Common Ingredients in cheesecake Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over a hundred popular cheesecake recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredients in cheesecake dishes are white sugar and cream cheese.

Eggs, butter, flour, graham cracker, heavy whipping cream and sour cream are also common ingredients in cheesecake recipes. For herbs and spices, vanilla extract is popular. Variations include:

• sour cream and milk in place of heavy whipping cream

Salt is in 45% of cheesecake recipes.

The average cheesecake recipe has about 12.8 ingredients, with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 30.

In terms of directions, cheesecake recipes have about 7.3 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 42 instructions.

An average cheesecake recipe takes about 4 hours 8 minutes to prepare, ranging from 5 minutes to 2 days 2 hours.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Cheesecake

For 1 cup white sugar (200 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single cheesecake recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with white sugar	Potential subsitutions
cream cheese	21.3 ounce (605 g)	35.3 ounce (1000 g)	90%
eggs	4 large (200 g)	7.8 large (389 g)	79%
vanilla extract	1.7 teaspoon (7 g)	3.5 teaspoon (15 g)	53%	vanilla bean
butter	8 tablespoon (114 g)	14.2 tablespoon (202 g)	52%
graham cracker	2 cup (168 g)	4.1 cup (345 g)	34%
sour cream	1.3 cup (288 g)	2.4 cup (548 g)	31%	heavy whipping cream egg yolks
heavy whipping cream	1 cup (119 g)	2.1 cup (249 g)	31%	sour cream milk

Ingredients by Average Weight in Cheesecake

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in cheesecake recipes. This would be: 41% cream cheese, 17% white sugar, 14% eggs, 7% butter, 6% sour cream, 5% graham cracker, 4% heavy whipping cream, 3% flour and 2% brown sugar.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

cream

Cream is the most popular ingredient in cheesecake dishes. In fact, over 85% of cheesecake recipes contain cream.

Variations of cream include:

• cream cheese: 87% of recipes
• heavy whipping cream: 29% of recipes
• sour cream: 28% of recipes

For cheesecake recipes, cream is frequently used with cream cheese, white sugar, eggs, graham cracker and vanilla extract.

cream cheese

Cream cheese is another common ingredient in cheesecake dishes. In fact, over 85% of cheesecake recipes contain cream cheese.

Softened and whipped are frequent preparations for cream cheese in cheesecake dishes.

Common quantities for cream cheese in cheesecake dishes include 8 ounces, 16 ounces or 3 packages.

In cheesecake recipes that contain cream cheese, it is on average, 26% by weight.

White sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, salt and butter are commonly used together with cream cheese in cheesecake dishes.

heavy whipping cream

Another popular ingredient in cheesecake is heavy whipping cream. From the recipes we've sampled for cheesecake, over 25% have heavy whipping cream.

Heavy whipping cream is often included in cheesecake dishes in amounts of 1 cup, half a cup or a quarter cup.

In cheesecake recipes that contain heavy whipping cream, it is on average, 8% by weight.

For cheesecake recipes, heavy whipping cream is frequently used with cream cheese, white sugar, salt, eggs and vanilla extract.

Potential substitutions for heavy whipping cream in cheesecake:

• sour cream
• milk

Also, heavy whipping cream is not often used with cocoa.

sour cream

Sour cream is another common ingredient in cheesecake dishes. In fact, over 25% of cheesecake recipes contain sour cream.

Sour cream is often included in cheesecake dishes in amounts of half a cup, 1 cup or a quarter cup.

In cheesecake recipes that contain sour cream, it is on average, 13% by weight.

In recipes for cheesecake, sour cream is often used with cream cheese, white sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla extract.

Potential substitutions for sour cream in cheesecake:

• heavy whipping cream
• egg yolks

Also, sour cream is not often used with crust.

white sugar

Another popular ingredient in cheesecake is white sugar. From the recipes we've sampled for cheesecake, over 85% have white sugar.

Cheesecake dishes often call for white sugar to be granulated and toasted.

White sugar is often included in cheesecake dishes in amounts of 1 cup, half a cup or 2 tablespoons.

In cheesecake recipes that contain white sugar, it is on average, 11% by weight.

In recipes for cheesecake, white sugar is often used with cream cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, butter and salt.

eggs

Another popular ingredient in cheesecake is eggs. From the recipes we've sampled for cheesecake, over 75% have eggs.

Variations of eggs include:

• egg yolks: 12% of recipes

For cheesecake recipes, eggs is frequently used with white sugar, cream cheese, vanilla extract, salt and butter.

butter

Butter is another common ingredient in cheesecake dishes. In fact, over 75% of cheesecake recipes contain butter.

Cheesecake dishes often call for butter to be melted, cooled and softened.

Butter is often included in cheesecake dishes in amounts of 6 tablespoons, 4 tablespoons or 8 tablespoons.

In cheesecake recipes that contain butter, it is on average, 5% by weight.

In recipes for cheesecake, butter is often used with white sugar, cream cheese, eggs, salt and vanilla extract. On the other hand, butter is almost never used with vanilla bean.

vanilla extract

Another popular ingredient in cheesecake is vanilla extract. From the recipes we've sampled for cheesecake, over 45% have vanilla extract.

Common quantities for vanilla extract in cheesecake dishes include 1 teaspoon, 2 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon.

In cheesecake recipes that contain vanilla extract, it is on average, 0.4% by weight.

White sugar, cream cheese, eggs, butter and salt are commonly used together with vanilla extract in cheesecake dishes.

Potential substitutions for vanilla extract in cheesecake:

• vanilla bean

Also, vanilla extract is not often used with strawberries.

salt

Salt is another common ingredient in cheesecake dishes. In fact, over 45% of cheesecake recipes contain salt.

Salt is often included in cheesecake dishes in amounts of 0 pinch, half a teaspoon or a quarter teaspoon.

In cheesecake recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

For cheesecake recipes, salt is frequently used with cream cheese, white sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla extract. However, butter and semisweet chocolate are almost never used together with salt in cheesecake dishes.

flour

Another popular ingredient in cheesecake is flour. From the recipes we've sampled for cheesecake, over 35% have flour.

Cheesecake dishes often call for flour to be sifted.

Flour is often included in cheesecake dishes in amounts of 3 tablespoons, 1 cup or a quarter cup.

In cheesecake recipes that contain flour, it is on average, 5% by weight.

In recipes for cheesecake, flour is often used with white sugar, eggs, cream cheese, salt and butter. On the other hand, flour is almost never used with crust and nutmeg.

graham cracker

Graham cracker is another common ingredient in cheesecake dishes. In fact, over 30% of cheesecake recipes contain graham cracker.

Crushed is a frequent preparation for graham cracker in cheesecake dishes.

Common quantities for graham cracker in cheesecake dishes include 2 cups, 1.75 cups or 8 ounces.

In cheesecake recipes that contain graham cracker, it is on average, 9% by weight.

Cream cheese, white sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla extract are commonly used together with graham cracker in cheesecake dishes. Conversely, graham cracker is not often used with chocolate chip and cocoa.

brown sugar

Another popular ingredient in cheesecake is brown sugar. From the recipes we've sampled for cheesecake, over 20% have brown sugar.

Packed is a frequent preparation for brown sugar in cheesecake dishes.

Common quantities for brown sugar in cheesecake dishes include a third of a cup, a quarter cup or 3 tablespoons.

In cheesecake recipes that contain brown sugar, it is on average, 5% by weight.

Cream cheese, white sugar, eggs, butter and salt are commonly used together with brown sugar in cheesecake dishes.

Potential substitutions for brown sugar in cheesecake:

• confectioners sugar
• chocolate chip
• cocoa

Also, brown sugar is not often used with cooking spray original.

lemon juice

Lemon juice is another common ingredient in cheesecake dishes. In fact, over 20% of cheesecake recipes contain lemon juice.

Squeezed is a frequent preparation for lemon juice in cheesecake dishes.

Lemon juice is often included in cheesecake dishes in amounts of 2 tablespoons, 1 tablespoon or 2 teaspoons.

In cheesecake recipes that contain lemon juice, it is on average, 1.6% by weight.

For cheesecake recipes, lemon juice is frequently used with white sugar, cream cheese, eggs, salt and butter. However, butter, cinnamon, confectioners sugar, egg yolks, pumpkin, chocolate chip and semisweet chocolate are almost never used together with lemon juice in cheesecake dishes.

cinnamon

Another popular ingredient in cheesecake is cinnamon. From the recipes we've sampled for cheesecake, over 20% have cinnamon.

Cheesecake dishes often call for cinnamon to be ground.

Cinnamon is often included in cheesecake dishes in amounts of half a teaspoon, a quarter teaspoon or 1 teaspoon.

In cheesecake recipes that contain cinnamon, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

In recipes for cheesecake, cinnamon is often used with white sugar, cream cheese, eggs, salt and vanilla extract. On the other hand, cinnamon is almost never used with lemon juice, milk and chocolate chip.

vanilla bean

Vanilla bean is another common ingredient in cheesecake dishes. In fact, over 15% of cheesecake recipes contain vanilla bean.

Scraped is a frequent preparation for vanilla bean in cheesecake dishes.

Common quantities for vanilla bean in cheesecake dishes include 1 teaspoon, half a teaspoon or 1.5 teaspoons.

In cheesecake recipes that contain vanilla bean, it is on average, 0.3% by weight.

Cream cheese, white sugar, eggs, butter and flour are commonly used together with vanilla bean in cheesecake dishes.

Potential substitutions for vanilla bean in cheesecake:

• vanilla extract

Also, vanilla bean is not often used with butter, pumpkin, crust, cooking spray original, cocoa and semisweet chocolate.

Other cheesecake Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in cheesecake recipes include:

• lemon peel - 15%
• confectioners sugar - 10%
• cornstarch - 10%
• pumpkin - 5%
• milk - 5%
• crust - 5%
• strawberries - 5%
• chocolate chip - 5%
• cooking spray original - 5%
• cocoa - 5%
• nutmeg - 5%
• semisweet chocolate - 5%
• ginger - 5%

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