Mint Chocolate Cheesecake
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If you love the combination of chocolate and mint, this vibrant green Mint Chocolate Cheesecake is about to become your go-to dessert. It has a mint chocolate Oreo crust, that’s filled with a creamy mint cheesecake loaded with chopped milk chocolate candy bars. It’s topped with a rich, smooth milk chocolate ganache and finished with mint whipped cream and Andes mints. It’s the perfect St. Patrick’s Day cheesecake!
Do you know someone who’s crazy for a mint chocolate dessert? Both my son and husband are crazy about the combination. I think they’re all time favorite might have been this Mint Chocolate Layer Dessert. I think it was because there was more chocolate in that recipe.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Perfect balance of chocolate and mint
- The perfect combination of creamy filling and crunchy crust.
- Perfect for Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, or any mint lover.
Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.
- Oreo Cookies – Use the original Oreo cookies with the mint Oreo cookies and leave the filling inside. You could also use just one kind of Oreo cookie instead of buying both kinds.
- butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter. I went with salted because that’s what I prefer.
- cream cheese – Use full-fat cream cheese and make sure it’s softened.
- granulated sugar – don’t substitute this with brown sugar or powdered sugar.
- vanilla extract – Use your favorite pure vanilla extract or homemade vanilla extract
- mint extract – You can use peppermint extract in a pinch.
- large eggs – Always use large eggs for my recipes unless another size is specified.
- sour cream – full-fat sour cream is a must!
- heavy cream – Heavy whipping cream provides some liquid to make the cheesecake creamy, but is still thick. Buttermilk can be used as a substitute but will provide extra tanginess.
- milk chocolate bars – I opted for milk chocolate bars but mini chocolate chips or Andes Creme De Menthe baking chips will also work.
- green gel food color – Use gel since it adds more color with a lot less liquid being added.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can switch the mint extract out or peppermint extra in this recipe.
- Use dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips for the ganache for a richer flavor.
- Swap the milk chocolate candy bar for mini chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate.
- Skip the food coloring if you prefer a natural look.
NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations
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How To Make Mint Chocolate Cheesecake
Step 1: Pulse the Oreos into fine crumbs using a food processor. Mix with melted butter and press into the bottom of a prepared springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes or chill in the fridge while making the filling.
Step 2: Beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth.
Step 3: Beat in the sugar until combined.
Step 4: Add in the vanilla extract, mint extract, and the eggs one at a time.
Step 5: Mix in the sour cream, heavy cream, and food coloring.
Step 6: Fold in the chopped chocolate bars.
Step 7: Wrap the pan and bake in a water bath at 325 degrees F for an 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. My last one baked for 1 hour 45 minutes before the center moved like set up jello and the edges were fully set.
Step 8: Microwave the chocolate chips and cream until smooth. Pour over the chilled cheesecake and refrigerate until set.
Step 9: Whip up the cream, powdered sugar, mint extract, and food coloring until stiff peaks form. Pipe swirls of whipped cream and top each swirl with an Andes mint.
I really love how the green mint whipped cream looks on top of the ganache or with chocolate pudding like with these mint chocolate trifles. It gives a nice contrast and brings the cheesecake together.
Tips for Best Results
- Scrape down the bowl (sides and bottom) often while mixing.
- Don’t overmix once the eggs are added. If you’re nervous about overmixing, add the sour cream, heavy cream, and food coloring before the eggs.
- Always double-wrap the springform pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil for the water bath. You can also substitute the two layers of foil for an extra pan.
- Let the cheesecake chill overnight.
- Run a knife under hot water and dry the knife before each slice for clean cuts.
How to Store and Freeze
As with any cheesecake, you will need to store this cheesecake in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap and in the refrigerator. It will last about 5 days when stored properly.
Cheesecake also freezes really well. To freeze the whole cheesecake, let it chill in the fridge overnight to set up. Remove it from the springform pan and tightly wrap it in plastic wrap.
You can then wrap it in an extra layer of plastic wrap and then in heavy duty tin foil or place it in a freezer container. It will last up to 3 months in the freezer. To thaw the cheesecake, place the cheesecake in the fridge overnight.
Recipe FAQs
It’s highly recommended to keep the cheesecake top flat and not browned. It also helps prevent the cheesecake cracking by providing moisture in the oven.
Yes! You can use any chocolate chip or baking chip you want. I used Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Candy bars for mine.
Yes! Since the only thing in this recipe that has gluten are the Oreo cookies, just grab the gluten-free Oreos as an substitute.
This post was originally published October 3, 2023 and has been updated with new photos and more tips and tricks.
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Mint Chocolate Cheesecake
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Ingredients
Crust
- 14 Oreos
- 8 mint Oreos
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 24 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon mint extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 to 4 drops green gel food coloring
- 6 Hershey’s 1.55 ounce Milk Chocolate Candy Bars chopped
Ganache
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon mint extract
- 2 to 3 drops green gel food coloring
- Andes Chocolate Mints
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick baking spray. Place a 3-inch wide strip of parchment paper against the sides of the pan.
- In a food processor, add in the 14 Oreos and 8 mint Oreos Pulse until the oreo cookies are a fine crumb.
- Add the melted 4 tablespoons butter into the oreo cookie crumbs and pulse a couple of times until the butter has coated all of the crumbs
- Dump the cookie crumbs into the prepared springform pan. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Place the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while you work on the cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, add in the 24 ounces cream cheese. Beat on medium until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar in with the cream cheese. Beat on medium until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon mint extract, and the 4 large eggs one at a time into the cream cheese mixture. Beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add in the 1 cup full-fat sour cream, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 2 to 4 drops green gel food coloring and beat until the food color is evenly distributed.
- Stir in the chopped 6 Hershey’s 1.55 ounce Milk Chocolate Candy Bars until evenly distributed.
- Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with heavy tin foil. I always double wrap it to prevent leaking. Place the cheesecake into a slightly bigger pan and fill with 1 to 2 inches of hot water. Make sure the tin foil protects the cheesecake so water doesn’t leak into it.
- Spray the sides of the springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the oreo cookie crust.
- Place in the oven. Let the cheesecake bake for 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes or until done. To make sure the cheesecake is done, give it a wiggle. If it slightly jiggles in JUST the middle like jello, then it’s done. If it jiggles all over, it needs to bake longer. Turn off the heat, open the oven door, and leave it ajar. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven.
- Place into the fridge and chill overnight until firm.
Ganache
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add in the 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips and 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream. Microwave for 1 minute and stir until the heavy cream is incorporated. Microwave one more time for 30 seconds and stir until the ganache comes together and is smooth.
- Pour onto the cheesecake. Chill for at least 30 minutes. You can do this before it chills in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight as well.
Whipped Cream
- In a large mixing bowl, add in the 1 cup heavy whipping cream. Beat on medium until soft peaks form.
- Add in the 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon mint extract, and 2 to 3 drops green gel food coloringBeat until stiff peaks form.
- Add the whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with the 1M tip.
- Pipe swirls on the top of the chilled cheesecake. Add the Andes chocolate mints on top of each swirl of whipped cream.
- Slice and serve! Store in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
Out of this world dangerously delicious. Better than Cheesecake Factory cheesecakes!! Huge hit at a bbq… I will be making again
Very easy to make. I made a gluten free version and it was delicious. Definitely would make it again!!
So wonderful to hear!
The cheesecake tasted delicious but I had an issue where the batter was much more liquid-y than any other cheesecake I’ve ever baked (and I’ve made a lot). It baked just fine and tasted great, but all the chocolate chunks/chips sank to the bottom of the cheesecake, so rather than being suspended throughout the batter of the cheesecake, they were all lumped at the bottom along the crust. Any idea why this happened? I double checked and I followed the recipe and ingredients list exactly. Thanks!
I am sorry to hear on the chips sinking. Try coating the chips in a teaspoon of flour net time to see if that can help. It sounds like your batter is a bit wetter than what ours was.