Rich and creamy salted caramel cheesecake recipe topped with a homemade caramel sauce and sea salt.
I will never get tired of this cheesecake base recipe, and I use it for every single cheesecake I bake. I prefer a plain base when making salted caramel cheesecake that way it won’t be too sweet.
You can even serve the cheesecake plain with a side of salted caramel sauce or homemade caramel sauce if you don’t care for the salt. This no-fail recipe will be a hit at your Thanksgiving table this year without a doubt. This recipe is one of the most popular holiday recipes on my website.
Although, I highly recommend this recipe year-round. Deliciously easy to make and will certainly become one of your favorite dessert recipes!
The secret to a creamy and delicious cheesecake is certainly the quality of cheesecake you use. Original Philadelphia Cream Cheese is my cream cheese of choice but feel free to use your favorite.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Salted Caramel Cheesecake:
- Cream Cheese
- Sugar
- Sour Cream
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Salted Butter
- Unsalted Butter
- Heavy Cream
- Salt
- Graham Crackers
Tips for the Best Salted Caramel Cheesecake Recipe:
- Make sure you don’t overmix the ingredients and use softened cream cheese and eggs at room temperature.
- As soon as you remove the cheesecake from the oven, run a knife along the sides to prevent it from sticking to the sides.
- Don’t overbake the cheesecake, once it’s done baking, turn the oven off and let it sit in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, open the oven door slightly and let it sit for an additional 10 minutes. Finally, let the cheesecake cool for about one hour at room temperature and then refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours before enjoying it.
Do you need to refrigerate this cheesecake?
Yes, because this recipe contains eggs and other dairy ingredients like sour cream, I highly suggest keeping it in the fridge.
Do I have to make the salted caramel from scratch?
No, you can certainly purchase store-bought caramel but homemade is always best!
Tip:
Make sure you let the cheesecake cool completely before topping it off with the caramel.
Here are some other delicious cheesecake recipes:
- Funfetti Cheesecake
- Fruity Pebble Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Cognac Cheesecake
- Japanese Cotton Cheesecake
- Nutella Cheesecake
Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 cup crushed graham crackers
- 6 tbsp unsalted melted butter
Filling:
- 24 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Salted Caramel:
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Wrap an 8-inch springform pan with aluminum foil, Set aside.
- Add melted butter to the graham cookie crumbs and press onto the bottom of an 8-in. springform pan, Set aside.
- For filling, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth.
- Add sugar, sour cream, and vanilla and mix until well incorporated.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated, do not over mix.
- Pour the filling over the crust.
- To prepare the water bath, place the 8-inch springform pan into a larger baking dish and pour in some boiling water, about 1 inch of water.
- Place the cheesecake in the prepared water bath in the oven and let it bake for 10 minutes.
- Ten minutes later reduce the heat to 300 F and let it bake for an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Turn the oven off and let it sit in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Open the oven doors slightly and let it sit for an additional 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove cheesecake from water bath and run a knife along the sides
- Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for about 1 hour and then place it in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours.
- To make the caramel sauce, cook the sugar over medium heat in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves.
- Once the sugar dissolves, keep a close eye on it, sugar burns quickly.
- Once it turns into a copper color, add the butter and whisk until the butter melts completely.
- Stir in the heavy cream slowly and mix until well incorporated.
- Cook for an additional minute.
- Remove from the stove and stir in the salt.
- Transfer the caramel to a heatproof container.
- Pour the cooled caramel all over the cheesecake and sprinkle some coarse salt over the caramel.
- Serve cold and enjoy!
This was absolutely delicious!! Not just the Caramel sauce but the Cheesecake is so creamy, rich and yet light!! My husband said it was by far the best cheesecake he’s ever had in his life!! Cheesecake factory doesn’t even come close!
So glad you guys enjoyed it! This is also my favorite cheesecake recipe 🙂
Can I make this in a 9″ spring form?
Yes, absolutely.
What kind of salt should I use?
Hi Lindsay, I would recommend a coarse salt like sea salt or kosher salt.
It was excellent!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Sandy!
I think something is wrong with your caramel sauce recipe. I have made it twice this afternoon, and it didn’t work either time. Can you check the proportions?
The cheesecake turned out perfectly!
Hi Jennifer, sorry to hear that. I used the same caramel sauce in my churros post and I double checked to see if the measurements were the same and they were. Was it too runny or thick? I would suggest pouring in the heavy cream and butter slowly. Hopefully, that will help.