Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Published: Aug 2, 2019 · by Elizabeth Waterson · This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

Jump to Recipe

This easy recipe for Chocolate Chip Cheesecake will be your new favorite dessert recipe! A graham cracker crust has a luscious cheesecake filling loaded with mini chocolate chips, then topped with fresh whipped cream and more chocolate chips! Heaven in a bite!

up close of the inside of chocolate chip cheesecake

If you know me then you know I love cheesecake. It is probably my favorite thing to bake. Another thing I love is anything with chocolate chips, like my chocolate chip muffins or chocolate chip pancakes.

Love cheesecake partially because hello it's so thick, creamy, and delicious, but cheesecakes are also a "special" dessert (no offense cookies and brownies), and cheesecake is best when made the day before. I am always busy so being able to make something ahead of time is so important for me.

Baking your cheesecake the day before means it has plenty of time to chill (very necessary) and it is already made so you can focus on other party planning things!

Another chocolate chip recipe you can make the day before is my cookie cake recipe.

Jump to:

💬How do you make a cheesecake with no cracks?
🎂 What are the ingredients
📖 How do you make Chocolate Chip Cheesecake?
💧 How do you make a water bath
🍰Cheesecake toppings
⏲️ Can you make this ahead of time?
Can you freeze cheesecake?
🔪What is the best way to slice cheesecake?
More Cheesecake recipes
Recipe Card
Recipe Ratings & Comments

slice of chocolate chip cheesecake on a white plate

💬How do you make a cheesecake with no cracks?

Do not overwhip the cheesecake, you do not want a ton of air bubbles. Air bubbles = cracks
When you pour the cheesecake batter into the springform pan or Cake Pan with Removable Bottom tap the tin on the counter to release any air bubbles
Bake the Cheesecake in a Springform Pan for easy release when you serve it
Do not open the oven doors when the cheesecake is baking you want all the hot air to stay in the oven until you turn the oven off
Bake the cheesecake in a water bath

Let's get to the recipe.

Check out all my cheesecake baking tips here.

chocolate chip cheesecake on a marble surface

🎂 What are the ingredients

For the graham cracker crust, we only need three simple ingredients.

Graham Cracker Crumbs
Granulated Sugar
Melted Butter

For the cheesecake filling we need a few more ingredients, but simple ones at that!

Cream Cheese. completely softened to room temperature- I cannot stress this enough if your cream cheese is not completely softened you will end up with a lumpy cheesecake
Granulated Sugar. This sweetener gives the cheesecake just the right amount of sweetness.
Heavy Whipping Cream. Adding some heavy whipping cream helps create an extra creamy texture.
Sour Cream. You could also use Greek Yogurt.
Pure Vanilla Extract.
Large Eggs. You will need whole eggs and an extra egg yolk, at room temperature. The extra yolk helps provide that cheesecake richness we all love.
Mini Chocolate Chips. And it couldn't be a chocolate chip cheesecake without chocolate chips. I do not suggest using normal-size morsels, they may sink to low to the bottom of the cheesecake so the mini chocolate chips are the best. I find semi-sweet chocolate goes well with a creamy cheesecake.

Now you could leave the cheesecake as is but I not only love the look whipped cream provides I also love it against the thick cheesecake. And chocolate chips on top look pretty and help tell the story of what flavor the cheesecake is. So I top my cheesecake with

Whipped Cream Homemade or Store-bought
A handful of Mini Chocolate Chips for sprinkling on top

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

📖 How do you make Chocolate Chip Cheesecake?

First things first make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature.

To speed up this process I will cut the blocks of cream cheese into chunks and let it sit outside if it's warm or if its cold outside I turn the oven on to low then turn it off then place the cream cheese on an oven-safe plate inside the turned-off oven for 5-10 minutes- watch it carefully you do not want melted cream cheese!

Now let's make the graham cracker crust.

Preheat the oven to 325F/ 162C.

I always grease my pan, I like to use a springform pan or a removable bottom cake pan.

Now you could use store-bought crumbs or make your own in a food processor. Crush the graham crackers until they become a fine crumb.

graham cracker crumbs in a glass bowl next to a small bowl of melted butter

In a large bowl add the graham crackers and granulated sugar mixing to combine then add the melted butter and press into the bottom and slightly up sides of prepared pan.

Place the pan in the oven to bake for 5-8 minutes, until slightly golden brown. Let cool while you make the filling.

graham cracker crust in a round metal pan

To make the cheesecake filling place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat the cream cheese for 2 minutes on medium to high speed. This is the only time you can mix on med-high speed. The rest of the process mix on low-med speed once more ingredients are added you risk adding too much extra air in the batter which can cause cracks.

Add granulated sugar and beat on low-medium speed for another 2 minutes. Add heavy cream, sour cream, and vanilla extract mixing until fully combined again on medium-low speed.

Add in eggs one at a time and mix until just combined, do not over mix. You should have a creamy batter with no lumps. Gently fold in mini chocolate chips.

chocolate chips folded into cheesecake batter

Pour filling into prepared pan.

💧 How do you make a water bath

Place the Springform Pan (affiliate link) in a large Round Cake tin
Place the Cake Tin in a Roasting Pan and fill the roasting pan with hot water, stopping halfway up the side of the cake tin

This prevents ANY water from getting in the cheesecake and you don’t have to wrap everything with foil.

chocolate chip cheesecake in a water bath before baking

Bake the cheesecake for 60 to 75 minutes, the middle of the cheesecake should jiggle just a little bit.

Let the cheesecake rest in the oven when baked
- I turn the oven off and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 1 hour, I usually prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon for the last 30 minutes
Cooling the cheesecake
- Take Cake Pan out of the roasting pan and let cheesecake cool further on a wire rack for one hour
- After the cheesecake has cooled wrap it in plastic wrap and let the cheesecake chill overnight or a minimum of 6 hours

chocolate chip cheesecake baked and cooled on a marble surface

🍰Cheesecake toppings

I love to top mine with whipped cream, you can use homemade, which I always do, but store-bought will work just as fine.

Then I like to top the cheesecake with something that signifies what the flavor is, for a lemon cheesecake I may top it with lemon curd, for an Oreo cheesecake I would top it with Oreo pieces, you get the idea!

When ready to decorate the cheesecake. Take it out of the fridge and use an offset spatula to gently loosen the crust from the side of the pan, then release the springform pan.

Top with fresh whipped cream, I used my homemade recipe and piped with a Wilton 1M tip. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

overhead shot of chocolate chip cheesecake with whipped cream

⏲️ Can you make this ahead of time?

Yes since cheesecake needs to chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours it is ideal to make it the day before. You could make the cheesecake up to 3 days in advance then top it with the whipped cream and chocolate chips the day of serving.

Can you freeze cheesecake?

Cheesecake is an excellent candidate for freezing. You can freeze the whole cheesecake or individual slices. Wrap the cheesecake in plastic wrap tightly, twice, then in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped cheesecake in the freezer for up to two months. When you want to enjoy the cheesecake place it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.

🔪What is the best way to slice cheesecake?

When cutting the cheesecake always have a hot cloth nearby to wipe the knife clean after each cut
When serving let the cheesecake sit for 5-10 minutes before serving

More Cheesecake recipes

Lemon cheesecake bars are perfect for a springtime party or bridal shower!

This Oreo Cheesecake recipe is a favorite of kids and adults alike!

The tang from Key Limes is a perfect match to creamy cheesecake, you're gonna love this Key Lime Cheesecake recipe.

close up of graham cracker crust of a cheesecake

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

Make sure to join our Newsletter and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

Recipe Card