What’s the best way to inject the distinctive choc-hazelnut flavour of Nutella into a Nutella Cheesecake? Make it NO-BAKE. It’s the secret to preserving the Nutella flavour. Of course, a triple punch of Nutella also helps here: in the mousse-y cream cheese filling, the ganache topping and a good melty drizzle of the stuff to finish it off!
Sounds indulgent? That would be because it is. 😈 This cake is not for faint hearts and weak arteries. It’s for serious Nutella lovers only!
Nutella Cheesecake
I’m a little fussy about my cheesecakes. In the past I’ve publicly declared that baking is the one and only way to achieve a light-and-still-rich-but-not-overly-so cheesecake that ticks all the right boxes.
But there are times when baking is not the route to the best result. Say, Mango Cheesecake. Baking alters the flavour of mango and it’s just not the same.
And, it turns out, Nutella is the same. The baked version wasn’t bad. It’s just that the no-bake version was so much better, dialling up the Nutella flavour to the max!
Bonus: It’s a whip/pour/fridge job, and waiting at the end of this (short and easy!) path is THIS:
Holy moly, if that doesn’t make your knees weak and get your heart pumping, you must not have a pulse to begin with. 😂
Ingredients in Nutella Cheesecake
Here’s what you need to make Nutella Cheesecake. Shockingly but reassuringly few ingredients!
Nutella – An entire 500g/1lb jar ends up in this Cheesecake. It’s a Nutella cake, people. Happy days!
Cream cheese, block form – Philadelphia brand is my preferred, and they aren’t paying me to say that!! I’ve strayed from the brand before and regretted it.
It must be the brick type, as opposed to the cream cheese sold in tubs which is softer. The latter is formulated to be easily spreadable, which we don’t want. If you can only get the spreadable tub stuff, you’ll need to use a bit more gelatine to set it properly (see recipe notes – this note is particularly for UK readers, as I believe brick form cream cheese may still not available there);
Gelatine powder – Gelatine is what sets the cheesecake in its fluffy mousse-like form. It’s widely available in the baking section of grocery stores. The setting strength is (to my knowledge) standardised globally, unlike gelatine sheets (don’t get me started on those!!)
The brand I use is McKenzie’s, the most common brand here in Australia:
Icing sugar / powdered sugar – Heads up, Australians: It’s best to use soft icing sugar not pure icing sugar, though for this recipe it’s ok if you only have pure. Soft icing sugar is used to make fluffy, creamy frostings like buttercream frosting. Pure icing sugar sets hard and is used for things like Royal Icing. Never confuse or interchange these two types for frostings. But for this Nutella Cheesecake, it is ok since we’re not using it for frosting;
Oreo biscuits – This is for the cheesecake crust. I like using Oreo cookies for the texture and flavour, I find they’re more chocolate-y than most other chocolate biscuits. But any plain chocolate biscuits / cookies will work fine here, such as Arnott’s Chocolate Ripples;
Cream – Cream is used in 3 ways in this recipe:
Filling: Whipped until fluffy then folded through the Nutella Cheesecake Filling. Cream is what makes the filling light and airy, while the gelatine makes it set;
Nutella ganache: Combined with melted Nutella and chocolate to make the ganache layer that covers the cheesecake; and
Whipped and piped: for decorating the cake!
Butter – Just regular unsalted butter, to help the biscuit base hold together; and
Hazelnuts – For sprinkling across the surface. We want the nuts for texture, visual effect and to double down on the hazelnut flavour in Nutella!
How to make Nutella Cheesecake
Part 1: Prepare the pan (with a TIP!)
Here’s a nifty tip for making cheesecakes: flip the base of a springform pan UPSIDE DOWN. This way, you don’t have the lip of the base to contend with when removing the finished cheesecake = no base-cracking stresses. Though actually, once set cheesecakes are much sturdier than you think!
Flip the base upside down – Flip the base of a springform pan upside down;
Butter and line – Smear the base and sides with a bit of softened butter to help the paper stick. Then press a square piece of parchment/baking paper onto the base;
Clip sides with paper overhang – Don’t trim the paper off. You want the overhang sticking out the sides of the pan to make it easier to remove the cheesecake later. It can be a bit fiddly to get the upside base clipped in, but you’ll figure it out!
Line sides – Use strips of baking/parchment paper to line the sides of the springform pan.
Part 2: Oreo biscuit base
Break up cookies roughly by hand, then place in a food processor;
Blitz until it becomes sand-like. Pour in the melted butter and blitz again briefly to just combine;
Tip this cookie-sand into the lined pan; and
Press into pan – Use something with a flat base and straight sides to press the crumbs firmly against the base of the pan. I use a measuring cup!
Ordinarily, I also have biscuit sides for my cheesecakes for no other reason than I love biscuit bases! But for this Nutella Cheesecake, I think it’s nice to be able to see the different cake layers so I only use it for the base.
Part 3: Nutella Cheesecake filling
It’s a dead simple mix-and-pour job! OK, OK, so I’m understating it a bit … but it really is straightforward, I promise!
Bloom gelatine – This simply means mixing gelatine powder with a little water and leaving it so the gelatine granules absorb the water and swell, so that they properly dissolve. The gelatine liquid then sets like firm butter. For most recipes this is then mixed into a hot liquid (like hot chocolate mixture for a Chocolate Mirror Glaze, or hot cranberry juice to make jelly for Christmas Trifle) which makes it dissolve.
For this recipe, we’re doing things a little differently. We add a bit of hot water to the solidified gelatine mixture to return it to liquid form, before mixing into the Nutella Cheesecake filling later on;
Nutella filling – Next, we start the filling by beating cream cheese with the Nutella and icing sugar;
Beat the mixture and it’s smooth and fluffy. This takes around 1 1/2 minutes on Speed 7 using a handheld beater;
Add gelatine – Then pour in the gelatine mixture we prepared in Step 1 and mix well to incorporate;
Whip cream – Next, whip the cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. We want it really fluffy because this is what aerates the Nutella Filling so it’s lusciously mousse-like;
Fold through – Then fold the cream through the Nutella mixture using a rubber spatula. Be gentle here, we don’t want to knock the air bubbles from the cream! The lighter your touch, the fluffier the filling of the cheesecake will be;
Pour filling into prepared biscuit base; and
Spread to level the surface. Refrigerate to set for 1 hour before topping with Nutella ganache. The filling will not be fully set, but it will be set enough to pour the topping over.
Part 4: Toppings
Nutella ganache – Heat cream, Nutella and chocolate chips in the microwave, and stir until molten and smooth. Let it cool slightly before pouring over the chilled cheesecake. Don’t sprinkle the hazelnuts on yet, wait until the the top is chilled and set, otherwise the hazelnuts will just sink!
Chill 3 hours to set – The cheesecake needs to chill for at least 3 hours to fully set all the way through. Once set we can sprinkle the hazelnuts onto the ganache layer.
Note: The ganache topping is softer than you might expect. It doesn’t set firmly and you cannot slice through it 100% neatly; it will smear slightly and droop on the edges a bit. This is intentional. Why? Well, firstly I think it should be molten-like so it resembles Nutella. It also tastes better this way. Thirdly, if the ganache is any firmer, it tends to slide off the Nutella filling like the way cheese slides off a badly made pizza. So I stand by the oozy Nutella Ganache – it looks, tastes and eats better!
Release the cake! Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and carefully peel away the paper sides, noting what I mentioned above about the ganache being quite soft;
Remove from base – Remember that pain you went through to clip the base in upside down? (You did follow that step, right?) It’s about to pay dividends! Just grab the paper overhang now for grip and slide your cheesecake off the cake pan base. Because there’s no lip, it slides straight off onto your serving platter of choice;
Then, just simply pull the paper out from under the cheesecake.
If at any point the paper feels stuck to the pan when doing this, it’s just the butter used to grease the pan that has solidified. Run a knife under the cheesecake and it will release easily.
Decorating the Nutella Cheesecake
It’s a pretty cake just as it is, but we can bling it up further with a few finishing flourishes! First, whip up some cream and pipe blobs around the rim.
Then warm up a little bit of Nutella so it’s pourable and drizzle it across the cream. You can do this either using a small bowl and a teaspoon, or a little ziplock bag – just snip the corner.
No need to get too caught up in perfection on this step. A casual drizzle is the phrase I use! If you want to get technical, I did a drizzles in a criss-cross pattern across the cream. While you could do it across the Nutella Ganache too, you can’t really see it so there’s not a lot of point!
Ah, I almost forgot. You want proof of light and airy insides? Here you go … see all those little air pockets? Those pockets mean a luscious, rich and yet light mouthfeel. Really, it’s like a Chocolate Mousse!
Because it’s no-bake, this Nutella Cheesecake needs to be kept in the fridge otherwise it will melt. It can be kept out in mild temperatures for quite a while, but on really warm days (say 28°C/82°F+) try to minimise the time it’s out of the fridge.
Also, unlike most cakes, where I go on and on about making sure you serve it at room temperature for the best eating experience, this Nutella Cheese is supposed to be served chilled. Believe me when I tell you I don’t say that very often, so enjoy the convenience of direct-from-fridge-to-mouth consumption! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Nutella Cheesecake (No Bake)
Ingredients
Base:
- 200g/ 7oz Oreo cookies (1.5 standard packs, Note 1)
- 60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
Nutella mousse filling:
- 3 tsp gelatine powder (Note 2)
- 1/4 cup water
- 500g / 1 lb cream cheese , softened (block form, Note 3)
- 1/2 cup soft icing sugar / powdered sugar (Note 4)
- 1 cup Nutella (Note 5)
- 1 cup heavy/thickened cream
Nutella ganache topping:
- 1/2 cup heavy/thickened cream
- 1/2 cup Nutella
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips/semi-sweet chocolate chips
Toppings:
- 1/4 cup hazelnuts , lightly toasted then chopped (Note 6)
- 1/2 cup heavy/thickened cream (for whipping)
- 3 tbsp Nutella , warmed
Instructions
- Prepare pan: Flip the base of a 20cm / 8" springform pan upside down – this makes it easier to remove the finished cheesecake without the lip in the way. Butter pan base, then press on a square sheet of baking paper. Clip the pan sides onto the base, letting the excess paper overhang. Butter and line the pan sides with more baking paper.
Oreo biscuit base:
- Blitz cookies: Roughly break up Oreos with hands and place in food processor. Blitz until they become fine crumbs. Add melted butter, then blitz again until combined.
- Press into pan: Transfer crumbs into prepared pan, pressing evenly and firmly on to the base (I use the underside of a straight-sided, flat-bottomed cup measure to do this).
Nutella mousse filling:
- Bloom gelatine: Place water in a small bowl then sprinkle the gelatine powder across the surface. Stir to partly dissolve. Set aside 5 minutes. It will turn thick; this process is called blooming. Microwave the gelatine for 15 seconds to turn it into liquid, stir, then let it stand for 5 minutes to cool.
- Cream cheese and Nutella mixture: Beat cream cheese, Nutella and icing sugar until smooth. Add the cooled gelatine liquid and beat another 30 seconds.
- Whip cream: In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
- Fold in cream: Add one third of the whipped cream to the Nutella mixture and gently fold until just combined. Fold in another third of the cream the same way. Then fold in the remaining cream.
- Transfer to cake pan: Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and place back in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set.
Decorating
- Nutella ganache: Place cream, Nutella and chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl. Microwave in two 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth.
- Pour ganache onto cheesecake: Allow ganache to cool for 5 minutes, then pour over the set cheesecake base. Tilt pan to spread it over the surface evenly.
- Refrigerate cheesecake at least 3 hours before sprinkling with hazelnuts (otherwise they sink into the cake!)
- Decorate: Sprinkle over hazelnuts. Pipe dollops of whipped cream around the edge, then drizzle with warm Nutella. Slice greedy-sized wedges and devour!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More showstopping cheesecakes!
Life of Dozer
Particularly interested in assisting with the development of this particular recipe…..
I think this will be my Easter dessert!!! With Ferrero Rocher and a chocolate Easter bunny, in the middle!!!🐰🐇
Now I’m getting all kinds of ideas!!!
Thanks Nagi!!!
Sounds amazing Sarah – there are so many possibilities here!! N x
Hi Nagi!
Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be making this cake for my son’s 6th birthday (this week). I’m from the Netherlands and the block cream cheese isn’t sold here. Will this be a big deal? I’ve been making my cheesecakes using the philadelphia tubs and they’ve turned out great but I haven’t yet made a no bake cheesecake. I hope the gelatine keeps it intact!
best,
Justine
Hi Justine, it needs to be the hard block for for this cake sorry! N x
thanks Nagi!
Justine, In Netherlands, it is called MonChou verse roomkaas sold in 100g blocks.
I live in the Netherlands. I use the MonChou brand freely available in supermarkets. Works well with any cheesecake recipe requiring block cream cheese.
Jean,
Heel erg bedankt! Ik zal MonChou eens proberen met mijn cheesecake recepten. Helaas heb ik al Philadelphia vanochtend gekocht….wij zullen zien! Groetjes!
Hi Nagi…
I just read the notes about the block cream cheese…thanks!
Hi Nagi, currently in the process of making this nutella cheesecake 😋for my son in law birthday. I’m short of time, so I’ve put it in the freezer for an hour, will that affect the outcome of this?? I’ll find out soon 🙈. Licking the spatula was soooo yummy. I’m putting Ferrero rocher on the edge of the cheesecake as I’m not a fan of nuts but ❤nutella 😋😂.
Hi Giati, love to know how it went for you – keep me updated!! N x
Ferrero Rocher!! Excellent idea, Giati!!!😁😛
Hello
Has anyone tried freezing this recipe ?
I haven’t tried sorry Alison – would love to know though!! N x
Oh my, this looks luscious! It would be a wonderful summer dessert, when it’s too hot to turn on the oven. My hubby loves chocolate, iffy about nutella, but I have no doubt this will change his mind! I believe, since summer has not arrived yet, this no-bake wonder must be made immediately, because I won’t wait! Thank-you so much Nagi…and Dozer in spirit, somewhere…lol
Hugz!
Hi Susan, I wouldn’t wait until summer either 😂 I hope it’s a hit!!! N x
I made this for my family today and it was an absolute hit. So smooth and creamy, just sheer bliss! Thank you for all of your fabulous recipes!
I love hearing this Nikita!! Thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Yes yes yes!!
You must Dee!!! N x
Hi Nagi
This looks amazing! Perfect for my Nutella addicted son’s birthday cake ( he is 21 on Easter Saturday🥳). Do you think it would stand up to it if I make it a couple of days in advance so I could pop it in an Esky and take it with us to the beach house?
Love your recipes and your sweet boy Dozer! You are becoming my “go to”…!
Hi Anna, yes it will be fine made in advance, you’ll just have to refrain from eating it!! N x
Oh wow! I’m drooling all over my keyboard! This is one epic dessert – I love Nutella and this no-nake treat that lets that Nutella flavor shine is a must make! Thank you for this recipe, Nagi!
You’re so welcome Shashi – I hope you try it and love it! N x
Hey Nagi, Love, love, love your recipes! 2 questions: Could you use a pie pan for this rather than a springform? And how essential is the gelatin powder? Hate to have to buy a big canister of it just for 1 recipe and don’t know what I’d use it for again. Thanks! Dozer is so precious!
Hi Cherylynn, you really need a dish that you can remove the base from for ease of cutting. Gelatine is what sets this no bake cheesecake, it’s imperative here unfortunately. N x
2 of my favorite foods. Nutella and cheesecake. Cant wait to try. Lov your site
And together they are SUBLIME! Enjoy Karen!! N x
I’ve made this twice now and it has always been a huge success. I like that it’s pretty easy to make.
That’s terrific to hear Nancy! Thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi, With regard to my previous post and just to confirm that the block packet that you have pictured in this recipe, as far as I know, is not sold in that form, but the soft cheese that I buy could not be spread – it isn’t soft enough, so I can only assume that the block cheese that we can buy is in a box, but it is still fairly solid.
Many thanks again, Nagi, for your brilliant recipes.
Val (UK)
Hi Val, I just know that when I posted my cream cheese frosting, a lot of readers from the UK say that they can’t get the firm cream cheese there. I’ll look into this! N x
Hi Val. I think you are right. I was wondering since this morning what Nagi meant. But looking again at the photo of the ingredients suddenly threw me back thirty or so years and I’m sure we used to have Philly in packs like that and I’m sure it is the same as the stuff they sell in the tubs these days. Shame they don’t still sell it like that much more environmentally friendly. I’m looking forward to trying this. Though I’m going to look for some palm free alternative
Hi Nagar! Love this recipe – might actually try it – looks yummy. Can you use a vegetarian substitute to the gelatine?
Hi Adeeee, I haven’t tried just yet sorry, it may work with agar agar but I’ll need to test it sorry! Nagi x
This looks beautiful, as do all of your desserts. I’m not much of a chocolate or hazelnut person and to tell the truth I think the Strawberry Cheesecake is more my style. Your pineapple upside down cake and the carrot cupcakes were fabulous. Now I have to ask if you did Dozers biscuits? Is this something you would consider putting a recipe out for? They look very good. Thank you for all the beautiful food you put out. Sometimes mine doesn’t quite look like yours but the taste is always there.
Hi Mary, Thanks so much for the great feedback! Maybe the no bake mango cheesecake it more your style! Yes, I will publish the dog biscuits, it’s on my to do list somewhere 😂 N x
Hi Nagi, I know I shall have to make this – son and grandson are chocoholics, so it’s a no-brainer!! I would question your statement “see recipe notes – this note is particularly for UK readers, as I believe brick form cream cheese may still not available there” – as I have been buying brick form cream cheese for many many years (at least 20 years) and it is widely available in all of the UK supermarkets. Thank you Nagi for your amazing recipes, many of which have graced our table!!
Stay well and stay safe.
Val (UK)
I’m not a huge Nutella fan unfortunately but I can tell you that this is VERY similar to my own chocolate peanut butter cheesecake recipe – when I fancy it all up I also use a ganache layer with chopped roasted, salted peanuts sprinkled over and serve it with homemade salted caramel sauce – it tastes exactly like a Snickers bar… I use caster sugar in the cream cheese mix, it dissolves in just fine as long as you beat it thoroughly, plus 150g of 50%+ dark choc and a 375g jar of Kraft or Pams or whatever smooth PB is handy. I haven’t quite figured out how to get a chewy nougat element in there (it just goes soft) but this also looks like a fabulous option!
PS. Best use of Nutella is microwave it gently until warm and runny and use it as a cheaty dipping sauce for fresh strawberries!
Sounds amazing Chris!!! N x
If I lessened the icing sugar to 1/4 cup, would this change the texture completely? We found it just a tad too sweet for our taste….thanks.
Hi Tracy, it shouldn’t change the texture too much here – it should be fine. Love to now how you go! N x
Looks fantastic. Thank you. I am glad you and your family are fine. Hope things are better down there. Happy Easter Nagi and Dozer. x
Thanks so much Maria – I hope you have a great Easter! N x
After making your Nutella pancakes recipe you got me hooked on eating Nutella from the jar with a spoon, so when I recently saw a recipe on pinterest I thought if you. In the recipe you take the dregs of Nutella that are left in the bottom of the jar and add hot milk to make Nutella Hot Chocolate. Thanks for the new recipe!
Nutella makes everything great doesn’t it Jayne?! 😂 N x