The Difference Between Cream Cheese Pie And Cheesecake

Just when you thought it was safe to define dessert, along comes cream cheese pie getting all up under the moniker of cheesecake when it really isn't. Of course, the two do have enough similarities to perpetuate this confusion. To clear up any uncertainty, it's worth exploring their differences.

Cream cheese pie is a no-bake pie that, like cheesecake often does, sits on a graham cracker crust. It consists of less than a handful of ingredients — usually a package of softened cream cheese, some sweetened condensed milk, and a bit of lemon juice to add a not-quite-pucker-your-lips tanginess to it. Some cream cheese pie recipes also call for powdered sugar or vanilla and will substitute heavy cream for condensed milk on occasion. 

Even fancier iterations of the recipe might also top the sweet treat with fruits in syrup, like cherries, berries, or apples (in all fairness, that's not so different from cheesecake). Overall, the texture of cream cheese pie is fluffier and lighter than its baked, arguably better-known, counterpart.

By comparison, cheesecake is a bit more complicated. It's traditionally baked and filled with fresh eggs and, hopefully. the best butter, and sometimes requires a water bath to ensure that it's cooked correctly. To muddle matters even more, there are no-bake cheesecake recipes that don't require eggs but do call for butter, making them closer to cream cheese pie than cheesecake. However, the sans-eggs status isn't typical for this dessert because the home gourmand's little yolky friends add structure and fluffiness to cheesecake. If a recipe doesn't call for eggs, it'll almost always require gelatin for the same reason. Gelatin binds the ingredients of the dessert together, allowing it to set up properly.

Cheesecake also works with a number of different types of cheese. Although cream cheese is a common recipe ingredient in modern versions of the dessert, it can be made with basically any version of the dairy product, including ricotta, Neufchatel, Gruyère, gouda, and even blue cheeses. Many of those cheeses are particularly useful for chefs who are making savory versions of cheesecake. (Yes, they do exist.) 

In fact, before cream cheese was invented in the late 1800s, Neufchatel was a popular choice for the dessert. It isn't an exaggeration to say that the bagel-friendly dairy product was an invention that the makers of the original New York cheesecake recipe were thrilled about, given how famous the dessert has become since its debut in the early part of the last century.

Unlike traditional cheesecake recipes, cream cheese pie isn't baked. The ingredients are whipped up in a mixer, which adds air in much the same way that an ice cream maker whips up the air pockets in the mix to make it fluff up good. With ice cream, the dessert takes on its final form in the freezer, whereas cream cheese pie sets up in the fridge. 

Additionally, cheesecake is more delicate than you'd think. Many recipes call for using a springform pan that is immersed in a water bath while baking. The steam from the water cooks the cake, and any number of things can go wrong with the dessert at this stage. And unlike cream cheese pie, which thrives with a little air tossed into the mix, air isn't a cheesecake's friend. Too much of it in cheesecake makes the middle of the cake take a deep dive during the baking process. 

Aside from all of this, if it bakes for too long, it'll start to crack and crumble. All of these challenges don't generally befall a cream cheese pie. Basically, you mix the ingredients for cream cheese pie together, pop it in the fridge, and then perhaps go watch the extended version of "Return of the King" until the pie's done. Cream cheese pie's mostly set-it-and-forget-it. It's hard to mess up this simple dessert.

Both cream cheese pie and cheesecake (which isn't technically a cake) share a tangy sweetness, and both boast a creamy mouthfeel, making either of them ideal for many occasions. As for when you should choose one recipe over another, it will probably largely be a matter of taste and skill level. If you've been tapped to bring dessert to a family function and you're not a confident baker, cream cheese pie is the way to go.

Both take a good deal of time to make, though cream cheese pie comes out the winner here. With cheesecake, you could be looking at around seven hours, all told, which includes the prep, baking, and cooling time. Cream cheese pie takes a bit less time. It needs to be in the fridge for at least four hours to set up before you can serve it, but its prep time only takes 15 or 20 minutes.

Finally, your choice of desserts may also depend on budget. The simplest cream cheese pie recipe only requires three or four ingredients, including the crust. Cheesecake may require double the amount of cream cheese that its counterpart does. Other ingredients, like sour cream, eggs — up to four, depending on the recipe — granulated sugar, flour, and vanilla extract also add to the dessert's costs. If you're on a budget, you may want to try cream cheese pie. However, if you're leveling up your dessert-making skills, mastering a cheesecake recipe might be worth the bragging rights it gives you.