This Nutella cheesecake is smooth, creamy, and packed with chocolate hazelnut flavor. The Oreo crust has chopped hazelnuts for a bit of nutty crunch and to really amp up that chocolate-hazelnut flavor. It’s topped with a Nutella ganache and some more chopped hazelnuts. It’s so indulgent and chocolatey.
These nutella cupcakes are also a chocolate hazelnut dream.
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🎂 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Nutella: Two whole cups of nutella in the filling and a chocolate hazelnut crust gives it so much nutella flavor!
- Ultra creamy: A combination of two whole cups of Nutella, sour cream, and heavy cream make the most luxurious, perfectly set creamy filling.
- Straight forward: This recipe has all the tips and tricks you'll need to get a perfect baked cheesecake every time. No need to be afraid!
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Filling ingredients
- Cream cheese: Use a good quality cream cheese. Don't use a low fat variety, it has too much water and the consistency will be too watery - it might not set. Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature 30 minutes before making the cheesecake for it to soften.
- Nutella: You need a full 2 cups for the cheesecake filling. This will help the flavor really shine without making the cheesecake too sweet! You can use any other similar chocolate hazelnut spread
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream will lighten up the cheesecake and make it ultra creamy. It’s also used in the nutella ganache. I used whipping cream. Don’t use half and half or milk instead.
- Sour cream: This will deepen the flavor and give the cheesecake a creamy texture. Don’t use a low fat sour cream.
- Eggs: Make sure they’re at room temperature so that they blend in perfectly, creating a silky smooth batter.
Try this red velvet oreo cheesecake if you love cheesecakes and want a slightly less chocolate option.
Crust and topping ingredients
- Oreo crumbs: You will need 36 whole oreo cookies (407g) and crush them into a fine crumb for the crust. You can use golden oreos if you prefer.
- Hazelnuts: Toasted hazelnuts are added into the crust for a bit of crunch and a lot of flavor. You can also decorate the top with more hazelnuts! You can chop them up on a cutting board or in a food processor.
- Melted butter: Use a good quality melted butter for best results and flavor! You can also use salted butter.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: You can also use a chopped dark chocolate for the ganache.
✔️ Ingredient substitutions
Nutella: Use any similar chocolate hazelnut spread to Nutella. I haven't tried anything else but off brand variations should work too.
Oreos: Substitute with a similar sandwich cookie. Don't take out the filling - use the cookies with the filling.
Hazelnuts: You can substitute the hazelnuts with any other type of toasted nuts you like.
👩🍳 How to make Nutella cheesecake
The process is divided into three steps: the crust, filling, and assembly.
Cheesecake crust step by step
Prep: Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease an 8” or 9” round springform pan with a piece of cold butter and line the bottom with parchment paper (for easier removal).
Step 1: Combine Oreo crumbs, hazelnuts, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Mix until evenly incorporated.
Step 2: Pour into prepared pan and spread it out to the edges. Use the bottom of a glass to pack tightly, pushing the crumbs halfway up the edges.
Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes. Work on the filling while it bakes. Don't turn the oven off.
Filling step by step
Prep: Fill a kettle full of water and set it to boil for the water bath.
Step 1: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat for about 2 minutes, until no lumps remain and it is smooth.
Step 2: Add Nutella, heavy cream, and sour cream. Blend well in between each addition.
Step 3: Add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg until it disappears. Stop beating as soon as the last egg disappears.
Step 4: Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top.
Place the cheesecake in a round baking pan that is 1" or 2” wider than the cheesecake pan. Place that pan into a large rectangular baking dish where it fits comfortably. See notes for water bath alternatives.
Step 5: Carefully pour the boiling hot water into the large rectangular pan. Carefully transfer the large baking tray with everything inside into the oven using oven mitts.
Step 6: Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven (355°F or 180°C) for 70-90 minutes. It is ready when the edges are set and the middle is still jiggly. It will continue baking as it cools.
Step 7: Leave the oven door open for 20 minutes and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven. Afterwards, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let cool completely to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Assembly step by step
Step 1: Place chocolate chips, salt, and Nutella in a large heat safe bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips and Nutella.
Step 2: Let sit for 7 minutes before whisking until smooth. If it's not smooth, heat it in the microwave or on top of a pot of hot water briefly until completely smooth.
Step 3: Remove the chilled cheesecake from its pan. Pour the ganache over the cheesecake, spreading it out until the edges.
Step 4: Top the Nutella cheesecake with roasted and chopped hazelnuts. Let the ganache on the cake set in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
✔️ Expert Cheesecake Tips
- Use good quality, full fat, brick style cream cheese. Low fat cream cheese has too much water content. I use Philadelphia original cream cheese.
- Let the batter ingredients come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before starting. This will help them incorporate evenly.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure a smooth cheesecake batter.
- Bake in a water bath to ensure an even creamy and set filling all the way through.
- Bake until the edges are set and the middle is puffed up and still a little jiggly. Under baking will prevent it from setting properly and overbaking will make it crack.
- Chill the Nutella cheesecake for at least eight hours or overnight. This will ensure the best flavor and a perfectly set texture.
🛁 Water bath options
A water bath is essential in making an evenly baked, ultra creamy baked cheesecake without any cracks. In this recipe I provided a couple of options for a water bath depending on what you have on hand.
The best option can be used if you’re using a springform pan. Find a round baking pan that is 1”-2” larger than the pan that the cheesecake is in. This will keep the water out of the cheesecake, preventing it from getting soggy. Nest the nutella cheesecake into the larger pan and then into the large roasting tray where the hot water will be. This is what I have used in this recipe.
If the cheesecake is in a regular round pan (not springform), you can place the pan directly into the water bath because water can’t get in through the bottom edge. Make sure you create a sling out of parchment paper so that you can lift to remove the cheesecake out of the pan after chilling.
If the cheesecake is in a springform pan, wrap the outside of the pan tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Try to use a wide enough foil to cover the whole bottom and edges so that water for sure can’t get through the cracks of the springform pan. You can also nestle the springform pan into a heat safe sous vide bag instead of the aluminum foil.
This chocolate orange cheesecake also uses a water bath. These mini oreo cheesecakes are baked but don't need a water bath!
🥄 Make ahead and storage
Cheesecakes make the perfect make ahead dessert because they need to set in the fridge for a while. This makes them a great dessert to make the day before and let chill in the fridge overnight. You can bake it up to three days ahead of time.
It's best to decorate the cake before serving so that it doesn't get ruined or smushed. You can always decorate it the day before and store it in a cake carrier which will protect it on all sides.
This nutella cheesecake will keep well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days or in the freezer wrapped tightly or in an airtight container for up to two months.
For a no bake cheesecake recipe, try this funfetti cheesecake or this Baileys cheesecake.
📖 Recipe FAQs
This is the key to having a silky smooth cheesecake batter. At room temperature, the fats are all soft and everything will blend together perfectly! You don't want a lumpy cheesecake batter.
This happens when the cheesecake is overbaked, the oven temperature is too high, or if you don’t use a water bath. Check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer and make sure you pull out the cheesecake while the middle is still jiggly.
The cheesecake needs to sit directly in the water bath in order to get the benefit of even heat. Having it on a different tray in the oven just doesn’t work the same.
The cheesecake needs to chill for at least 8 hours so that it has time to firm up and for the flavors to develop. It will taste much richer and creamier after chilling!
Whole Oreo cookies go into the crust! Leave the filling and crush them in a bag with a rolling pin or in a food processor.
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📖 Recipe
Nutella Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 9" springform cake pan
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 cups oreo crumbs 36 oreo cookies (407g), crushed
- 1 cup hazelnuts toasted and finely chopped
- 4 tablespoon melted butter
Cheesecake Filling
- 24 oz cream cheese softened (680g)
- 4 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups nutella or similar chocolate hazelnut spread
- ½ cup heavy cream whipping cream, room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Nutella Ganache
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup nutella or similar chocolate hazelnut spread
- ⅓ cup heavy cream whipping cream
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Assembly
- ¼ cup hazelnuts toasted and roughly chopped
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease an 8” or 9” round pan non-stick baking pan with vegetable oil or butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Combine oreo crumbs, hazelnuts, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Mix until evenly incorporated.3 cups oreo crumbs, 1 cup hazelnuts, 4 tablespoon melted butter
- Pour into prepared pan and spread it out to the edges. Use the bottom of a glass to pack tightly, pushing the crumbs halfway up the edges.
- Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes. Work on the filling while it bakes. Don't turn the oven off.
Cheesecake Filling
- Fill up a kettle with water and set it to boil.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat for about 2 minutes, until no lumps remain and it is smooth.24 oz cream cheese, 4 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- Add nutella, heavy cream, and sour cream. Blend well in between each addition.2 cups nutella, ½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup sour cream
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg until it disappears. Stop beating as soon as the last egg disappears.3 large eggs
- Place the prebaked crust in a round baking pan that is 1-2” wider than the cheesecake pan. Place that pan into a large rectangular baking dish where it fits comfortably. See notes for water bath alternatives.
- Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Carefully pour the boiling hot water into the large rectangular pan. Carefully transfer the large baking tray with everything inside into the oven using oven mitts.
- Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven (355°F or 180°C) for 70-90 minutes. It is ready when the edges are set and the middle is still jiggly. It will continue baking as it cools.
- Leave the oven door open for 20 minutes and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven. Afterwards, remove the cheesecake from the waterbath and let cool completely to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Nutella Ganache
- Place chocolate chips, salt, and nutella in a large heat safe bowl.½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, ¼ cup nutella, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- In a small saucepan, heat the cream until simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips and nutella. Let sit for 7 minutes before whisking until smooth.⅓ cup heavy cream
- Remove the chilled cheesecake from its pan. Pour the ganache over the cheesecake, spreading it out until the edges. Top with roasted and chopped hazelnuts. Let the ganache on the cake set in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.¼ cup hazelnuts
Notes
Water Bath Options:
- (The best option) Find a round baking pan that is 1”-2” larger than the pan that the cheesecake is in. This will keep the water out of the cheesecake preventing it from getting soggy. Nest the cheesecake into the larger pan and then into the large roasting tray where the hot water will be. *This is for if the cheesecake is in a springform pan*
- If the cheesecake is in a regular round pan (not springform), you can place the pan directly into the water bath because water can’t get in through the bottom edge. Make sure you create a sling out of parchment paper so that you can lift to remove the cheesecake out of the pan after chilling.
- If the cheesecake is in a springform pan, wrap the outside of the pan tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Try to use a wide enough foil to cover the whole bottom and edges. You can also nestle the springform pan into a heat safe sous vide bag instead of the aluminum foil.
Liz
Looking forward to making this recipe! Would splitting the batter between two 7" pans yield fairly tall cheesecakes or would you recommend I increase recipe by another 1/2? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Mary
This recipe makes a very tall 9" cheesecake so I think there is enough batter to make two 7" ones without increasing!
Roman L.
The cheesecake turned out creamy with lots of nutella flavour. Everyone loved it! The instructions were helpful with lots of detail. I will definitely be making this again.