Eggless New York Chessecake

This Eggless New York Cheesecake is an exquisite dessert with a rich, creamy texture and a perfectly balanced flavor profile. Remarkably indulgent, it mirrors the classic New York-style cheesecake so closely that it’s nearly impossible to tell it’s made without eggs. The base is a beautifully baked cookie crust that adds a delightful crunch, perfectly contrasting the velvety-smooth filling. Every bite melts in your mouth, delivering a luscious, dense creaminess that is both satisfying and elegant. Whether served plain or topped with fruit compote, this cheesecake is a testament to how indulgent and decadent eggless baking can truly be.

Why It’s Called New York Cheesecake?

Cheesecake has ancient roots dating back to 2000 B.C., when the Greeks on the island of Samos used simple ingredients like cheese, honey, and wheat to make an early version of the dessert. The Romans later adapted the recipe by adding eggs and baking it under hot bricks. As their empire expanded, so did variations of cheesecake across Europe.

Fast forward to the 18th century, when Europeans began using beaten eggs instead of yeast, giving cheesecake a more dessert-like flavor. Immigrants brought these refined recipes to America, and by the 1730s, Philadelphia saw its first Cheesecake House Tavern.

The transformation into New York-style cheesecake began in 1872, when a Chester, New York dairy farmer named William A. Lawrence accidentally created cream cheese while trying to replicate French Neufchâtel. This rich, smooth cheese became the cornerstone of what would evolve into the signature New York cheesecake. Packaged as Philadelphia Cream Cheese—a name chosen for marketing appeal—it was actually born in New York.

In the 1920s and ’30s, New York bakers like Arnold Reuben, best known for the Reuben sandwich, began using cream cheese to create a denser, richer cheesecake. The classic New York Cheesecake was born: no toppings, just pure, creamy filling enhanced with extra egg yolks for structure and taste.

Other New York icons, like Lindy’s Restaurant and Junior’s, helped popularize the dessert even further, adding variations like fruit toppings and graham cracker crusts. Despite regional takes worldwide, the name New York Cheesecake stuck because this was where cream cheese-based cheesecake was perfected, standardized, and beloved.

Today, it’s a cultural staple and a point of pride for New Yorkers—celebrated nationally each year on July 30th, National Cheesecake Day.