How To Defrost Cheesecake – The Ultimate Guide

By Lindy Van Schalkwyk, last updated on October 6, 2022

Freezing cheesecake is easy; it’s defrosting it that is hard. Today, we will look at how to defrost cheesecake in the most efficient ways.

As we all know, cheesecake is a labor of love and requires a lot of patience to make. After putting in many hours of work, even days, you don’t want to ruin it all by not defrosting it properly. So, we have made the ultimate guide that will help you correctly thaw and completely defrost your cheesecake.

Freezing Cheesecake

Believe it or not, but you can freeze cheesecake – it freezes surprisingly well! And, luckily, you can freeze both baked and unbaked cheesecakes.

A baked cheesecake is one whose recipe contains eggs. The eggs help set the cheesecake once it has been fully baked. In the end, they create an extremely stable cake.

That being said, you can also freeze unbaked cheesecake. These recipes don’t contain any eggs and are set inside a fridge. While they are considered to be less stable, when it comes to freezing, imagine them being a type of ice cream.

When it comes to thawing cheesecake, it is harder to do so with unbaked cheesecake. But, it is not impossible!

Why do you freeze cheesecake?

There aren’t many reasons for freezing cheesecake other than it saving you time.

Preparing cheesecake is quite a time-consuming task and can take up to two days! Thus, by making it a couple of weeks or months before needing it, you can save yourself a lot of labor when you are busy.

And, other than that, it is always a good idea to have an extra cheesecake on hand. You never know when you might be getting unexpected guests.

Now, the only functional reason some people may freeze their cheesecakes is that they didn’t originally set them properly. When a cheesecake doesn’t set, it could be because of the following;

• The incorrect ratio of cream cheese to eggs
• Cheesecake has been under-baked
• The fridge isn’t cold enough (for unbaked cheesecake)

When looking at how to defrost cheesecake that hasn’t been set, you have to keep in mind that it will thaw and still not be set. The texture and consistency will be similar to what it originally was before being frozen.

You can also freeze the cheesecake batter before baking it. Follow this in-depth tutorial on exactly how you can freeze leftover cheesecake batter and what you can do with it later.

Can you eat frozen cheesecake?

You technically can eat frozen cheesecake, but it won’t be as appetizing as regular cheesecake is. For this reason, cheesecake has to be fully thawed before serving it.

Frozen cheesecake has a completely different texture and consistency than unfrozen cheesecake. Naturally, it will be extremely hard. Furthermore, it will very likely have a crystal-like texture because of the ice crystals forming during the freezing process.

You will also miss out on the creamy and airy texture that regular cheesecake has.

How Long Will Frozen Cheesecake Last?

If cheesecake has been properly baked and frozen, it can last in the freezer for up to 2 months. However, we would recommend using it after 1 month. By that time, your cheesecake will still be relatively unaffected and still have very “fresh” characteristics when thawed.

How To Defrost Cheesecake That Has Been Baked

Because cheesecake is a dessert that is served chilled, it should never be reheated. This means that you shouldn’t defrost it in an oven, air fryer, or microwave.

Just like baking cheesecake takes quite some time, so will defrost it.

Cheesecake Carrier

Method 1: Defrosting the Cheesecake Overnight

The best method for defrosting frozen cheesecake is to do so slowly and preferably overnight.

You should place the frozen cheesecake on a plate and leave it in your fridge overnight. You can remove the foil cover if you want to, but keep the plastic or saran wrapping on.

By using this method, you are gradually melting the ice crystals. This will prevent them from building up and cause a soggy and gooey cake.

Method 2: Thaw the Cheesecake on a Counter

This method is definitely quicker than the above-mentioned one. First, remove the foil from the cheesecake and place the cake on a plate.

Leave it on a counter for 2-4 hours. Keep in mind that the bigger cheesecakes will take much longer to completely defrost as compared to smaller cheesecakes.

How To Thaw Cheesecake That Is Unbaked

As we have previously mentioned, it is possible to freeze an unbaked cheesecake, however, there are some extra things to consider when thawing it.

First, it is important to understand why defrosting unbaked cheesecake can pose some problems. Once you understand how it works, you will better understand exactly how to avoid certain mistakes.

So, the unbaked cheesecake recipe doesn’t contain any eggs. The most basic recipe only contains cheesecake, sugar, and maybe some vanilla extract.

For this reason, essentially unbaked cheesecake is made from cream cheese that has been set. This is the same reason you always have to keep an unbaked cheesecake in the fridge.

When cream cheese is heated (or simply left in a very warm area), it begins to soften. This causes the texture to change and ultimately, your cheesecake can “melt”.

So, when thawing unbaked cheesecake, you have to do it in the fridge – no exceptions! And yes, it will take much longer.

By defrosting it in the fridge, you are essentially re-setting it while the ice crystals melt. If you were to defrost it at room temperature, it would likely just fall apart at some point.

Read more about How To Fix Burnt Cheesecake Top – The Most Effective Method

Method: Defrost cheesecake Overnight in the Fridge

Again, remove the foil covering from the cheesecake but leave the plastic wrap layer on.

Place the unbaked cheesecake on a plate and leave it to slowly thaw in the fridge overnight.

How Long To Thaw Frozen Cheesecake

It depends on the type of cheesecake you thaw, the method that you use, and the size of your cheesecakes.

Unbaked cheesecake has to be defrosted in a fridge overnight. This will take about 12-24 hours depending on the size.

Baked cheesecake can also be defrosted overnight or at room temperature for 2-4 hours.

The larger the cheesecake is, the longer it will take to completely defrost.

How To Defrost Cheesecake – Final Thoughts

If you still have any questions for us on how to defrost cheesecake, feel free to ask us in the comments below. And, make sure to have a look at some of our other informative articles on preparing cheesecake!