I can’t get enough of chocolate + peppermint this time of year.
Add in Oreos and I’m absolutely in heaven. I don’t know what it is about the combination. Maybe it’s the way the peppermint cuts the sweetness of the Oreo and complements the chocolate so beautifully.
Working with peppermint used to scare me. I’d always fear my desserts would just taste like mouthwash. But this recipe is everything right about holiday baking and entertaining. This Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake is the perfect dessert to make in advance of your holiday party or to bring to a potluck.
How to Bake a Perfect Chocolate Cheesecake

Cheesecake can be a little tricky to perfect, so I suggest reading this pink box over before you head into the kitchen.
What’s the best springform pan?
Springform pans, which have deep sides and a removable bottom, make easy work of removing the cheesecake from the pan and cutting beautiful slices.
I like this Nordic Ware 10-cup springform pan. Even if your pan claims to be “leak proof,” almost no pan is existence actually is. See my water bath tips below. Be sure to hand wash springform pans to preserve their nonstick surface and spring mechanism.
How to Make Oreo Crust
Step one, don’t remove the Oreo filling!!! A food processor makes quick and easy work of grinding the cookies into fine crumbs. The finer the crust is ground, the more solid it’ll be once you go to cut a slice.
How to Stop Cheesecake Cracks
Perfectly smooth cheesecake with zero cracks requires 3 steps. However, even if a crack forms it’s no big deal in this recipe since the cheesecake will be topped with thick chocolate ganache.
1. Avoid overbeating cheesecake filling!
Be sure to use high quality full-fat bricks of cream cheese. Some ‘generic’ brands are too watery.
The cream cheese should be completely softened to room temperature. If it’s too cold, it won’t mix thoroughly and you’ll end up with little bits and pockets of unblended cream cheese which is extra obvious in a chocolate cheesecake. Make sure your eggs are room temperature too!
One of the tricks to making perfectly smooth and creamy cheesecake is to blend the cream cheese and sugar to oblivion. After the eggs are added only beat until they’re incorporated. If you overbeat the batter once the eggs are added then you run the risk of causing all sorts of problems, like large cracks on the cheesecake surface.
2. No quick temperature changes!
Cheesecake is delicate and finicky. Quick temperature changes cause cracks. You want gentle and slow heat and then slow cooling.
That’s why in this recipe once the cheesecake is done baking we actually turn off the oven heat, crack open the oven door, and allow the cheesecake to slowly and gently cool for an 45 minutes inside the oven. That’s also why we bake the cheesecake in a water bath to ensure gently baking.
To prevent the cheesecake from cracking as it cools to room temperature out of the oven, run a thin knife around the edge of the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Only after chilling in the fridge should you remove the springform ring.
3. Don’t overcook cheesecake!
Cheesecake is done baking BEFORE it looks done. The residual heat of the oven will continue to cook the cheesecake.
You can the center of the cheesecake to look slightly wobbly or jiggly like Jell-O when the baking time has ended. It should look dry on the surface.
How to Prepare a Cheesecake Water Bath
Make sure you have a baking pan that’s deep enough and wide enough for the springform pan to fit inside. A roasting pan is usually ideal, but I’ve even used an extra large cake pan or a large skillet. Get creative if you need to!
Two, make sure the springform pan is protected from the water. You don’t want any water to seep through the cracks of the pan and make a mushy crust.
To seal off the pan, place a large square of heavy-duty aluminum foil underneath the pan. You want the heavy duty stuff that creates bigger sheets of foil to completely encompass the base of the pan. Gently fold the edges up and around the pan. Repeat twice so there’s three sheets of foil to ensure a waterproof seal. Gently fold the top of the foil around the edge of the pan. I’ve even used duct tape to seal the foil to prevent water from leaking through.
Reader Holly shared a wonderful tip for keeping the water out, “I use a turkey roasting bag, then put a layer of foil around the bottom and sides of the pan to hold it in place. I don’t close the bag over the top. Keeps the water out and the crust dry.”
How to Serve Cheesecake
This part requires the most patience! You must let it chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before you even think of slicing and serving it! I usually like to let it chill overnight, just to make sure it’s completely set and I’m able to cut clean pretty slices.
Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan. You can leave it on the removable bottom or move it to a serving platter.
If time permits, let the cheesecake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving for best taste and texture. Use a fairly big sharp knife like this one to cut slices. Run the knife under hot water and wipe off the blade between each slice so they’re clean and pretty. Then slide a metal server underneath the crust to ensure it doesn’t crumble.
How to Store Cheesecake
Store the cheesecake in the fridge for up to 5 days after you top it with the ganache.
You can also freeze the cheesecake (without the ganache and candy canes). You can place the whole cheesecake or individual slices on a baking sheet inside the freezer until firm. Wrap the cheesecake or each individual slice in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.
To serve, defrost a whole cheesecake in the fridge overnight. You can also defrost individual slices in the fridge overnight, or at room temperature for 30 minutes.
I just made this cheesecake and it was delicious! I used someone’s suggestion of crushed peppermint bark instead of candy canes and it was perfect. The only thing I think I goofed on was that I melted the chocolate for the topping in the microphone (oops, I guess I didn’t read the directions through on that) and then added the heated cream to it and stirred it in. What happened is when I put it on the cake, it looked like it separated a bit and there was an beigey look to the edges of the glaze. Did I overheat the cream, or did heating the chocolate first cause it to look “separated”?
Hi Beth! I’m so glad you enjoyed this cheesecake! It sounds like you probably overheated the cream and/or burned the chocolate. Unfortunately when cream gets too hot, several things can happen and you end up with a lumpy, dull and/or separated ganache. Burned chocolate will discolor or separate and have small burned bits through it. Carefully just bringing the cream to a simmer, then immediately removing from the heat and pouring over the intact chocolate, so it gently and evenly melts, should prevent this from happening next time!
I can’t find any peppermint extract at any of my local grocery stores 🙁 is there any other extract that will work for this recipe??
Hi Joanna! Any other flavor you like paired with chocolate will work just fine – or add vanilla instead and skip the additional flavor 🙂
I will be making this tomorrow for Christmas and This will be my first time attempting to make a cheesecake and I’m so nervous.
Hi Desiree! Aw, I’m sorry you were nervous! How did it go!? I’m sure it was delicious!
I made this and it turned out great! I used slow cooker lining bags. I double bagged it and didn’t use the aluminum foil.
Someone offered to pay me to make 3 of these after they tasted mine!! Absolutely delicious!! The water bath definitely did the trick. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Yay! That’s amazing, Tracie! So glad this recipe and method was such a hit for you 🙂
Could you replace the candy canes with peppermint bark bits?
Hi Alexis! Yes, you could definitely swap out the crushed candy cane decoration for chopped peppermint bark. Let us know what you think once you have given this cheesecake a try 🙂
This sounds yummy!! But… I don’t have a spring form pan and sadly there just aren’t enough people in my family for a whole cheese cake. Could a cut this recipe in half and bake it in a 9inch pie??
Hi Ericka! We haven’t tried cutting this recipe in half, so I can’t say for sure – but this recipe is written for a 9-inch springform, so you would need a smaller pan than a 9-inch pie pan if you were to attempt this. I would alternatively recommend making the whole cheesecake in the correct pan, and simply freezing any leftovers! Cheesecake freezes beautifully, and you can even freeze individually-wrapped slices, so you can enjoy single-serve desserts for the next two months! Tessa talks about how to do this, and many many more tips, in the Tip Box above the recipe 🙂
Came out perfect! Whole family loved it! Only two slices left.
Hooray! Thrilled to hear that 🙂
Delicious! The amount of peppermint is just right. Does not overpower at all. I will definitely be making this again!
So glad you enjoyed this cheesecake, Julie 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
Have you tried freezing this cheesecake? Wondering how it turns out.
Yup! Check out the pink tip box above the recipe for more details 🙂
OMG OMG OMG. I am a hobby baker making multiple things every week to give away, but this is one of the most delicious things I think I have ever made. So yummy. First time using a cheesecake bath. Worked like a charm (be sure your springform pan is in great condition with a tight seal). SO SO good.
So glad you enjoyed this cheesecake recipe!
This is truly the most decadent cheesecake ever!! It is so deliciously rich and such a crowd pleaser!! The combination of peppermint and chocolate is one of my all time favorites, and it is so well represented in this dessert. I made this for a gathering, and there wasn’t a crumb left! Seriously, these are the greatest, and using the water bath makes all the difference.
So glad you tried this cheesecake out!
The instructions were perfect! I don’t have a roasting pan, so I did the water bath in a large skillet. In reference to my previous question, I put the ganache on after the cheesecake cooled to room temperature. I didn’t put the candy cane pieces until it had set overnight and was out of the fridge. This was my first time baking a “real” cheesecake and it turned out amazing! No cracking and tasted delicious!
Do you wait until the cheesecake has been refrigerated for the 4 hours before adding the ganache? Or go ahead and do it, then chill?
Oh man… I messed up… was trying to half the recipe and then added full amount of cream. I haven’t added eggs yet. Any ideas how to salvage it?
Letting the melted chocolate cool while getting everything else mixed and ready made for hardening chocolate(I did stir it before mixing it in, it was stiffening up). Mixing it in with the cheesecake mix it went straight to the bottom of my mixer bowl and hardened up. Did the best I could to ‘fix’ it. Hope it turns out ok. For clarification should the melted chocolate be added in cooled or still warm so it actually mixes?
Can you used Peppermint Schnapps instead of extract? Just asking because I have that on hand and I am curious how it would compare to extract.
Have you ever used mint Oreos?
I haven’t, but I’m sure that would be tasty! Just be prepared for a strong peppermint flavor 🙂
I made this for a family Christmas dinner, and it was delicious! I used Hershey’s dark cocoa, which made for a richer chocolate color and flavor, Belgian semi-sweet chunks vs chopped/morsels, and I chopped candy cane Hershey kisses to sprinkle on top (vs candy canes-Andes mints would be tasty here too). My springform pan leaked, despite the foil cover, but it really only made the crust a little soggy. Still delicious! The texture and flavor to us was more like chocolate mousse pie, which was perfectly fine with us 🙂
Making this for christmas!! Is a water bath necessary? I have a spring pan. Using mint oreos because who doesn’t love mint?
This recipe was developed with a water bath to prevent cracks from forming. If you can’t be bothered, you can add a pan of water to the oven to add some steam but it won’t be 100% the same. You’ll also have to reduce the baking time if you don’t use a water bath.
First off, I love your website Tessa! Second, this recipe is da bomb .com!!! =)
I love chocolate and this hit my sweet craving at all levels. Thank you so much for everything that you do and sharing these amazing recipes.