Looking for a show-stopping Easter dessert the whole family will love? This Easter Egg Cheesecake is a beautiful cake with luscious layers of crunchy cookie crust, creamy cheesecake, and chopped mini chocolate eggs. It looks fancy and impressive but is easy to make at home!
Spring is such a beautiful time of year, and it's an especially fun time to bake! I love baking colorful spring-inspired desserts, like Matcha Crinkle Cookies and Funfetti Cookie Bars.
And when Easter rolls around, it's time to flex some baking muscle and make this fun and festive Easter Egg Cheesecake. So perfect for Easter celebrations!
But have no fear: this is one of the easiest cheesecake recipes to make!
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🌟 Why this recipe works
This Easter Egg Cheesecake recipe is the perfect Easter dessert.
- Simple ingredients: The recipe calls for basic baking ingredients you can find in any grocery store or online.
- Easy recipe: Don't be intimidated by the number of steps in any cheesecake recipe. There are three main components to any cheesecake, and this recipe is truly easy to follow. It's great whether it's your first time or 50th time baking a cheesecake!
- Delicious: With a cookie crumb crust, creamy cheesecake filling, and whipped topping with extra mini chocolate eggs on top of the cheesecake, you will love every bite of this Easter cheesecake!
- Make-ahead dessert: This cheesecake is best made the night before you serve it, but the first two layers can be made a couple of days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. And the first two layers can also be frozen for up to two months.
🍰 Ingredient notes
I've divided the ingredients up into the three separate steps to make it easy for you to bake in order. The full measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here are some notes about the ingredients you'll be using.
For the crust
Graham crackers - a buttery graham cracker crust holds this beautiful dessert together, and you'll need two sleeves (18 graham cracker sheets) of graham crackers. Use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs in a ziplock bag, or you can use a food processor.
Butter - You'll use one stick (½ cup) of unsalted melted butter, and be sure to allow it to cool just a bit before mixing it with the other ingredients.
Sugar - I love the richness of brown sugar in a cookie crust, but you can substitute granulated sugar if you prefer.
For the cheesecake filling
Cream cheese - Take the three blocks (24 ounces) of cream cheese out of the refrigerator about an hour before you are ready to start baking. The cream cheese should be softened in order to mix smoothly to create the filling.
Eggs - You'll also want to take three eggs out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature in order to mix smoothly. You can do this anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before you start making the cheesecake.
Sour cream - Sometimes sour cream can be a bit stiff, so I also recommend taking sour cream out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you start baking. That should make it soft enough to mix smoothly.
Mini chocolate eggs - You'll find mini chocolate eggs at most grocery stores around Easter time. I like to use either Cadbury mini eggs or Hershey mini eggs.
For the whipped topping
Heavy cream - Make sure your heavy cream is very cold. This will help it whip up better. I like to keep it in the refrigerator until just before I am ready to make the whipped topping.
Powdered sugar - I've provided an initial measurement to use, but you may want to add a little more in small increments to get the whipped cream to your preferred consistency.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
There are three main components to making this mini egg cheesecake:
- Make the crust.
- Mix the cheesecake filling.
- Make a whipped topping (optional but highly recommended!).
Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post but here's a quick visual step-by-step to guide you as you bake the cheesecake!
Prep
You'll want to crush the cookies and the mini chocolate eggs first. Some people use a sharp knife to slice the chocolate eggs in half, but I've found the best way is to place each into a large plastic bag, seal, then gently bash with a rolling pin. Be sure to turn the bags over and crush from each side for the best results.
Then, lightly grease a springform pan. I also like to line it with parchment paper.
Make the cookie crust
- Add all of the ingredients for the cookie crust to a large bowl and mix them together thoroughly.
- Pour into the prepared pan and gently press the biscuit crumbs down and up the sides of the pan with your fingers.
- Place the pan in the freezer to set the crust while you make the filling.
Make the cheesecake filling
1 - 4. Mix together the cheesecake mixture.
5 -6. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with a silicone spatula.
7. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Then bake at 350°F for 55 to 70 minutes.
Make the whipped topping
This step is completely optional. This Easter cheesecake is delicious with or without it.
- Whip the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together until stiff peaks form.
- Either spread out on top of the cheesecake or place into a piping bag and pipe on top. Decorate with additional mini chocolate egg candies or other chocolate Easter eggs.
👩🏻🍳 Top tips and recipe FAQs
Cheesecake can crack when baked for too long or when the cream cheese filling mixture is overmixed. Using room temperature cream cheese helps ensure you don't overmix the cheesecake batter. Some people place the cheesecake in the springform pan in a water bath while baking to help prevent the cheesecake from cracking.
Cheesecake is done when there is only a slight jiggle in the center.
You can store unfrosted cheesecake with just the crust and cheesecake filling in the refrigerator or the freezer. Wrap the cheesecake tightly with plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Or place in the freezer for up to two months.
🍽 Serving ideas
If you're serving this for Easter dessert, consider these Easter recipes for your main meal:
- Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
- Instant Pot Irish Lamb Stew
- Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Green Beans with Bacon and Shallots
- Roasted Garlic Lemon Asparagus
This would also be an amazing dessert for Easter brunch served after a beautiful brunch charcuterie board.
And if you want to serve it with more Easter treats, you can make Mini Egg Cookies, Funfetti Cookie Bars, and Easy Bunny Pretzels.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need.
- Springform pan: you'll need a 9" springform pan to bake the cake.
- Mixer: you will need a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer to mix the cheesecake filling and the whipped topping.
- Spatula: a silicone spatula makes it easy to scrape the sides of the stand mixer and pour the cheesecake mixture into the pan.
- Ziplock bag: You'll need two plastic bags: one for the crushed graham crackers and one for the chopped Easter chocolate eggs.
- Cutting board: Make sure you have a sturdy cutting board.
- Rolling pin: a rolling pin makes it easy to crush the graham cracker cookies.
More Easter dessert recipes
Inspired to make more Easter desserts? Try our Mini Egg Cookies! And these are also great options:
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Easter Egg Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 packages (18 sheets) graham crackers, crushed (see Notes section)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
For the Cheesecake Filling
- 24 ounces (3 8-ounce blocks) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups roughly chopped mini chocolate eggs, plus more for decoration (see Notes section)
For the Whipped Topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" springform pan and/or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter, and salt until all of the ingredients are well combined.
- Pour the crust mixture into the prepared springform pan. Using your hands, gently press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan to create the crust. Try to spread the mixture as evenly as possible to create an even crust. Place the prepared crust into the freezer so it can set while you make the cheesecake filling.
Make the cheesecake filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the softened cream cheese and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrap down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula then start again, as needed, to evenly incorporate the sugar.
- Beat in the sour cream, vanilla extract, and the salt.
- Add the eggs and beat into the mixture with the mixer on low, one at a time.
- Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in the chopped mini egg chocolate candies until well incorporated.
- Remove the crust from the freezer. Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared crust pan. Set the pan on a baking sheet. This will help catch any butter or other ingredients that may try to seep out from the pan and encourage an even bake.
- Place the sheet with the pan on it into the oven and bake at 350°F for 55 to 70 minutes. The cheesecake is done when the center is only slightly jiggly and the sides are no longer jiggling when moved.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool completely at room temperature in the pan. Once the pan is cool to the touch, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or about 12 hours.
Make the whipped topping
- Once the cheesecake has been refrigerated and is fully set, make a whipped topping.
- In a stand mixer or large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the heavy cream for 1 minute.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, and beat at medium-high speed until stiff peaks have formed into whipped cream.
- Decorate the cake by either spreading the whipped cream over the top of the cake, or by piping on the top. Decorate with additional mini chocolate eggs. Serve immediately, or carefully cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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