This Mint Chocolate Cheesecake is the perfect green swirl cheesecake for any mint lover! Peppermint cheesecake with a mint Oreo crust, a creamy decadent filling and a melted Andes mint chocolate topping makes this the ultimate mint chocolate cheesecake.

When it comes to mint, I have to say I haven’t always been a fan. 

Imagine my surprise as years when by and suddenly, it’s my thing!

So what better way to combine two of my favorite things.. A) cheesecake and B) mint .. but by making the ultimate peppermint cheesecake??

By the way, before I forget .. don’t you forget to check out my Chocolate Peppermint Fudge recipe! You will absolutely love it!!

Mint Chocolate Cheesecake

So for anyone else late to the party, let’s talk about mint cheesecake.

It’s a no brainer what kind of amazing flavor we are serving up here .. creamy cheesecake infused with mint flavor, sandwiched between layers of chocolate.

Yes, please!;

This peppermint cheesecake is easy to make, explodes with just the right amount of mint flavor and even has a green swirl to really set the mood.

Did I mention yet that this makes the PERFECT St. Patrick’s Day cheesecake? Mint choc chip cheesecake for the WIN!!!!!

how to make a simple cheesecake

Making the perfect cheesecake, mint or otherwise, is not hard to do.

Once upon a time I was soooo intimidated by the thought of making a cheesecake that I never even tried.

Now that I know a couple of easy tricks, cheesecake is my favorite easy dessert to make.

Simply combine cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla and you are already on you way to the perfect cheesecake.

perfect mint cheesecake

So why is THIS mint cheesecake the ONE you want to fall in love with? Let’s talk about it…

• Creamy cheesecake with a mint Oreo crust and topped off with melted Andes mint chocolates. Um .. yes, please!
• This mint choc chip cheesecake is super easy to make without lots of confusing ingredients.
• Perfect St. Patrick’s Day cheesecake.
• Pretty green swirl cheesecake .. yes, the swirl is important! 

mint choc chip cheesecake ingredients

Let’s go over what you will need to make this mint chocolate cheesecake.

• Mint Oreo sandwich cookies
• Butter
• Cream cheese
• Sugar
• Sour cream
• Eggs
• Mint extract (not peppermint extract)
• Andes mint chocolates
• Heavy cream
• Neon green gel food coloring (optional but why not?)

Mint Chocolate Oreo Crust

When it comes to making the perfect mint choc cheesecake, layering the mint flavor lightly in all three layers is the best way to go.

Start this easy cheesecake recipe with a mint Oreo crust. If you are unable to find mint Oreos, no worries.. just grab a package of regular sandwich cookies.

You want to pulverize your mint Oreos into fine crumbs, similar to when you make a graham cracker crust.

You are doing the same thing but using Oreos instead of graham crackers.

There are a couple of different ways to achieve this. You can add your mint Oreos to a large sandwich bag, squeeze out the excess air, SEAL IT and then beat the heck out of it.

The only downfall is that the Oreo filling will cause your cookie crumbs to clump so it make take longer to get to the crumb stage.

What I like to do when making an Oreo crust is break out my mini food processor. Add your mint Oreos to a food processor and give it a few pulses.

You will be rewarded with the perfect mint Oreo cookie crumbs.

Transfer your cookie crumbs to a bowl, add your melted butter and stir to combine. 

Grab your springform cheesecake pan, lightly spray with sides with non-stick spray and double wrap the bottom and up the sides of the outside of you pan in foil.

Pour your cookie crumbs into the pan then firmly press your cookie crumbs into the bottom.

Mint Chocolate Cheesecake Filling

The next step to this mint cheesecake is the creaming filling. 

Start by adding ROOM TEMPERATURE cream cheese to your mixing bowl.

Beat on medium speed until your cream cheese is completely smooth and creamy.

You don’t want to over-beat your cream cheese but you do not want lumps, either. 

If you over-beat your cream cheese, you are adding more air to your cheesecake batter. Excess air leads to cracks. Cracks are bad.

Every mixer is different so I can’t give you a specific time table to follow, just beat your cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy and you will be fine.

Next, add in the sugar and mix to combine.

Add in the room temperature eggs, one at a time and then the sour cream, salt and the mint extract.

Stop your mixer, swipe down the sides with a spoon or silicone spatula and mix again.

Scoop out 1/3 cup of your cheesecake batter and move it to a small separate bowl.

Pour your larger portion of cheesecake batter into your prepared springform pan.

green cheesecake swirl

I’m a sucker for cheesecake swirls. I do not apologize for this.

Is this step necessary? No. Does it give the mint choc cheesecake a little extra curb appeal? Yes!

Once you add your cheesecake batter to your springform pan, grab you little bowl of scooped out batter and add a few drops of food coloring.

Stir to combine.

Using a spoon, pour lines of green cheesecake filling down length of cheesecake.

Swirl the green into cheesecake filing using the back of knife (or a chopstick!) to create a beautiful swirl pattern.

Don’t go too deep that you disturb the bottom crust layer but the more swirls, the better..

Because swirls…. !

how to bake perfect cheesecake

Preheat your oven at 325 degrees.

Next, set up your cheesecake water bath.

This is essential for a smooth, creamy perfectly baked cheesecake. It’s not hard to do, you basically are putting your cheesecake pan in a bath to cook.

Make sure the  the bottom of your springform pan is wrapped in a double layer of heavy-duty foil, covering the underside and coming up the edges. 

You don’t want water leaking in or cheesecake batter leaking out.

Bring a kettle of water to boil on the stove or heat a large glass measuring cup in the microwave until the water is boiling.

Grab a large baking pan or roasting pan, one big enough to accommodate the cheesecake pan, and move it to the middle rack of your preheated oven.

Place the springform cheesecake pan in the baking/roasting water bath pan.

Carefully pour the boiling water into the water bath pan, pouring the water to reach about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. 

Slide into oven, close the door and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

After the 1 hour and 15 minutes, turn of oven, crack the oven door and let the cheesecake slowly cool for 1 hour before removing.

When time is up, carefully remove the cheesecake from the oven, remove the foil bottom and move the springform pan to a cooling rack.

Run a thin-bladed knife around the inside edge of the cheesecake cake to make sure it’s not sticking to the sides of the pan.

Let the mint cheesecake cool completely to room temperature on the rack before moving to the fridge to chill.

Andes mint chocolate topping

Once your mint cheesecake has cooled, melt the chocolate chips and cream in a small saucepan over low heat.

Stir until smooth. Remove from the heat; cool for 5 minutes. Pour topping over the cheesecake, add chopped mint chocolates for garnish and return to refrigerator to chill.

pro tips for perfect mint cheesecake

• Make your cheesecake the day before you actually need it.  Letting your mint chocolate cheesecake chill overnight will let the flavors enhance.
• It’s an added step but don’t skip the water bath in the oven. Your cheesecake will thank you for it.
• If using a springform cheesecake pan, remember to make sure your pan is properly fastened and bottom is snug before adding your cheesecake batter to it.  You don’t want your cheesecake falling out onto your kitchen floor. (Yes, that has happened to me before!! Uggg!!)
• A little swirl goes a long way … don’t over swirl or your green batter will mix in with your cheesecake batter.
• Use room temperature ingredients like cream cheese, eggs and sour cream.  They mix and emulsify better at room temperature.
• I use gel food coloring and the color I used for this mint chocolate cheesecake was Neon Green.
• Be sure to beat your cream cheese until it’s creamy and fluffy.  Don’t skip the creaming step, you will end up with large lumps of cream cheese in your cheesecake.
• If your green cheesecake lines are uneven or messy, don’t sweat it .. it’s all getting swirled together anyways
• Don’t forget to grab MINT extract vs PEPPERMINT extract. Peppermint is .. well.. peppermint whereas mint extract is more spearmint flavor.

more cheesecake recipes

• Valentine’s Day Cheesecake Bars 
• No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
• Key Lime Pie Cheesecake Bars
• Red White and Blue Cheesecake Bars
• White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Enjoy ♥ Heather

Update Notes: This post was originally published in March of 2016 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in February of 2021.