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Home » Decadent Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

Decadent Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

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Published: 6/09/2016Updated: 8/10/2020
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Sweet and creamy with touch of sea salt, this decadent dulce de leche cheesecake is quite a treat! All the steps are laid out for you in easy-to-follow visuals so you can achieve this decadent dessert right in your own kitchen.

Sweet and creamy with touch of sea salt, this decadent dulce de leche cheesecake is quite a treat! All the steps are laid out for you in easy-to-follow visuals so you can achieve this decadent dessert right in your own kitchen.

Sweet and creamy with touch of sea salt, this decadent dulce de leche cheesecake is quite a treat! All the steps are laid out for you in easy-to-follow visuals so you can achieve this decadent dessert right in your own kitchen.

It’s no secret I love cheesecakes. The taller, the creamier, the better! And preferably with lots of crust.

This time I made one with my all time favorite sweet treat: dulce de leche. I don’t know what took me so long to make this sweet deliciousness, but it did happen. Not once, but twice in one month!

Don’t let the fancy name fool you. Dulce de leche is nothing but cooked sweetened condensed milk. It’s my addiction! So simple, yet so complex. It’s one item I always have in my pantry. Here’s what I do. I buy like 10 cans of sweetened condensed milk at a time (cashiers probably think I have a problem and they’re probably not far off!), stock 5 of them in the pantry, and then boil the other 5 in a large pot of water for a few hours. Boiled cans of sweetened  condensed milk are then cooled and stored in the pantry. Easy peasy, right? I also shared other methods of making homemade dulce de leche, check it out for more details.

Now, let’s dive into the cheesecake. Shall we?

Sweet and creamy with touch of sea salt, this decadent dulce de leche cheesecake is quite a treat!

This cheesecake is massive! With tall, buttery, crumbly crust and smooth creamy cheesecake filling topped with more dulce de leche. To offset all the sweetness, sprinkle a little bit of sea salt! Decadent, truly decadent!

This impressive cheesecake isn’t that difficult to make. All the steps are laid out right here for you.

Couple of things to keep in mind:

  • Start with softened cream cheese for the smoothest filling. Simply bring cream cheese out on the counter about an hour before you start. Bring out the eggs while you’re at it.
  • When you start adding the eggs, don’t beat the batter on high speed, because you’ll incorporate too much air into the batter, which is #1 reason for cracked cheesecake.
  • Another trick to prevent cracks is to run a knife between the crust and pan soon after the cheesecake is out. But don’t sweat too much about it, because crack or no crack, doesn’t matter. You’ll smear dulce de leche all over the cheesecake. (Just between you and I, this cheesecake you’re looking at actually has a pretty big crack. But who the heck cares!)
  • Before serving, I highly recommend sprinkling some sea salt on top, as it balances some of the sweetness of the cheesecake. I love this Maldon sea salt flakes, it’s the best stuff!

Decadent Dulce de Leche Cheesecake, step by step photo instructions

Now, invite a few good friends for a coffee, or tea and bake this delicious cheesecake to indulge!

I really, really want you try this creamy sweet deliciousness. You have to have a major sweet tooth though! But I promise you’ll love each and every bite. So many flavors and textures going on here: creamy smooth filling, buttery crumbly crust, salty n’ sweet dulce de leche topping. Ah, I can’t even…

Sweet and creamy with touch of sea salt, this decadent dulce de leche cheesecake is quite a treat!
Sweet and creamy with touch of sea salt, this decadent dulce de leche cheesecake is quite a treat!

Hope I got you craving some cheesecake. Quick question for you: What’s your favorite cheesecake flavor? Let me know in the comments below.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Contents hide
1 Decadent Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
1.1 Ingredients
1.1.1 For curst:
1.1.2 For cheesecake filling:
1.2 Instructions
1.3 Tips & Notes:

Decadent Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

Sweet and creamy with touch of sea salt, this decadent dulce de leche cheesecake is quite a treat!
4.92 from 23 votes
serves: 12 -16 servings
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Ingredients

For curst:

  • 18 full sheets of graham crackers about 300gr cookies
  • ¼ cup 50gr sugar
  • 10 tablespoons 140gr unsalted butter, melted

For cheesecake filling:

  • 24 oz 700gr cream cheese, softened (Brick-style, full fat version)
  • 1/3 cup 65gr sugar
  • 1 can 400gr/14oz dulce de leche, divided
  • ½ cup 125gr sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
  • Sea salt flakes for dusting optional (I love this Maldon sea salt flakes.)
Note: I test all my recipes with both measurements for the most precise and accurate result!

Instructions

  • To make the crust, crush the graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
  • Add sugar and melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Transfer the crumbs into a 9-inch springform pan. Press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate while working on filling.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
  • To make the cheesecake filling, in a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until fluffy on medium speed. Stir in the sugar. Then add about ¾ of dulce de leche (the remaining ¼ of the can will be used for spreading on top for decoration) and sour cream. Continue to mix until combined.
  • Stir in vanilla extract and salt. Beat in the eggs one at a time and mix just until combined on low speed. Transfer the batter into the prepared crust.
  • Bake the cheesecake for 45-50 minutes, or until the edges are set and slightly wobbly in the center. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then carefully run a knife around edge of the pan to loosen; cool for 2 hours. Then refrigerate to set completely for at least another 2 hours.
  • When ready to serve, remove springform sides of the pan and spread the reserved dulce de leche on top. Sprinkle some sea salt, if desired. Store the cheesecake in a fridge, covered, for up to 5 days.

Tips & Notes:

For step-by-step photos and additional notes, read the post above.
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Author: Shinee
Did you make this?Show me your creation! Tag me @shineshka and hashtag it #sweetandsavorybyshinee!
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  1. Sarah says

    Posted on 28 March 2021 at 9:28 pm

    3 stars
    I think the cheesecake would been better by blind baking the crust first and having it in a water bath. I followed the recipe, and there was a lot of puffing up (which fell) and cracking.

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 28 March 2021 at 10:14 pm

      Hi, Sarah. Thanks for making my recipe and for your feedback!

      Reply
  2. Paige says

    Posted on 5 March 2021 at 7:53 pm

    5 stars
    This was fabulous! Everyone loved it! I made my own “caramel sauce” by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk and it worked perfectly.

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 8 March 2021 at 4:57 pm

      Thank you, Paige, for making my recipe and sharing your feedback!!! So happy everyone loved it!

      Reply
  3. alex says

    Posted on 9 January 2021 at 11:52 am

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe. Made it following the instructions exactly (minus the sea salt dust) and it came out wonderful. My husband requested dulce de leche cheesecake and I had searched for a while because of different versions for a dulce de leche cheesecake, and I’m glad I chose this one. He said its the best cheesecake he’s ever had and liked it much more than Cheesecake factory cheesecakes (which I have to agree, it feels more authentic and is just the right amount of sweet). I had to made dulce from condensed milk as we dont have it at our local store but it worked out just fine (made it ahead of time and cooled it before using). I personally never use a waterbath (too much of a hastle) and its been just fine.
    I did notice that 1/4 cans worth of dulce de leche leaves only a thin layer for the topping but honestly the amount was perfect to not make it overly sweet.

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 17 January 2021 at 3:10 pm

      Aww, what a compliment!! I love that. Thank you for trying my recipe, Alex, and for your feedback!!

      Reply
  4. Leslie T. says

    Posted on 1 January 2021 at 4:54 pm

    5 stars
    This was such a beautiful cheesecake. I am like you and just absolutely love dulce de leche. I was searching for recipes specifically using a homemade can of the yummy stuff and found your page. I am so glad I did. My first attempt to ever make a cheesecake was this recipe. It was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe exactly. My crust was perfect. The filling was exactly the consistency you hope for in a cheesecake. Flavors were not overwhelmingly sweet; just right. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 2 January 2021 at 2:44 pm

      Yay, so happy you loved it, Leslie!!! Thank you so much for your feedback!

      Reply
  5. Ruth says

    Posted on 1 January 2021 at 11:49 am

    Wow the crust was super mushy and disgusting. My gut told me to bake it off for 10 minutes, but I decided to follow your recipe. Big mistake.

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 2 January 2021 at 2:43 pm

      Bummer your crust didn’t turn out right. I don’t know what went wrong. I know this recipe works perfectly for so many people. When in doubt, always listen to your gut, Ruth!!!

      Reply
  6. Ariel says

    Posted on 14 November 2020 at 7:30 am

    Didn’t follow the recipe to the T
    Didn’t use sour cream. Used heavy cream. Didn’t use sea salt, used pecans
    Used 2 eggs and 2 egg whites.
    Very creamy texture

    For the crust I used cinnamon and honey graham crackers for more flavors. Cool recipe

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 15 November 2020 at 3:12 pm

      Hi, Ariel. Glad your cheesecake turned out good. Thank you for sharing your tweaks.

      Reply
  7. Amisadai Santos says

    Posted on 6 November 2020 at 9:22 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is so awesome!! It’s super tasty and sweet. I’ve done it twice and as days pass it gets better. You should really try it.

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 6 November 2020 at 9:40 pm

      Yay, so happy you love this cheesecake recipe. Thank you so much for your feedback, Amisadai!

      Reply
    • Mari says

      Posted on 3 December 2020 at 9:53 pm

      I have made this multiple times..the last 2 times my cheesecake has cracked…why is this happening?

      Reply
  8. Emma says

    Posted on 3 November 2020 at 5:12 pm

    5 stars
    I have made this recipe with no changes like 5 times now, it’s super easy and tastes wonderful! My family and I thank you for sharing such a great recipe

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 4 November 2020 at 9:05 pm

      Yay, I’m so happy you and your family love this cheesecake, Emma! Thank you so much for your feedback!

      Reply
  9. Jane Doe says

    Posted on 10 October 2020 at 11:41 am

    Hello. I have extra pie crust and thought to make this recipe with the pie crust instead for a cheesecake pie! What do you think? Could I use plain greek yoghurt to replace the sour cream? Dont have any sour cream! Thanks

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 10 October 2020 at 11:12 pm

      I’ve never made cheesecake with pie dough, but why not? And yes, you can use greek yogurt in place of sour cream.

      Reply
  10. Alicia says

    Posted on 29 September 2020 at 2:55 pm

    This sounds delicious and I want to try it for thanksgiving. Do you bake this in a pan with water or put it in the oven by itself.

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 29 September 2020 at 11:50 pm

      Hi, Alicia. Although I bake some of my cheesecakes in a waterbath, I didn’t with this one. If you follow my tips above the recipe, it’ll help you with no crack cheesecake. Hope you’ll enjoy. Please let me know if you try it.

      Reply
  11. Justine says

    Posted on 16 July 2020 at 7:14 am

    5 stars
    One of my favourite cheesecakes I have ever made! Also love how easy it was to make!

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 16 July 2020 at 4:37 pm

      So happy you love the cheesecake. I got your e-mail with the photo and it looks incredible. Thank you for sharing, Justine!!!

      Reply
  12. Marie Paes says

    Posted on 3 July 2020 at 7:41 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! It came out perfect from the oven. Irresistible!!

    Reply
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