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My raspberry cheesecake recipe is made with a light and tangy cream cheese filling and topped with a refreshing homemade raspberry sauce. No water bath needed!
Craving more raspberry treats? Try my raspberry bars and chocolate raspberry cake.
Come summertime, you can find me at my local market filling my basket with pints of raspberries. They’re my favorite summertime fruit, and I love to use them in my desserts.
This time, I’m making cheesecake. The raspberries are cooked down into a sweet sauce and then drizzled over the top of the cheesecake. The heaviness of the cream cheese is beautifully contrasted by the tart berries, making for a wildly refreshing dessert.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Made with fresh OR frozen raspberries. I prefer fresh raspberries, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t use frozen raspberries in a pinch.
- Easy peasy. There are no fancy kitchen gadgets needed, and the whole thing comes together in a few simple steps.
- That sauce! Do yourself a favor and double-batch that raspberry sauce so you can use it on everything.
- It works with other berries. Even though ‘raspberry’ is in the name, you can in fact use other types of berries. I won’t tell!
Ingredients needed
- Pie crust. Use a store-bought or homemade pie crust, graham cracker crust, or even a chocolate crust! Blind bake it if needed.
- Cream cheese. Use a good quality, full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature. If you forget to let it come to room temperature, microwave it unwrapped for 15 seconds.
- Sour cream. I used sour cream to add a nice tangy element to the filling. It also balances out the richness.
- Sugar. To sweeten and stabilize the filling.
- Vanilla extract. For flavor.
- Eggs. To bind the filling and give the cheesecake a silky smooth texture.
For the raspberry sauce:
- Raspberries. Use fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries that have been thawed overnight.
- Cornstarch. To thicken the raspberry sauce.
- Sugar. To sweeten the sauce and break down the berries.
My go-to cheesecake crust
Make my foolproof graham cracker crust if you want to skip the store-bought crust. Here is how:
Combine 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers, five tablespoons of white sugar, and six tablespoons of unsalted butter. Transfer into a lightly greased 9-inch pie dish and press up the sides.
How to make a raspberry cheesecake
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the filing. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream and sugar and beat until smooth, then add the vanilla. Fold in the eggs until combined.
Step 2- Bake. Transfer the batter to the pie crust. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until the edges are set and the middle is slightly jiggly. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely.
Step 3- Make the sauce. In a food processor or blender, add 1 1/2 cups of raspberries with cornstarch and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and add sugar. Cook over medium heat until thick. Remove from the heat and add the remaining raspberries.
Step 4- Assemble. Spread the sauce over the cheesecake and refrigerate overnight.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. This helps the filling become smooth and silky, allowing the cheesecake to bake more evenly.
- Don’t overmix. Only beat the filling mixture until it becomes smooth. Overmixing will knock the air out, causing the cake to sink.
- Cracks in the cheesecake? That probably happened because there were bubbles in the batter, but don’t worry! The raspberry sauce will cover them.
- Let the cake cool completely. The cake needs to be completely cooled before adding the raspberry sauce, but you can place it in the fridge to speed up the cooling time.
Variations
- Add a raspberry swirl. Drop spoonfuls of raspberry jam onto the unbaked cheesecake, then use a toothpick to make swirls.
- Or make a pink cheesecake! Beat in a spoonful of pureed raspberries (or juices from frozen raspberries) until you have a pink-colored cheesecake.
- Add white chocolate. If you love white chocolate and raspberry together, melt white chocolate chips until smooth, then slowly mix them into the batter.
Storage instructions
To store: Cover the cheesecake or individual slices with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
To freeze: Store the individual slices in airtight containers, then freeze for up to six months.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! The raspberry sauce can be made 1 or 2 days in advance. Just keep it in an airtight container in the fridge until it’s time to pour it over the cheesecake.
The cheesecake is ready to come out of the oven when the edges are firm and turning golden brown, and the middle still wobbles slightly. The cake will firm up completely and become velvety smooth as it sets overnight.
More cheesecakes to try
- Blueberry cheesecake
- Cherry cheesecake
- Biscoff cheesecake
- Peanut butter cheesecake
- Or any of my cheesecake recipes
Raspberry Cheesecake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 Graham cracker pie crust * see notes
- 4 cups cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs whisked
Raspberry sauce
- 22 ounces raspberries divided
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the pie crust or use a store-bought crust.
- Preheat the oven to 150C/300F.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream and sugar and beat until smooth, then add the vanilla. Gently fold in the eggs until combined.
- Transfer the mixture to the pie crust. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until the edges are set, and the middle is still slightly jiggly.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool completely.
- In a food processor or blender, add around 1 1/2 cups of the raspberries with cornstarch and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and add the sugar. Cook over medium heat for around 15 minutes, until thick.
- Remove from the heat and add the remaining raspberries. Let the mixture cool for completely, stirring regularly throughout.
- Spread the sauce over the cheesecake and refrigerate overnight.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published July 2023, updated and republished September 2024
This will become my favourite deseert. Raspberries, cheesecake, cracker base-wow.
Wow this is Valentines deseert, with so much red colour!
Can I substitute agave syrup or honey for the granulated sugar? Would it be the same amount?
Haven’t tried! Feel free to experiment and see.
Seems very healthy and easy desert. I could make this for my parents.