Cheesecake earns its place at Christmas. It can be made days ahead, it feeds a crowd, and one cake can carry the whole dessert table. These Christmas cheesecake recipes cover the flavors people ask for every December: peppermint, eggnog, gingerbread, cranberry, and hot cocoa, plus a few that stand out for other reasons.
Every recipe links to the creator’s own page. Baked and no-bake versions are mixed through the list, and each entry says which it is. A few notes on the mix: most of these contain no gelatin at all, and only one uses alcohol. The hot cocoa cheesecake uses marshmallow fluff and whole marshmallows, so it is not vegetarian as written.
1. Pistachio cheesecake with pistachio ganache
Get the recipe from The Cooking Foodie.
This baked cheesecake leans on real pistachio flavor, with a nut crust and a smooth pistachio ganache on top. Its soft green color looks right on a Christmas table without any food coloring tricks. Bake it a day or two ahead; like most baked cheesecakes, it slices better after a night in the fridge.
2. Eggnog cheesecake with eggnog whipped cream
Get the recipe from My Baking Addiction.
A gingersnap crust, a silky filling made with real eggnog, and a whipped cream topping that carries the eggnog flavor further. This is a baked cheesecake, about 65 to 70 minutes in the oven, and it needs a long chill before slicing. There is no gelatin or alcohol in the recipe itself; the author mentions unflavored gelatin only as an optional way to stabilize whipped cream made hours ahead.
3. Gingerbread cheesecake with salted caramel
Get the recipe from Stephanie’s Sweet Treats.
Gingersnap cookies make the crust, warm spice runs through the filling, and salted caramel goes over the top. It bakes for 70 to 80 minutes, so plan it for a day when the oven is free. The caramel topping is the part guests remember, and it hides any small crack on the surface.
4. White chocolate cranberry cheesecake
Get the recipe from Confessions of a Baking Queen.
White chocolate keeps the filling sweet and silky while a homemade cranberry puree swirls through it for color and tartness. It sits on a Biscoff crust and finishes with whipped cream and sugared cranberries. This is a baked cheesecake. The cranberry puree and the sugared cranberries can both be made up to three days ahead, which takes pressure off Christmas Day.
5. No-bake peppermint cheesecake with a candy cane swirl
Get the recipe from This Silly Girl’s Kitchen.
No oven, no water bath, no cracking to worry about. Crushed candy canes and peppermint extract flavor a whipped filling that gets tinted pink in one half and swirled against white over an Oreo crust. It needs at least eight hours in the fridge, so make it the day before. Slices freeze well for up to a month.
6. Salted caramel cheesecake
Get the recipe from The Cooking Foodie.
A plain creamy cheesecake under a thick layer of salted caramel. It is one of the simplest recipes in this list, and it works because the caramel does all the talking. This is a baked cheesecake. Make it one to three days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge until serving time.
7. Snickerdoodle cheesecake
Get the recipe from Life Love and Sugar.
This one starts with an actual snickerdoodle cookie base instead of a crumb crust, then layers cinnamon-sugar filling through the cheesecake and finishes with cinnamon whipped cream. It bakes in a water bath for 75 to 80 minutes and needs four to five hours to chill. The cookie base can be baked a day or two early, and the finished cake freezes for up to three months.
8. Hot cocoa cheesecake
Get the recipe from Entirely Elizabeth.
Chocolate graham cracker crust, rich chocolate filling, ganache, and a marshmallow whipped cream topping with whole marshmallows on top. It tastes like a mug of hot cocoa in slice form. This is a baked cheesecake that takes about an hour and a half in the oven plus an overnight chill, and the author says it tastes best on day three. One flag: it uses marshmallow fluff and marshmallows, so it is not vegetarian as written. It keeps in the fridge for up to ten days and freezes for up to two months.
9. Turtle cheesecake
Get the recipe from Preppy Kitchen.
Caramel, chocolate, and pecans, built the way turtle candies are: a chocolate cookie crust, a caramel pecan layer, a chocolate cheesecake layer, and plain filling over the top, finished with more caramel, chocolate, and pecans. This is a baked cheesecake, 75 to 90 minutes, and the author uses a pan of water on the rack below instead of sitting the pan in water. Make it one to two days ahead; it freezes well if you hold the topping until serving.
10. Cranberry orange cheesecake
Get the recipe from Gimme Some Oven.
A lighter take on the usual recipe, with Greek yogurt and low-fat cream cheese in the filling and orange zest through the batter. The gingersnap crust bakes first, then the filling bakes in a water bath for about an hour and a half. Top it with cranberry sauce just before serving. Leftover cranberry sauce works fine here.
11. No-bake pumpkin cheesecake
Get the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Whipped cream folded into a spiced pumpkin filling makes this one light, almost mousse-like, and it sets in the fridge instead of the oven. The gingersnap crust gives it crunch and spice. Chill it for at least eight hours, and up to two days. It freezes for up to three months, so it is a good one to make early in a busy week.
12. Red velvet cheesecake cake
Get the recipe from The Cooking Foodie.
Red velvet cake layered with creamy cheesecake filling, finished with frosting and white chocolate shavings. It reads as a celebration cake more than a quiet cheesecake, which suits a Christmas dinner table. This is a baked recipe. The red color needs no extra decoration to look festive.
13. Brownie peppermint cheesecake
Get the recipe from Sweet and Savory Meals.
A fudgy brownie base under a peppermint cheesecake filling, topped with whipped cream and white chocolate ganache. It bakes for about 45 to 50 minutes. The brownie layer makes this one feel more like a dessert-bar hybrid than a classic cheesecake, and kids tend to pick it first.
14. No-bake white chocolate cranberry cheesecake
Get the recipe from Manila Spoon.
White chocolate is what sets this one, so there is no gelatin in the recipe at all. A graham cracker and pecan crust holds a creamy white chocolate filling with a layer of cranberry jam in the middle. It needs an overnight chill and can be made about two days ahead. Canned whole-berry cranberry sauce works if you do not want to make your own.
15. Mini gingerbread cheesecakes
Get the recipe from Chocolate Moosey.
Small-batch minis baked in a muffin pan, six at a time, with a gingersnap crust and a spiced filling. They bake in 22 to 25 minutes and get whipped cream and gingersnap crumbs on top. Individual portions suit a party spread or a dessert table where people want to try more than one thing.
16. Peppermint cheesecake with chocolate drizzle
Get the recipe from Made In A Pinch.
A straightforward baked peppermint cheesecake on a graham cracker crust, finished with a chocolate drizzle and crushed candy canes. It bakes for about 55 minutes. If you only want one peppermint cheesecake on the table and you prefer baked over no-bake, this is the simplest pick in the list.
17. Baklava cheesecake
Get the recipe from The Cooking Foodie.
Creamy cheesecake under a crunchy, honey-soaked layer of nuts and phyllo. It brings a different texture to a table full of soft desserts, and the pistachio topping keeps it seasonal. This is a baked cheesecake. Serve it in small slices; it is rich.
18. Eggnog cheesecake with bourbon and gingerbread crust
Get the recipe from Baker’s Table.
A gingerbread cookie crust, a creamy eggnog filling, and eggnog whipped cream on top, with sugared cranberries to finish. One flag: this recipe uses a homemade bourbon concentrate in place of vanilla, so it does contain alcohol. It bakes at 300 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes in a water bath and needs twelve hours in the fridge. It uses a regular cake pan instead of a springform, which the author says is easier.
Cheesecake success tips
A few habits make the difference between a smooth cheesecake and a cracked one. Use room-temperature cream cheese and eggs so the batter mixes smooth without overbeating. Mix on low speed and stop as soon as the eggs are in; extra air in the batter is what causes cracks as the cake cools.
A water bath helps. Either set the springform pan in a roasting pan of hot water or put a pan of boiling water on the rack below. Both keep the oven humid and the filling even. Wrap the outside of the pan in foil if the pan sits in the water, or use the rack-below method to skip that worry.
Judge doneness by jiggle, not by time. The edges should look set while the center still wobbles a little when you nudge the pan. It firms up as it cools. Turn the oven off and let the cake cool inside with the door cracked before moving it to the fridge. Chill baked cheesecakes overnight when you can; they slice cleaner and taste better the next day.
More Christmas desserts
If cheesecake is only part of the plan, these roundups cover the rest of the table. Our Christmas pie recipes run from classic pumpkin to chocolate silk. The Christmas trifle recipes are the easiest option when oven space runs out. Christmas bark recipes work as edible gifts, and the holiday cheese ball recipes handle the savory side of the party spread.
Pick one of these Christmas cheesecake recipes, make it a day or two early, and let the fridge do the work. The hot cocoa cheesecake is the only one here that uses marshmallows, so if you need the whole table vegetarian, skip that one and pick any of the other seventeen.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make Christmas cheesecake ahead of time?
Yes. Most baked Christmas cheesecakes taste better the next day, and the recipes in this list can be made one to three days ahead. No-bake versions need at least eight hours in the fridge, so make them the day before at the latest.
Can I freeze cheesecake?
Yes, most cheesecakes freeze well for up to two or three months. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and thaw it overnight in the fridge. Hold fresh toppings like whipped cream, ganache, and sugared cranberries until after thawing.
Baked or no-bake: which is better for Christmas?
It depends on your oven. Baked cheesecakes have a denser, richer texture and a classic flavor. No-bake versions free up oven space, set in the fridge, and are more forgiving for first-time bakers. If your oven is full on Christmas Day, pick a no-bake recipe.
How do I keep cheesecake from cracking?
Use room-temperature ingredients, mix on low speed, and do not overbeat once the eggs go in. Bake in a water bath or with a pan of water on the rack below. Let the cake cool gradually in the turned-off oven instead of moving it straight to the fridge.
How long does cheesecake last in the fridge?
A baked cheesecake keeps for four to five days covered in the fridge. No-bake versions keep about the same, though candy cane pieces and fresh toppings soften after a day or two, so add garnishes close to serving time.
Can I make these cheesecakes vegetarian?
Most of them, yes. None of the recipes in this list use gelatin as an ingredient. The one exception is the hot cocoa cheesecake, which uses marshmallow fluff and whole marshmallows; standard marshmallows are usually made with gelatin. For that one, look for gelatin-free marshmallows or pick a different recipe from the list.
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