Apple Crumble Cheesecake

Our apple crumble cheesecake recipe features a crunchy graham cracker crust, silky cheesecake filling with a hint of cinnamon and an easy apple crumble topping! This autumn-inspired dessert is the ultimate showstopper and perfect for your next holiday gathering!

We’re celebrating the first days of apple season with this cozy apple crumble cheesecake! Velvety cheesecake, tart apples and a crunchy streusel topping, this apple crumble cheesecake recipe is the perfect baking project for the first weekends of fall.

And if you need more ways to use up your apple harvest, make sure to check out our apple crisp with polenta streusel and apple fritters with pecans!

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Here are the key ingredients in our apple crumble cheesecake:

• Graham cracker crumbs. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until they reach a fine, sand-like consistency. Alternatively, you can use digestive biscuits or gingersnap cookies.
• Cream cheese. Make sure to buy full-fat cream cheese and let it come to room temperature before using. Philadelphia cream cheese or any other brand of full-fat cream cheese will work well.
• Sour cream. Sour cream adds a subtle tangy flavor and ensures our cheesecake isn’t overly heavy.
• Eggs. The eggs should be incorporated one at a time, mixing each until just combined. Avoid overmixing, which can lead to a denser, less creamy texture.
• Apples. We always opt for Granny Smith apples because they have a beautiful tartness and hold up well during baking.
• Maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is mixed with the apples to add a rich, caramel-like sweetness to the apple crumble topping.
• Cinnamon. A bit of cinnamon is incorporated into every layer of this apple crumble cheesecake recipe to impart warm and cozy autumn flavor!

Step by Step Instructions

Cheesecake

We’ll start off with our favorite cheesecake recipe. The crust is made with crushed graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. Although if you wanted to add a little more fall flavor, you could switch out the graham crackers for gingersnaps or your favorite crispy spice cookies.

As for the cheesecake filling itself, it’s light and creamy, not overly sweet and spiced with just a bit of cinnamon! You’ll need a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan for this apple crumble cheesecake recipe. Springform pans have sides that unfasten with a latch, which makes removing the cheesecake a cinch.

Apple Crumble Topping

Our topping is made up of two parts: spiced apples and a crunchy streusel. It might sound like a bit of work, but both components are super easy to whip up!

The apple topping consists of chopped apples mixed with maple syrup and cinnamon. Granny smith apples are perfect for this recipe as their crisp tartness pairs extremely well with the creamy cheesecake. But really honeycrisp, golden delicious and gala apples would all make great substitutes.

One quick tip: When transfering the apples to the cheesecake, use a slotted spoon to avoid getting too much liquid on the cheesecake.

The crispy streusel is made by cutting cold butter into a mixture of flour, rolled oats and brown sugar. To make this process easier, first cut the cold butter into small cubes. Then use a pastry knife, a pair of forks or even your hands to work the mixture together until it begins forming clumps. Sprinkle the streusel over the apples and your apple crumble cheesecake is ready to bake!

Baking Apple Crumble Cheesecake

To recap, this cheesecake can be assembled in four easy steps.

1. Prebake the crust for 10 minutes and let it cool to room temperature.
2. Pour in the cheesecake filling.
3. Add a layer of spiced chopped apples.
4. Sprinkle the streusel over the top and bake!

When it comes to bake time, this apple crumble cheesecake generally takes about 75 minutes in the oven. But I would recommend to start checking at the hour mark and go up to an hour and a half if necessary. Only bake longer if absolutely necessary! The cheesecake should be set around the edges, but still quite jiggly in the center. Make sure not to overbake to avoid a dry texture.

Expert Tips & Tricks

• It’s all about the cream cheese. Use full-fat cream cheese in block form. Spreads or reduced fat cream cheeses just won’t hold up in this recipe.
• Use room temperature ingredients. Ideally all ingredients should be at room temperature to make blending easier, but this is especially important for the cream cheese. Using cold cream cheese will give your apple crumble cheesecake a lumpy texture.
• Don’t overmix the batter. When adding the eggs, make sure to mix until just incorporated. Overmixing the eggs into the batter can add too much air, which may cause the cheesecake to deflate a bit during baking.
• Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature before transfering to the refrigerator. Because it will also need an additional six hours in the fridge, this cheesecake is best baked a day in advance.

Storage and Freezing Instructions

Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

This apple crumble cheesecake can also be frozen for several months, but the texture will be slightly changed. To freeze, wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil.

Recipe Variations

• Switch up the crust. There are lots of crushed cookies that would work well with this apple crumble cheesecake recipe. Gingersnaps, digestive biscuits and Biscoff cookies are all great options!
• Spice it up! Add a little extra spice to the crust, cheesecake, crumble topping or all three! I recommend cloves, nutmeg, cardamom or even pumpkin pie spice.
• Experiment with different apple varieties. Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Jonagold and Braeburn are all great options!
• Serve with cinnamon whipped cream. Make homemade whipped cream and infuse it with cinnamon for an extra special topping!

For more of our favorite cheesecake recipes, make sure to check out these posts!

• San Sebastian Cheesecake (Burnt Basque Cheesecake)
• Strawberry White Chocolate Cheesecake
• Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
• Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
• Toblerone Cheesecake
• Matcha Cheesecake

Apple Crumble Cheesecake Recipe

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Brittney
• Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Yield: 12
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 80 minutes
• Category: dessert
• Method: baking
• Cuisine: american

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Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• 2 cups (210 grams) graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake

• 32 ounces (900 grams) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (30 grams) all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (240 grams) sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs

Apple Crumble Topping

• 2 medium granny smith apples*, approximately 2.5 cups (300 grams) peeled, cored and diced
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, cold
• ½ cup (50 grams) rolled oats
• ½ cup (60 grams) all purpose flour
• ⅓ cup (70 grams) brown sugar
• pinch of kosher salt
• caramel sauce for serving (optional)

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Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C) and grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan.
2. In a small bowl combine the finely crushed graham crackers, brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter and mix until completely coated. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the pan to form the crust.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool.

Cheesecake

1. Beat the room temperature cream cheese in a mixing bowl until completely smooth.
2. Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Continue beating until smooth.
3. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Don’t overmix here!
5. Pour the cheesecake batter into the cooled crust.

Apple Crumble Topping

1. Peel, core and chop the apples into ½ inch (12 mm) pieces. Toss the apples with the maple syrup and cinnamon in a small bowl. Use a slotted spoon to gently place in a single layer on top of the cheesecake. Discard any excess liquid.
2. Cut the cold butter into small cubes. Place in a small bowl with the oats, flour, brown sugar, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or a pair of forks to cut the butter into the oat mixture until clumps form. Alternatively, use your hands to work the mixture together.
3. Sprinkle the crumble over the cheesecake in an even layer.

Assembly and Baking

1. With the oven still at 325°F (160°C), place the cheesecake on the center rack . To safeguard against any batter leaking, you can also place the cheesecake on a foil-lined pan.
2. Bake for 75-90 minutes. The outer edges should be set, but the center will still jiggle if moved. If you’re really unsure, you can always test the cheesecake with an instant read thermometer. The center of the cheesecake should be about 145-150°F (63-65°C). Make sure not to overbake to avoid a dry texture.
3. Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for 2 hours. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before releasing from the springform pan and serving.
4. Drizzle with caramel sauce if desired.

Notes

Apple varieties: I tend to use Granny Smith apples for the topping, but Honeycrisp and Pink Lady also work well.

Storing: This cheesecake will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for several months.

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