This Christmas cheesecake is a fun and festive dessert you’ll make all holiday season. With a creamy filling, a buttery graham cracker crust, and lots of candy on top, it’s absolutely delicious!
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Here’s your show-stopping holiday dessert! This Christmas cheesecake is absolutely a MUST for your festivities.
It’s creamy, it’s rich, and it’s totally customizable because you can sub in your favorite red and green candies on top. I used M&Ms but just use whatever you like. You really can’t go wrong here!
Why you’ll love this Christmas cheesecake:
- The cheesecake chills it in the fridge overnight, so it’s the perfect make-ahead dessert, leaving your oven free for entrees and sides
- It’s simple to make, even if you’re not a regular cheesecake baker
- Adding sour cream to the filling gives it a little extra tang and makes it so creamy and delicious
How to make your cheesecake
Start by making the crust:
- Combine the crust ingredients in a bowl
- Stir until the crumbs are evenly saturated with butter
- Press firmly into the bottom and an inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan, then freeze
Move on to the filling:
- Mix cream cheese, sugar, and a few other ingredients in a large bowl
- Beat in eggs 1 at a time
- Fold in sprinkles
- Bake for about an hour
Cool your cheesecake to room temperature, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
When you’re ready to serve dessert, make the topping:
- Beat heavy cream until it starts to thicken
- Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla
- Spread on top of your cheesecake and top with candy and sprinkles
Recipe notes and tips
- See below for more info on the type of sprinkles I recommend for the filling.
- You can use whatever red and green candy you like to decorate the top of the cheesecake. I used a combination of peanut and sugar cookie M&Ms.
- Be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so it mixes well with the other ingredients; if it’s too cold, it won’t mix properly and your filling could turn out lumpy.
- Cool your cheesecake fully to room temp before you cover and refrigerate it; if you cover it while it’s warm the cheesecake could sweat and get soggy.
- Don’t add the whipped cream topping to the cheesecake until just before you’re ready to serve it.
- When I make whipped cream I like to chill the bowl and beaters for about half an hour in the fridge. That helps the cream whip up more stiffly but it’s not totally necessary.
What kind of sprinkles should I use?
I used these red and green confetti trees. They do bleed a little into the filling but I think it looks cute.
Another option is red and green jimmies. Jimmies are oblong sprinkles and they don’t typically bleed their color too much.
I don’t recommend using nonpareil sprinkles—the little round balls—because they will bleed color into the filling rather significantly (and I don’t think it looks cute the way the confetti trees do).
How to store your cheesecake
Uneaten cheesecake can be stored, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze slices individually, tightly wrapped, for about a month.
Since there’s whipped cream on top of this cheesecake, I recommend freezing slices on a parchment-lined (or wax paper-lined) baking sheet until the whipped cream is set. Then you can wrap the slices tightly and the topping will remain intact.
If you want to freeze the entire cheesecake, wrap it—still in the pan!—tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Defrost the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight.
If you go the route of freezing the whole thing, it’s better to freeze the cheesecake BEFORE adding the topping. You’ll make the topping just before you serve your cake.
How do I know when cheesecake is done?
Most cheesecakes are done when the center jiggles just a little if you tap the side of the pan. The edges should be set—if the edges still jiggle then your cheesecake definitely needs more time in the oven.
But always consult your recipe—if the recipe gives you an indication that the filling shouldn’t jiggle at all then go by that.
For this cheesecake, you want that slight jiggle in the center. If the cheesecake starts to brown on top more than you like but you don’t think it’s done yet you can tent some foil over the top in the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.
Helpful tools
- I used these Christmas tree confetti sprinkles in my filling (and also on top)
- These red and green jimmies are another good option that I’ve used in cheesecakes before
- This is the springform pan I use for all of my cheesecakes
A few more recipes you might enjoy:
Chocolate Snowballs
Eggnog Cheesecake
Chocolate Mint Cake
Gingerbread Cupcakes
Did you make this Christmas cheesecake? AWESOME! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. And post a pic on Instagram too! Tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see!
This Christmas cheesecake is a simple and delicious dessert to make for the holidays. It's filled with sprinkles and topped with candy!
- 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 8-ounce packages full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup red and green sprinkles*
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup red and green M&Ms**
- Additional red and green sprinkles
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the mixture firmly into an even layer in the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan.
- Place the pan in the freezer while you make the filling.
- Place the cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until very smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
- Beat in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt.
- Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, mixing on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then beat for another minute or so to ensure everything is fully combined.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold in the sprinkles. Pour the filling into the frozen crust and set the pan on a large baking sheet. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the center barely jiggles when you tap the side of the pan.
- Cool your cheesecake to room temperature, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- After the cheesecake has chilled overnight (and just before serving), make the topping.
- Beat the heavy cream until it thickens, then add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until the cream holds stiff peaks. (It’s at stiff peaks when you can remove the beaters from the whipped cream and the cream holds its shape rather than folding in on itself.)
- Spread the whipped cream over the top of the cheesecake and sprinkle with the M&Ms and more sprinkles. Serve.
- Uneaten cheesecake can be stored, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for about a month.
- *Use either red and green confetti trees or red and green jimmies. Nonpareils (little round balls) will bleed in your filling pretty significantly. See the body of this post for more info.
- **You can use whatever red and green candy you like; I just think M&Ms look pretty on top of the cake.
- Be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so it mixes well with the other ingredients; if it’s too cold, it won’t mix properly and your filling could turn out lumpy.
- Cool your cheesecake fully to room temperature before you cover and refrigerate it; if you cover it while it’s warm the cheesecake could sweat and get soggy.
- Don’t add the whipped cream topping to the cheesecake until just before you’re ready to serve it.
- When I make whipped cream I like to chill the bowl and beaters for about half an hour in the fridge. That helps the cream whip up more stiffly but it’s not totally necessary.
- See the body of this post for step-by-step photos.
Sarah says
Can I make the topping a head of time but wait to put it on the cheesecake? I am traveling about 35 mins away. Thanks
Kelsie says
That should be fine, especially if you keep the whipped cream cold. I hope you love it and have a Merry Christmas!
sherry says
oh this looks so pretty and very Xmas-y! i may have to make a version of this soon…
cheers
sherry
Kelly @ Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats says
The cheesecake queen knocks it out of the park with this one! I definitely need those holiday M&M’S on top! Yum!!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Seriously, I wish I was your neighbor Kelsie! This cheesecake is so festive and I bet just as delicious. My family would LOVE it!