thought, oh no this could really heat up house. I have wafers, cream cheese, sweeten condense milk, eggs of course Some fresh blackberries. Feel I got something out of these ingredients, oh some Bananas too. Any suggestions? 3:30 pm my time & like to have a desert ready for 6 o’clock dinner. Please could you help me in time. I’m new to your site and love what I scroll through so far. Thank you if anyone can help me.
It sounds like you have the makings of a great banana pudding. You should definitely give the cheesecake a try sometime though. Maybe once it cools down. Otherwise you can make a no bake cheesecake, I have several recipes for those too!
I can’t wait to make this, I have had the cream cheese for some time now, and then bought the condensed milk, so can’t wait, just love cheese cake, but for the flavoring, I am going to use 1 tbsp. of lemon juice, and then grate the skin on top of the cheesecake, to give that extra zest.
That sounds like it is going to be delicious, I hope you love it!
Best cheese cake and simple to make
I am so glad you liked it!
Hi Carlee,
Just discovered your website and saw this cheesecake recipe, had to try. It’s in the oven now, I have to say was EASIEST cheesecake recipe I’ve ever made( and I’ve been making them for almost 30 years!). I’m sure it will be scrumptious based on its simplicity, thanks for the great recipe, looking forward to trying others on your site!
YAY! I hope you like eating it as much as you liked making it!
Do you let the cheesecake cool in the springform pan or take it out?
Cool it in the pan. Once it is fully chilled, you can take it out.
I made your recipe with speculoos cookies (Biscoff) and maple condensed milk and this was amazing! A real success with my friends, even the ones who are not big fans of cheesecake! It cracked when I took it out of the oven though, not sure how I could avoid this but I covered it up with crumbles of speculoos and it went unnoticed 🙂 thanks for this recipe, I’ll definitely do it again!
A biscoff crust sounds amazing! I am sorry that it cracked. A few things could have happened, but the most common culprits are usually either too much air in the batter or cooling too quickly. I am glad it was a hit anyway!
most receipes call for sour cream can you add that as well
I don’t add sour cream to this recipe, we love it just the way it is.
@brenda, we like to do a sour cream topping with 1c sour cream, 2T sugar & 1/4t of vanilla. Put it on top for last 10 min of baking. I haven’t tried it on this cheesecake recipe.
I am going to have to try that sometime!