Savory Cheesecake
Why should sweet cheesecakes have all the fun? This savory cheesecake is just as delicious as any sweet one and features a crunchy pretzel crust, blue cheese and crunchy pecans. The result is a winning elegant dish that you’ll love serving as a main or an appetizer.
Do you ever get really bored with food?
Like you don’t want anything to do with your tried and true recipes even though you and your family love them?
It happens to me from time to time and then I start wondering what I can make to spice things up.
And that’s where this savory cheesecake recipe comes in.
What is savory cheesecake?
This recipe is sort of a variation on a cheese souffle.
Cheese souffles are a dish with cheese and beaten eggs.
They are fluffy, generally crustless and have a reputation for being extremely temperamental.
This cheesecake does have a crust made of pretzels and croutons and is less fussy than a souffle because it has a cream cheese base like a sweet cheesecake.
What You Need
To make this savory dish, you’ll need pretzels, croutons and melted butter for the crust.
The filing consists of cream cheese, a very tiny bit of sugar, eggs, blue cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, pecans and basil.
Don’t be off put by the inclusion of a a teensy amount of sugar.
It’s the same principle as adding a pinch of salt to baked goods.
Just that little bit pairs perfectly against the sweet background and actually enhances that flavor and the umami affect.
How to Make
To make it, start by making the crust.
Put the pretzels and croutons into a food processor and pulse to form crumbs.
Then pour the melted butter into the processor and pulse it again until it becomes the consistency of wet sand.
Press the crust into the bottom of a greased spring form pan and freeze for half an hour.
While the crust is setting in the freezer, make your filling.
Start by beating your cream cheese and sugar together until they are smooth.
Then mix in all the remaining ingredients except the eggs.
Mix it together until everything is well combined.
Once the cheese mixture is made, add the eggs and egg yolk to a separate small bowl and beat them with a fork until they are just combined.
Fold the eggs gently into the cheese mixture just until combined. Then pour the mixture on top of the crust.
Bake on 325 for an hour or until the edges are raised and the center is jiggly.
Once this happens, turn the oven off and crack the door.
Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for another hour.
Finish it by refrigerating overnight.
Then serve and enjoy.
Storing
Cover the cheesecake in plastic and refrigerate it.
When serving, just take it out of the fridge, remove the plastic and serve and enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
I serve this as an appetizer or for brunch, but you could also serve it as a dinner.
It pairs very well with crusty bread or crackers, a simple salad and your favorite roast veggies.
If you let it soften slightly prior to serving you can even spread it on your bread.
Tips and Tricks
- Go for thinner pretzels rather than the thicker sourdough hard pretzels.
- Use any croutons you like.
- Not a fan of blue cheese? Substitute in cheddar or feta crumbles instead.
- Don’t overmix the cheese mixture once you have added the eggs. Just gently mix it until it’s combined.
- It helps prevent cracking if you tightly wrap the bottom of the spring form pan in foil and then place the wrapped pan in a baking dish with about 2 inches of water.
Other Souffles and Savory Cheesecake Recipes
This savory cheesecake recipe with blue cheese crumbles and chopped pecans is an elegant way to change up your meals.
Make it today and blow your family away with its delicious taste.
Looking for other souffle recipes or savory cheesecakes? Try these:
- Smoked Salmon Cheesecake
- Fool Proof Cheese Souffle
- Spinach & Artichoke Cheesecake
- Baked Ricotta with Balsamic Cherries
Want to make it a completely cheesecake centered event? Then consider serving this sweet, creamy New York style cheesecake for dessert.
If you’ve tried this SAVORY CHEESECAKE, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Savory Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Pretzels
- 1 cup of Croutons
- 3 tablespoons of Melted Butter
- 2 8 oz packages of Cream Cheese
- 2 teaspoons of Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 4 oz. of Blue Cheese
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 a cup of Chopped Pecans
- 2 teaspoons of Basil
Instructions
- Start by placing your pretzels and croutons into a food processor.
- Add in your melted butter, and mix until it becomes the constancy of wet sand.
- Press into the bottom of a well greased spring form pan and place in the freezer for a half hour.
- Mix your cream cheese and sugar together until smooth.
- Add in remaining ingredients EXCEPT your eggs.
- Mix until well combined.
- Beat eggs with a fork and add to mixture.
- Fold until well combined. Do not over beat.
- Pour into spring form pan.
- Bake on 325 for one hour OR until edges are raised and center is jiggly.
- Turn off oven and open door and allow it to sit in there for an hour.
- Let cool the remainder of the way and then place in the fridge over night.
- Serve and enjoy!
