How to Make an Easy Water Bath for Cheesecake

Using a water bath is essential for even baking and getting smooth crack-free cheesecake. Luckily, it’s not at all hard to do! Let me show you how to make an easy water bath for cheesecake.

A water bath is a method of baking a dish within a pan of hot water. It creates a moist environment in the oven and provides even and gentle baking.

It’s used when baking cheesecake so that the filling sets gradually and evenly in the oven, resulting in a smooth crack-free surface. Without a water bath your cheesecake may crack, so don’t skip it! It might seem like an intimidating step, but I promise it’s actually very easy!

Table of Contents

• What is a water bath?
• Materials you’ll need
• How to make an easy water bath for cheesecake
• What do I do if my cheesecake cracks?
• Cheesecake recipes

What is a water bath?

A “water bath” simply means that whatever you’re baking (like a cheesecake) is placed inside a pan of hot water inside of the oven. So there’s the pan your baked good is baking in, and then another pan surrounding it with hot water.

As I’ve mentioned, it adds moisture which creates a more gentle and gradual baking environment for delicate egg-heavy desserts like cheesecake (crème brulee, flan and other custards may also require a water bath).

Materials you’ll need

There’s nothing too fancy here, you should have everything already in your kitchen (affiliate links below):

• 9×3-inch springform pan (recommended) or round cake pan in which to bake the cheesecake.
• Large roasting pan to hold the hot water.
• A waterproof barrier since most springform pans are not airtight and will leak water. My preferred method is to put my 9-inch springform pan inside a 10-inch cake pan (watch a quick video on why it works so great here). You can also use foil or a slow cooker plastic liner bag.

How to make an easy water bath for cheesecake

1. Prepare crust and filling as directed (you can find my classic cheesecake recipe here).
2. Protect pan as desired with foil, liner bag, or another pan. (If using foil, I like to prep pan before adding crust and filling. If using the other options, do it after cheesecake is in the pan and ready for the oven.)
3. Set prepared pan into large roasting pan.
4. Transfer to the oven.
5. Pour hot water into the roasting pan so it comes up 1-2 inches of the springform pan.

That’s it! Not too hard, right? And well worth the effort. If you follow these suggestions for how to make a water bath, I promise your cheesecake will be silky smooth and exquisite.

What do I do if my cheesecake cracks?

It happens! If you use a water bath and follow my other suggestions, you shouldn’t get cracks. But we’re not perfect, and even I mess up sometimes. If your cheesecake cracks, do not despair! It will still be delicious. Simply cover the cheesecake with a layer of whipped cream or chocolate sauce and no one ever has to know.

Cheesecake recipes