This rich, creamy cheesecake is made even better with a thick layer of sweet and salty graham cracker crust on the top and bottom. Plus, there’s no water bath with this recipe!
I love a good cheesecake. Both my Easiest Oreo Cheesecake and Easy Caramel Pecan Cheesecakes are always big hits. But regardless of just how delicious your cheesecake filling is, it’s just not a cheesecake without the perfect crust.
And if I’m being totally honest, that crust is usually my favorite part. I’m the one who slices the cheesecake and steals a piece of crust or two off the other pieces just so I can have more crust. You know you’re guilty, too… 😂
So when I saw a recipe for a cheesecake with crust on both the top and bottom a few weeks back on Facebook, I knew it had to be in my future.
So, when I took my classic cheesecake filling and sandwiched it between a nearly triple portion of my graham cracker crust recipe, something magical was born.
And, y’all… I’m kinda obsessed with this.
Now, I hate dealing with a water bath, so in typical “Stacey” fashion, I made this recipe without one – just like my other cheesecakes.
Water baths slow the cooking process down to keep the top level and prevent it from cracking. (It also helps with the texture a little bit.) But since we’re topping this cheesecake with a crust, we don’t have to worry too much about looks.
If you’re feeling like an overachiever, you can absolutely use a water bath for this recipe, you’ll just need to adjust the cooking time.
How do I tell if my cheesecake is done?
Most folks test cheesecake doneness by giving it a little shake or tap. The top should be mostly set with a little jiggle right in the center.
I prefer to use an instant read digital thermometer and take the cheesecake’s temp right in the center. You’ll want the cheesecake to be right at 145°F.
The problem with this, of course, is that it leaves a hole in your cheesecake. But if you have a topping going on the cheesecake, you can fill that small hole in with the topping. In the case of this recipe, you can simply scoot a little bit of that top crust over to fill the hole.
Recipe Card
Easy Double Crust Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 (14.4-ounce) box graham crackers ((or 4 cups graham cracker crumbs))
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted ((12 tablespoons))
For the filling:
- 4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Crush the graham crackers to fine crumbs using a food chopper, food processor, or by placing the crackers in a large zip-top bag and crushing with a rolling pin.
- In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, salt, sugar, and butter. Mix to coat the crumbs in the butter.
- Add about 3 cups of the crumb mixture to the springform pan and use a dry measuring cup to firmly press the crumbs in the bottom and on the sides of the pan to create the crust.
- In a mixer, add the softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add the eggs and mix until combined and smooth – being cautious not to over-mix. Pour the mixture into the prepare crust.
- Add the remaining 2 cups of crumb mixture evenly over the top of the filling and lightly pat down.
- Bake for 65 to 75 minutes or until the cheesecake is set to about 1-inch in from the edge. The center will still be jiggly. (You can also use an instant read thermometer to check doneness in the center of the cheesecake. It should read about 145°F.) Cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving. Keep chilled.
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Sabrina
I made the southern bite double crust for my family and they loved the double crust salty and sweet finish! It was a great way to indulge in the best part of cheesecake. I followed the recipe to a tee except for the fact I used a 9 in cake pan and I oiled my pan first and layered unbleached wax paper to fit the pan and pre-baked the crust for 10 minutes before putting in the filling. I also used a water-bath. Came out perfect, let it sit for 5 hours before eating. Thanks for the recipe.
It’s beautiful! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
christine castelli
it says 4 cups of graham cracker crumbs but then says 3 cups on the bottom and 2 cups on the top, which is 5 cups. What am im missing
Yes, because you add additional ingredients to the graham cracker crumbs to make the crust mixture. Once you add 1/2 cup of sugar and 3/4 cups of butter, you’ll have close to 5 cups of crust mixture. Hope that helps!
Mat
Hey, this recipe looks amazing! Before I dive in, does this crust come out crunchy or is it more like the crumbly kind? Thanks!
The bottom is more along the crunchy line, but the top is more crumbly since it isn’t packed down.
KLani
Looks amazing! The ingredients says to use 4 cups of graham cracker crumbs. The instructions say to use 3 cups for the bottom crust and the remaining 2 cups for the top. Is it 4 or 5 cups of crumbs?
Thanks! So, the 4 cups of crumbs, plus the butter, salt, and sugar, will yield about 5 cups of crumb mixture total to make the crust when it’s all combined. Then you’ll use 3 cups of the crumb/crust mixture on the bottom and the remaining on the top. Does that help? Sorry for the confusion.
Colleen
Turned out amazing! Thanks 👍
So glad you enjoyed it, Colleen!
Deborah Doss
I will be trying this recipe.
Hope you’ll enjoy it!
Louise
I love your recipes. I have never made a cheesecake and m anxious to try it. I have your first cookbook. Are you working on any more? Keep these coming! Thanks!
Louise, currently not working on a second cookbook with the blog keeping me so busy!
Oakley Riggs
I like this idea and want to try it. I would like more cheesecake with my double crust. How would I have to adjust the other ingredients if I add another package of cream cheese? Thank you.
I have only done this with the 4 packs of cream cheese so I am not sure how that would work, or fit in this size springform pan.
Francine Jacobson
Not found of the double crust–
Oh Francine, I’m sorry. Please try one of our other cheesecake recipes…
https://southernbite.com/caramel-pecan-no-bake-cheesecake/
https://southernbite.com/easy-caramel-pecan-cheesecake/
https://southernbite.com/easiest-oreo-cheesecake/
rose
Only 1 package of cream cheese?
Rose, thank you so very much for calling this error to our attention! We have already fixed that. It is supposed to read 4 packages of cream cheese!