This cinnamon roll cheesecake is made with a cinnamon crust, creamy cinnamon swirled cheesecake, and topped with cream cheese glaze.
This cheesecake is a must-make for the holidays. The cinnamon smell with fill your house with an amazing smell that will make you feel festive!
Topped with a drizzle of cream cheese icing and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, every bite is a heavenly combination of sweetness and spice.
Whether enjoyed as a special treat for breakfast or as an irresistible dessert after dinner, this cheesecake is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth craving.
If you love cheesecake recipes as we do, you should check out our mango cheesecake, mini chocolate cheesecakes, Nutella cheesecake, Oreo cheesecake, twix cheesecake, and our Biscoff cheesecake. You will love all of these recipes!
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Why this recipe works
- Cinnamon swirl- this cheesecake has swirls of buttery cinnamon sugar in the cheesecake just like in cinnamon rolls.
- Cinnamon graham cracker crust- this cheesecake is made with a buttery cinnamon graham cracker crust.
- Texture- the texture of this cheesecake is truly dreamy. It is extra creamy and melt in your mouth delicious!
- Cream cheese icing- it is finally topped with a cream cheese icing just like cinnamon rolls, and has the exact flavor as cinnamon rolls in cheesecake form!
- Occasion- this cheesecake is perfect for the holiday season, birthdays, and any special occasion and is perfect for cinnamon roll lovers!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this cinnamon cheesecake recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and efficiently.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
For the crust
Graham crackers- you will need about 1 ½ cup of graham crackers. If you don’t have graham crackers, you can use tea biscuits, vanilla wafers, and digestive biscuits.
Granulated sugar- the sugar will add sweetness to the crust.
Cinnamon- we love adding extra cinnamon for the crust.
Melted butter- melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds pulses, to make sure that the butter doesn’t boil up and explode in the microwave (been there done that), or melt it on the stovetop.
For the filling
Cream cheese- Make sure that you are using full-fat cream cheese, for a cheesecake with no cracks, you must use full-fat cream cheese and make sure that it’s at room temperature.
Granulated sugar- you will need one cup of granulated sugar for this recipe. The cheesecake will be sweet, but not too sweet. One cup of sugar is the perfect balance of sweetness for this recipe.
Eggs- you will need 3 large eggs for this recipe. To get a perfect classic cheesecake, make sure that the eggs are at room temperature.
Cornstarch- we used cornstarch, you can use flour instead.
Vanilla extract- vanilla extract adds extra flavor.
Sour cream- we suggest using full-fat sour cream for this recipe. The sour cream makes the cheesecake batter creamier and lighter.
For the cinnamon swirl
Butter- melt the butter.
Brown sugar– we like using light brown sugar for the filling.
Cinnamon– You will need 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon for the filling.
Instructions
Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and preheat an oven to 180c (350f).
Make the crust: pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. If you don’t have a food processor on hand, place the crackers in a Ziplock bag and smash the crackers with a cup until fine crumbs form.
Into a small to medium mixing bowl, add the graham crackers crumbs, cinnamon, sugar, and melted butter. Mix with a spoon until the crumbs are coated with butter.
Transfer the crumbs into a prepared 9-inch cake pan, pressing evenly and firmly into the pan.
Bake the crust in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 5-8 minutes. Keep an eye on the crust and make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the crust out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
Into a small mixing bowl, add the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix well and set aside.
Lower the temperature to 140c (280f). In a big mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract and mix with an electric hand mixer until the cream cheese is creamy.
Whisk the eggs with a fork, add them to the cream cheese batter, add the sour cream, and mix until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
Add the cornstarch (I suggest sifting the cornstarch) into the mixture and beat it on medium speed until the mixture is just combined. Make sure you don't overbeat the mixture.
Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust, and release air bubbles by tapping the pan onto a flat surface. Top the cake with the cinnamon filling and make a swirl with a knife.
Bake the cheesecake in a 140c (280f) preheated oven for about an hour or until the edges of the cheesecake are set, but the middle is a bit jiggly.
Open the oven door halfway, and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature for 1-2 hours.
After the cheesecake is cooled, wrap the cheesecake with a plastic wrap tightly, and place the cheesecake in the fridge to cool completely for at least 5 hours.
Make the cream cheese icing: into a small-medium bowl, add the softened butter, and soften the cream cheese, powder sugar, and pinch of salt. Mix with a whisk until well combined.
Run a thin knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Carefully release the springform.
Top the cheesecake with the cream cheese icing and smooth it out using a spatula. Top with extra cinnamon and serve!
Expert Tips
- Make sure that you are using room-temperature cream cheese in this recipe, this step makes it easier to mix the cream cheese with no unnecessary lumps, we don’t want that.
- Use a springform tin. We use springform tins for all of our cheesecake recipes. This makes sure that your cake will be easy to release from the pan.
- Use high-fat cream cheese or the well-known Philadelphia cream cheese. Using full-fat cream cheese ensures you that your cheesecake will be stable and will not crack.
- Let your cheesecake cool in the fridge for at least 5 hours. We know it’s very hard to resist eating this delicious cheesecake right away, but you have to let the cheesecake cool and set it in the pan. We like to let the cheesecake sit in the fridge overnight.
- For a smooth and creamy cheesecake, make sure that you are using room-temperature ingredients. Before you begin to make this cheesecake, make sure that your cream cheese is completely soft, and that your eggs are at room temperature.
- Don’t overbeat the mixture! It's really easy to overbeat the mixture, and that is one of the most common mistakes. To avoid overbeating your mixture, make sure that you lower the speed of the hand mixer and add each egg at a time.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that has no cream cheese lumps.
- Don't open the oven door before the cake is fully baked or about to be baked! Drastic changes in the temperature of the cake while baking can cause the cake to collapse or crack.
Faq's
Overbaking cheesecake is a common mistake that causes the cheesecake to crack or even burn.
You will know that your cheesecake is done baking when you see that the edges of the cheesecake are set, but the middle is a bit jiggly. The middle of the cake will be set in the cooling process.
Cutting cheesecake, the right way is essential. To get even and clean cheesecake slices, make sure that you are using a serrated knife.
Our favorite way to cut cheesecake and cakes is by dipping a long knife into hot water, once the knife warms up, wipe off the excess water, and slice the cake. Dip and wipe the knife between every slice.
This cheesecake will last up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
We made this cheesecake in a 9-inch springform pan, 8-inch will work great as well!
Storing
Store this cheesecake in the fridge (because it contains dairy) covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
Freezing
This cheesecake freezes great! to freeze this cheesecake, bake it according to the instructions, then cool it according to the instructions in the fridge.
When the cake is completely cooled, you can freeze the cake covered in a few layers of plastic wrap or foil. This cheesecake will freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the cheesecake in the fridge overnight.
Substitutions
Gluten-free- This recipe is really easy to turn gluten-free, simply replace the graham crackers with gluten-free graham crackers, or with gluten-free digestive biscuits. Also, replace the flour with cornstarch.
Digestive biscuits- People outside of America usually don’t have graham crackers. Don’t worry! You can use tea biscuits, vanilla wafers, and digestive biscuits.
Variations
Vanilla Oreos- replace the classic graham crackers with vanilla ones for a vanilla oreo lover!
Biscoff cookie crust- cinnamon goes perfectly with biscoff lotus flavor, use my swap the graham crackers with biscoff cookie crumbs and skip adding the sugar.
Vanilla bean- add the inside of the vanilla bean and add it to the cheesecake mixture instead of the vanilla extract. Or use a vanilla bean extract.
Pecan graham cracker crust- swap ⅓ cup of graham crackers with finely chopped pecans for a delicious crust twist.
Equipment
- You will need a 9-inch springform pan for this cheesecake. I love this set from Amazon.
- You will also need a food processor to make the crust (if you are not using a store-bought crust).
- I recommend using an electric hand mixer to make sure your cheesecake mixture is smooth and perfect. You can also use a stand mixer for this with a balloon attachment.
More cinnamon recipes
Ginger molasses cookies- These ginger molasses cookies are made with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg which makes these cookies the warmest spiced cookies.
Pecan upside down cake- This pecan upside down cake is made with a moist and simple vanilla cake and topped with an easy caramel pecan topping.
Pumpkin cinnamon rolls- These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are soft, made with pumpkin puree and fall spices in the dough, filled with cinnamon filling, and topped with maple cream cheese icing. These are a dream!
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake With Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
Crust
- 4.2 oz Graham crackers crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ cup Butter melted
Filling
- 23.6 oz Cream cheese softened
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 5.6 oz Sour cream room temp
- 3 Eggs
- 3 tablespoon Cornstarch
Cinnamon swirl
- ½ cup Butter melted, unsalted
- ¾ cup Brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon Cinnamon
Cream cheese glaze
- 4.2 oz Cream cheese softened
- 1.4 oz Butter softened, unsalted
- 1 cup Powder sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and preheat an oven to 180c (350f).
- Make the crust: pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. If you don’t have a food processor on hand, place the crackers in a Ziplock bag and smash the crackers with a cup until fine crumbs form.
- Into a small to medium mixing bowl, add the graham crackers crumbs, cinnamon, sugar, and melted butter. Mix with a spoon until the crumbs are coated with butter.
- Transfer the crumbs into a prepared 9-inch cake pan, pressing evenly and firmly into the pan.
- Bake the crust in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 5-8 minutes. Keep an eye on the crust and make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the crust out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
- Into a small mixing bowl, add the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix well and set aside.
- Lower the temperature to 140c (280f). In a big mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract and mix with an electric hand mixer until the cream cheese is creamy.
- Whisk the eggs with a fork, add them to the cream cheese batter, add the sour cream, and mix until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Add the cornstarch (I suggest sifting the cornstarch) into the mixture and beat it on medium speed until the mixture is just combined. Make sure you don't overbeat the mixture.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust, and release air bubbles by tapping the pan onto a flat surface. Top the cake with the cinnamon filling and make a swirl with a knife.
- Bake the cheesecake in a 140c (280f) preheated oven for about an hour or until the edges of the cheesecake are set, but the middle is a bit jiggly.
- Open the oven door halfway, and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- After the cheesecake is cooled, wrap the cheesecake with a plastic wrap tightly, and place the cheesecake in the fridge to cool completely for at least 5 hours.
- Make the cream cheese icing: into a small-medium bowl, add the softened butter, and soften the cream cheese, powder sugar, and pinch of salt. Mix with a whisk until well combined.
- Run a thin knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Carefully release the springform.
- Top the cheesecake with the cream cheese icing and smooth it out using a spatula. Top with extra cinnamon and serve!
Notes
- Make sure that you are using room-temperature cream cheese in this recipe, this step makes it easier to mix the cream cheese with no unnecessary lumps, we don’t want that.
- Use a springform tin. We use springform tins for all of our cheesecake recipes. This makes sure that your cake will be easy to release from the pan.
- Use high-fat cream cheese or the well-known Philadelphia cream cheese. Using full-fat cream cheese ensures you that your cheesecake will be stable and will not crack.
- Let your cheesecake cool in the fridge for at least 5 hours. We know it’s very hard to resist eating this delicious cheesecake right away, but you have to let the cheesecake cool and set it in the pan. We like to let the cheesecake sit in the fridge overnight.
- For a smooth and creamy cheesecake, make sure that you are using room-temperature ingredients. Before you begin to make this cheesecake, make sure that your cream cheese is completely soft, and that your eggs are at room temperature.
- Don’t overbeat the mixture! It's really easy to overbeat the mixture, and that is one of the most common mistakes. To avoid overbeating your mixture, make sure that you lower the speed of the hand mixer and add each egg at a time.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that has no cream cheese lumps.
- Don't open the oven door before the cake is fully baked or about to be baked! Drastic changes in the temperature of the cake while baking can cause the cake to collapse or crack.
Kramer says
Can I use regular sugar in place of brown sugar if needed?
RichandDelish says
Yes!