This white chocolate salted caramel cheesecake is silky smooth, and the perfect balance of salty-sweet. It has melted white chocolate added to the batter for extra sweetness and creaminess, and a graham cracker pretzel crust. It's topped with homemade salted caramel sauce for the ultimate treat!
If you're looking for other salted caramel recipes check out my salted caramel almond cupcakes, salted caramel spice cake, brown butter caramel cake, or chocolate caramel cookies!
Why You'll Love This Caramel Cheesecake Recipe:
It has an incredible silky smooth texture. Cream cheese and sour cream work together to make a perfectly smooth cheesecake, and while white chocolate adds an extra level of creaminess.
It has the perfect salty sweet combo. The crust is half graham crackers and half pretzels, and gives it the most incredible salty note that pairs with the sweet cheesecake and caramel sauce.
It has a perfect balance of sweetness. White chocolate adds sweetness to the cheesecake without making it overly sweet.
Ingredients for Salted Caramel Cheesecake:
- Graham crackers- makes up half of the crust
- Mini pretzels- used in the crust to give it a delicious salty note
- Butter- used in the crust and the salted caramel sauce
- Granulated sugar-used to sweeten the cheesecake batter and crust, and to make the salted caramel sauce
- Cream Cheese- full fat cream cheese will be the base of this cheesecake, make sure it is softened
- Cornstarch- absolutely essential for a perfect cheesecake. It adds a bit of structure, allows for clean slices and helps the top to never crack or sink
- White Chocolate- I recommend using the highest quality white chocolate you can, such as Lindt
- Vanilla- I recommend vanilla bean paste for the best taste but vanilla extract works well too
- Sour Cream- compliments the cream cheese to make the creamiest cheesecake
- Eggs- whole eggs and yolks are used, make sure they're room temperature
- Heavy Cream- used to make the salted caramel sauce extra creamy
- Spring form pan- essential for making a cheesecake
- Large roasting pan- used for the cheesecake's water bath
Step by Step Instructions
(See recipe card below for the full recipe including complete measurements and baking time!)
STEP ONE: Make the homemade caramel sauce. Add sugar to a sauce pan and heat over medium heat until the sugar has melted. Stir occasionally to ensure it gets equally heated. It will take a little while for it to melt down so be patient. Make sure to regulate the heat and watch the sugar so it does not burn.
Once the sugar has melted, turn the heat down and add in the butter right away.
Once the butter has melted in, add in the heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and salt.
Stir until everything is combined together and let the caramel simmer on the stove for a few minutes to allow it to thicken a little more. Once it has become thicker, it should coat the back of a spoon thickly, remove it from the heat, pour into a small bowl and allow it to cool completely. (See my salted caramel recipe blog post!)
STEP TWO: Prep the pan.
Prepare the springform pan by wrapping the bottom and edges of it with aluminum foil. I recommend at least using 4 sheets of foil, but I always do 8-10 to be EXTRA sure no water will seep into the pan while the cheesecake bakes. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
STEP THREE: Make the crust.
Pulse the graham crackers and mini pretzels together in a food processor. Then add in the melted butter and sugar and pulse until combined. Press the graham cracker crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, about 1 inch. (A ¼ measuring cup really helps with this step). Bake the crust and then let it cool.
STEP FOUR: Make the cheesecake batter. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese, corn starch and sugar together with a paddle attachment for two minutes on medium speed until everything is smooth and there are no lumps. (You can alternatively use a hand mixer). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything has been mixed well.
Add in the vanilla bean paste, sour cream and melted and cooled white chocolate and mix for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl again.
Next add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time to the cheesecake batter. Mix on low speed, ensuring that each is fully mixed in before adding the next. As soon as the last one is fully mixed in, turn off the mixer. Do not over mix the batter.
STEP FIVE: Bake the cheesecake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan with the crust. Place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan in the oven. Slowly pour the hot water in to the pan around the cheesecake being careful not to splash the cheesecake.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. When an hour is up, turn off the oven and crack the door open. It helps to use a large wooden spoon to keep the oven door slightly open. Let the cheesecake stay in the oven for another hour. The cheesecake will continue to bake as it is cooling. This is the best method I've used when making cheesecake and results in a perfectly golden brown top with no cracks or sinking every time.
STEP SIX: Chill the cheesecake. Once the 2 hours are up, remove the cheesecake from the oven and go around the sides of the springform pan with a butter knife to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan. Let the cheesecake cool completely on the counter, and then refrigerate until completely cold, at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
When the cheesecake is completely cold, top with homemade salted caramel sauce, serve and enjoy! Store the left overs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
FAQs
Do I really have to use a water bath to bake the cheesecake? Yes, it's absolutely essential. The water bath adds moisture to the oven while the cheesecake bakes and helps to regulate the heat. Without it, the cheesecake won't bake like it should.
Can I use store bought salted caramel sauce? Sure, I just think homemade tastes much better.
Do I have to use pretzels in the crust? No you can replace the pretzels with more graham crackers. Use a total of 8 oz. of graham crackers, about 16 whole crackers.
Pro Tips
Make sure your wet ingredients are room temperature. Using room temperature ingredients will give you the best textured cheesecake. If your cream cheese is too cold you can end up with lumps in your cheesecake.
I recommend using a stand mixer to make the cheesecake if you have one. Mix the cheesecake on a low/medium speed to ensure you're not overmixing.
Be super, super careful not to over mix the cheesecake batter. If you mix too much the cheesecake texture can turn out very runny with a whipped cream consistency.
Make sure your cheesecake has completely chilled before attempting to decorate/cut into it. I recommend making it the day before you're panning on serving it and allowing it to chill overnight.
If you make this cheesecake please leave a star review, it would help me out so much and allow me to more easily keep making recipes for you all! Also, tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see your creation! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
Other Cheesecake Recipes to Try
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Biscoff Crust
Salted Caramel Apple Pie Cheesecake
📖 Recipe
Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 5 tablespoon (70 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
For the Crust
- 8 (120 g) graham crackers, full sheets
- 2 ½ cups (120 g) mini pretzels
- ¾ cup (168 g) melted butter
- 2 tablespoon (25 g) granulated white sugar
For the Cheesecake
- 32 oz (907 g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoon (16 g) corn starch
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- ⅓ cup (82 g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 8 oz (226 g) white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
Instructions
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- Add the granulated white sugar to a large sauce pan and heat it over medium low heat. As the sugar is heating it will crystalize and then eventually all melt down and turn golden in color. When most of the sugar has melted, but there are still a few crystalized clumps, turn the heat down to low so the melted sugar doesn't burn. (Melting all the sugar takes around 20 minutes.)1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- Once all the sugar has melted and turned golden in color, add in the butter right away. Stir quickly until the butter is incorporated.5 tablespoon (70 g) unsalted butter, softened
- Then add in the room temperature heavy cream and stir quickly again to incorporate everything together. (At this point if you see the butter and cream start to separate from the sugar, turn the heat up to medium low and stir vigorously to combine everything together. This can happen if your butter and cream aren't room temperature.)½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- Lastly, add in ¼ tsp-½ teaspoon of sea salt (depending on your preference) and the vanilla and stir to combine.½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Stir until everything is combined together and let the caramel simmer on the stove for 2-3 minutes to allow it to thicken a little more. Once it has become thicker, it should coat the back of a spoon thickly, remove it from the heat, pour it into a small bowl and allow it to cool completely.
For the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Prepare your 9 inch springform pan for its later water bath by wrapping the bottom and sides of it with a decent amount of tinfoil. You want to make sure the tinfoil goes up about two inches on the sides of the pan so no water seeps into the pan as it bakes. I always use too much (around 8 layers) just so I know it’ll be okay.Spray the sides with non-stick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Pulse the graham crackers and pretzels together in a food processor until they are finely ground.8 (120 g) graham crackers, full sheets, 2 ½ cups (120 g) mini pretzels
- Add in the melted butter and sugar and pulse to combine.¾ cup (168 g) melted butter, 2 tablespoon (25 g) granulated white sugar
- Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about an inch up the sides of the pan.
- Bake for crust for 10 minutes and then let it cool completely while working on the cheesecake batter.
For the Cheesecake
- Preheat oven to 350° F if not still preheated.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch together with a paddle attachment for two minutes on medium speed until everything is smooth and there are no lumps. (You can alternatively use a hand mixer). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything has been mixed well.32 oz (907 g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated white sugar, 2 tablespoon (16 g) corn starch
- Add in the vanilla bean paste, sour cream and melted and cooled white chocolate and mix for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl again.8 oz (226 g) white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled, ⅓ cup (82 g) sour cream, at room temperature, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- At this point, stop and put a pot of water on the stove to start boiling. You will want enough water to go about 1 ½ inches up the sides of the springform pan.
- Next add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time to the cheesecake batter. Mix on low speed, ensuring that each is fully mixed in before adding the next. As soon as the last one is fully mixed in, turn off the mixer. Do not over mix the batter.3 eggs, at room temperature, 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan with the crust.
- Place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan in the oven. Slowly pour the boiling water into the pan around the cheesecake being careful not to splash the cheesecake.
- Bake at 350° F for 1 hour. When 1 hour is up, turn off the oven and crack the oven door open using a wooden utensil. Let the cheesecake stay in the oven for 1 more hour. The cheesecake will continue to bake as it is cooling.
- Once the 2 hours are up, remove from the oven and go around the edges of the pan with a butter knife to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan. Let the cheesecake cool completely on the counter, and then refrigerate until completely cold, 8 hours or overnight.
Serving the Cheesecake
- Once the cheesecake has chilled, carefully remove it from the springform pan and transfer it to a serving plate.
- Top it with the salted caramel sauce and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
I loved this cheesecake! 3 people asked me for the recipe, which I sent a link to. Will definitely be making again.
Hi! I’ve made the cheesecake and the caramel, which is now more solidified. Do I need to heat up the caramel before pouring it on top? Thanks!
Hi Katie! Yes, if it's too solid heat it in the microwave in 10 second intervals, or on the stovetop over low heat until it's easy to work with again!
Hi! I have a 7 inch spring pan - any idea how I would change the recipe? 😅 there’s just 2 of us, I didn’t want a whole cake! Thank you!
Absolutely amazing! The cheesecake had such a beautifully smooth texture & I loved the combo of graham crackers and pretzels in the crust. Yum!
I couldn’t find which size is your spring pan… could you tell me please?
Hi, this recipe says that for the caramel use unsalted butter but I've checked the recipe for the salted caramel sauce and there says to use salted butter. Which one is better?
Hi Lizette! I would use unsalted for everything so you can control how salty the caramel will be. I'm not sure where it says salted, but that is a typo. I'm trying to find it but I haven't been able to!
This recipe was so easy to follow especially with the weighted amounts listed in grams. Everything went well other than my cheesecake tasting a bit too eggy. Is there anything that may have effected the taste?
hello! should I cover with tinfoil when chilling this in the fridge overnight?
I made this cheesecake for Friendsgiving and everyone raved about it! I’ve been getting compliments all month on it! It was perfectly rich and decadent. The recipe was well-written and easy to follow! I’ll definitely be keeping this in my repertoire!
This cheesecake was the best cheesecake I have ever had from anywhere. It was so delicious, creamy, and the perfect cheesecake consistency! This will be always in the rotation now. The only problem was it didn’t last more than two days because it got eaten so fast! I followed the recipe as directed, no changes.