7 Inch Cheesecake Recipe

Got a small springform pan? 7 Inch Cheesecake recipe is a creamy small batch dessert ideal for any occasion. Garnish with blueberry pie filling, whipped cream, and more!

One of my most popular posts is my 6 Inch Cheesecake recipe.

So many of you love it because you can now make a small cheesecake without being stuck with leftovers.

However, my most FAQ is whether you can make it in a 7 inch springform pan.

Finally, after months asking I’m bringing you my 7 Inch Cheesecake recipe so you never have to guess again.

I do wonder why there are so many different cheesecake pans. You have 6 inch, 7 inch, mini for my 4 inch cheesecake recipe, 9 inch for my classic cheesecake.

Regardless if you own a 7 inch pan, I got you covered.

My 7 inch cheesecake recipe is a small cheesecake for two with a homemade graham cracker crust.

It’s a traditional plain cheesecake, which makes it the perfect blank canvas to add whatever flavor you want on top.

This recipe for 7 inch cheesecake is easy enough to make, but there are some tips and tricks to ensure the best cheesecake. Hence the long post, but it’s the winning formula for the perfect dessert.

No more cracked, lumpy cheesecake!

What pan do I need for a 7 inch cheesecake?

You will need a springform pan for cheesecake. Cheesecake is considered a delicate custard, so you need to remove the sides; you cannot invert it like you would with a cake.

I’ve seen pans at Target, but I bought my 7 inch springform pan from Amazon.

It’s 7 x 3 inch pan, which gives your batter enough room to rise without overflowing or collapsing.

This recipe will not work in a round cake pan because it’ll be too difficult to remove. If you have no other options you probably could, but it may not look pretty when serving.

If you don’t have a springform pan, I highly recommend making my mini cheesecakes or no bake mini cheesecakes in a muffin pan instead as they can easily be removed.

Got mason jars? Make cheesecake in a jar!

You can also make small batch cheesecake in a loaf pan.

How many does a 7 inch cheesecake serve?

You can cut a 7 inch cheesecake into 6-8 slices, which is equivalent to 6-8 servings. The slices are a bit smaller than your traditional 9 inch cheesecake.

I like to think of this as a small cheesecake. Each person gets 2-3 slices to last them throughout the week.

I mean, when was the last time you ate *only* one slice of cheesecake?

If this is still too much cheesecake for you, check out my cheesecake for two recipe.

This recipe does require quite a bit of time to bake in the oven. If you’re looking for something faster, check out my Instant Pot Cheesecake (also made in a 7 inch pan).

Ingredients For 7 Inch Cheesecake

This recipe for 7 inch cheesecake is made up of the following ingredients:

• Graham cracker crumbs: Graham cracker is the most traditional for the crust, but you can use any cookie crumb you want including Oreo. I used a mini food processor to crush mine.
• Butter: Needed to bind the crust
• Cream cheese: It’s not cheesecake without cream cheese! Make sure you’re using full-fat cream cheese as the low fat and fat free versions may make the batter too watery after baking.
• Granulated sugar: Adds a bit of sweetness to balance out the tanginess of the cream cheese
• Eggs: Cheesecake is technically a custard with eggs as they help make a smooth, rich, batter. As with all baking recipes, use large eggs.
• Vanilla: Adds flavor to the batter

How To Make 7 Inch Cheesecake

To make your 7 inch cheesecake recipe, first combine the crumbs and butter then pat it into the bottom and up the sides of your springform pan to form a crust.

Next, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until super smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Beat in the eggs one a time, being careful not to overbeat the batter.

Finally, add the vanilla for flavor.

Transfer the batter to your graham cracker crust and place inside a water bath. Bake at 325F degrees for 65-75 minutes.

Do I need a water bath for cheesecake?

Yes, you need a water bath for a 7 inch cheesecake.

Typically with my 9 inch cheesecake recipes, I don’t use a water bath because it’s wide enough that the middle bakes evenly enough with the top.

However, a 7 inch cheesecake is thicker, which means the top will brown and overbake before the middle is done.

I found this out the hard way through recipe testing. The top was golden brown but the middle was underbaked by probably 10 minutes.

Had I continued baking until the middle was done, the top would’ve overbaked.

By using a water bath, the cheesecake will bake more evenly so the middle finishes baking before the top is too brown.

How to make a water bath

First, wrap the outside bottom of your springform pan in foil to prevent the water from making a soggy crust. Make sure it’s tight so water doesn’t sneak in.

After filling your cheesecake pan with the batter, place it inside an 8×8 pan or larger.

Next, pour hot water into the 8×8 pan until the springform pan is halfway submerged in the water. Be careful you don’t accidentally splash water into the foil.

Now carefully transfer your pan to the oven and bake until done.

How To Know When A Cheesecake Is Done Baking

One of the challenges about baking cheesecake is knowing when it’s done.

The best way to ensure cheesecake is done baking is with a digital thermometer. The internal temperature of a cheesecake should be 150F degrees.

Because cheesecake is technically a custard, it will wiggle in the middle even after it’s done. If it doesn’t wiggle, you overbaked it.

The edges should be firm and brown. Only the direct middle will still slightly jiggle.

Of course this’ll leave a hole in your cheesecake, but you can easily cover that up with cherry pie filling or whipped cream.

How long does cheesecake last?

Cheesecake can last up to 5-7 days in the refrigerator. Hopefully with a small cheesecake, it’ll be gone before then.

Is it ok to leave cheesecake out overnight?

No, cheesecake must be refrigerated overnight because it is perishable with the cream cheese. You can leave it out for a few hours while it cools down, but then you need to refrigerate it.

How To Garnish A Cheesecake

Because a plain cheesecake is essentially a blank canvas, there are plenty of ways to decorate a 7 inch cheesecake.

I used blueberry pie filling on top, but you can also use cherry pie filling.

Not a fan of pie filling? Top with strawberry sauce or swirl in strawberry curd for a smaller version of my strawberry swirl cheesecake.

You can also decorate cheesecake with homemade whipped cream.

To add some chocolate, cover it with ganache or chocolate whipped cream.

Why did my cheesecake crack?

Nothing is more frustrating than spending over an hour baking a cheesecake, just to have the top crack!

Here are several reasons why your cheesecake may have cracked:

• Overbeating: Overbeating the batter incorporates too much air, which causes the cheesecake to puff higher than it should. As it cools, it continues to sink then crack. Only beat it for as long as it takes to mix everything together.
• Overbaking: I get it. You want to make sure your cheesecake is baked in the middle. However, overbaking will result in a dry top, which then results in cracks. Use a digital thermometer to determine the internal temperature reaches 150F.
• Opening the oven door too much: It’s ok to open the oven door when checking for doneness, but you don’t want to do it too early or too many times. Every time you open the door, heat escapes and lowers the oven temperature. Too much drastic change in temperature can cause cracking.

Why is my cheesecake lumpy?

If your cheesecake batter is lumpy, chances are your cream cheese and eggs are too cold.

Make sure they sit out at room temperature until no longer cold to the touch. I let my ingredients sit out about an hour or so, but it’ll depend on how cold your kitchen is (think summer vs. winter).

If your cream cheese is still too cold, microwave (without the foil wrappers!) in 5-10 second increments until no longer cold to the touch. Be careful you don’t accidentally melt it!

To warm up eggs, place them in a warm bowl of water and let sit for about 15 minutes or until no longer cold to the touch.

More 7 Inch Cheesecake Recipes

Fun fact: My 6 inch cheesecake recipes work exactly the same in a 7 inch pan without changes. If you’re looking for more flavors, check out these recipes:

• Chocolate Cheesecake with Oreo Crust
• 6 Inch Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake
• Peanut Butter Cheesecake