A cinnamon biscuit base, topped with a light cream cheese and white chocolate mix that is flavoured with orange juice and zest and a little vanilla. All of the flavours of Christmas in a really simple Christmas dessert. It looks really impressive, but it is super easy to make. Christmas is the time when we indulge in delicious desserts and this Christmas Cheesecake is just perfect for that.
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I put off making my own cheesecake for years, because I thought they were too complicated, but this no-bake Christmas cheesecake recipe is so easy and the perfect festive dessert. It might look complicated, as there are a lot of different steps, but they are all quick and easy.
This is also perfect for those people that celebrate Christmas in warmer countries and don't want any dessert that involves turning the oven on.
Looking for some other festive treats? Why not try our cute Santa Hat Brownies, tasty Cranberry Orange Muffins or festive Cinnamon Flapjacks?
For another cheesecake, take a look at our No-Bake Healthy Mango Cheesecake.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Lotus biscuits - For this cheesecake, we went with a Lotus biscuit base because of the Christmassy speculoos flavour. You can just use Digestive biscuits.
- Butter - Use an unsalted butter.
- Cinnamon - We added extra cinnamon, you can leave it out.
- Cream cheese - Make sure to use full fat.
- White chocolate - Any brand will work.
- Orange - Just the zest and juice (you may not need all the juice, depending on your orange.
- Vanilla - Use extract rather than essence.
- Honey - To sweeten the topping a little. Maple syrup will work too.
- Cream - Use double (heavy) cream as it is more stable when whipped.
Christmas Cheesecake Variations
Flavours - To me, white chocolate and cinnamon just scream Christmas, which is why they are perfect in a Christmas dessert. But we wanted there to be something light and fresh in there too, so went for orange. Peppermint extract would also add a nice festive flavor. You could swap the cinnamon for ginger, or use a mix of the two.
Filling - What is great about this Christmas cheesecake, is that you can use it as a base and then adapt it to add your favourite flavours. You could mix some chopped berries into the cream cheese mix or even some mince pie filling.
Base - Fancy a different base/crust? Why not use Oreos or even gingernsnaps for a festive twist?
How to Make Christmas Cheesecake
- Step 1: Grease a 20cm/8inch springform tin with a little butter and then line the base with a circle of baking paper.
- Step 2: Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over a low heat.
- Step 3: Add the crushed biscuits and cinnamon to the melted butter. Mix well.
- Step 4: Pour the biscuit mixture into the tin and press it down. Be careful not to pack it down too hard, otherwise you will have a very dense and hard base. Chill in the fridge for 45 mins.
- Step 5: Over a low heat, melt the white chocolate. Once melted, allow to cool slightly.
- Step 6: In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, vanilla, honey, orange zest and orange juice.
- Step 7: Mix well to combine everything.
- Step 8: In a another mixing bowl, whisk the cream until soft peaks are formed.
- Step 9: Add the melted chocolate to the cream cheese mixture and fold it in. Then add the whipped cream and fold that in too.
- Step 10: Take the base out of the fridge and spoon the cream cheese mixture on top of it. Using a palette knife, spread the mixture around until it is smooth. Put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
- Step 11: Carefully remove it from the springform tin and use the palette knife to wiggle it from the base. Put it on a serving plate/board and then decorate it with fresh berries, cinnamon sticks, orange segments and powdered sugar.
Cheesecake Decoration
If you are unsure how to decorate your cheesecake, then take a look at my How To Decorate a Cheesecake post for all the tips and different options for a stunning Christmas dessert.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Be careful not to pack the base down too hard, otherwise it will be very hard and dense. You want a nice crumbly base.
- Leave the white chocolate to cool a little (but it should still be liquid) before adding it to the cream cheese.
- Why not make this Christmas cheesecake even more festive by decorating it with your favourite Christmas decorations?
- Get perfect slices by using dental floss (plain, not mint) to cut clean slices.
- If you don't have time to leave it to set overnight, it needs a minimum of 4 hours in the fridge.
- Use a palette knife to get a smooth finish on top of the cheesecake.
- It might be tempting to use light cream cheese, but not only will it not have the same flavour, but it will be too runny too.
- You could even make mini cheesecakes with individual tins.
- To make it easier to remove the cheesecake from the base, make the parchment paper bigger than the tin base so it hangs out. This way you can lift it off of the tin base.
Frequently Asked Questions
In our house, not very long at all. I am lucky if I can get a slice myself before it is eaten. But, if you ARE lucky enough to have any leftovers to be able to enjoy some on another day, then it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
It's also best to keep it covered, so that it doesn't absorb the flavours and smells of the fridge and so that it doesn't dry out too. Nobody wants a dry, leftover-turkey-flavoured cheesecake! I would recommend slicing it up and putting into air tight containers.
Yes, you can and it actually freezes and defrosts really well. Slice it up and put it in freezer containers, or wrap it in foil (making sure that you don't squash it) and then put it in the freezer. It will keep in there for a couple of months.
When you want to eat it, take it out of the freezer and thaw it in the fridge overnight. Note that these freezing instructions are for this specific cheesecake. Other cheesecake freezing suitability will depend on the exact ingredients and toppings used.
The first time we made a cheesecake, we put the biscuits in a food processor for too long until they were very fine crumbs. Then, after they were mixed with butter and put into the tin, we pressed it all down really hard so it was very compact. Both these things meant that we have a really hard, firm base, rather than a crumbly cheesecake base.
You want not too fine, but not too big pieces of biscuit, which is why bashing it with a spoon is the way to go. You need to press the mixture down in the the tin, but not too compact.
More Christmas Recipes
If you've tried this Homemade Cheesecake recipe, please leave a comment below.
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Recipe
Christmas Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) of Lotus biscuits - crushed into crumbs
- 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
- 100 g (3.5 oz) of Butter - unsalted
- 120 g (4.25 oz) of White chocolate
- 300 g (1.33 cups) of Cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of Orange zest
- 1 tablespoon of Orange juice
- 2 tablespoon of Honey
- 200 ml (0.85 cup) of Double (heavy) cream
Instructions
- Grease a 20cm/8inch springform tin with a little butter and then line the base with a circle of baking paper.
- Put 200 g of Lotus biscuits into a ziplock bag and using a wooden spoon, bash them until they are crumbs.
- Melt 100 g of Butter in a large saucepan.
- Add the crushed biscuits and 1 tsp of Cinnamon to the melted butter and mix well
- Pour the biscuit mixture into the tin and press it down. Be careful not to pack it down too hard, otherwise you will have a very dense and hard base. Chill in the fridge for 45 mins.
- Over a low heat, melt 120 g of White chocolate. Once melted, allow to cool slightly.
- In a mixing bowl, add 300 g of Cream cheese, 1 tsp of Vanilla extract, 2 tbsp of Honey, 1 tbsp of Orange juice and 1 tbsp of Orange zest. Mix well to combine.
- In a another mixing bowl, whisk 200 ml of Double (heavy) cream until soft peaks are formed.
- Add the melted chocolate to the cream cheese mixture and fold it in. Then add the whipped cream and fold that in too.
- Take the base out of the fridge and spoon the cream cheese mixture on top of it.
- Using a palette knife, spread the mixture around until it is smooth.
- Put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
- Carefully remove it from the springform tin and use the palette knife to wiggle it from the base. Put it on a serving plate/board and then decorate it with fresh berries, cinnamon sticks, orange segments and powdered sugar.
Recipe Tips
- Be careful not to pack the base down too hard, otherwise it will be very hard and dense. You want a nice crumbly base.
- Leave the white chocolate to cool a little (but it should still be liquid) before adding it to the cream cheese.
- Why not make this cheesecake even more festive by decorating it with your favourite Christmas decorations?
- Use this cheesecake recipe as a base and then feel free to adapt it with your favourite flavours.
- If you don't have time to leave it to set overnight, it needs a minimum of 4 hours in the fridge.
- Use a palette knife to get a smooth finish on top of the cheesecake.
- To make it easier to remove the cheesecake from the base, make the parchment paper bigger than the tin base so it hangs out. This way you can lift it off of the tin base.
- It might be tempting to use light cream cheese, but not only will it not have the same flavour, but it will be too runny too.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Catherine UK says
Just made this delicious cheesecake for the family for Christmas Day. Absolutely wonderful cheesecake, everyone absolutely loved it, only wish I could upload pics! Also great that you don’t need to bake the base, very easy to make and added a dusting of icing sugar to the fresh berry’s on the top which gave it a festive feel. 5* for sure!
Chris Collins says
I'm an absolute sucker for cheesecake! This Christmas version was so delicious!
Elizabeth says
This is one seriously gorgeous cheesecake, perfect for cinnamon fans like me! Thanks for such an easy, tasty recipe!
Jessica Formicola says
I made this over the weekend and it was incredible! I can't wait to make it again for Christmas!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
I adore a great no bake cheesecake, especially around the holidays when everything is so hectic. Delicious!
Danielle Wolter says
I am just loving the orange zest in this cheesecake. This sounds incredible - I am a sucker for cheesecake.
Andrea Metlika says
Great flavors in this delicious Christmas Cheesecake.
Patty at Spoonabilities says
Ohhh yum! Love that this is so easy and quick to make -- and no baking required! This recipe will definitely be on our holiday menus!
Anita says
That crust tastes amazing, and I love all the orange flavors in the cream cheese mixture. And best of all, no bake!
Deanne says
I'm so excited to make this cheesecake for Christmas. I love the crust!
Sara Welch says
What a great dessert for the holidays! Adding this to my holiday menu, indeed!
Denisse Salinas says
This cheesecake looks amazing! Love that is can be made in advance and frozen! Great to take some stress out of the busy holidays!
Justine Howell says
First off, so pretty. Flavors amazing too for the season.
Alina | Cooking Journey Blog says
I love this idea of a no bake cheesecake with cinnamon and orange flavor for Christmas! White chocolate makes it more indulgent and sweet.