This NO BAKE Turtle Cheesecake is made with a chocolate cookie crust, salted caramel pecan layer, luscious cheesecake layer and a thin layer of chocolate ganache. Top it with whipped cream, caramel and pecans for a decadent treat!
If you’ve been around here for a little while now, you know I have a bit of a sweet tooth, and that sweet tooth is especially crazy about cheesecake.
Some of my favorites so far are this No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake, No Bake Oreo Cheesecake recipe and this No Bake Lemon Cheesecake.
This Turtle Cheesecake has pretty much all of my other favorite things:
- cream cheese
- salted caramel
- chocolate
I’ll be honest and say I can give or take the nuts, but I love the crunch they add to that gooey caramel layer in this Turtle Cheesecake!
I originally shared this cheesecake recipe in December of 2015 so it was in desperate need of an update, but I actually didn’t change that much.
I tried putting the caramel layer on top of the cheesecake, but that was a disaster.
I switched up the caramel to make this recipe even more foolproof and added a thicker cheesecake layer, but in reality, what I discovered was that this Turtle Cheesecake recipe was pretty amazing to begin with.
Here are some tips to make sure you see success!
Tips for making No Bake Turtle Cheesecake:
- I played with this recipe a lot, and though I like to give wiggle room for creativity, when I wiggled this recipe too much, it ended in disaster. A really, really delicious disaster, but it really was a mess. I retested this recipe 3 times just to end up not changing much at all.
- The crust: the crust can be baked or not baked. I find that the chocolate baking crumbs become more bitter during baking, so I prefer it unbaked. If you want, you can bake it for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F and it will be firmer and hold up slightly better.
- Cream cheese: use full fat cream cheese, as it has less water content and will hold up better than low fat cream cheese.
- Cream: heavy whipping cream is 30-36% fat. Any other cream will not work, it will not whip and you will have cheesecake soup 😉
- Caramels: you want the individually wrapped chewy caramel candies for this recipe. Please check out the recipe video to see which ones!
- Whip it good: please do not try to make this without an electric mixer. You need the power and speed to whip it to stiff peaks!
Variations on this Turtle Cheesecake:
- Nut free: you can easily leave out the pecans for a nut free version, just check all of your package ingredients before using.
- You can use gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies for the crust to make this cheesecake gluten free.
- Not big on chocolate? You can skip the ganache and opt instead for a caramel and chocolate drizzle to finish.
More Cheesecake recipes you’ll love!
- No Bake Nanaimo Bar Cheesecake
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Easy Cheesecake Recipe
- Easy Key Lime Cheesecake
*This post has been updated since its original posting in December 2015
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Pin this recipe to your favorite boardNo Bake Turtle Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs like Oreo or similar
- 1/2 cup butter melted
Caramel:
- 30 wrapped chewy caramel candies (I use Kraft) – 250g
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt (depending on how salty you like your caramel)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Cheesecake:
- 24 oz cream cheese, room temperature 3 packages, 750g
- 1 1/2 cups powdered icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Ganache:
- 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate or chips 50g
- 1/3 cup milk or cream
- Optional: caramel sauce, whipped cream and pecans for garnish
Instructions
- Line a 9" Springform pan with parchment paper, pinching it in between the bottom and the outer ring. This isn't necessary but will allow for easy removal.
Crust
- Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan evenly.
Caramel
- In a medium pan, combine caramels and cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until completely smooth and melted.
- Stir in pecans and pour into crust. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes until firm/dry to the touch.
Cheesecake
- With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and combined.
- Add cream, and beat on low until incorporated, then high until thickened and fluffy (should nearly hold stiff peaks when you pull the beaters out of the bowl)
- Spread over cooled caramel in pan. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until nearly set.
Ganache
- Combine chocolate and cream in a small pan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth.
- Spread over cheesecake layer evenly.
- Refrigerate a minimum of 6 hours, or overnight for best results. Serve with garnishes as desired.
Nutrition Information
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Prachi says
This recipe is exactly what I was looking for! Wondering if I can making it as individual portions in a muffin tin, is it firm enough to hold the shape, all the layers? Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Prachi! I haven’t tried making it in a muffin tin. I think if you wanted to do that I would line them first, so that they are easy to pop out. If it’s hard to remove them, you can always freezer for a few hours and then take them out
Anna says
This cheesecake is just dreamy! All my favorite things in one decadent dessert!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Anna! Mine too!
Natalie says
Love the chocolate crust! This is wonderful & creamy & so good!
Ashley Fehr says
thanks Natalie!
Jessica says
OMG- this was so good and so easy to make. I’m putting this in my “make for parties” file folder. Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jessica!
Julie Blanner says
This is heavenly! I love anything turtle and this was so delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Julie! Me too!
Taryn says
Oh my! This was the best cheesecake.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Taryn!
Ana says
This is simply the prettiest cheesecake ever made! I will be making this today! Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Ana!
Claudine says
Taste good, but does not look like the pictures!
Bottom is hard, caramel is to thick can’t cut even if cooked less then 10, ganache is crunchy!
Not a keeper sorry!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear it didn’t turn out for you! We definitely haven’t had those issues when we make it
Kara says
Hi! I am about to make this for Thanksgiving and I am wondering if I should use the whole Oreo or if you suggest taking the cream out. Thanks! This looks so yummy!
Ashley Fehr says
Just the crumbs! I buy the plain chocolate baking crumbs in a bag.
BRAD says
Agreed, a healthy balance in life is eating healthy “most” of the time. But I’m not one for diets (yes I’ve tried 100s)
Finally realized you can lose, get healthy and stay fit enjoying life also.
Lordy, have to try this recipe!!
Trish says
I made this exactly! as written and it was so, so good. My son picked this for this 10th bday and it turned out just the way he wanted. Thanks for the recipe <3
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
molly says
Made it, loved it. Fan freaking tastic. Each part was so easy to do, too. I had no idea that ganache was as easy as nuking some choco chips in milk. You are my hero
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that it was a hit! Thanks so much for coming back and leaving a comment 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
This is stunning.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Julianne!
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
I can see why the turtle flavor one! So yummy!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Laura!
Danielle says
If only we could live off of turtle cheesecake, right? 😉 This looks so delicious, Ashley! Love that it’s mostly no-bake, that’s always the best in my opinion!
Ashley Fehr says
I agree! Even when it is cold outside, I love keeping it simple!
Kelly says
This cheesecake is absolutely stunning, Ashley! I love that this is almost no bake and turtle anything is always a winner in my book 🙂
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
Love the “almost”- I encounter that all the time when I’m baking; a recipe is so close to gluten free or raw, but just shy of it 🙂 Either way, this turtle cheesecake is a stunner! What a showstopper holiday dessert without the hassle!
Ashley Fehr says
Haha, well I have made my share of totally no-bake desserts in the past, and a baked crust just holds up better! 😉
Jess @ Sweetest Menu says
I LOVE this cheesecake Ashley, I love extravagant desserts and this is no exception. It has all my favourite things wrapped up in one tasty treat – pinned!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jess! Mine too!
Stephanie @ The Glamorous Gourmet says
WOW your turtle cheesecake look positively divine! Can’t wait to try this recipe, it’s perfect splurge for the holidays too ~ Cheers 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Stephanie!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Ashley! Yet another great no bake dessert! I’m going to need another refrigerator to hold all the desserts for the holidays (and maybe some elastic waist pants)! 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Haha, I definitely have a few pairs of those just in case! Thanks Dorothy!