Creme Brulee Cheesecake
If you've got cream cheese, softened, low-fat sour cream and heavy cream, you're most of the way to this vegetarian: about 65 minutes of cooking across 7 steps. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and pan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: vegetarian — no meat or fish, based on every ingredient listed below.
Contains: Dairy Egg
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 160 C (325 F) and wrap a 20 cm springform pan in foil for the water bath.
- Stir the vanilla wafer crumbs together with the brown sugar and melted butter, press evenly into the pan base and bake for 10 minutes, then cool.
- Beat the cream cheese with the white sugar until completely smooth, then add the eggs one at a time on low speed, mixing only until each is incorporated.
- Blend in the sour cream, heavy cream and vanilla until the batter is silky, then pour it over the cooled crust.
- Set the pan in a roasting tray, pour hot water halfway up the sides and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until set at the edges with a gentle wobble in the centre.
- Cool in the turned-off oven with the door ajar for 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until firm.
- Just before serving, blot any moisture from the top, sprinkle each portion evenly with the brulee sugar and caramelise with a kitchen torch until amber, letting it harden for a minute into a crackable crust.
You'll use: Oven · Pan · Blender
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
- Brown Sugar
- white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup
- Eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) · 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
- Sour Cream
- plain Greek yogurt · crème fraîche
Tips & common questions
How long does Creme Brulee Cheesecake take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Creme Brulee Cheesecake vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat, fish or shellfish, so it is suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheese for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Adapted recipe — rewritten in our own wording from an open-licensed community cookbook, not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
Creme Brulee Cheesecake is adapted by Consomee from the Wikibooks Cookbook, rewritten in our own wording and used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo: Creme Brulee Cheesecake (8476363579).jpg by Jen Arrr, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.