How To Make A Water Bath For Cheesecake
Learn how to make a water bath for cheesecake with this easy tutorial! This post covers everything you need to know!
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve probably realized that I am a huge fan of cheesecake. So much so that I will usually choose a cheesecake for my birthday every year instead of a traditional cake.
All that to say, I’ve made (and eaten!) a lot of cheesecake in my life. And over the years I’ve learned there is one important component to making the perfect cheesecake – a water bath.
What Is A Water Bath?
A water bath, also known as a bain marie, is made by placing your springform pan with the unbaked cheesecake into a large roasting pan with hot water. The hot water surrounds the springform pan and allows your cheesecake to bake gently and more evenly.
Water baths aren’t just limited to cheesecakes though! It’s perfect for other custard-based desserts, like my creme brûlée.
Some cheesecakes like my mini cheesecakes or cheesecake bars don’t require the extra step. If you’re baking a full-size cheesecake though, like my banana pudding cheesecake or pumpkin cheesecake, I always recommend using a water bath.
Need further convincing? Let’s use my classic cheesecake recipe for comparison. The cheesecake on the left was baked in a water bath and the cheesecake on the right was baked without a water bath. Pretty obvious difference, right?
I personally prefer to use a water bath for all of my larger cheesecakes for several reasons:
- It tastes better. The steam from the water bath creates a humid environment in your oven, so you end up with a smooth and creamy cheesecake.
- Helps to prevent cracks. There’s nothing worse than spending hours on a cheesecake only for it to end up with a huge crack down the middle.
- The end result is much prettier! Your cheesecake will have a perfectly smooth top and you won’t end up with a brown cheesecake that puffs up and sinks as soon as you remove it from the oven.
So today, I’ll be showing you exactly how to make a water bath. And I promise, it’s easier than you think!
What You Need
- Springform pan: This will be used for the cheesecake. I have several different springform pans, but this springform pan from Wilton is a great option.
- Aluminum foil: Reynolds heavy duty foil works great!
- Oven bag or slow cooker bag: I personally prefer Reynolds oven bags. Slow cooker bags work too, but they are a little smaller than oven bags.
- Saucepan/Kettle: To boil the water.
- Large roasting pan: Technically you can use any kind of pan that you like, it just needs to be larger than your springform pan. I use this roasting pan whenever I make my cheesecakes and it works perfectly!
- Prepare the crust: Partially bake the crust for your cheesecake and set aside to cool slightly. For this demonstration I used my homemade graham cracker crust.
- Prepare the pan: Once the crust has cooled slightly, wrap the outside of the springform pan in aluminum foil, then place it into a large oven bag. Make sure to fold the oven bag down the sides of the pan until it’s at the same height as your pan.
- Boil the water: Before you start making your cheesecake filling, set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. If you have a kettle, that works great too!
- Prepare the cheesecake filling: Once the filling is ready, pour it into the springform pan right over the pre-baked crust, and smooth it out.
- Make the water bath: Add the boiling water you started earlier to a large roasting pan until it is about 1-inch deep. Carefully place your wrapped springform pan into the roasting pan. Be careful not to touch the hot water, you don’t want to burn yourself!
- Bake, cool, and chill: Pick the roasting pan up by the handles and place it in the oven. Bake until the edges of the cheesecake are set and the center is still slightly jiggly. Turn the oven off, crack the oven door, and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for one more hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and roasting pan (discard the foil and oven bag). Let the cheesecake cool completely to room temperature, then cover it tightly and refrigerate overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
I typically only fill my pan with about 1-inch of boiling water or until it’s about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Just make sure not to use too much water or it could end up in your cheesecake. You also don’t want to use too little because the water will evaporate as the cheesecake bakes in the oven.
No, technically you can get away with just using foil. However, I’ve made cheesecakes with just foil and it seems like a little bit of water always gets into the pan.
An oven bag (or even a slow cooker bag) provides an extra layer of protection from water leaking into your pan. You could also skip the foil and oven bag and use a silicone mold instead.
Baking Tips
- Keep in mind that a water bath will bake your cheesecake slower. If the recipe that you are using doesn’t call for a water bath, you will likely need to increase the baking time.
- Before preparing the water bath, place your roasting pan close to the oven so you don’t have to carry it so far. If you’re worried about carrying the roasting pan with the hot water to the oven, you can also place the roasting pan with the cheesecake in the oven first, pour the boiling water into the pan, and quickly close the oven door.
- Do not overbake your cheesecake! You will know it’s done when the edges are set, but when you shake the pan the center is still a little jiggly.
- For best results, refrigerate your cheesecake overnight. This will give it enough time to fully set up!
How To Make A Water Bath For Cheesecake
Ingredients
Equipment
- Springform pan
- Heavy duty aluminum foil
- Oven bag or slow cooker bag
- Saucepan or kettle
- Large roasting pan
Instructions
- Prepare the crust: Bake the crust for your cheesecake per the recipe, then set aside to cool slightly.
- Prepare the pan: Wrap the outside of the springform pan with the pre-baked crust in aluminum foil, then place it into a large oven bag. Fold the oven bag down the sides until the bag is the same height/level as the edge of your springform pan.
- Boil the water: Before getting started with your cheesecake filling, set a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the water bath.
- Prepare the filling: Mix together your cheesecake filling per the recipe. Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan and smooth it out into an even layer. If desired, gently tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to bring any air bubbles to the top, then use a toothpick or skewer to remove any large air bubbles and smooth them out.
- Make the water bath: Add the boiling water you started before the filling to a large roasting pan until it is about 1-inch deep. Carefully place the wrapped springform pan into the roasting pan. Make sure to be very careful because the water will be hot!
- Bake: Lift the roasting pan up by the handles and place it in the oven. Bake according to the recipe or until the edges of the cheesecake are set and the center is still slightly jiggly.
- Cool in the oven: Leaving the cheesecake in the oven, turn the oven off, crack the oven door, and allow to cool for one hour.
- Finishing cooling and chill: After the cheesecake has cooled for 1 hour in the oven with the door cracked, remove the roasting pan with the cheesecake from the oven. Carefully remove the springform pan and discard the foil and oven bag. Transfer the springform pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, cover tightly and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for several hours or overnight.
Hi Danielle: I like the suggestion you wrote in regard to make a cheesecake. I did 1 yesterday and I had to keep in the oven for 5 hours with the door shut before taking it out. I like that yours is much simpler. Especially the 1 where you suggest using oven cooking bags with the aluminum foil. Also, you say “Use a roasting pan.
It s such a good idea being you don’t always have a pan that’s big enough to fit the
9” springform mold.
Thank you, Suzanne! So glad you found it helpful!