Galatoire’s Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe (2024)

By R. W. Apple Jr.

Galatoire’s Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe (1)

Total Time
1¼ hours, plus chilling
Rating
5(674)
Notes
Read community notes

This recipe is adapted from a popular dessert served at Galatoire's, a famed New Orleans restaurant founded on Bourbon Street, in 1905. A simple graham cracker crust is filled with cinnamon-spiced sweet potato cheesecake then topped with a lightly-sweetened layer of sour cream. It is to die for.

Featured in: In the Kingdom Of the Sweet Potato

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have

    10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers.

    Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Print Options

    Include recipe photo

Advertisem*nt

Ingredients

Yield:12 servings

    For the Crust

    • 1½ cups (180 g) graham cracker crumbs (from about 12 whole graham crackers)
    • ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
    • ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter, melted

    For the Cheesecake Filling

    • 1(8-ounce / 225-g) package cream cheese, softened
    • 1cup (200 g) sugar
    • ¼ cup (55 g) packed light brown sugar
    • 1¾ cups (270 g) mashed sweet potatoes (see note)
    • 2large eggs, slightly beaten
    • ⅔ cup (165 ml) evaporated milk
    • 2tablespoons cornstarch
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

    For the Topping

    • 2cups (480 ml) sour cream, room temperature (1 16-ounce container)
    • ⅓ cup (65 g) sugar
    • 1teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

439 calories; 25 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 36 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 222 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Galatoire’s Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until combined. Press evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until set but not brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool.

  2. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and brown sugar, beating until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add sweet potatoes, eggs, evaporated milk, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg, beating until well combined. Pour into crust. Bake until edge is set, 45 to 55 minutes.

  3. Step

    3

    Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla to combine. Spread over warm cheesecake. Return to oven, and bake until just set, 5 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Remove side of pan, and chill at least 5 hours and preferably overnight.

Tip

  • For the mashed sweet potatoes, you’ll need to roast 1 pound (455 g) sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sweet potatoes). Using a fork, pierce the potatoes in several places then roast in a 400°F oven until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half, scoop out the flesh, and mash until smooth.

Ratings

5

out of 5

674

user ratings

Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

bobsutis

With apologies to Galatoire's, I tinkered with the recipe. I used triple ginger thins with butter but no sugar for the crust, and added the zest of an orange and a splash of vanilla to the sweet potato filling. Turned out great!

Ronnie

I found this in The New York Times Dessert Cookbook a couple of years ago and have made it several times. Delicious and easy to make. My only hint: don't go overboard on the crust, keep it thin. I'm a novice baker and made mine too thick on my last try.

Michelle

I followed this recipe exactly as written and I wouldn't want to change a single ingredient. This cheesecake was light, delicately sweet and simply heavenly. Will be making it again for the fourth time this year.

Sara Horton

This looks delicious. I have a pumpkin cheesecake recipe, and with that I often make a gingersnap crust. I think that would work nicely here.

Bella

I am a very avid baker but have never been moved to write a review on a recipe- until now. This is hands down the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. The sweet potato cheesecake filling is beautifully smooth and perfectly sweet (I did half the sugar because the potatoes were already naturally sweet). And the sour cream topping... that tangy addition takes it over the top! It’s a dangerous thing to make- I’m already on my second serving :)

Stephanie

What is your pumpkin cheesecake recipe?

Reuben

Hey...went step by step and it was a hit.... I'm a baker but this recipe is on point

Frances

So good, delicately spiced, and every bite makes you want to eat more. I was quite alarmed because the cheesecake batter seemed too thin, but it set nicely.

Mrs Castille

Followed this recipe exactly, came out beautiful and delicious. I wish i could post a picture, my husband can not get enough.

Deb

Made exactly as written, chilled overnight, and was rewarded with an incredible dessert. Huge hit at a Thanksgiving table filled with picky chefs.

Es

This was so good! Virtually inhaled at the Thanksgiving table. Made 2 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator until a few hours prior to serving. It cut easily. I loved it: not too sweet, subtle flavor, beautiful to look at, and relatively easy to make. The crust was made the old-fashioned way, crushing Graham crackers, mixing them with the butter and sugar, and then pressing them against the pan. The spring-form upper slid right off and I kept it on the bottom piece to just before slicing.

Liz

Wonderful! Prepared exactly as written, this was perhaps the best dessert I've ever made. From now on, this will be joining my standard Thanksgiving repertoire.

Karen

To answer my own question: It works!

Coleen Lawlor

Made as written twice was enjoyed by all most people has seconds. Several guests asked for the recipe. This cake is lovely looking and easy to serve. My pan is an eight inch not nine and it worked out beautifully. The added height was dramatic. I found pushing the crust up higher on pan made it thinner and worked well. I did cook the cake the maximum time. I cooled it one and a half hours at room temp and then chilled for 6 hours before serving. For the response this is an easy cake to make.

cadiejill

Amazing! I roasted my sweet potatoes the night before I planned to make the cheesecake, made the cheese cake the following evening and then served the next day. I sifted a little cinnamon on top and it made for a lovely presentation. My fellow diners thought it was a store bought cheesecake. It looked so perfect. It tasted better than it looked. This will be my new go-to Thanksgiving dessert. It was so easy to make!

k

This was a terrific recipe- I used gluten free graham crackers no sugar in crust and added ground pecans and added orange juice and zest to sweet potatoes as well as orange liqueur. Substituted Greek yogurt for sour cream on top. Excellent!

hard crust

I love this recipe but often the crust comes out quite hard, almost cement-like. Anyone else experience this or have any tips to avoid?

jmack

I baked this once following the recipe and again with changes: gingersnap crust with @50g of butter; added a couple T of goat cheese that I had hanging around;@290g sw potatoes, 3/4 c sugar, 1/2 cup cream, no evap milk; no cornstarch; 2 egg yolks; added ground ginger and vanilla. I riced the sw potatoes and used a food processor to blend with cheese, milk. Beat egg whites separately and folded in. The second version was taller with a silkier texture and tasted more like sweet potatoes.

Maria

Delicious! I recommend you serve chilled rather than warmed to room temperature. The topping gets too tangy when it's warm.

Montgomery

Made this with canned pumpkin instead of sweet potato and it was DELICIOUS. So many compliments - everyone loved it!

jmack

Made this as a test for T.Day. Used gingersnaps for crust. Only needed one large sw potato to easily make 270 g. Couple of T skyr yogurt to make up shortage of sour cream, worked fine. All else was the same. Agree with Elizabeth with lack of cheesecake flavor. I'll do a 50/50 crust if this is the one that makes the cut. I'm also going to try this (left overs) ringed with cranberry relish. Trying Cranberry Cheesecake Tart next!

denise

Nov 2023 for book group. Great! Made crust one day - added some ginger cookies to graham crackers. Baked sweet potatoes another day- 3 medium ones. Put together and cooked a day ahead and then put on refrigerator.

mc

Call me a heathen all you want, I quartered the recipe because I had 1/2 a sweet potato I wanted to use. Ran out of graham crackers so mixed with pretzels. Made these in mini muffin tins and got like 20 mini cheesecakes. Baked for 16 minutes then added topping and baked for 4 minutes more. Add a dash of salt to your crust. Super light and tasty and I think I’m going to add candied pecans as a garnish for a little texture.

Elizabeth

Great! I didn’t make as written because I was out of ingredients I thought I had. I subbed arrowroot for the cornstarch, and ran out of white sugar, so used more brown in the batter. I boiled the sweet potatoes before seeing the note about roasting them. Oops! Despite all these mistakes it was delicious. Didn’t have a ton of cheesecake flavor, but was excellent.

Patricia Loves Shakespeare

This is simple and delicious and, surprisingly for a cheesecake, light. So glad I came across it—it will replace our Costco pumpkin cheesecake. Which is delicious, too, but not quite as light.

Patricia Loves Shakespeare

Thank you for this light and delicious cheesecake recipe. It definitely will see duty in the coming holidays.

Michelle

Used GF graham crackers without additional sugar in the crust and it was perfect! Added only 1/4 cup coconut sugar & 1/4 brown sugar as sweet potatoes added plenty. Turned a pretty mocha color, prettied up with out of season strawberries-a rich and satisfying treat.

Sheena E.

I did a double recipe because I wasn’t totally sure about the sour cream layer—so one cheesecake with and one without. They were both delicious but the one with the sour cream layer was INSANELY better. I couldn’t believe how different it was. Absolute perfection and looked so impressive for how simple it was. Also, I had canned yams in my cupboard that I was never going to use and successfully substituted these strained for the fresh cooked.

KC

Anyone try this in miniature? I'd love to make it in mini muffin tins.

LA Reader

Used 50/50 graham crackers and ginger snaps as someone recommended. Doubled the cinnamon because I love it, skipped the nutmeg because I don't, added ginger, vanilla, and orange zest (again as someone recommended). There was not a bite of this left, truly a five-star recipe.

Private notes are only visible to you.

Galatoire’s Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my no bake cheesecake sloppy? ›

If your cheese cake doesn't taste creamy, or if it's gone runny despite using fridge-cold ingredients, the most likely reason is that you used low fat ingredients. Use full fat cream cheese (ideally 33% fat or higher) and heavy cream (around 37% fat).

Why do you put eggs in cheesecake? ›

Cheesecakes include eggs in them for a variety of reasons, the most essential of which is the structure of the custard and keeping everything together. Flour, sugar, vanilla, lemon peel, and cream cheese are all used in the basic recipe.

Why did my cheesecake rise like a souffle? ›

When all that trapped air hits the hot oven, it expands, causing your cheesecake to rise up like a souffle and then settle once out of the oven," Field told us. If it settles unevenly, which is highly likely, you get cracking.

Why is cheesecake the best dessert? ›

It Tastes Good With All Kinds Of Toppings

Cheesecakes complement all kinds of flavors and taste wonderful no matter what the topping. You can experiment with multiple toppings, such as whipped cream, nuts, peanut butter, jellies, and even caramel, to create different versions of the same dish.

How to thicken up a no-bake cheesecake? ›

To thicken a no-bake cheesecake, refrigerate it for an extended period or consider adding dissolved gelatin, more cream cheese, or Greek yogurt to the mixture before chilling. Now, when we venture into the territory of no-bake cheesecakes, the plot thickens.

How do you keep a no-bake cheesecake firm? ›

No-bake cheesecake needs time to firm up, and speeding up the process by placing it in the freezer won't help. Instead, play by the rules and refrigerate for 6 hours or ideally overnight. You can also freeze cheesecake (see instructions below); it makes a great make-ahead dessert!

What not to do when making cheesecake? ›

Cold ingredients are a big no-no when it comes to cheesecake. If your ingredients are cold you will have to mix them longer which will whip too much air into your batter. If the cake has too much air, it will rise too much in the oven and then the middle will sink when cooling. Nobody wants a sad, sunken cheesecake.

Is 350 too hot for cheesecake? ›

To prevent serious cracking, cheesecakes should always be baked in a moderate (325 to 350 degrees) oven. Thick cheesecakes (greater than 1½ to 2 inches deep) bake more uniformly at the lower end of this temperature spectrum.

What happens if you over mix cheesecake batter? ›

When making your filling, overmixing can lead to incorporating too much air into the batter. Once baked, the air bubbles will burst, and the cheesecake will fall and crack. THE FIX: The number one reason why you'd overbeat your batter is because you're having dificulty incorporating cold ingredients.

What makes New York cheesecake different? ›

Regular cheesecake relies on heavy cream and sour cream to thin the batter and create a silkier, creamier texture. New York cheesecake is heavy on the cream cheese which is why it's so dense and rich. Extra cream cheese isn't the only thing that makes New York cheesecake so special.

What is the difference between New York style and Philadelphia style cheesecake? ›

New York is not the only place in America that puts its own spin on cheesecakes. In Chicago, sour cream is added to the recipe to keep it creamy. Meanwhile, Philadelphia cheesecake is known for being lighter and creamier than New York style cheesecake and it can be served with fruit or chocolate toppings.

What is the most popular cheesecake? ›

We've rounded up our most popular, most delicious cheesecake recipes so that you can nail dessert every time.
  • 1Brioche cheesecake. ...
  • 2Roasted strawberries and cream cheesecake. ...
  • 3Coconut cheesecake with lime and passionfruit sauce. ...
  • 4Triple choc upside-down cheesecake. ...
  • 5Caramel chocolate cheesecake. ...
  • 6Jelly jaffa cheesecake.

Why did my cheesecake come out soggy? ›

Liquid can also come out of a cheesecake if it is overbaked as the proteins in the cream cheese mixture start to tighten too much and squeeze out the water. The cheesecake should still be quite jiggly when it comes out of the oven, even though it will have risen and formed a crust on the surface.

Why did my no bake cheesecake curdle? ›

Cheesecake can split or curdle for a few reasons – often it's down to the temperature of ingredients. When making cheesecakes (particularly no-bake cheesecakes) the soft cream cheese MUST be full fat, but it should also be at room temperature. However, the double cream should still be cold.

What does it mean when your cheesecake is runny? ›

You might worry a runny middle means raw cheesecake, but it's totally safe and normal. The center will firm up as it cools on a cooling rack, resulting in the smooth surface you want. Test Kitchen Tip: Cheesecakes made with sour cream should jiggle a little more and will have a larger soft spot in the center.

How to fix lumpy no bake cheesecake? ›

You can either pour the mixture into a pot at a low temperature or put it in a bowl over warm water. Stir continuously until all the cream cheese lumps are melted, and the mixture is completely smooth. It is also a good method to fix cheesecake batters that are curdled or split.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Patricia Veum II

Last Updated:

Views: 5901

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (44 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Patricia Veum II

Birthday: 1994-12-16

Address: 2064 Little Summit, Goldieton, MS 97651-0862

Phone: +6873952696715

Job: Principal Officer

Hobby: Rafting, Cabaret, Candle making, Jigsaw puzzles, Inline skating, Magic, Graffiti

Introduction: My name is Patricia Veum II, I am a vast, combative, smiling, famous, inexpensive, zealous, sparkling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.