Guava cheesecake is what happens when the tropical pantry meets the classic New York formula: creamy vanilla cheesecake swirled through with guava, crowned with a glossy pink guava glaze. In Brazil, where goiabada (guava paste) is a national love affair, this pairing needs no introduction.
The guava-and-cheese logic is ancient in Latin America — Romeu e Julieta, Brazilians call the pairing — and the cheesecake format simply gives the romance more square footage.
The water bath is the one non-negotiable technique: it is the difference between a silken cheesecake and a cracked one. Everything else is patience and refrigeration.
Guava Cheesecake Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes (plus 5+ hours cooling and chilling) · Cook time: about 1 hour 20 minutes · Total: about 7 hours, mostly waiting · Servings: 6 · Calories: ~366 per serving
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- For the filling:
- 24 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup guava puree (store-bought or homemade)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- For the topping:
- ½ cup guava jelly or paste, melted
- 2 tablespoons water
- Whipped cream and fresh guava slices, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the bottom in foil.
- Mix the crumbs, butter and sugar, press into the pan, bake 10 minutes and cool.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- Fold in the guava puree and cream gently, and pour over the crust.
- Set the pan in a roasting dish with hot water halfway up the sides.
- Bake 60 to 70 minutes — set edges, wobbly center.
- Cool 1 hour in the turned-off oven with the door cracked, then to room temperature out of the bath.
- Mix the melted guava jelly with the water and pour over the cooled cake.
- Chill at least 4 hours (overnight wins), then garnish and slice.
Recipe Notes
- Guava paste (goiabada) and puree live at Latin markets — the paste melts down with a splash of water.
- Room-temperature cream cheese is the anti-lump insurance.
- A pinch of salt in the crust flatters all that tropical sweetness.
Enjoy our recipes? Add Maria’s Cookbook as a preferred source on Google to see more of our content in your search results.
