This chocolate orange cheesecake is a creamy, rich, no-bake cheesecake that's absolutely perfect for the holiday season! This easy cheesecake recipe is a chocolate lover's dream thanks to the Oreo crust, dark chocolate filling, and chocolate ganache topping.
Fresh orange juice and zest balance the richness of the chocolate, and give the cheesecake a pop of orange flavor - just like the classic Terry's Chocolate Orange Wedges enjoyed around Christmas.
A Terry's chocolate orange cheesecake is great to make ahead, and stores for one week in the refrigerator. If eaten directly from the refrigerator, the cheesecake will have a slightly firm texture. Letting the orange cheesecake come to room temperature for one hour results in an ultra-creamy texture. Either option is fantastic!
No-bake cheesecakes are the best way to enjoy a cheesecake without all of the extra effort and bake time. Try your hand at this Halloween Cheesecake, No Bake Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake, No Bake Mango Cheesecake, Oreo Peanut Butter Pie, No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Pie, or No-Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake.
Love the chocolate and orange flavor combination? My Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake and Dark Chocolate Orange Cookies are just for you!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy yet impressive - while chocolate orange cheesecake has several components, all of them are very easy to execute! And since this is a no-bake cheesecake, there's no need to deal with a water bath or long bake times. Your friends and family are sure to be impressed by your culinary skills with this recipe.
Classic flavor - chocolate and orange is such a classic pairing, especially around the holidays! If you're anything like me, a Terry's Chocolate Orange was always in the toe of your Christmas stocking as a kid. You can pick one up and use the chocolate orange wedges to garnish the top of your cake to really bring the chocolate orange flavor home.
Chocolate on chocolate - if you're a chocolate lover, this one is for you. It has an Oreo crust, dark chocolate cheesecake filling, chocolate ganache layer on top, and a luscious chocolate whipped cream for the finishing touch.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese. Full-fat cream cheese in block form should be used. Philadelphia brand is always my preferred cream cheese to use.
- Cocoa powder. It's best to use dutch-processed cocoa rather than natural cocoa for both flavor and color.
- Oreos. Standard Oreo sandwich cookies are used to make the oreo crust in this chocolate cheesecake recipe.
- Oranges. Both orange zest and orange juice are used. Zest in the crust, and zest and juice in the filling.
- Orange Extract. A touch of this extract is used to intensify the orange flavor and make it taste exactly how you'd want a chocolate-orange pairing to taste.
- Heavy whipping cream. This is used in the chocolate cheesecake filling, ganache, and chocolate whipped cream.
- Semi-sweet chocolate. Needed for the chocolate ganache topping. Chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (60-70% cacao) can be used.
- Terry's Chocolate Orange. This is an optional garnish, but encompasses what chocolate orange desserts are all about! They can be found at most grocery stores during the holiday season, or ordered online.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- This recipe can easily be made into mini cheesecakes using a muffin tin. Simply follow the steps on the recipe card, evenly distributing each component within each muffin tin hole.
- Don't have Oreos on hand? Not a problem. Make the crust with any other sandwich cookie brand, chocolate wafers cookies, or even chocolate graham crackers.
- To give this dessert a boozy kick, you can add ½ ounce of orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau, to the cheesecake batter.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Rub together the zest of one orange into the sugar until very fragrant and orange.
Two: Combine the Oreo crust ingredients until fully moistened.
Three: Press the crumbs into the bottom and at least halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Four: Bread down the cream cheese, then add the orange zest and orange juice and mix to combine.
Hot tip! Use a ⅓ cup measuring cup with straight sides to prepare the crumb crust. It's the best tool for the job!
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Five: Sift in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
Six: Mix on the very lowest speed (so the powders don't mix out) until combined. Also add the orange and vanilla extracts.
Seven: Add the whipped cream in two batches.
Eight: Carefully fold in the whipped cream by hand with a rubber spatula. Don't deflate the batter!
Nine: Spread the finished batter into the springform pan and spread evenly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Ten: Mix together hot cream and chocolate chips until smooth, then spread onto the top of the chilled cheesecake.
Eleven: Whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla until light and fluffy, then pipe or spread onto the cheesecake.
Twelve: Top with segments of a Terry's chocolate orange, or try your hand at candied orange slices!
Expert Tips
- To ensure your crust sets up properly, I recommend pressing the Oreo crust up the sides first, then pressing it into the bottom.
- Full-fat brick style cream cheese must be used for this recipe (low-fat contains too much water). I always recommend using Philadelphia brand cream cheese.
- Get your cream cheese out of the refrigerator nice and early (6-8 hours) - it must be fully room temperature to properly incorporate into the batter.
- When mixing the cheesecake batter, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl after each step to fully incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Chill the cheesecake fully to allow it to set up. If it's not completely chilled, the cheesecake can fall.
- When slicing the chocolate orange cheesecake, take the time to fully clean off your knife between each cut to avoid pulling chunks off of the cake.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! This cheesecake freezes very well. Before adding the whipped cream, wrap the entire cake or individual slices in plastic wrap, then foil. Add to a zip top bag and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, unwrap the cheesecake and place it in the refrigerator.
There are a couple reasons why a no bake cheesecake may not set properly. It's possible that you may have overmixed the batter and deflated the whipped cream, or it may not have chilled for long enough in the refrigerator.
I do not recommend using low-fat cream cheese, especially for no-bake cheesecakes. Low-fat cream cheese has a higher water content, which makes the cheesecake more susceptible to falling.
Cheesecake batter can be lumpy if your ingredients weren't fully at room temperature before mixing. The cream cheese should be exceptionally soft for the smoothest cheesecake batter.
Storage
Store the cheesecake lightly covered in the fridge for one week.
To freeze, wrap the cheesecake (without chocolate whipped cream) or slices in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and place into a zip top bag. Freeze for up to three months.
To thaw, unwrap the cheesecake completely and thaw in the fridge.
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📖Recipe
Chocolate Orange Cheesecake (no-bake)
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachment (or hand mixer)
Ingredients
Oreo Crust
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 orange zested
- 2 ½ cups Oreo crumbs
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 24 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature (use full-fat brick style)
- 1 orange zested & juiced
- ⅔ cup dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
Chocolate Ganache
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Whipped Cream
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons dutch processed cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- Terry’s chocolate orange optional, for decoration
Instructions
Oreo Crust
- Rub together the sugar and orange zest with your fingers until very fragrant and orange. Stir the crust ingredients together in a bowl with a fork until completely moistened.¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 orange, 2 ½ cups Oreo crumbs, ½ cup unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pour into a 9-inch springform pan and pack in very tightly, going halfway up the sides. Freeze while you make the filling.
Cheesecake Filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or with a handheld mixer), whip the heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks so it stands on the tip of the whisk without falling. Set aside (or transfer to a large mixing bowl)1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a handheld mixer), and mix on low speed until the cream cheese is broken down. Scrape down the sides, then add the orange zest and orange juice and mix to combine.24 oz cream cheese, 1 orange
- Sift in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Mix on low speed (add a kitchen towel over top so it doesn’t mix out!) until combined, then increase the speed to medium and mix for 30 seconds.⅔ cup dutch processed cocoa powder, 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- Scrape down the sides, then add the vanilla and orange extracts and mix on low speed to combine. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake batter in two batches by hand until no white streaks remain (careful not to deflate the batter).1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract, 1 teaspoon orange extract
- Spread the cheesecake into the prepared crust and refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Chocolate Ganache
- Add the chocolate chips to a heat safe bowl.⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heat the heavy cream in the microwave for 30-45 seconds until very hot and just barely bubbling. Pour over the chocolate chips and allow it to sit for one minute.¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- Stir the mixture together starting from the center and slowly working outwards until it becomes a glossy chocolate mixture.
- Cool the mixture for 10 minutes, then pour over the top of the cheesecake, spreading it to the edges.
Chocolate Whipped Cream
- Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, dutch processed cocoa powder and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer) and whip on medium high speed until stiff peaks form and hold on the tip of the whisk.¾ cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons dutch processed cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- Spread or pipe the whipped cream on top of the ganache. Garnish the top of the cheesecake with slices of a Terry’s Chocolate Orange, if desired.Terry’s chocolate orange
Video
Notes
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- Get the cream cheese out of the refrigerator nice and early (6-8 hours) - it must be fully room temperature to properly incorporate into the batter.
- To ensure the crust sets up properly, press the Oreo crust up the sides and corners first, then press it into the bottom.
-
- When slicing the chocolate orange cheesecake, take the time to fully clean off the knife between each cut to avoid pulling chunks off of the cake.
stef says
this is a must make! it was fairly easy to make (even with a toddler helping) and all my guests thought it was delicious! definitely add the chocolate oranges on top- they make it look so fancy!