Easy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Recipe

This chocolate chip cheesecake is perfect for any occasion, from summer BBQs to Christmas parties.

It’s rich, creamy, and chocolatey to the max.

Chocolate chip cheesecake is the perfect blend of tangy and creamy with gooey chocolate chips in every bite.

Think of it like chocolate chip ice cream meets New York cheesecake. So yeah, pretty impossible to resist.

It calls for pantry staple ingredients and couldn’t be easier to whip up. In fact, I have a feeling it’ll become your new go-to dessert.

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

What’s so great about this crowd-pleasing chocolate chip cheesecake?

Well, it’s dense and creamy, with the most heavenly cheesecake filling around. It’s smooth, thick, and about as good as it gets.

The crust is a classic, though you’ll add some cocoa to the crackers for a nice chocolatey change.

Finally, this thing is overflowing with chocolate chips.

They bake right into the filling and become impossibly gooey in the oven. What more could you ask for?

Ingredients

There’s no need to make a trip to the grocery store for this recipe. If you bake at all, I bet you have everything on hand already!

• Graham Crackers – Crushed Graham Crackers provide that classic cookie-crunch crust we all love. Though you can use cookies if you prefer.

• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – For a boost of flavor.

• Butter – To bind the crust together. 

• Cream Cheese – Use full-fat cream cheese for the best results. Now isn’t the time to worry about calories! 

• Sweetened Condensed Milk – This is your secret weapon for an indulgently creamy cheesecake. It adds a touch of sweetness.

• Eggs – To help the cheesecake set and to boost the rich creaminess.

• Vanilla Extract – For a bit of sweet warmth. Use extract or paste – not essence.

• Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet chocolate gives you the right balance of sweet and bitter, but feel free to use your fave. Just make sure they’re mini chips so they don’t sink.

• Flour – Toss the chocolate chips in flour to keep them from sinking.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cheesecake 

Even if you’re new to cheesecake making, this recipe is pretty straightforward. It takes a delicate hand and some patience, but it’s worth the effort.

Trust me!

1. Preheat the oven and grease the baking dish. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160°C) and lightly grease a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

2. Prepare the crust. Crush the Graham Crackers and melt the sugar. Then mix them with the sugar and cocoa (use a fork) until it looks like wet sand. Press the wet crumb into the base of the springform pan and about 1 inch up the sides.

3. Make the cheesecake filling. Beat the room-temperature cream cheese in a mixing bowl until it’s smooth and creamy. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until glossy. Then, add the eggs and vanilla and beat on a low speed until fully incorporated. Mix the chocolate in last.

4. Assemble the cheesecake and bake. Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust and gently spread it with a spatula. Top it with the remaining chocolate chips, then place the pan in the oven for one hour. 

5. Cool the cheesecake slowly. After an hour, turn off the oven and open the door slightly – just a crack. Let the cheesecake cool for an additional hour, then take it out and let it cool completely on the counter.

Finally, pop it in the fridge for at least 6 hours – overnight if possible.

Tips for the Best Cheesecake

What can go wrong when making cheesecake? Well, just about anything.

Luckily, I have a few tips to guarantee success!

• Use full fat, room temperature ingredients. You want the thickness of full-fat cream cheese. And room-temperature ingredients will incorporate more easily.

• Don’t overmix the batter. I usually mix cheesecake by hand, but if you use a mixer, make sure it’s on the lowest speed. If you mix it too vigorously, you’ll incorporate a lot of air which leads to cracks.

• Trust the baking process. Don’t open the door as it bakes, and only open it a couple of inches at the end. It’ll look jiggly, but I promise it’ll set!

• Use a water bath. I always use water baths when baking cheesecake because they regulate heat better. See the section below for the how-to!

• Pre-bake the crust. The cheesecake filling is super wet, so it’s a good idea to pre-bake the crust for ten minutes to keep it from going soggy.

• Chop the chocolate into small bits. If you’re using a bar of chocolate rather than mini chips, make sure you chop it quite small. Otherwise, it won’t spread out evenly in the filling.

• Use vanilla paste. Extract is great for most recipes, but you can’t beat the little flecks of vanilla in creamy white cheesecake.

• Use chocolate chip cookies for the base. Just blitz them and mix in the melted butter. They’re already sweet and will give you more chocolate without the cocoa.

How to Create a Water Bath for Cheesecake

Water baths create a moist environment in the oven and ensure even baking.

Basically, you’ll sit the baking dish in water so the cheesecake filling slowly heats up and bakes well – aka, no cracks!

You can also achieve this with a pan of water on a rack under the cheesecake.

But a water bath is the best, foolproof way of getting perfectly baked cheesecake every time.

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Wrap the outside of the empty springform pan in 2-3 layers of foil. Go almost all the way up to the rim.
2. Make the crust and filling as normal. You can bake the crust like this or just add the filling as instructed.
3. To bake, place the springform cheesecake pan into a larger pan. You want at least a few inches of space. Then, place it on a tray in the middle of the oven.
4. Carefully pour hot water into the space between the two. Doing this in the oven is much easier than adding the water and walking to the oven.
5. Bake!

The idea is to insulate the cheesecake pan with water. So it should reach about halfway up the side of the springform pan.

That means the larger pan needs to be as tall as the springform pan, if not taller.

As everything heats up, the cheesecake will cook slowly and more evenly, thanks to the water.

And that will keep it from cooking too quickly around the edges, which can lead to cracks.

How to Store

To Store: Pop it in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just be sure it’s completely cold before wrapping it in plastic so you don’t get condensation.

To Freeze: Wait, can you freeze cheesecake? You bet you cane!

Wrap the whole (completely cold) cheesecake in plastic and foil. Or wrap individual slices.

You want plastic and foil to keep the freezer burn at bay. It should last as long as 4-6 months like this.

When ready to eat, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, and enjoy!

More Cheesecake Recipes You’ll Love

White Chocolate Cheesecake
Blueberry Cheesecake
Philadelphia Oreo Cheesecake
Sara Lee Cheesecake
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars