Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake With Peanut Butter (no-bake)

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Chilling Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 13 hours & 15 minutes
Serving: 12 pieces

This delightful no-bake chocolate peanut butter cheesecake boasts a crunchy graham cracker crust, a smooth peanut butter filling that firms up beautifully in the fridge, and a luscious dark chocolate ganache drizzled on top. It’s indulgent, rich, and completely no-bake!

Why you’ll adore this recipe:

Super easy no-bake treat. This cheesecake is a breeze to whip up, and it sets perfectly in the fridge overnight.
Classic graham cracker crust. The simple crust adds a satisfying crunch and texture to the creamy cheesecake.
Creamy peanut butter filling. If you’re a fan of peanut butter desserts, this cheesecake will be your new favorite.
Decadent chocolate ganache topping. The silky chocolate ganache complements the peanut butter beautifully (it’s a match made in heaven!). It’s like enjoying a peanut butter cup in cheesecake form!

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust:

350 g graham crackers
230 g unsalted butter, melted

Peanut Butter Cheesecake:

300 g whipping cream, cold
750 g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
150 g greek yogurt
100 g powdered sugar
150 g natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache:

100 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
100 g whipping cream
20 g natural peanut butter, for the design on top

Directions:

Graham Cracker Crust:

Prep: Line a 9" springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom. Set aside.
Crush graham crackers: Place the graham crackers in a ziploc bag and whack them with a rolling pin until it become finely crushed crumbs. You can also use a food processor if you have one. Transfer the crumbs to a small mixing bowl.
Crumb mixture: Add the melted butter and stir together until all the crumbs are saturated and the mixture has the texture of wet sand.
Press into pan: Transfer the crumb mixture to your lined springform pan. Use the flat bottom of a cup or measuring cup to press the crumb mixture up the sides of the pan and into a flat layer on the bottom of the pan. Let the crust chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake:

Whip cream: In a medium mixing bowl, add the whipping cream. Use a whisk or an electric hand mixer to beat the cream until it becomes firm peaks. Set aside.
Cream cheese mixture: In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, greek yogurt, powdered sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Use a hand mixer to beat the mixture on low speed, moving up to medium speed once it's mostly combined, until it's thick and creamy.
Combine: Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold together with a spatula until no streaks remain.
Fill crust: Transfer the mixture into your chilled crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth the top of the cheesecake filling. Cover and chill in the fridge overnight to allow the cheesecake to set.

Chocolate Ganache:

Heat cream: Place the finely chopped chocolate in a small heat-safe bowl. In a small saucepan or in the microwave, heat the whipping cream on low heat just until small bubbles start coming to the surface and it barely begins to simmer.
Melt chocolate: Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 3 minutes. Stir the mixture starting from the middle of the bowl until all the chocolate has melted and you have a smooth and shiny ganache.
Cool: Let the ganache cool until it has thickened to a thick but fluid, pourable consistency. Meanwhile, prepare the cheesecake and peanut butter in the next steps but keep an eye on the ganache. You don't want it to firm up completely and you'll need to work quickly once it reaches the desired pouring consistency.
Release cheesecake: Release your cheesecake from the springform pan and transfer to a serving dish or cake stand. Add some peanut butter to a small piping bag and snip off the top. Set aside.
Pour ganache: Pour the chocolate ganache on top of the cheesecake and use an offset spatula to spread it to the edges.
Marbled peanut butter design: Before the ganache sets, quickly pipe thin straight lines of peanut butter across the ganache. Drag a toothpick through the ganache, perpendicular to the peanut butter lines, to create a marbled design. Pop the cheesecake back into the fridge for about 15 minutes, just to let the ganache set.
Slice: Run a knife under hot water and wipe dry in between each cut when slicing the cheesecake for clean slices.

Tips & Notes:

Press the crust into the pan firmly. Since this is a no-bake recipe, the crust holds itself together only by the butter once it has firmed up in the fridge. Make sure all the crumbs are saturated in butter and holds together when you press it together in your hand. Pack down firmly into the pan with the bottom of a cup or with your hands (useful when packing in the sides).
Don't deflate all the air in the whipped cream when folding the cheesecake mixture. You don't need to be gentle when folding the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture but just don't overmix too much once it's smooth and streak-free. All the little air bubbles in the whipped cream help give the cheesecake a light and airy texture.
Chill the cake overnight. This no-bake cheesecake needs to be chilled for several hours or overnight to firm up. Since it's a larger cake, 24 hours would be even better to ensure it's not too soft when slicing. This would be a great cake to make a day or two ahead of time before an event.
Work quickly with the chocolate ganache. The chocolate ganache topping firms up quickly (especially when the cheesecake is cold) so you should have the cake and peanut butter ready before pouring the ganache. Work quickly because the ganache won't really budge once it has set.
Graham crackers: We're using graham crackers for a classic cheesecake crust that isn't too sweet and is a good neutral base. You can also substitute it with biscoff cookies which I also love to do if you want a more flavourful and sweet crust.
Unsalted butter: The melted butter will hold the crust together. Melt it on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Whipping cream: The whipping cream makes this cheesecake fluffier rather than dense. Cold whipping cream whips up faster so you can just use it straight from the fridge.
Cream cheese: Use cream cheese that comes in bricks, rather than the spreadable kind that comes in tubs. Those often have other additives that make it spreadable. Let it soften to room temperature before using it otherwise it'll be hard to mix and you'll end up with a chunky mixture.
Greek yogurt: This adds to the creaminess of the cheesecake. Regular yogurt is also fine but I would recommend pouring off some of the liquid so it doesn't thin out the batter.
Peanut butter: I would recommend using natural peanut butter where the only ingredient is peanuts. Processed peanut butter contains added sugar and other additives that can change the flavour of the cheesecake.
Dark chocolate: Use any dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate you like for the ganache topping. I like use a 60-70% dark chocolate to offset the sweetness of the cake. Finely chop it so that it melts easily and evenly.