The flavors in this Apple Crumble Cheesecake are seriously to die for! It's made with a graham cracker crust, a cheesecake filling with an apple butter layer, then finished with diced apples and an oat crumble. Sweet, tangy, crisp, and creamy - this cheesecake recipe's got it all.
During the fall, I am all about incorporating fresh apples into my cooking and baking. If you're looking for new ways to use up fresh apples, check out my Apple Cider Martini, Chewy Apple Cider Cookies, Air Fryer Apples, and Chunky Apple Cinnamon Granola.
Or for a savory way to use up apples, you might like Kale Apple Slaw or Apple Turkey Burgers!
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📋 About the Recipe
- Not too sweet! This apple crumble cheesecake is made with a great mix of sweet, tart, tangy flavors from the granny smith apples, apple butter, and brown sugar.
- Homemade graham cracker crust. Although you can purchase a graham cracker crust, making your own at home is so incredibly easy, you'll be surprised! I like it in these strawberry cheesecake bars, as well!
- Low stress recipe. Just like my Kosher For Passover Cheesecake, this apple cheesecake is low stress. The top of the apple crumble cheesecake is covered with apples and a crumb, so there's no need to worry about cracking or superficial marks on the top of the cheesecake!
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Graham crackers - I prefer to use the cinnamon graham crackers, but regular honey graham crackers are a great option, too.
- Apple butter - I highly recommend using my Instant Pot Apple Butter because I know that the texture and consistency of the apple butter works well with the cheesecake filling. You can use a store bought apple butter, but make sure it is a thinner variety.
- Cream cheese - Full fat, plain cream cheese is the only cream cheese I recommend. Avoid whipped varieties - they have too much air in them and will greatly affect the texture of the filling.
- Oats - For the best crumb texture, use rolled oats. Steel cut oats will not work for this cheesecake.
- Eggs - Room temperature eggs are necessary for making the smoothest, luscious cream cheese layer. Before baking, set your eggs on the kitchen counter for at least 30 minutes before starting.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
- Graham cracker crust substitute: Use a store-bought crust, if preferred or needed.
- Apples substitute: Try another tart apple variety like Pink Lady.
📓 Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Additionally, line the bottom of the pan with a round piece of parchment paper.
- Make the crust. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter. Stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to the bottom of the springform pan, then press into an even layer, covering both the bottom and some of the sides. I find this easiest to do using the bottom of a cup or jar.
- Blind bake the crust. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then allow to cool while you prepare the rest of the cheesecake.
- Start the cheesecake filling. Add the cream cheese and brown sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until light and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Add in the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat again until combined, an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust. Pour half of the cheesecake filling over the cheesecake crust, then carefully spread the apple butter in a thin, even layer over top of the cheesecake layer. Top the apple butter layer with the remaining cheesecake filling in a smooth, even layer.
- Make the crumb topping. In a medium-sized bowl, add the cold butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the other ingredients until it creates a pea-sized crumb.
- Top cheesecake with diced apples and crumb topping. I recommend doing this in an even layer for an even bake.
- Bake. Bake the apple crumble cheesecake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top and slightly jiggly in the middle.
- Cool completely. Place the cheesecake on a wire rack as close to the oven as possible. The residual heat from the oven will help it cool gradually and prevent cracking. Once cooled to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours (preferably overnight).
- Serve. I love serving this apple crumble cheesecake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce overtop!
❄️ How to Store
To store: Leftover apple crumble cheesecake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For best results, store leftovers in an airtight container or tightly covered with plastic wrap. If improperly covered, the cheesecake can dry out.
To freeze: Cheesecake freezes well, but for best results, freeze for no longer than 1 month. For best results, cool and chill the apple crumble cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight before freezing. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before slicing and serving as usual.
🔍 FAQs
Not safely. Cheesecake is made primarily of highly perishable ingredients and can grow bacteria if left out at room temperature for long periods of time. If you accidentally left your cheesecake out overnight, the safest thing to do would be to discard it.
If your cheesecake collapsed, it is possible you over mixed the filling. Doing so whips too much air into the cheesecake causing it to inflate when baking and then deflate and collapse when cooling. To prevent this, make sure to use room temperature eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese. Room temperature ingredients are easier to combine and require less mixing.
A cheesecake that is finished baking will be golden brown on the top and have a wobbly center. The center will continue to set as it cools so it is okay that it is not completely set!
💭 One More Tip
Use full-fat sour cream and cream cheese. I have only tested this apple crumble cheesecake using full-fat dairy. Lower fat versions will be more watery and are very likely to need additional adjustments. For best results, please do not attempt to make substitutions.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
Apple Crumble Cheesecake
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or handheld beaters
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full crackers, crushed) I like to use cinnamon graham crackers
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Brown Sugar Cheesecake
- 24 ounces (3 bricks) plain cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup apple butter
For the Apple and Cinnamon Oat Crumble
- 6 tablespoons (¾ of a stick) unsalted butter, cold
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups peeled, cored, and diced granny smith apple (about 1 apple)
For Serving
- vanilla ice cream optional
- caramel sauce optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a 9-inch round springform pan by spraying it with nonstick spray and lining the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper.
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter. Stir together until crumbs are evenly moistened. Add mixture to the bottom of the springform pan, using the bottom of a cup or jar to spread the crumbs into an even layer, covering both the bottom and some of the sides.
- Bake crust for 10 minutes, then allow to cool while you make the rest of the cheesecake.
- Make the cheesecake: Add cream cheese and brown sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until fully combined, light, and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add in eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat again until combined, about another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour half the cheesecake batter over the cooled graham cracker crust. Carefully spread apple butter in a thin, even layer over top of the cheesecake batter. (*SEE NOTES*) Pour remaining half of cheesecake filling over the apple butter.
- Make the apple crumb topping: To a medium bowl, add cold butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the other ingredients until it creates a pea-sized crumb.
- Top cheesecake batter with an even layer of diced apples. Then, sprinkle the apple crumb topping on top of the apples.
- Bake cheesecake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top and just slightly jiggly in the middle. If you have an instant read thermometer, the internal temperature should register 150 to 155 degrees F.
- Remove cheesecake from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack as close to the oven as possible. The residual heat will help it cool gradually, so it does not crack. Once cheesecake has cooled, cover it and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
- Serve sliced cheesecake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce over top.
Notes
- Use full-fat cream cheese and sour cream. Low fat alternatives may alter the texture of the cheesecake.
- *If your apple butter is too thick to spread over the cheesecake batter. You can either a) heat the apple butter for 30 seconds in your microwave to try and lightly melt it, or b) simply add dollops of apple butter throughout the cheesecake, instead of spreading it in an even layer.
Nutrition
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Katie says
This dessert was incredible! Easy to make and came out perfectly. It had a sweeter/more mild taste than most cheesecakes which I loved. Can’t wait to make again!
Alana Lieberman says
Easily one of my favorite cheesecakes! So happy you enjoyed it as much as we do 🙂