The BEST Mango Cheesecake

Published: Sep 18, 2021 · Modified: May 10, 2024 by Kelly · This post may contain affiliate links · 49 Comments

Super creamy and smooth Mango Cheesecake with a shortbread cookie crust, topped with sweet, tangy mango curd and slices of fresh mango. It’s like sunshine on a plate!

mango cheesecake on a serving plate with mango curd

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Why you'll love this recipe

Mango puree gives a delicate mango flavor and a lighter texture to the cheesecake. Mango curd and sliced fresh mango on top give a sweet and tangy burst of mango.

Super creamy and smooth texture that comes with a baked cheesecake
Wonderful delicate, sweet mango flavor
Mango curd topping gives a tangy burst of mango
Mango puree gives a lighter texture to the cheesecake
Shortbread cookie crust perfectly complements the mango and never gets soggy
Kitchen tested recipe with tips for the perfect cheesecake

a slice of mango cheesecake with a bite taken out

Ingredients

Shortbread cookie crumbs – Shortbread cookies make my favorite crust for cheesecake. They have an amazing sweet flavor that perfectly complements the cheesecake and their texture stays perfect, never soggy.
Melted butter – salted or unsalted is fine
Cream Cheese – I always use Philadelphia brand. Make sure it’s at room temperature before starting for the creamiest, lump free cheesecake.
Sugar – white sugar to let the delicate flavor of the mango shine through
Eggs
Cornstarch – I added a little cornstarch to this recipe to counter the extra moisture from the mango puree. Many of my cheesecake recipes don’t call for cornstarch, but in this case it’s necessary.
Mango puree – 2 cups from about 3 large, fresh mangoes. Use sweet, ripe mangoes for the best flavor. Mango gives the cheesecake a lush, lightened texture. You can also make the puree out of frozen mangoes or use canned puree.
Lime juice – a spoon of lime juice brightens up the flavor of the mango. You can substitute lemon juice if necessary.
Mango Curd - try my homemade Mango Curd

How to make Mango Cheesecake

For the shortbread cookie crust:

Pulse the shortbread cookies in a food processor until they become fine crumbs.
Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. The mixture should resemble wet sand.
Press firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. The flat bottom of a measuring cup helps.
Bake the crust until golden and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the cheesecake filling:

With a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), beat cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl. Add sugar and cornstarch and beat another 2 minutes, scraping down bowl halfway through.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed for 20 seconds after each egg. Scrape down bowl. Don’t overmix after adding the eggs or too much air will be incorporated into the batter, causing cracks and sinking in the cheesecake as it puffs up then falls when cooling.
Add mango puree, lime juice, and salt and mix until combined.

mixing the batter for mango cheesecake step by step

To assemble and bake the cheesecake:

Wrap the springform pan in 2 sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil. Heavy duty foil won’t rip as easily, letting water seep in.
Brush the sides of the pan with butter or spray with nonstick spray.
Pour the cheesecake batter onto the prebaked crust and smooth the surface.
Put the cheesecake into a larger pan and fill with hot water half way up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
Bake until the sides are puffy and golden, and the center is still slightly jiggly, about 1 ½ hours.
Place the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the cake to loosen it from the edges of the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 3 hours.
Pour Mango Curd on top of the cooled cheesecake and smooth.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and firmly set, at least 6 hours.

To serve:

Gently unmold cheesecake and remove the sides of the pan. Slide a thin metal spatula between the crust and pan bottom. Gently slide cheesecake onto a serving platter. If the bottom of your pan has a small lip around it, it may be easier to leave the pan bottom under the cheesecake and place it on the serving plate.
Decorate with sliced mango, if desired.

Tips for cheesecake success:

Bring the cream cheese and eggs to room temperature before beginning. This will make your cheesecake velvety smooth with no lumps. Cold cream cheese doesn’t fully incorporate into the batter and can leave lumps. If you’re short on time, take the cream cheese out of its foil wrapper and put in the microwave on its lowest setting (mine has a thaw setting) until it’s soft but not warm.
Use cornstarch or flour in the batter to prevent cracks. Cornstarch or flour in the batter helps prevent cracks. It also makes for neater, cleaner slices. There is a slight difference in the texture of the cheesecake when it contains starch. It becomes sturdier and firmer, while a cheesecake without starch is softer and creamier.

Most of my cheesecakes don’t contain starch because I prefer a softer, creamier texture. However, this cheesecake, with its higher moisture content from the mango puree, needs a little starch to provide firmness.Don’t overmix. Over mixing incorporates too much air into the batter. This leads to the cheesecake puffing up too much as it bakes then falling as it cools. This can causes cracks and sinking in the middle of the cake.

3. Scrape down the bowl frequently. This will prevent any lumps in the cheesecake batter.

4. Use a water bath. A water bath allows the cheesecake to cook and cool more slowly, preventing cracks and resulting in the ultimate creaminess. Wrap your pan very well in two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil, being careful that it goes all the way up to the top on all sides so no water can leak in.

5. Don’t overbake. Overbaking leads to cracks in the cheesecake and gives a drier, less creamy texture. The edges of the cheesecake should be puffy and set, while the center 3-4 inches should still be somewhat jiggly when you remove it from the oven. (Or when you turn off the oven and crack the door open to begin a slow cooling._

6. Cool the cheesecake slowly to prevent cracks. If you don’t mind heating your kitchen, baking the cheesecake in a 325° F oven for an hour (until it reaches 150 degrees), then turning off the heat and cracking the oven door open for another hour, lets the cheesecake cool off slowly to further ensure cracks don’t form and to prevent sinking.

I like to use this method in the cooler months when the ac isn’t on. However, this recipe was baked in the summer so I baked the cheesecake for 1 ½ hours then removed it from the oven to cool, without leaving the oven door open. In this case, try to find an area of the kitchen that is less cool so the cheesecake doesn’t have such a drastic temperature difference.

7. After removing the cheesecake from the oven, run a knife around the edge of the cake, between the cake and the pan. The cheesecake sticking to the side of the pan, while its interior shrinks as it cools, causes cracks.

8. Chill the cheesecake thoroughly. If you cut into a cheesecake before it’s totally chilled, it will have a custardy texture. A cheesecake needs to come to room temperature and then chill in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours and preferably overnight.

If you really hate using a water bath…

A water bath isn’t absolutely necessary and there are methods of baking the cheesecake without one, such as cooking low and slow on a very low temperature. A water bath does make the cheesecake extra creamy and helps to prevent cracks. However if you really hate using one, at least put a baking pan of water on the shelf under the cheesecake when baking to provide some moisture in the oven.

More Cheesecake recipes you might love:

Recipe

The BEST Mango Cheesecake

Kelly

Super creamy and smooth Mango Cheesecake with a shortbread cookie crust, topped with sweet, tangy mango curd and slices of fresh mango. It’s like sunshine on a plate!

5 from 11 votes

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 40

Total Time 2

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings slices

Calories 488 kcal

Ingredients

FOR THE CHEESECAKE BASE:

200 g shortbread cookies to make 1 ½ cups crumbs *see note
3 tablespoons butter, melted 43g

FOR THE FILLING:

1 ½ pounds cream cheese 680g
1 cup sugar (use 1 ¼ cups if your mangoes aren’t very sweet) 200g
3 tablespoons cornstarch 21g
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 cups mango purée (from about 3 large mangoes) 15oz
⅛ teaspoon salt

FOR THE TOPPING:

¾ cup mango curd
Sliced mangoes and mini sugar pearl sprinkles to decorate *see note

Instructions

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 325° F

FOR THE CHEESECAKE BASE:

Pulse the shortbread cookies in a food processor until they become fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. The mixture should resemble wet sand.
Press firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
Bake the crust until golden and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING:

With a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl. Add sugar and cornstarch and beat another 2 minutes, scraping down bowl halfway through.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed for 20 seconds after each egg. Scrape down bowl.
Add mango puree, lime juice, and salt and mix until combined.

To assemble and bake the cheesecake:

Wrap the springform pan in 2 sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil.
Brush the sides of the pan with butter or spray with nonstick spray.
Pour the cheesecake batter onto the prebaked crust and smooth the surface. Tap bowl on the counter several times so that any large air bubbles come up.
Put the cheesecake into a larger pan and fill with hot water half way up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
Bake until the sides are puffy and golden, and the center is still slightly jiggly, about 1 ½ hours.
Place the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the cake to loosen it from the edges of the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 3 hours.
Pour Mango Curd on top of cooled cheesecake and smooth.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and firmly set, at least 6 hours.

TO SERVE:

Gently unmold cheesecake and remove the sides of the pan. Slide a thin metal spatula between the crust and pan bottom. Gently slide cheesecake onto a serving platter. If the bottom of your pan has a small lip around it, it may be easier to leave the pan bottom under the cheesecake and place it on the serving plate.
Decorate with sliced mango, if desired.

Notes

For a graham cracker crust, use 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, and 6 tablespoons of melted butter.
I sliced the mangoes into long slices, then used a small cookie cutter to cut out flower shapes. I used mini sugar pearl sprinkles to decorate the flowers.
If you don’t mind heating your kitchen, baking the cheesecake in a 325° F oven for an hour (until it reaches 150 degrees), then turning off the heat and cracking the oven door open for another hour, lets the cheesecake cool off slowly to further ensure cracks don’t form. I like to use this method in the cooler months.

Nutrition

Calories: 488kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 8gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 157mgSodium: 332mgPotassium: 115mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 1900IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 6mg

Keyword mango cheesecake

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