Nutella Cheesecake is an opulently decadent, creamy dessert that combines a hazelnut chocolate spread with the smooth texture of New York-style cheesecake. This baked cheesecake’s chocolatey, nutty flavor makes it a favorite for Nutella® lovers!
*This recipe was originally published in January 2020. I’ve updated the article and the images, but the recipe remains unchanged.*
What Is Nutella?
Nutella® is a sweetened cocoa and hazelnut spread. I like to describe it as a chocolatey nut butter, similar to chocolate peanut butter. Nutella’s flavor is rich and earthy, thanks to the hazelnuts.
My husband and son are diehard fans of Nutella and I can often find them sneaking spoonfuls of the stuff straight from the jar. I decided to create this hazelnut chocolate cheesecake just for the heck of it. I’m not the biggest fan of Nutella, but this cheesecake will have a place on my plate forever.
What Do I Need To Make The Cheesecake Crust?
You’ll need melted unsalted butter and chocolate animal cracker crumbs to make the crust for this Nutella cheesecake dessert. You probably can’t find boxed chocolate cookie crumbs as you can with graham crackers, but it’s fairly simple to do it yourself.
You need 2 boxes of chocolate animal crackers or those bear crackers you used to eat in elementary school. You can also use chocolate graham crackers, regular graham crackers, or Biscoff cookies to make the crust. Make sure whatever cookie you use is crunchy instead of soft-baked. You need cookies with a crispy texture to contrast the creamy texture of the batter.
How Do I Make Cheesecake Crust?
To make the crust, you’ll need to turn the cookies into crumbs.
Pulse the animal crackers for 30 seconds to one minute using your food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Stir the melted unsalted butter into the cookie crumbs to create a mixture that binds. Grab a handful of the crust mixture and squeeze it in your fist. If the crumbs hold together tightly, the crust is ready to use. Crust mixtures that ooze butter need to be dried out, so add more cookie crumbs. On the other hand, if the mixture falls apart after you finish squeezing, you will need to mix in a little more melted butter.
Dump the contents of the bowl into a 9-inch springform pan. Use your knuckles or the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumb into the bottom and a little up the sides of the pan. This forms the cheesecake crust.
How Far Ahead Can I Bake Cheesecake Crust?
Bake the chocolate cheesecake crust mixture in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Leave the oven on since you’ll need it to bake the cheesecake in a little while.
You can bake, then store cheesecake crust in the covered pan for 2 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer. When you’re ready to proceed with the recipe, wrap the bottom and sides of the cheesecake pan in two layers of heavy-duty foil. This foil will protect the pan from taking on water that we’ll use when baking the cheesecake.
Set the pan aside and heat 6 cups of water in a large saucepan over medium heat. It’s okay if the water comes to a boil while you’re preparing the Nutella® cheesecake batter.
What Are The Ingredients In The Nutella Cheesecake?
Nutella cheesecake batter is made with cream cheese, large eggs, granulated sugar, Dutch process cocoa powder, kosher salt, Nutella®, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
I recommend using Nutella in this recipe, but a store-brand hazelnut chocolate spread will work just fine. You can also replace the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt. You do need something acidic, like the yogurt, to break through some of that richness in this recipe.
Another pro tip for making cheesecake batter is to bring all of your ingredients to room temperature before starting. The cream cheese blends better and more efficiently when it’s at room temperature.
Use a whisk to stir together the cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and kosher salt.
How Far Ahead Can I Prepare Cheesecake Batter?
Add the cream cheese to a larger mixing bowl, followed by the cocoa-sugar mixture.
Use an electric hand or stand mixer on low speed to blend the dry ingredients with the cream cheese. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters once the majority of the dry ingredients are blended with the cheese. Begin beating the batter again, this time with the mixer at medium speed, for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer after about a minute to scrape down the bowl and beaters.
Add the eggs to the batter, one at a time, blending well after each egg. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters after you add the final egg. Blend the batter for another minute a medium speed.
Next, add the Nutella and the vanilla extract to the batter. If your Nutella is a bit thick, you can microwave it for 30 seconds to loosen it up. You don’t want to heat it too much, or it will throw off the balance of the batter. Just heat it enough to make it the consistency of yogurt. Blend in the Nutella for 1 minute, then add the sour cream. Blend the sour cream into the batter for 1 minute at medium-low speed.
You can make this Nutella cheesecake batter 2-3 days ahead of baking it. Scrape the prepared batter into an airtight container and store it in the fridge. Before you use pre-made cheesecake batter, stir it just in case it has separated slightly during storage. You also need to bring the cheesecake batter to room temperature to ensure it bakes in the time given. Pull the bowl from the fridge an hour before baking it.
Do I Really Need To Bake My Cheesecakes In A Water Bath?
While you don’t have to bake your cheesecake in a water bath, it does take a ton of stress out of the process. A water bath maintains an even temperature to bake the cheesecake. While the oven is fluctuating in temps as the thermometer kicks on and off, the water bath helps to maintain a constant even temperature, which helps prevent cracks in the cheesecake.
Place the foil-wrapped cheesecake pan into a larger pan. I use a 12-inch (30cm) wide brazier to hold mine. Scrape the cheesecake batter into the baked crust and shift the cheesecake pan over slightly.
Carefully pour the water you set to boiling earlier into the outer pan. I use a wide pancake spatula to shield the cheesecake pan from splashes. Any water that gets into the cheesecake batter will most likely inhibit its setting, so be careful to avoid getting any into the batter.
Slide the pan setup into the hot oven and bake the cheesecake for 1 hour.
What’s A Good Topping For Nutella Cheesecake?
Chocolate ganache is the best topping for Nutella cheesecake, especially if it’s a dark chocolate ganache. The bitter chocolate flavor cuts through the decadence of the dessert to make it less overwhelming.
Chocolate ganache is made with heavy cream and chocolate. You can add flavorings like vanilla extract, cognac, or brandy, or keep it simple.
While the proper way to make chocolate ganache is with a double-boiler, there’s already too much going on with this recipe to be chunking new dishes into the mix. Instead, heat the cream for 1 minute on high in the microwave. Make sure it doesn’t boil over!
Pour that really hot cream over the chocolate chips in a bowl and let it sit for 2 minutes. Gently stir the cream into the chocolate until the mixture runs smooth. You can make the chocolate ganache up to 3 days ahead and store it in a covered container in the fridge. You’ll need to melt the ganache to a fluid state before using it.
How Do I Decorate This Nutella Cheesecake?
After the 1 hour baking time, turn the oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Venting the oven gradually cools the cheesecake to prevent an extreme temperature change. Gradually cooling cheesecakes over a period of 2 hours is how I’ve been able to bake crack-free cheesecakes for over 20 years. Allow the Nutella cheesecake to cool like this in the oven for 1 hour.
Remove the pans from the oven after an hour. Lift the cheesecake pan from the outer pan and remove the foil wrapping. Allow the Nutella cheesecake to cool to room temperature for another hour.
Before refrigerating and chilling the cheesecake, pour 1/2-3/4 cup of the chocolate ganache over it. Pick up the pan and swirl the ganache over the surface of the cheesecake to make it smooth and even.
Refrigerate the Nutella cheesecake for at least 6 hours or until chilled throughout.
You’ll have about 1 1/2 cups of ganache left over by intention. Cover the bowl with the ganache with plastic film and let it sit at room temperature until about an hour before you plan to serve it.
Use the whisk attachment of your mixer to whip the chocolate ganache to a fluffy consistency. Scrape down the bowl and whip for about 30 seconds after whipping on medium-high speed. Continue whipping for 30 seconds to 1 minute after scraping down the bowl. This whipped chocolate ganache is fantastic for decorating rosettes or a fluffy border on the finished Nutella cheesecake.
How Do I Finish The Nutella Cheesecake?
Fill a tall glass or pitcher with very hot tap water and set a sharp knife in it to heat the metal. Before using the knife, wipe off the blade with a paper towel. Run the knife between the cheesecake and the pan to separate the two. Heating the knife ensures the separation is sharp and clean.
Once the ganache and pan are separated, release the collar clip to remove it from the cheesecake.
Heat 1/4 cup of Nutella in a microwave-safe bowl for 15 seconds to make it easy to stir and pipe. Fill a small piping bag with the Nutella and pipe a drizzle of the spread over the surface of the cheesecake. You can also drizzle some of the leftover ganache, dulce de leche, or cajeta over the cheesecake in lieu of the Nutella.
Another way to fancy up your Nutella cheesecake is to pipe rosettes of whipped chocolate ganache on each slice. Put a 1M piping tip in a piping bag, then fill the bag with the whipped ganache you made earlier. Use your dominant hand to squeeze the piping bag while guiding the piping bag in a clockwise direction with your non-dominant hand.
For the final touch, top each rosette of ganache with hazelnut chocolate candy.
None of this is mandatory in this recipe, of course. This decoration makes the cheesecake extra-fancy.
How Do I Serve Nutella Cheesecake?
Serve Nutella cheesecake with a drink that will cut through the richness of it: milk, coffee, or water. The most greedy among us loves to eat this cheesecake with my Vanilla Frozen Custard.
When cutting your cheesecake slices, use the same “hot water dip” method you used to separate the cake from the pan. Ensure you’re drying off the knife in between cuts, too. This will keep your cuts clean and sharp.
What’s The Best Way To Store Cheesecake?
Store any leftover Nutella cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I’m chuckling because it won’t last that long, but whatever.
To keep the interior from drying out or absorbing the other odors of the fridge, press a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper right up against the exposed cheesecake. The chilled air will cause the cheesecake to become gunky if left uncovered. Thanks to the chocolate ganache shell, the top doesn’t need to be covered.
To extend the life of the Nutella cheesecake after baking and decorating, cut your slices and return the cheesecake to the fridge as soon as possible.
Can I Freeze A Baked Nutella Cheesecake?
You can freeze this Nutella cheesecake after baking it and allowing it to cool completely. I recommend freezing it before decorating it with the drizzle and/or rosettes.
- Remove the cheesecake from the pan by popping off the bottom plate.
- Place it on a plastic-wrapped freezer-safe plate and freeze for 15 minutes to firm up the ganache.
- Wrap the cheesecake completely in plastic wrap, then cover it with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To thaw, remove the foil and plastic wrap, and place the cheesecake on a plate. Thaw in the fridge for 12 hours (or overnight) before serving.
I’ve never met a person who didn’t love this Nutella Cheesecake, and I know you’ll agree. This recipe is a fantastic dessert for the chocolate lovers in your life. In addition to being a decadent dessert, my Nutella cheesecake is an exceptional recipe to try for Valentine’s Day this year. Go ahead and pin this recipe to your desserts board for easy finding later. Don’t forget to let me know what you think of it in the comments!
Nutella Cheesecake
at Sense & EdibilityIngredients
Chocolate Cheesecake Crust
- 1 3/4 10-ounce boxes chocolate animal crackers or chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 2 1/4 cups or 310 grams)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
Nutella Cheesecake
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese room temperature
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup nutella stirred (plus more for drizzling)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream room temperature
Chocolate Ganache (Optional)
- 1 1/2 cups dark semi-sweet chocolate chips (70% cacao)
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Garnish
- 10 Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates unwrapped
Instructions
- Heat an oven to 350°F (177°C).
Prepare and Bake the Cheesecake Crust
- Pulse the animal crackers for 30 seconds to one minute using your food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Stir the melted unsalted butter into the cookie crumbs to create a mixture that binds.
- Grab a handful of the crust mixture and squeeze it in your fist. If the crumbs hold together tightly, the crust is ready to use. Crust mixtures that ooze butter need to be dried out, so add more cookie crumbs. On the other hand, if the mixture falls apart after you finish squeezing, you will need to mix in a little more melted butter.
- Dump the contents of the bowl into a 9-inch springform pan. Use your knuckles or the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumb into the bottom and a little up the sides of the pan to form the cheesecake crust.Bake the chocolate cheesecake crust mixture in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Leave the oven on since you'll need it to bake the cheesecake in a little while.When the pan is cool enough to handle, wrap the bottom and sides of the cheesecake pan in two layers of heavy-duty foil. This foil will protect the pan from taking on water that we'll use when baking the cheesecake.
Begin Boiling Water for the Water Bath
- Set the pan cheesecake pan aside and heat 6 cups of water in a large saucepan over medium heat. It's okay if the water comes to a boil while you're preparing the Nutella cheesecake batter.
Mix the Nutella Cheesecake Batter
- Use a whisk to stir together the cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and kosher salt in a small mixing bowl.Add the cream cheese to a larger mixing bowl, followed by the cocoa-sugar mixture.
- Use an electric hand or stand mixer on low speed to blend the dry ingredients with the cream cheese. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters once the majority of the dry ingredients are blended with the cheese. Begin beating the batter again, this time with the mixer at medium speed, for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer after about a minute to scrape down the bowl and beaters.
- Add the eggs to the batter, one at a time, blending well after each egg. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters after you add the final egg. Blend the batter for another minute a medium speed.
- Next, add the Nutella and the vanilla extract to the batter. If your Nutella is a bit thick, you can microwave it for 30 seconds, heating it just enough to make it the consistency of yogurt. Blend in the Nutella for 1 minute, then add the sour cream. Blend the sour cream into the batter for 1 minute at medium-low speed.
Pan, Then Bake the Nutella Cheesecake
- Place the foil-wrapped cheesecake pan into a 12-inch (30cm) or larger pan. Scrape the cheesecake batter into the baked crust and shift the cheesecake pan over slightly.Carefully pour the water you set to boiling earlier into the outer pan. I use a wide pancake spatula to shield the cheesecake pan from splashes.
- Slide the pan setup into the hot oven and bake the cheesecake for 1 hour.After the 1 hour baking time, turn the oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the Nutella cheesecake to cool like this in the oven for 1 hour.
- Remove the pans from the oven after an hour. Lift the cheesecake pan from the outer pan and remove the foil wrapping. Allow the Nutella cheesecake to cool to room temperature for another hour.
Make the Chocolate Ganache
- Heat the cream for 1 minute on high in the microwave. Make sure it doesn't boil over!Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips in a bowl and let it sit for 2 minutes.
- Gently stir the cream into the chocolate until the mixture runs smooth. Pour 1/2-3/4 cup (120-170ml) of the chocolate ganache over it. Swirl the ganache over the surface of the cheesecake to make it smooth and even.
Chill the Cheesecake
- Refrigerate the Nutella cheesecake for at least 6 hours or until chilled throughout.
Whip the Chocolate Ganache
- Cover the bowl with the ganache with plastic film and let it sit at room temperature until about an hour before you plan to serve it.Use the whisk attachment of your mixer to whip the chocolate ganache to a fluffy consistency.
- Scrape down the bowl and whip for about 30 seconds after whipping on medium-high speed. Continue whipping for 30 seconds to 1 minute after scraping down the bowl. Use this to pipe rosettes or a fluffy border on the finished Nutella cheesecake.
Decorate the Nutella Cheesecake
- Fill a tall glass or pitcher with very hot tap water and set a sharp knife in it to heat the metal. Before using the knife, wipe off the blade with a paper towel. Run the knife between the cheesecake and the pan to separate the two. Heating the knife ensures the separation is sharp and clean. Once the ganache and pan are separated, release the collar clip to remove it from the cheesecake.
- Heat 1/4 cup of Nutella in a microwave-safe bowl for 15 seconds to make it easy to stir and pipe. Fill a small piping bag with the Nutella and pipe a drizzle of the spread over the surface of the cheesecake.
- Put a 1M piping tip in a piping bag, then fill the bag with the whipped ganache. Use your dominant hand to squeeze the piping bag while guiding the piping bag in a clockwise direction with your non-dominant hand.
- Top each rosette of ganache with hazelnut chocolate candy.
- Serve Nutella cheesecake with a drink that will cut through the richness of it: milk, coffee, or water. To make this recipe even more indulgent, serve it with a scoop of my Frozen Custard.
Notes
- You can replace the chocolate animal crackers with chocolate graham crackers, regular graham crackers, or Biscoff cookies.
- Store-brand hazelnut chocolate spread will work just fine in place of the Nutella.
- You can also replace the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt.
- Add 2 teaspoons (15 milliliters) of vanilla extract, cognac, or brandy to the cream when making the chocolate ganache.
- You can replace the Nutella drizzle with the leftover ganache, dulce de leche, or cajeta.
- A water bath maintains an even temperature to bake the cheesecake, which prevents cracks in the surface.
- Venting the oven gradually cools the cheesecake to prevent an extreme temperature change.
- None of decorating is mandatory, it just makes the cheesecake extra-fancy.
- When cutting your cheesecake slices, use the same "hot water dip" method you used to separate the cake from the pan to keep your cuts clean and sharp.
- To extend the life of the Nutella cheesecake after baking and decorating, cut your slices and return the cheesecake to the fridge as soon as possible.
- You can bake, then store cheesecake crust in the covered pan for 2 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.
- You can prepare the Nutella cheesecake batter 2-3 days ahead of baking it.
- Scrape the prepared batter into an airtight container and store it in the fridge.
- Before you use pre-made cheesecake batter, stir it just in case it has separated slightly during storage.
- You also need to bring the cheesecake batter to room temperature to ensure it bakes in the time given. Pull the bowl from the fridge an hour before baking it.
- You can make the chocolate ganache up to 3 days ahead and store it in a covered container in the fridge. You'll need to melt the ganache to a fluid state before using it.
- To store leftover Nutella Cheesecake:
- To keep the interior from drying out or absorbing the other odors of the fridge, press a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper right up against the exposed cheesecake.
- Thanks to the chocolate ganache shell, the top doesn't need to be covered.
- Store any leftover Nutella cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To freeze the baked cheesecake (I recommend freezing it before decorating it with the drizzle and/or rosettes):
- Remove the cheesecake from the pan by popping off the bottom plate. Place it on a plastic-wrapped freezer-safe plate and freeze for 15 minutes to firm up the ganache.
- Wrap the cheesecake completely in plastic wrap, then cover it with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To thaw, remove the foil and plastic wrap, and place the cheesecake on a plate. Thaw in the fridge for 12 hours (or overnight) before serving.
Hi! I don’t have 2 1/2 cups (180g) chocolate animal cracker crumbs or chocolate graham cracker crumbs. I only have regular digestive biscuits and Biscoff cookies. Would either work (knowing that the flavour would be altered)? Would I need to make any adjustments re. the butter or bake time? Thank you.
Monika, you can do 1-for-1 swap for the crust. I recommend you use the Biscoff cookies. They work better with this flavor profile.
Hi. Thank you for replying – that’s really kind of you. Thank you also for sharing this recipe with us. I made it and it is currently baking in the oven. I had to make a few adjustments based on what I had, so I hope it turns out!
You’re welcome, Monika. Good luck!
I tend to stick to easy recipes so I was a little bit nervous about trying this, as it appeared to be more complex than the recipes I usually make, but the instructions were so clear and easy and approachable, and the cheesecake came out so perfectly. I love the balance of sweetness and tartness. This was rich, creamy, and decadent, but it wasn’t overly sweet like many Nutella recipes can be. It was so incredibly delicious!
I’m so glad you tried it and that the instructions helped!
First time making a cheesecake and it turned out really well. The instructions were so helpful! Though I need some practice with the piping…
I’m so glad to hear you made your first cheesecake! Don’t worry about the piping. I’m sure you did great!