Oreo Cheesecake
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The perfect Oreo cheesecake – this recipe starts with a crunchy Oreo crust and has a delicious New York cheesecake filling with cookies in every bite. Top it with chocolate ganache and whipped cream. This recipe will take you through all the tips and tricks needed for the perfect restaurant worthy cheesecake.
**This post was updated on October 4, 2024 with new photos, additional recipe tips and step-by-step photos**
This Oreo cheesecake is the perfect way to indulge in everything cookies and cream. The cheesecake is incredibly creamy and the cookie crust adds a delicious crunch. The filling is thick, velvety smooth and a little tangy – just like you’d expect from your favorite cheesecake – and the Oreo cookies add texture and Oreo goodness to every bite.
It’s topped with chocolate ganache and swirls of whipped cream for a truly showstopping dessert. It’s perfect for Oreo lovers, and is the best combination of vanilla and chocolate.
Making Oreo Cheesecake
The ingredients for a cheesecake are definitely pricey – so I recommend carefully reading through these detailed instructions and recipe tips before jumping straight into the recipe below.
- Start by preparing the pan. You’ll wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil. You’ll need to wrap the pan at least 3 times to ensure that the bottom and sides are totally covered and that no seems are showing.
- Then preheat the oven to 325F (170C). I always bake cheesecake on a slightly lower temperature to help prevent cracks.
Make the Crust
- You’ll start by crushing the Oreo cookies including both the wafers and filling. You can do this either using a food processor or by placing the cookies in a freezer bag and crushing with a rolling pin.
- The crushed cookies are mixed with melted butter. You can either do this in a bowl, or by adding the melted butter to your food processor with the crushed Oreos and doing a few extra pulses.
- Add the mixture to your prepared pan pressing it down so that the bottom is covered and it goes about 1/2 to 2/3 up the sides. of the pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven (be sure to keep the oven turned on).
Making the Filling
- In a very large bowl, start by beating together the cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. I recommend turning off the mixer and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times to make sure that there are no lumps stuck to the bowl.
- Adding a little cornstarch helps minimize cracks.
- Then you’ll beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. The addition of sour cream makes the cheesecake extra smooth when compared to cheesecake recipes that use only cream cheese.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time. Stop mixing as soon as each egg is incorporated. It’s important not to keep mixing after incorporating the eggs, because overmixing can lead to cracks.
- Then gently fold in the chopped cookies.
- I always fold in about 2/3 of my chopped cookies. Then gently press the rest into the top of the cheesecake after pouring the batter into the pan. This is to stop all the Oreos from falling to the bottom of the pan.
Baking the Cheesecake
- You’ll pour the cheesecake filling over the top of the crust (again – I then dot the top of cheesecake with the reserved chopped cookies and press them down slightly so that they’re covered in cheesecake batter).
- Place the cheesecake in the middle of a large roasting pan, then pour boiling water into the roasting pan so that there’s about 1/2 to 1 inch of water in the pan.
- Then the roasting pan goes into the oven for the cheesecake to bake. It will bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the top looks set and the cheesecake has a wobble similar to jello or pudding when you gently nudge the pan (it shouldn’t wobble like a glass of milk).
Tips for The Perfect Oreo Cheesecake
Making cheesecake can sometimes be intimidating, so I’ve included lots of tips for this recipe.
- Always use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese. Lite, whipped or spreadable (the kind that comes in the tub for putting on your bagel) won’t give your cheesecake the thick and creamy texture it needs.
- Ingredients should be at room temperature before getting started. This allows everything to mix together evenly without lumps of cream cheese. Take the cream cheese, sour cream and eggs out of the fridge and set them on the counter at least 30 minutes before getting started.
- Baking a cheesecake in a water bath helps to minimize cracks and keep moisture in (which is necessary for that velvety smooth texture). You’ll wrap the outside of your springform pan in aluminum foil at least 3 times so that all seems are covered. Then place the pan in the middle of a large roasting pan, and pour about 1/2 inch of water into the roasting pan. You can see what it looks like below.
- I prefer larger Oreo pieces in my cheesecake filling as opposed to small crumbs throughout. You can slice the Oreos into pieces (like I did), use crushed cookies, or a combination of the 2.
Questions
How many Oreos in a package? / How many packages will I need? A standard 14.3 oz (405 g) package of Oreos in the US has 36 cookies. For this recipe, you’ll need 30 cookies for the crust and 12-15 for filling. You can also add more crushed Oreos on top. So you’ll need to buy 2 packages in total. If Oreo cookies are sold in a sleeve where you live – a 137 gram sleeve of cookies is 14 cookies. So you’d need 4 sleeves, or 3 sleeves if you don’t plan on putting an cookies on top of the cheesecake.
Can you make cheesecake the night before? Yes, cheesecake is the perfect dessert to make ahead of time because it needs to chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours before serving. I typically make the cheesecake the day before I plan to serve it, and then make the topping in the morning of the day of.
How long does cheesecake keep for? If covered tightly – cheesecake leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Can you freeze cheesecake? Yes. A baked cheesecake freezes well. Wrap it very tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Then thaw overnight in the fridge. I typically add the ganache topping after freezing, as opposed to before if I’m making the cheesecake in advance.
With these easy tips, you’ll end up with the most delicious smooth and creamy Oreo cheesecake that’s perfect for Oreo lovers. With a triple does of cookies and cream from the crust, filling and topping – it’s the perfect Oreo cheesecake.
And if you love Oreos, make sure to try these other favorites:
Oreo Cheesecake
Equipment
- 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan
- large roasting pan – large enough for the springform pan to fit into
- Aluminum Foil
Ingredients
Oreo Crust
- 30 Oreo Cookies, wafers and filling
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (71 grams), melted
Oreo Cheesecake
- 24 oz cream cheese (680 grams), full-fat, brick-style
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, AKA cornflour in the UK
- 1 cup sour cream (240 ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 12-15 Oreo cookies, chopped
- boiling water, for the water bath
Topping
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate (113 grams), finely chopped, 50-60% dark chocolate works too
- 1/2 cup whipping cream (120 ml)
- additional whipped cream, for decorating
- 4-5 Oreos, chopped or crushed, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F (170C) degrees and position the oven rack to about 1/3 from the bottom.
- Wrap the outside of 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil so that the bottom and sides are covered. Wrap at least 3 times so that all seems are covered. Lightly grease the pan.
Oreo Cookie Crust
- Crush the Oreo cookies (wafers and filling) in a food processor until fine crumbs. Alternatively, place the cookies in a freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin.
- Mix the cookie crumbs with the melted butter.
- Press the mixture into the bottom and about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven (keep the oven turned on).
Oreo Cheesecake Filling
- In a very large bowl, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar and cornstarch until creamy and smooth. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure there are no lumps.
- Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract.
- With the mixer on low speed mix in the eggs one at a time until just combined.
- Fold in the chopped Oreo cookies using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. I usually fold in about 2/3 of the chopped Oreos.
Baking & Cooling
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. If you reserved some Oreo pieces, add them to the top of the cheesecake and press them down slightly so they are covered in cheesecake batter.
- Place the cheesecake in the middle of a large roasting pan.
- Pour about 1/2 – 1 inch (1-2 cm) of boiling water into the roasting pan.
- Place the roasting pan with the cheesecake inside in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top looks just set except for in the very middle and if you give the pan a gently nudge there's a slight wobble in the middle of the cheesecake.
- Cool at room temperature until the water in the water bath is lukewarm. Then remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and continue cooling until the sides of the springform pan are room temperature.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Topping
- Chop the chocolate into very small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl.
- Heat 1/2 cup cream until almost boiling (either in the microwave and in a saucepan over low heat).
- Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Then whisk until smooth. If not all the chocolate is quite melted yet, return to the microwave for 30 seconds on medium power (not high power) and whisk until smooth.
- Remove the cheesecake from the fridge. Gently trace around the outside of the cheesecake with a thin knife, then unclamp the outer ring of the springform pan. If there's condensation on top of the cheesecake, lightly blot with a paper towel or clean tea towel.
- Pour the chocolate over the cheesecake, allowing it to drip over the edges.
- Optionally, decorate the cheesecake with additional whipped cream.
Notes
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese. Do not use lite, spreadable or whipped.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to bind the cheesecake to minimize the risk of cracks. 1 tablespoon cornstarch (aka cornflour) can be substituted with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Cream cheese, sour cream and eggs should be room temperature before getting started. Take them out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before making the crust.
- Chocolate Ganache: The chocolate ganache topping definitely makes the cheesecake a little richer. Feel free to leave it off if you prefer.
- Storage: Leftovers can be kept covered tightly in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: Cheesecake can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. (If freezing to serve later, I recommend using adding the ganache after freezing and thawing the cheesecake).
- Nutrition: Nutrition information is an estimate only. It is based on 1 piece, assuming that the cheesecake is sliced into 12 equal pieces.
Hi Fiona!
Did you use salted or unsalted butter in the crust?
I use unsalted 🙂
I actually bought a cake like this at the super market and it was OK, expensive in my opinion, and I thought there has to be a way to make this at home….well you nailed it!!! this is exctly what I was looking for, and your version looks incredibly good!!!! thank you 🙂
Yum!