No-Bake Halloween Candy Cheesecake Recipe
Halloween is the absolute perfect holiday to get creative in the kitchen, especially when it comes to all things sweet treats. Halloween-time treats tend to fall into one of two categories: they look festive or they taste festive, and they almost always boast some sort of seasonal ingredient. What I love about this no-bake Halloween candy cheesecake recipe is that it's the best of both worlds, emitting spooky-season vibes in both appearance and flavor thanks to an assortment of Halloween candy inclusions.
Aside from how adorably on-theme this cheesecake is in both looks and taste, it's also a great fall treat because it's so easy to make. Regular cheesecake takes some time and finesse in the kitchen, but no-bake cheesecake is easy to prepare and requires absolutely no oven use (not even for the crust!). I also love all the sweet tiers of flavors that this dessert has to offer, ranging from the chocolatey Oreo crust to the rich, caramel-infused cheesecake filling itself to the pops of peanut butter cups hidden throughout. Despite the seemingly over-the-top sweetness on display, the signature cheesecake tanginess makes this a surprisingly balanced dessert.
For the highest level of spooktacular appeal, I recommend topping off your cheesecake with all sorts of holiday-themed treats, like candy corn, Halloween Oreo chunks, gummy worms, and Reese's Pieces, along with a drizzle of caramel to go all-out on the sugar rush (because it is Halloween, after all).
Gather the ingredients for no-bake Halloween candy cheesecake
This cheesecake recipe starts with the crust, for which you'll need Oreos (ideally Halloween ones for those extra pops of orange), melted unsalted butter, and kosher salt. Next up is the cheesecake filling, which calls for heavy cream, soft caramel candies, softened cream cheese, kosher salt, and peanut butter cups, which you'll arrange along the crust before you pour in the filling. You may also want some additional confectioners' sugar on hand, should you like your filling a little sweeter.
Finally, you'll need plenty of candy to top off the cheesecake, and it's really up to you and your family or guests' preferences. I opted for goodies like Reese's Pieces, chopped Halloween Oreos, gummy worms, chopped peanut butter cups, and candy corn, but any candy that generally falls into the color/flavor theme will work here.
Step 1: Crush the Oreos in a food processor
To prepare the crust, in a food processor, pulse the Oreo cookies to fine crumbs.
Step 2: Mix in the melted butter and salt
Add the melted butter and salt and pulse lightly to combine.
Step 3: Press the Oreo mixture into a springform pan
Press the Oreo crumbs into and about halfway up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.
Step 4: Chill the crust
Chill until ready to use.
Step 5: Beat the heavy cream in a food processor
Clean out the food processor bowl. Then process 1 ½ cups heavy cream to medium peaks.
Step 6: Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl
Transfer the whipped cream to a large bowl.
Step 7: Heat the remaining cream and caramels in a microwave
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the remaining ½ cup cream and caramels in short spurts, whisking often, until melted and smooth.
Step 8: Pulse the cream cheese and salt in the food processor
In the same food processor bowl (without cleaning), pulse the cream cheese and salt until smooth.
Step 9: Mix in half of the caramel
Add half of the caramel mixture and pulse to combine.
Step 10: Reserve some caramel and mix in the rest
Scrape down the sides, then add the remaining caramel, reserving 2 tablespoons for drizzling, if desired, and pulse until smooth.
Step 11: Combine the cream cheese mixture with the whipped cream
Fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream until uniform. Taste and add optional confectioners' sugar, if desired, for additional sweetness.
Step 12: Arrange the peanut butter cups on the crust
Space the peanut butter cups out in the Oreo crust.
Step 13: Spread the cheesecake filling over the crust
Spread the cheesecake filling over the peanut butter cups in the crust.
Step 14: Cover and chill the cheesecake
Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
Step 15: Loosen the cheesecake from the pan
Run a knife or spatula around the edges to loosen, then unmold the cheesecake.
Step 16: Decorate and serve the Halloween candy cheesecake
Top with Halloween candy, drizzle with reserved caramel if using, and serve.
What can I serve with Halloween cheesecake at a holiday party?
No-Bake Halloween Candy Cheesecake Recipe
Our easy no-bake Halloween Cheesecake boasts sweet tiers of chocolatey Oreo crust, rich, caramel-infused cheesecake filling, and secret peanut butter cups.
Ingredients
- For the crust
- 25 Oreo cookies
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- For the filling
- 1 pint heavy cream, divided
- 1 (11-ounce) package soft caramel candies, unwrapped
- 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 chocolate peanut butter cups
- Halloween candy, to garnish
Optional Ingredients
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
Directions
- To prepare the crust, in a food processor, pulse the Oreo cookies to fine crumbs.
- Add the melted butter and salt and pulse lightly to combine.
- Press the Oreo crumbs into and about halfway up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.
- Chill until ready to use.
- Clean out the food processor bowl. Then process 1 ½ cups heavy cream to medium peaks.
- Transfer the whipped cream to a large bowl.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the remaining ½ cup cream and caramels in short spurts, whisking often, until melted and smooth.
- In the same food processor bowl (without cleaning), pulse the cream cheese and salt until smooth.
- Add half of the caramel mixture and pulse to combine.
- Scrape down the sides, then add the remaining caramel, reserving 2 tablespoons for drizzling, if desired, and pulse until smooth.
- Fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream until uniform. Taste and add optional confectioners’ sugar, if desired, for additional sweetness.
- Space the peanut butter cups out in the Oreo crust.
- Spread the cheesecake filling over the peanut butter cups in the crust.
- Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
- Run a knife or spatula around the edges to loosen, then unmold the cheesecake.
- Top with Halloween candy, drizzle with reserved caramel if using, and serve.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 894 |
| Total Fat | 63.9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 32.4 g |
| Trans Fat | 1.2 g |
| Cholesterol | 122.6 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 73.7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.8 g |
| Total Sugars | 57.5 g |
| Sodium | 552.6 mg |
| Protein | 13.0 g |
Can I make no-bake cheesecake ahead?
The beauty of a no-bake cheesecake lies not only in its convenient oven-free preparation but also in its make-ahead potential. It's a dessert that requires a hefty amount of refrigeration time to begin with; in fact, rushing the refrigeration period is one of the biggest mistakes you can make with no-bake cheesecake. So instead of trying to make the chilling time go by faster, you can use it to your advantage and prep the cheesecake upwards of two days in advance. Otherwise, overnight is the perfect sweet spot for allowing the cheesecake to fully set while getting all of the heavy-lifting out of the way the night before you serve the cheesecake.
While you can definitely prepare and chill this dessert ahead of time, it's important to wait until right before serving before topping it with candy, caramel, or extra cookies. The candy might soften or start to leak color onto the cheesecake if you add it too soon, and the cookies will soften and lose their crunchy appeal. To make things a little easier, you can have all of your toppings fully ready to go, including candy portioned out, caramel sauce set aside, and any cookies or peanut butter cups already chopped. Then you can decorate your cheesecake with only a minute's notice, and the beauty of a Halloween-themed dessert is that candy chaos is more than welcome.
How can I change up this no-bake Halloween cheesecake?
Much like many other no-bake cheesecake recipes, this Halloween-spirited one is easily customizable. Starting with the crust, you can easily swap out the Oreos for another type of shortbread or crisp cookie, or opt for flavored Oreos to add even more sweet dimension. The cheesecake filling is a blank slate, and while I do love the caramel influence, you can easily go for a more straightforward, plain cheesecake flavor profile (you'll need to add more confectioners' sugar in this case) or even go for a chocolate-infused approach.
While the pops of peanut butter and chocolate inside the cheesecake make for a perfectly sweet surprise, you can swap out the Reese's cups for other types of candy. Snickers or Twix would be great options here, both leaning into chocolate territory while also offering up respective notes of caramel, peanuts, or shortbread. The candy toppings really are a dealer's choice type of situation, but if you wanted to keep things simpler and less maxed out on the candy, you could top off the cheesecake with Halloween-themed sprinkles instead.