Air Fryer Cheesecake Recipe
Add Preferred Source
Love cheesecake but hate the mess that comes with making it? Who needs a traditional oven when you can make cheesecake in an air fryer? Our air fryer cheesecake recipe is quick and easy, leaving you with more time to enjoy your delicious dessert. Plus, the air fryer’s even cooking makes for a perfect cheesecake every time!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, I earn a small commission. Thank you!
We love cheesecake, we could eat our pecan pie cheesecake or strawberry cheesecake all day, every day, but we keep getting asked if you can bake cheesecake in the air fryer, and the answer is a resounding YES!
Why you’ll love this delicious cheesecake
- There’s no need for a water bath; making cheesecake has never been so easy!
- An air fryer cooks evenly, which reduces the risk of your cheesecake cracking.
- Baking cheesecake in an air fryer is SO easy.
- You can customize the toppings to suit your taste preferences.
- All the ingredients are 100% vegetarian.
Ingredients you’ll need
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
How to make air fryer cheesecake with step-by-step instructions
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
For the Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
Place a parchment paper round in your pan, and double wrap your pan with foil.
Using a food processor or blender, blitz the Graham crackers until they are fine crumbs.
Then, place the Graham cracker crumbs in a small mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, then the melted butter. The crumb mixture should be grainy; if there are any big chunks of cracker, break them up.
Pour the Graham cracker mixture into a 7-inch cake pan (you don’t have to use a springform pan or cheesecake pan in an air fryer), and using your hands, press down on the crumbs so that the base and the sides are covered; you don’t want to press too hard; just ensure that it’s not crumbly.
Use the back of a spoon to compact the edges of the base.
Freeze the cake pan for 25 – 30 minutes
For the Cheesecake Batter
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer on high speed, beat your room-temperature cream cheese.
Then add vanilla extract, sour cream, sugar, and lemon zest, and beat until it is just combined. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until they are just combined.
Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the Graham cracker crust.
Remove air bubbles from the cheesecake filling by banging the tin down on your work surface. Place the pan into the air fryer basket.
Bake for 20 minutes at 300°F/150°C; when you jiggle the pan, the cheesecake should wobble, but the center of the cheesecake should not look loose and wet.
If you need to bake for longer, then do it in 90-second increments.
Once cooked, turn off your air fryer, but leave the cheesecake in it for 10 – 15 minutes to cool.
Transfer it to a wire rack (still in the pan) and cool until room temperature.
Equipment
- 1 x 7-inch Cake pan
- 1 x 7-inch Parchment paper optional but recommended
Ingredients
For the graham cracker crust:
- 1 cup graham crackers
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- 2½ tablespoons butter melted
For the cheesecake filling:
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 eggs
Instructions
For the graham cracker crust:
- Place a parchment paper round in your pan, and double wrap your pan with foil.
- Using a food processor or blender, blitz the Graham crackers until they are fine crumbs. Then, place the crumbs in a mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, then the melted butter. The crumb mixture should be grainy; if there are any big chunks of cracker, break them up.1 cup graham crackers, 1½ tablespoons sugar, 2½ tablespoons butter
- Pour the crumb mixture into a 7-inch cake pan and using your hands press down on the crumbs so that the base and the sides are covered; you don't want to press too hard; just ensure that it's no longer crumbly. Use the back of a spoon to compact the edges of the base.
- Freeze the cake pan for 25 – 30 minutes.
For the cheesecake filling:
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer on high speed beat your softened cream cheese. Then add vanilla extract, sour cream, sugar, and lemon zest, and beat until it is just combined. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until they are just combined.16 ounces cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅔ cup sour cream, ⅔ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 2 eggs
- Pour the mixture into the cracker crust. Remove air bubbles by banging the tin down on your work surface. Place the pan into the air fryer basket.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 300°F/150°C; when you jiggle the pan, the cheesecake should wobble, but the center of the cheesecake should not look loose and wet. If you need to bake for longer, then do it in 90 seconds increments. Once cooked, turn off your air fryer but leave the cheesecake in it for 10 – 15 minutes to cool, then place it in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours, but preferably overnight.
Notes
- Lemon juice:
We’ve used lemon zest to give the lemony tang; there’s no need to add lemon juice. - Smaller air fryer:
If you have a smaller air fryer, you’ll need to use a smaller pan and adjust the recipe accordingly. - Preheat:
We pre-heat our air fryer, but if you have an oven-style basket-type air fryer, then you probably won’t need to. - Watch closely:
Every air fryer cooks differently; different brands and capacities can mean that your food will need a longer or shorter cooking time, so keep a close eye on them.
Nutrition
Recipe notes and expert tips
- Lemon juice
We’ve used lemon zest to give the lemony tang; there’s no need to add lemon juice. - Smaller air fryer
If you have a smaller air fryer, you’ll need to use a smaller pan and adjust the recipe accordingly. - Preheat
We pre-heat our air fryer, but if you have an oven-style basket-type air fryer, then you probably won’t need to. - Watch closely
Every air fryer cooks differently; different brands and capacities can mean that your food will need a longer or shorter cooking time, so keep a close eye on them.
How to store leftover cheesecake
Store leftover air fryer cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze the cheesecake for up to 3 months. We recommend freezing either the whole cheesecake or cheesecake slices for an hour and then wrapping it in plastic wrap.
Cheesecake toppings
We’ve made a New York cheesecake, but there are so many different delicious cheesecake toppings you could add, why not try these;
- Strawberry topping
- Cherry pie filling
- Pecan pie topping
- Hot fudge sauce
- Caramel sauce
More easy air fryer recipes for you to try at home
We’re working on more air fryer cheesecake recipes, but in the meantime, if you love to air fry, then check out these easy air fryer recipes.
- Air fryer cheese quesadilla
- Air fryer egg bites
- Air fryer chocolate chip cookies
- Air fryer peanut butter cookies
- Air fryer double chocolate chip cookies
You may also like…
Tabbouleh
Fresh, bright, and full of clean herby flavor from the parsley, mint, and lemon dressing. Tabbouleh is the kind of salad that makes you want to eat the whole bowl.
Southern Mashed Potatoes
So rich, smooth, and buttery with cream cheese folded all the way through and sautéed garlic and onion in every bite. The creamiest mashed potatoes you will ever taste.
