My Oreo Cheesecake uses NO fussy water bath and yields smooth, creamy, crack-free results! It’s simple to make with an easy Oreo crust and topped off with chocolate ganache and homemade whipped cream. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Oreo Cheesecake (Without the Water Bath)
If you’re a fan of my cheesecake brownies or Oreo cake, you’re going to love this Oreo cheesecake! It’s creamy, chocolatey, and perfectly decadent. I use Oreos in both the crust and the batter, and although it’s optional, I highly recommend adding the chocolate ganache and homemade whipped cream topping.
Oh, and there’s also finally a video to go with this recipe now–keep scrolling to watch 😊
What You Need
For best results and an Oreo cheesecake that’s not likely to crack, I recommend using all room-temperature ingredients:
- Cream cheese. I only recommend using the brick-style, full-fat cream cheese. Tub-style cream cheese will not set up properly!
- Sour cream. Don’t skip the sour cream! I’ve mentioned this before in my no-bake cheesecake recipe — sour cream is what makes a cheesecake really taste like a cheesecake. This key ingredient gives your dessert that critical depth of flavor.
- Eggs. Lightly beat your eggs before adding them to your cheesecake. Once they’re in the batter, be gentle; overbeating your cheesecake, and particularly the eggs, can cause problems.
- Oreos. The star of the show! You can use regular or “double stuf” Oreos. We’ll be removing the cream centers for the crust, but you can leave them in when you add the cookies to the batter.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: Make sure to press your crust high up the side of the springform pan; ideally it should be higher than the cheesecake batter. This will help keep your Oreo cheesecake from cracking (the cheesecake shrinks as it cools, and if the crust is high enough, it will shrink with the cheesecake and prevent cracks). I discovered this tip when making my lemon cheesecake and it’s a total game-changer!
How to Make Oreo Cheesecake
- Discard the filling from 35 Oreos and place the cookies in the basin of a food processor.
- Pulse until the cookies have turned into fine crumbs, then pour into a large bowl.
- Pour melted butter over the crumbs and toss to combine.
- Press the crumbs into the bottom and high up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla.
- Add the eggs one at a time, stirring until just combined after each addition.
- Fold in broken Oreo pieces.
- Pour your batter into your prepared pan and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 45-55 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a sharp knife to gently loosen any filling that is touching the pan.
SAM’S TIP: While it’s important to ensure the ingredients are thoroughly combined and batter is smooth, don’t over-beat the batter at any point when preparing it. Over-beating can make your Oreo cheesecake rise too much in the oven and can ultimately negatively affect the texture.
- Let the cheesecake cool for about an hour at room temperature, then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Heat the cream over medium heat until simmering, then pour over your chocolate chips, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Whisk until smooth, then drizzle the ganache over the chilled cheesecake and place in the fridge to chill for about 20 minutes.
- Pipe whipped cream over the top, slice, and serve.
SAM’S TIP: If your Oreo cheesecake comes out of the oven and some of the batter is cooked to the side of the springform pan, immediately use a sharp knife to gently loosen the cheesecake from the pan so it can shrink naturally as it cools. Not loosening could cause tension and cause the cheesecake to crack.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, a water bath is not necessary! If you follow my steps you should have a smooth, crack-free Oreo cheesecake.
There are several reasons this can happen, including not pressing the crust high enough, using cold ingredients, overbeating the batter, opening the oven frequently while baking, overbaking, neglecting to free the crust, or cooling too quickly. I review this in detail in my cheesecake post, so definitely click over there if you’re new to baking cheesecakes or having trouble. Ultimately though, if you end up with cracks don’t panic! We’ll be covering our Oreo cheesecake in chocolate ganache, so any cracks will be our little secret 😊
To make mini Oreo cheesecakes, simply follow this recipe and use the baking instructions for my mini cheesecakes (you will get 24 mini cheesecakes rather than the 12 listed in that recipe).
No! My Oreo crust works just fine with baking the crust at the same time as the cheesecake–no need to pre-bake it separately.
Stay tuned for a NEW cheesecake recipe coming next week 💙
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Oreo Cheesecake
Ingredients
Oreo Crust
- 35 Oreo cookies
- 5 Tablespoons (75 g) unsalted butter melted
For Cheesecake
- 15 Oreo cookies
- 32 oz (907 g) cream cheese softened (use full-fat brick-style cream cheese)
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (180 g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten (room temperature preferred)
Ganache (optional)
- 3 oz (85 g) chocolate use semisweet chocolate chips or a finely chopped semisweet baking bar
- ½ cup (118 ml) heavy cream
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
Oreo Crust
- Preheat oven to 325F (160C).
- Twist apart the 35 Oreo cookies, use a butter knife to scrape out the filling (discard the filling) and toss cookies into the basin of a food processor.35 Oreo cookies
- Pulse until cookies are ground into fine crumbs.
- Combine cookie crumbs and melted butter in a large bowl and toss together until all crumbs are moistened. Press crumbs evenly into the bottom and up the sides of 9” springform pan (go as high up the pan as you can, this will help prevent cracks!). I like to use a glass to help with this. Set aside while you prepare cheesecake filling (you do not need to bake the crust on its own).5 Tablespoons (75 g) unsalted butter
Oreo Cheesecake Filling
- Place 15 Oreo cookies in a large Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to smack them repeatedly until cookies are broken up into coarse pieces (don’t break too small or grind too fine you want substantial cookie pieces in your cheesecake!). Set aside.15 Oreo cookies
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar. Use an electric mixer (or stand mixer) to beat on medium-low speed until cream cheese and sugar are completely combined and no lumps remain (scrape sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure no lumps).32 oz (907 g) cream cheese, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- With mixer on low-speed, stir in sour cream and vanilla extract until completely combined and batter is smooth.¾ cup (180 g) sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add eggs one at a time, stirring until just-combined after each addition (eggs should be well combined, but don’t overbeat or the texture of the cheesecake could be affected). Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated.4 large eggs
- Use a spatula to fold in Oreo pieces.
- Pour batter into prepared springform pan and use a spatula to smooth the surface.
- Place cheesecake on a foil lined baking sheet and transfer to the center rack of 325F (160C) oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. Center should be set but spring back lightly to the touch and if jostled the center will slightly jiggle like set jello but should not be liquidy. The very edges of the cheesecake may be turning a very faint brown or very slightly cracking when the cheesecake is finished.
- Remove cheesecake from oven and if any of the cheesecake filling is touching the springform pan and isn’t enclosed by the crust, use a sharp knife to gently loosen it (this will prevent cracks as the cheesecake settles). Allow cheesecake to cool for about an hour at room temperature, then transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Chocolate Ganache
- Once cheesecake is set, prepare ganache. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside.3 oz (85 g) chocolate
- Pour cream into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Immediately drizzle over chocolate, cover bowl with foil, and let sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, gently stir with a whisk until chocolate is completely melted and ganache is smooth.½ cup (118 ml) heavy cream
- Drizzle ganache evenly over cheesecake.
- Return cheesecake to refrigerator and allow ganache to set before slicing and serving (about 20 minutes). If desired, pipe half a batch of homemade whipped cream over top of firm ganache cheesecake before serving (I piped the whipped cream on top of my cheesecake using an Ateco 848 tip).
Notes
Storing
Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cheesecake may also be tightly wrapped and frozen for several months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Mimi
Can i substitute yogurt for sour cream?
Sam
Full-fat plain Greek yogurt would work!
Meagan
Should I take the cheesecake out of the spring form pan before or after adding the ganache?
Sam
I remove it from the pan. 🙂
Ellis
My cheesecake cracked. :(. Not your fault. I blame the power company wholeheartedly! After being in the oven for 30 minutes, the power went out. It was out for about 45 minutes. Came back on, then I had no earthly idea what to do with the cheesecake! I turned the oven back on and baked for about 15 more minutes – cracks were already there – and am now waiting for it to cool… I have used your plain vanilla recipe before and had absolutely no problems – but had power the entire time. This is just so frustrating! I’m sure it will still taste wonderful! Thanks for the great recipes!
Sam
Oh no!! I’m so sorry this happened, Ellis! That’s so frustrating! I hope you still enjoy it! You can always cover the cracks with a nice chocolate ganache topping. 🙂
Jonah
Hey,
does it still work if I use a store-bought crust
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jonah! You will want to halve the recipe if using a store-bought crust ☺️
Jo QUinn
I plan on making this but I was wondering what the actual measurement of cookie crumbs for the crust. I already have chocolate cookie crumbs on hand and would rather skip the step.
Sam
Hi Jo! I haven’t measured it out personally, but the package states that each cookie is just over 11g so you would need about 395g of cookie crumbs. I’m not sure what that would look like in cups.
Kalek
Is it ok if I chill it my fridge for 4 hours instead of 6?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kalek! This cheesecake really needs the full amount of time to set up properly. Our preference is to let it chill overnight to make sure it cuts nicely, but if you can’t do that, you should let it chill for at least 6 hours.
Cindy
I plan to make the cheesecake two days before I serve it. Is it better to refrigerate for that time period with or without the grnache..
Sam
Hi Cindy! Either will be fine here, it won’t really make a difference when you add it. 🙂
Ladan
Turned out great! Thanks for baking tips. No cracks, perfect consistency, and delicious!
Gayle
Excellent recipe. Easy to follow. I made it for my granddaughter’s birthday and the whole family absolutely loved it!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! Thanks so much for using our recipe, Gayle 🥰
Kaylee
I’ve made this recipe several times and it is a huge hit! I haven’t made it in quite some time and looking at it now, I feel like it’s changed slightly. Perhaps I’m remembering incorrectly, but I remember making the crust with the filling in the Oreos (as opposed to removing it). If this was the case, would you mind sharing the number of Oreos to use in this version of the crust? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Kaylee! I did change it, because I was getting some comments about the crust leaking a bit and scraping the filling out solves the leaking issue. You would just make my Oreo crust if you want to leave the filling in your oreos. 🙂
Merissa
Hey Sam, would you be able to make a recipe based off of this one to make mini Oreo cheesecakes? I would really appreciate that, thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Merissa! You can just use a half batch of Oreo crust for our mini cheesecakes recipe and toss some broken Oreos into the batter 😊
Vicki
Such a great recipe I used for my SIL birthday. He loves Oreo’s and Cheesecake, so this is the prefect combo for him. I have a new steam oven, but for the first time on a recipe, I used my conventional oven. I will try the steam at some point when I figure out just what the settings should be. I left it in for the full suggested 60 minutes plus a few more and it was the perfect consistency with no cracks.
I think my personal favorite part of the recipe is the ganache top. I could eat this for my dinner anyday!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for using our recipe, Vicki! We hope your son in law loved the cheesecake ❤️
Tee
I picked up an oreo crust by mistake at the store, is it possible to make half of the recipe for that pie tin? I think those are much smaller than the filling of the 9 inch springform pan.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Tee! That should work fine, although you may still have some excess batter. Your bake time will be different too. Enjoy! 😊
Patricia
I made this for Christmas and it went faster than the traditional Red Velvet and Pound Cakes. It was DELICIOUS!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! Thanks for giving our recipe a try, Patricia. We’re so happy it was such a hit! 😍
Yu
Thank you so much for the recipe! I made it on Christmas this year and everyone loved it! It was my first time making a cheese cake and I am so happy that it was so delicious!
Sam
I am so happy to hear this, Yu! Thank you for trying my recipe, and for letting me how it turned out for you, I appreciate it! 🙂
Susan
Can you add the Ganache the next day or does it need to add it on without in a few hours?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Susan! We actually recommend adding the ganache after chilling overnight. 🙂