Cream cheese turns an ordinary dessert into something rich, tangy, and impossible to walk past on the counter. It softens into frostings, bakes into dense cheesecakes, and tucks into pastry dough for a bakery-style treat without the bakery price tag. The best cream cheese dessert for most home bakers is a classic New York-style cheesecake, thanks to its dense, tangy texture and the fact that one basic batter leads to dozens of flavor variations.
Whether you want a no-bake summer treat, a holiday showstopper, or a five-minute fruit dip for a potluck, there’s a cream cheese recipe built for the occasion. This list rounds up 19 favorites, from classic cakes to quick cookies and stuffed pastries, plus a few storage tips to keep your bakes from cracking or weeping.
Quick picks:
- Best overall: New York-Style Cheesecake, for its rich, dense classic texture
- Best no-bake option: No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake, ready without turning on the oven
- Best for fall gatherings: Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
- Best quick treat: Strawberry Cream Cheese Fruit Dip, ready in minutes
1. New York-Style Cheesecake
This is the cheesecake you picture when someone says “cheesecake”: dense, creamy, and faintly tangy, with a graham cracker crust underneath.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup melted butter
- 4 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, softened
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method: Bake crust at 350°F for 10 minutes. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth, add eggs one at a time, then sour cream and vanilla. Pour over crust and bake at 325°F for 55 minutes. Cool slowly, then chill 4 hours before slicing.
2. Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Warm spices and shredded carrots make this cake moist, while the tangy frosting cuts through the sweetness perfectly.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 cups shredded carrots
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Method: Mix dry ingredients, then wet ingredients, fold in carrots. Bake in two 9-inch pans at 350°F for 30 minutes. Beat cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar for frosting once cakes cool completely. For more layered favorites, check out our best cake recipes.
3. No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
This one skips the oven completely, setting up in the fridge into a cool, fluffy, strawberry-studded filling.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups whipped topping
- 1 ½ cups diced fresh strawberries
Method: Press crust into a 9-inch pan and chill. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth, fold in whipped topping and strawberries. Spread over crust and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Browse our best strawberry desserts for more fruity ideas like this.
4. Cream Cheese Brownies
Swirls of sweetened cream cheese ripple through fudgy chocolate brownie batter for a marbled, bakery-case look.
Ingredients:
- 1 box brownie mix (or homemade batter for a 9×13 pan)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
Method: Prepare brownie batter and pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla, then dollop over batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes. If you love fudgy chocolate bakes, our decadent 3 ingredient Nutella brownies are worth trying too.
5. Cherry Cream Cheese Danish
Flaky pastry, a sweet cream cheese filling, and tart cherry topping make this taste like a bakery morning treat.
Ingredients:
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup cherry pie filling
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
Method: Cut pastry into squares, score a border, and prick centers. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla, spread in centers, then top with cherry filling. Brush edges with egg wash and bake at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes until golden.
6. Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
This spiced pumpkin cake rolls around a tangy cream cheese filling for a striped slice that feels like fall in dessert form.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 6 tbsp butter, softened
Method: Mix batter and bake in a lined jelly roll pan at 375°F for 13 minutes. Roll warm cake in a towel to cool. Beat filling ingredients, unroll cake, spread filling, and re-roll. Chill before slicing. See more in our best pumpkin desserts collection.
7. Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Bright, tangy lemon meets creamy cheesecake filling in an easy bar form that slices cleanly for parties.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Method: Press crust into a lined 8×8 pan and bake at 350°F for 8 minutes. Beat filling ingredients until smooth, pour over crust, and bake 25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. If citrus is your thing, our 27 lemon desserts list has plenty more to try.
8. Cream Cheese Cookies
These cookies bake up soft and pillowy, with a subtle tang that makes them taste richer than a basic sugar cookie.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 ¾ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
Method: Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar, then add egg and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Scoop onto a lined sheet and bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes until edges turn light gold.
9. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Pie
This no-bake pie layers peanut butter and cream cheese filling into a chocolate crust for a rich, cool slice.
Ingredients:
- 1 chocolate cookie crust
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups whipped topping
- ½ cup chocolate chips, melted (for drizzle)
Method: Beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping and spread into the crust. Drizzle with melted chocolate and chill 3 hours before slicing.
10. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
These muffins hide a sweet cream cheese center inside a moist, spiced pumpkin muffin, like a handheld pumpkin roll.
Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 tbsp sugar (for filling)
Method: Mix muffin batter and fill liners halfway. Beat cream cheese with 3 tablespoons sugar, drop a spoonful into each muffin, then top with more batter. Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes.
11. Basque Burnt Cheesecake
This Spanish-style cheesecake bakes at a high temperature until the top turns deeply caramelized and nearly burnt, with a custardy, crustless center.
Ingredients:
- 32 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup flour
Method: Beat cream cheese and sugar, add eggs one at a time, then cream, salt, and flour. Pour into a parchment-lined springform pan. Bake at 475°F for 50 to 55 minutes until deeply browned on top and jiggly in the center. Cool before slicing.
12. Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
These deep red cupcakes get their signature tang from buttermilk and cocoa, finished with a classic tangy-sweet frosting.
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 oz red food coloring
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Method: Mix batter and bake in lined muffin tins at 350°F for 18 minutes. Beat frosting ingredients and pipe once cupcakes cool. For the full step-by-step, see our delicious red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
13. Strawberry Cream Cheese Fruit Dip
This dip comes together in minutes and turns sliced strawberries, apples, or pretzels into something special.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup strawberry jam
- 1 tsp vanilla
Method: Beat all ingredients together until smooth and fluffy. Chill 20 minutes before serving with fruit or graham crackers. It’s one of the fastest entries on this whole list, done in under 10 minutes.
14. Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
These bars layer crescent dough and sweetened cream cheese filling with a cinnamon-sugar top, tasting like a cross between cheesecake and cinnamon pastry.
Ingredients:
- 2 cans crescent roll dough
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 2 tbsp cinnamon sugar
Method: Press one can of dough into a 9×13 pan. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla, spread over dough, then top with second dough sheet. Drizzle with butter and cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
15. Cream Cheese Pound Cake
This dense, buttery pound cake gets its tight, velvety crumb from cream cheese mixed right into the batter.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp vanilla
Method: Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then alternate flour and vanilla. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake at 325°F for 75 to 85 minutes.
16. Apple Cream Cheese Crescent Ring
This showpiece dessert wraps crescent dough around a cinnamon apple and cream cheese filling, shaped into a ring and drizzled with glaze.
Ingredients:
- 2 cans crescent roll dough
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup diced apples
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup powdered sugar (for glaze)
Method: Arrange crescent triangles in a ring on a baking sheet. Spread cream cheese mixture and apples over the wide ends, fold over, and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Drizzle with glaze once cooled slightly.
17. Oreo Cheesecake
Crushed Oreos in the crust and folded through the filling give this cheesecake a cookies-and-cream flavor in every bite.
Ingredients:
- 24 Oreo cookies, crushed
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 24 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 10 Oreos, chopped (for filling)
Method: Mix crust and press into a springform pan. Beat filling ingredients, fold in chopped Oreos, and pour over crust. Bake at 325°F for 55 minutes, then chill 4 hours.
18. Cream Cheese Banana Bread
Cream cheese folded into the batter makes this banana bread extra moist, with a slightly tangy edge that pairs well with overripe bananas.
Ingredients:
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
Method: Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar, add eggs and bananas, then fold in dry ingredients. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
19. Cream Cheese-Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls
Store-bought or homemade cinnamon roll dough gets a sweet cream cheese center baked right in, so every bite has that tangy pull.
Ingredients:
- 1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls (with icing)
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
Method: Flatten each roll slightly, add a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture to the center, and pinch closed. Bake according to package directions, then top with icing while warm.
Tips for Baking and Storing Cream Cheese Desserts
Always soften cream cheese to room temperature before mixing. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps in batter and frosting that never fully smooth out.
Avoid overbeating cheesecake batter once eggs are added. Too much air causes cracks and sinking as the cake cools.
Bake cheesecakes in a water bath or with a pan of water on the oven’s lower rack. The steam keeps the top from drying out and cracking.
Cool cheesecakes gradually. Crack the oven door and let the cake sit inside for an hour before moving it to the counter, then the fridge.
Store cream cheese desserts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Most frosted cakes and cheesecakes also freeze well for up to 2 months when wrapped tightly.
Let frozen desserts thaw in the refrigerator overnight rather than on the counter, so the texture stays smooth instead of weepy. For more inspiration beyond this list, our best cream cheese desserts roundup and the 26 cream cheese desserts collection are good next stops.
