Try this easy Peppermint Cheesecake recipe! It's perfect for Christmas dessert with its creamy cream cheese and white chocolate filling, Oreo crust, and peppermint candy topping.
Your guests will be so excited when they see and taste this Peppermint Cheesecake Recipe served for dessert!
This combination of creamy Philadelphia Cream cheese and white chocolate with an Oreo crust is perfection!
This recipe is the best because:
- It's not too time-consuming or complicated. Anyone can make it!
- It has incredible taste and texture and just the right amount of peppermint flavor.
- To make it, you don't need a springform pan, a water bath, or elaborate kitchen utensils.
This version reduces cooking and prep time by about an hour compared to most recipes. Total bonus during the busy holiday season!
Ingredients
25 Oreo Cookies
3 Tablespoons Butter
2 Packages of Cream Cheese - light or regular
½ Cup Granulated White Sugar
½ Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Peppermint Extract - or ten drops of peppermint essential oil
4 Ounces White Chocolate
2 Eggs
1 Cup finely Crushed Starlight Mints
8 Ounces COOL WHIP Whipped Topping - or homemade whipped cream
Shaved Chocolate - as garnish
How To Make - Step-By-Step Instructions
In just about 15 minutes, you can pop this luscious Peppermint Cheesecake into the oven.
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. and adjusting your oven rack to the bottom lower position.
- MAKE THE CRUST - Using a fork, stir crushed cream-filled chocolate wafers with melted butter in a mixing bowl until the mixture is evenly moistened. Next, firmly press the mixture into an even layer in the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10-minutes and then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack.
- MAKE THE FILLING - Beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, white chocolate, and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer until blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended. Add ten drops of peppermint essential oil (or as much as you prefer). Stir in ½ cup of crushed mints. Pour filling into baked crust and sprinkle with ¼ cup of the remaining crusted mints.
- BAKE - Bake for 40 minutes or until the center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm. Then, top with COOL WHIP and remaining crushed mints and shaved chocolate just before serving. (You can add a few drops of peppermint oil to the whipped topping if you prefer a stronger flavor.)
How to Decorate Your Peppermint Cheesecake
This Peppermint Cheesecake Recipe is a big hit for adults and kids alike during the holidays! Decorate it with shaved dark chocolate or regular chocolate. Round starlight peppermint candies are a great addition to the top or candy canes!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Kids love crushing the Oreos for the crust and the candy for the topping! Just place the cookies or candies in a plastic ziplock bag, and they can use a kitchen mallet or rolling pin. These Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies are also a kid favorite!
- Make sure to take your cream cheese out of the refrigerator to soften for about 30 minutes before making the filling.
- You can use homemade whipped cream instead of the Cool Whip Whipped Topping.
More Holiday Desserts
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Items Used to Make The Recipe
This post contains affiliate links. Disclosure Policy here.
This Red Pie Plate makes a perfect presentation with your Peppermint Cheesecake inside. Plus, it's good year-round for pie-making!
Starlight Mint Candies are perfect for this peppermint recipe! Both inside and for decorations. Use them all season long.
We Love Hearing From You!
If you try this Easy Peppermint Cheesecake or any other recipe on Suburban Simplicity, don't forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it went in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
Better yet, use the hashtag #suburbansimplicity if you make the recipe.
You can also FOLLOW US on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food, fun crafts, home tips, + DIYs!
Printable Recipe
Peppermint Cheesecake Recipe
Equipment
- fork
- Electric Mixer
- kitchen mallet or rolling pin
Ingredients
- 25 cream-filled chocolate wafers (such as original Oreos, finely crushed)
- 3 tablespoon butter (melted)
- 2 pkg. (8 oz. each PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (or 10 drops peppermint essential oil)
- 4 oz softened white chocolate (almost melted)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup finely crushed starlight mints (divided)
- 1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (8-ounce container)
- Shaved chocolate (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Using a fork, stir together crushed cream-filled chocolate wafers with melted butter in a mixing bowl until the mixture is evenly moistened. Firmly press mixture into an even layer in the bottom pie dish.
- Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes then remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Beat cream cheese, sugar, white chocolate, and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer until blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended. Add 10 drops of peppermint essential oil (or as much as you prefer).
- Stir in ½ cup crushed mints.
- Pour into crust; sprinkle with ¼ cup of the remaining crushed mints.
- Bake 40 min. or until the center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm. Top with COOL WHIP and remaining crushed mints and shaved chocolate just before serving. (You can add a few drops of peppermint oil to the whip topping if you want a stronger flavor.)
Notes
- Using low-fat cream cheese in this recipe is fine.
- Make sure to take your cream cheese out of the refrigerator to soften for about 30 minutes before making the filling.
- You can use homemade whipped cream instead of the Cool Whip Whipped Topping.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on December 14, 2017. We updated it with enhanced instructions and images on December 1, 2021.
If you're a fan of peppermint, check out this DIY recipe for rejuvenating Peppermint Bath Salts.
Valentina
This homemade peppermint cheesecake recipe is truly the best, especially for the holidays!
Erin Henry
A holiday tradition at our house! I think we made it three times last year! So good!
sara
this is one of the best holiday cheesecakes that I have tried in a long time! thank you for sharing this recipe!
Erin Henry
Thanks for giving it a try, Sara. It's a tasty recipe to bring to holiday gatherings for sure!
Betsy
Super delicious! The cheesecake is delightfully smooth & creamy and the peppermint is such a nice contrast! Love it!
Damien Lardon
My brother choked on the Peppermints and it made this recipe so much better. He's fine btw.
Christine
Oh wow this looks delicious. Thanks for linking up to Meetup Monday! I've chosen this as my featured post for next week. 🙂
Erin
Thanks! Christine! I appreciate it!