A delicious and easy to make no-bake chocolate cheesecake. A crunchy biscuit base topped with smooth, creamy and indulgent chocolate.
As promised when I shared my Easy Chocolate Brownies recipe last week, I’m back with another classic recipe… Easy No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake. It’s got a crunchy digestive biscuit base topped with smooth, creamy and indulgent chocolate. Even better, it’s easy to make too.
Whilst it’s no bake, you still need to leave plenty of time to make it so it has time to set properly in the fridge. If you need to speed that process up a bit then you could pop it into the freezer instead.
How to crush the biscuits for your cheesecake base
I’ve realised that there are two distinct opinions for how crushed the biscuits should be for the base. Some people prefer them to be quite finely crushed so you get a really firm base once the crumbs are mixed with melted butter. And others like me prefer them to be a little more chunky so that the base is a little more crumbly and has more of a crunch.
If you prefer finely crushed biscuits then I’d recommend using a blender or food processor. I blitzed mine for this cheesecake in my Kitchen Aid using the pulse function to ensure that they weren’t too finely ground. You would get a similar result using a spice grinder, although as they are small in size you’ll probably need to blitz the biscuits in batches.
If you prefer your biscuits a little less finely ground (like me) or don’t have a blender then you can also use a pestle and mortar, or pop your biscuits into a bag and bash them with a rolling pin.
Free From/Suitable For…
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Egg-Free
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Sulphur Dioxide & Sulphite-Free
- Fish-Free
- Crustacean-Free
- Mollusc-Free
- Celery-Free
- Mustard-Free
- Lupin-Free
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Easy No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS
- 100 g digestive biscuits - 8 biscuits
- 40 g butter
- 250 g cream cheese
- 120 g caster sugar
- 175 g milk chocolate - choose something from the baking aisle rather than the sweet aisle in the supermarket as this is easier to melt
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 150 ml double cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line the base of an 18cm round loose bottomed tin with greaseproof paper or a reusable baking liner (I use these).
- Crush the digestive biscuits (100g, there’s a list of different ways this can be done above the recipe). Melt your butter (40g) and mix it with the crushed biscuits. Mix together the crushed biscuits and melted butter. Put the biscuit mix into the prepared tin and use the back of a spoon to push it flat. Put the tin into the fridge to chill while you make the topping.
- Melt the milk chocolate (175g). I melt mine in a saucepan over a very low heat, but you can also use a bain marie or the microwave in 20 second bursts if you prefer. Set aside to cool.
- Beat together the cream cheese (250g) and caster sugar (120g).
- In a different bowl whisk the double cream (150ml) until it forms soft peaks. Add the melted chocolate and beat in. Sift in the cocoa powder (20g) and mix well until combined. Add the cream cheese mixture and fold together until everything is fully combined.
- Remove the tin from the fridge and add the cheesecake mixture. Use a small palette knife or the back of a spoon to smooth the top (you’ll need to push it down to avoid air bubbles before smoothing).
- Refrigerate until the cheesecake has set (at least a couple of hours but preferably longer if you can).
- When you’re ready to serve carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin. If you find the edges have become a little smudged by the movement run a palette knife around the edge to smooth them again.
- Serve. I’ve served mine topped with some dark and white chocolate shavings made by running a peeler along the side of a block of chocolate.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Paige says
Great
Amu says
I tried this recipe but It didn’t work out at all unfortunately, I collected the instructions exactly and can’t see where I went wrong, I was quite surprised that it was only a small portion of the cream cheese, I’d normally use around 600g but this was only 250g
It completely collapsed after being in the fridge for 6 hours
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear it didn’t set fully. What brand of cream cheese did you use? I always use Philadelphia as I find it give better results than some others.
Karen says
Can you advise quantities for a 24inch tin
Charlotte Oates says
You’ll need to increase the quantities by 75% for that size of tin.
Ianthe says
This recipe is so quick and easy yet so tasty! I used half dark chocolate and half milk, it gave a nice balance. Also I used chocolate digestives for the base, about double recommended (the base is the best bit!) and threw a little popping candy in there for a fun surprise!
Sharon Denmeade says
My son and his girlfriend’s favourite. Very easy to make and lovely and rich. I used dark chocolate.
Sophie says
Delicious!
Carmen says
Loved this recipe, it was delicious.
All I would do would be to use some extra biscuits because I thought the chocolate was very strong. Otherwise fabulous.
Ryanne says
Hi Charlotte,
I thought non-bake cheesecakes typically use gelatin to hold them together – will this one melt in the summer?
Thanks!
Ryanne
Charlotte Oates says
I think there’s quite a mix of some with geletin and some without.
It depends how hot the day is really. This cheesecake will soften a lot if you leave it out in the heat for too long. I usually store mine in the fridge prior to serving to ensure that this doesn’t happen.
Sue says
Made it to take to a supper party for 6 people. Everyone commented how lovely it tasted. Excellent easy to make cheesecake asked to share recipe which I did via your website.Many thanks.wiil definitely be making it again.
zoe collins says
Hi Charlotte
could you freeze this ? I have a smiliar receipe using white chocolate and that freezes well.
Thanks
Zoe
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure – sorry.
Celia Yates says
Have made this cheesecake lots of times,it’s absolutely delicious albeit calorie laden .its the only chocolate one I make now.congratulations Charlotte,Wizard.
Charlotte Oates says
Well if you’re going to have a treat it should be worth it 🙂
Margaret says
I made this last month when we had family over for a barbecue. It went down so well I’m going to make it again when friends come over next week. Really easy to make. The step by step instructions were really clear. Thanks very much 🙂
Oyku says
Can swe substitute caster sugar with powdered sugar
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tried it but it should be fine.
Jackie says
Really easy to follow. Look forward to trying it tomorrow when my son and daughter in law come for a bbq.
Jackie
Zara says
Exactly what I was after. A simple, delicious and easy to make chocolate cheesecake recipe that worked first time. Absolutely perfect.
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Barbara, I hope your family enjoyed it and that you all had a lovely Easter.
Carly Richardson says
Very easy to follow , I changed the chocolate to kinder bars and put crushed hippos on top. I won’t lie it tastes amazing.
Charlotte Oates says
Ooh I like the sound of that, I’ll have to give it a try sometime 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Natalie says
I love all the no-bake cakes <3 In spite of a crazy fan of chocolate and cheese, I've never tried to make a big cake like this. I'm not enough brave to do it…but your recipes looks interesing and easy, maybe I will ask someone to try with me xD
Charlotte Oates says
It’s really easy. If you’re not confident in what you’re doing then it’s a great recipe to start with. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to give it a try.
Natalie says
Thanks for your advice! 🙂
I will let you know when I first start it xD
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
I’m all for cheese cake, especially chocolate ones. When it comes to crushing biscuits though, I always do mine by hand with a bag and a rolling pin…… it’s fun, great anger therapy and you have more control over when to stop! x
Charlotte Oates says
Bashing biscuits and kneading dough are my favourite kitchen stress relievers 🙂
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Ooh that looks so good Charlotte – and so easy too! I’m loving the making process pictures.
Angela x
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Angela. I’m hoping people find the extra step-by-step pictures useful.