This salted caramel cheesecake is made with a biscoff cookie crust, rich and creamy baked cheesecake layer, and homemade salted caramel on top. It's just the cozy bake you needed this Fall season!
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Notes from the baker
This salted caramel cheesecake is such a great recipe for when you want to make a classic cheesecake but add some warm and cozy Fall flair to it. The base cheesecake recipe is so versatile you could even serve it plain or with any other toppings if you like.
The silky and shiny salted caramel sauce is divine and I'd absolutely recommend dousing your cheesecake with it. The salty and sweet flavour combination goes so well together.
Although you can pour the salted caramel sauce directly on top of the cheesecake before slicing it like I did, I would actually recommend slicing the cheesecake first and then pouring the caramel on each slice individually for a cleaner presentation.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Crunchy biscoff cookie crust.
- Creamy baked cheesecake.
- Homemade salted caramel topping.
- Great recipe to make in advance.
Tools
- 9" springform pan - Use a springform pan with a removable bottom plate to be able to release your cheesecake from the pan effortlessly.
- Rolling pin (or food processor) - The easiest way to finely crush the biscuits for the crust is to put them in a ziploc bag and smack them with a rolling pin. It's fun and easy to do without any special equipment but you can always use a food processor if you have one.
- Electric hand mixer - A hand mixer makes mixing the cream cheese and cheesecake batter a breeze and helps get it extra smooth. If you don't have one, you can still use a spatula (switch to a whisk when it becomes fluid enough after adding the eggs) but it will take more arm strength and patience.
- Small saucepan - You'll need a small saucepan to make the salted caramel sauce on the stovetop. Use a saucepan with higher walls rather than a frying pan because the caramel will bubble up as it cooks.
Ingredient notes
As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.
- Biscoff cookies - Biscoff cookies are the perfect crunchy biscuits to use as the crust for this cheesecake to add a warm, spiced flavour without adding anything else.
- Unsalted butter - You'll need melted butter to hold the crust together and room temperature butter for the salted caramel sauce.
- Cream cheese - Use cream cheese that comes in brick form, not the spreadable kind that comes in tubs. Be sure to let it come to room temperature before using it otherwise you'll end up with small lumps of cold cream cheese in your cheesecake batter.
- Granulated sugar
- Greek yogurt - Greek yogurt helps add more moisture to the cheesecake while giving it a creamy and tart flavour.
- Vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon - Just a bit of cinnamon flavour to complement the caramel. It's not very noticeable but adds a bit of warmth. Feel free to add more if you want your cheesecake to have a distinctly cinnamon flavour.
- Eggs - Use room temperature eggs to ensure they incorporate seamlessly into the cheesecake batter.
- Heavy cream - You'll be adding heavy cream to the melted sugar to make the caramel. Make sure it's at room temperature otherwise it'll make the sugar harden on contact.
- Salt - You can't have salted caramel without salt! I used regular sea salt (or table salt) in the caramel because it dissolves quickly and sprinkled some Maldon flaky salt on top of the cheesecake as a finishing touch.
Tips for making the best salted caramel cheesecake
- Use room temperature ingredients. The cream cheese, in particular, should be softened to room temperature otherwise it will be difficult to mix (especially if you're using a spatula instead of a hand mixer) and you might end up with chunks of cold cream cheese in your batter. If the recipe indicates room temperature, you should follow it for the best results.
- Place a pan of hot water on the bottom rack. Instead of a water bath, I always opt to place a pan of hot water in the oven instead. The easiest way to do this is to place the pan in the oven first and then fill it up with a kettle. It creates a humid environment inside the oven to prevent the cheesecake from cracking and it also catches any leaks that might drip down from the springform pan.
- Don't overbake cheesecake. Overbaked cheesecake can be grainy and dry and crack on top. For the best results, do the jiggle test. Hold onto both sides of the pan (with oven mitts) and gently shake it back and forth. If the outer 2" of the cheesecake is set but the middle is still jiggly, it's ready to take out of the oven. If you think you've overbaked it, transfer it from the oven directly to the fridge to stop the cooking process faster.
- Fix any cracks after chilling the cheesecake. If your cheesecake does crack after cooling, not to worry! Once the cheesecake has chilled for several hours or overnight, run a metal offset spatula under hot water a pat dry. Glide the spatula across the surface of the cheesecake towards the crack and repeat until the heat of the spatula softens the cheesecake and fills in the crack.
Storage
This salted caramel cheesecake can be stored in an airtight container or covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.
Frequently asked questions
This recipe is scaled for a 9" pan. To make it in a smaller pan (e.g. a 6" pan), halve the recipe.
Yes, you can make this cheesecake 1-2 days ahead of time. Keep it in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out. If you've added the caramel sauce on top, keep in mind that it will firm up and harden when chilled in the fridge so either let the cheesecake come back to room temperature before serving or slice the cake with a hot knife.
Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions. To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.
Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ¼ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a drug scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.
More cheesecake recipes to try
Recipe
Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin, or food processor
Ingredients
Biscoff Crust
- 350 g biscoff cookies, about 45 cookies
- 150 g unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake
- 750 g cream cheese, (3 bricks), softened to room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 250 g greek yogurt, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
Salted Caramel
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 150 g heavy cream, room temperature
- 60 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Biscoff Crust
- Prep: Line a 9" springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom of the pan (sandwiched in between the bottom plate and ring of the pan). Set aside.
- Crush biscoff: Place the biscoff cookies into a ziploc bag. Use a rolling pin to smack the cookies until they're very finely crushed. You can also use a food processor for this. Transfer the crushed cookies to a large mixing bowl.
- Saturate crumbs: Add melted butter to the crushed cookies and mix with a spatula until the crumbs are all saturated and the mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer the mixture to your lined pan.
- Press crust into pan: Use a spatula or the flat bottom of a cup to firmly press the crust mixture into a flat layer on the bottom of the pan and up the sides of the pan, about ¾ of the way up. Let the crust chill in the fridge while you make the cheesecake mixture.
Cheesecake
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place an empty baking tray on the bottom rack of the oven that we'll use as a water bath later. In a kettle, boil some water.
- Mix: In a large mixing bowl (wipe down the bowl you used for the crust mixture and re-use it), add the cream cheese, sugar, greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Use an electric hand mixer to mix on low speed until it becomes very creamy and smooth with no lumps.
- Mix in eggs: Add one egg at a time, mixing it in on low speed before adding the next, until you have a glossy and thick but pourable batter.
- Fill crust: Pour the batter into your chilled crust.
- Bake: Pour about 1" of boiling water into the baking tray on the bottom rack of the oven. Place your cheesecake on the middle rack. Bake for about 60-65 minutes or until the outer 2" of the cheesecake are set but the middle is still very jiggly.
- Cool: Let the cheesecake cool on a wire rack at room temperature for at least 1-2 hours before chilling it in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow it to firm up.
Salted Caramel
- Melt sugar: In a small saucepan, add the granulated sugar. Heat the sugar on medium heat until it's completely melted and turns an amber colour.
- Stir in cream: Slowly pour in the heavy cream while stirring at the same time. The mixture will bubble up before settling. If your heavy cream was too cold and caused the sugar to harden, just continue heating and stirring the mixture until it dissolves again.
- Stir in butter and salt: When the caramel has slightly thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in a few cubes of butter at a time until completely melted and combined. Finally, stir in the salt.
- Cool: Transfer the salted caramel to a small bowl to cool completely at room temperature or in the fridge.
- Release cheesecake: Run an offset spatula between the cheesecake and the sides of the pan. Release the cheesecake from the pan and transfer it to a serving dish.
- Top with caramel: Before serving, you can either pour the caramel on top of the cheesecake and use an offset spatula to spread it or cut the cheesecake into slices and drizzle each piece with caramel individually.
natalie says
Easy to make and tastes great!
Amber McMillin says
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was DEVOURED
Anonymous says
Any tips if I decide not to use a water bath?
HM says
Hi! Which Greek yogurt do you recommend for this? Would fage work?
Ayesha says
Any replacement for biscoff cookies? Love but can't buy where I live ☹️
luce says
i made the apple crumble cheesecake recently, but i used petit beurre as a substitute for biscoff (biscuit w butter)
worked well, tasted good 🙂
Dana says
My first time EVER making a cheesecake and it was a success! For a GF family member I used gluten free milk arrowroot biscuits for the base instead and they worked great, I also halved the recipe & baked for 40 minutes (was just slightly over I’d do 35-36 next time), but it was still amazing & got so many comments. There were no left overs. Definitely adding this to my list of favourites
Anonymous says
Hi, my caramel solidified in the cooler, how should I fix it?
MJ says
This is the second best recipe I’ve ever tried; it’s creamy, rich and always a hit wherever I take it.
Ann says
Thank you for your recipe . Bless you
renz says
this so good..thank you
Valeria says
Very cool recipe! Author made this so detailed! It came out so good and tasty!
Margaret says
Delicious
Anonymous says
Hi
Any replacement for greek yogurt?
Ellen says
Sour cream would work
Susan says
I love your all recipes and i'm grateful with you for share.