These Chocolate Cheesecake Bars start with a buttery Oreo cookie crust, followed by a smooth, creamy chocolate cheesecake filling made with melted dark chocolate and dutch-process cocoa powder, then finished with a rich chocolate ganache on top. They're deeply chocolatey without being overly sweet, with the perfect balance of creamy and crunchy in every bite. An easy make-ahead dessert that feels a little extra, but still totally approachable
This chocolate cheesecake bar recipe is rich, creamy, and made for serious chocolate lovers. It uses the same no-fuss cheesecake base as my Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Bars, but with melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder added for a deep, chocolate-forward flavor. Paired with an Oreo crust and finished with a rich layer of chocolate ganache, these bars are indulgent without being overly sweet and perfect for making ahead. The best part? No water bath required!
If cheesecake bars are your thing, you might also love my Biscoff Cheesecake Bars, Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake Bars, Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake Bars, or Apple Crisp Cheesecake Bars. They all start with that same creamy cheesecake texture but go in totally different directions flavor-wise.
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♥ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Deep chocolate flavor - Melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder give these bars a rich, chocolate-forward flavor without being overly sweet.
Ultra-creamy texture - Just like my Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Bars, these bake up smooth, creamy, and slice beautifully every time.
No water bath required - A stress-free cheesecake that's approachable, reliable, and great for make-ahead baking.
That ganache finish - The rich chocolate ganache on top takes these bars over the edge and makes them feel extra special.
Perfect for chocolate lovers - Add a sprinkle of sea salt, swirl in peanut butter, fold in chocolate chips, or top with whipped cream for a little extra flair.
📝 Ingredient Notes
A full list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Oreo Crust
Oreo cookies: You'll need about 20 Oreo cookies. Keep the filling in the cookies!
Butter: Make sure your butter is melted. You can use salted or unsalted.
Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Cream Cheese: Make sure you're using full fat, blocks of cream cheese and they've come to room temperature.
Sour cream: I like to use full fat sour cream. You can use full fat greek yogurt instead. Make sure it's at room temperature.
Eggs: Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before starting. This is incredibly important!
Cocoa Powder: I use dutch process cocoa powder, but you could also use natural unsweetened cocoa powder.
Chocolate: I use chopped dark chocolate bars. You can use dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips as well.
See recipe card for quantities.
⇄ Substitutions & Variations
Greek Yogurt - Instead of sour cream, you can use full fat greek yogurt.
Espresso - For a little deeper flavor, add a little espresso powder to the batter.
Chocolate wafers - Instead of Oreo cookies, you can substitute with chocolate wafers. Make sure to add a little sugar to the crust. I would follow the steps from my Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Bars recipe.
Whipped cream - You can use a simple whipped cream or my favorite whipped cream cheese frosting. Just dollop or use a piping bag and 1M tip for a fancy finish.
Plain - You can skip the ganache and just eat it plain.
🍴Special Equipment
Kitchen Scale: It's so important to use a kitchen scale for accurate results.
Baking Pan: My favorite 8 inch Square USA pan is from USA pan. It has straight edges, bakes evenly, and never fails. I highly recommend purchasing a good quality baking pan for your cakes.
Mixing bowls: I love using glass Mixing Bowls when making batters and doughs.
Mixer: You can use a stand mixer or a handheld mixer for the cheesecake.
𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.
Step 1
Using a food processor, pulse the Oreo cookies until crushed, then add the melted butter.
Alternate method: If you don't have a food processor, use a Ziploc bag and crush the cookies using a rolling pin.
Pour crushed cookies into the pan and press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. You can use a spoon, offset spatula, or flat measuring cup to create a smooth, flat bottom. Don't press too hard. Just until it's compact. Bake for 8 minutes. Once baked, remove and let cool.
Step 2
Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and then melt in a microwave safe bowl in 15-30 second increments, making sure to stir every 15-30 seconds. Once melted, let cool until ready to use.
Step 3
In a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese and sugars and beat together on medium speed until well combined, smooth, and creamy - about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and sides. Add the cocoa powder and mix for another 45 seconds until combined.
Add the sour cream, salt, and vanilla extract, and beat together until combined. Scrape down the bowl.
💡 Hint: If you feel like you might over mix the eggs, you can crack the eggs in a separate bowl and whisk them, then add them to the batter and mix.
Step 4
Add eggs and beat until combined. Don't over mix. Just until all the eggs are combined.
Step 5
Lastly, add the melted chocolate and fold it in using a spatula. This will prevent over mixing the batter.
Step 6
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Step 7
Make the ganache: Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and set aside.
Heat up heavy cream until it reaches a simmer (do not boil), then pour it over the chocolate and let sit for a few minutes, then stir until completely smooth. Once smooth, let it sit for a few minutes until it thickens a little, then pour it over the cheesecake and smooth it out. Chill the cheesecake for 10 minutes before slicing into it.
💬 FAQ
Some of the reasons a cheesecake could crack: ingredients weren't at room temperature. Over mixing the batter. Over baking the cheesecake. To avoid cracking, make sure you start with room temperature ingredients. Once adding the eggs, only mix until combined, and start checking your cheesecake bars at 30 minutes. Once the sides are puffed with cracks and the center has a slight jiggle, remove it and let it cool.
No, I don't recommend skipping the melted chocolate in this recipe. The melted dark chocolate adds richness, structure, and deep chocolate flavor to the cheesecake. Without it, the bars won't have the same texture or intensity, and the cocoa powder alone won't provide enough chocolate flavor.
The edges will have puffed up, but will be noticeably done, and there will be a slight jiggle to the center of the cheesecake (not too much). The bars will continue to set as they cool.
Absolutely! I love cheesecake bars because they're great to make ahead of an event. You can make them 1-2 nights before you need them. Top with ganache 20-30 minutes before serving.
💡Pro Tips
Measure Flour Correctly - As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off.
Room temperature ingredients: For these cheesecake bars, it's very important that all ingredients are at room temperature, especially the cream cheese and eggs.
Full Fat Cream Cheese: Use full fat cream cheese that comes in blocks and not the tubs.
Line pans: Prep your pan with parchment paper.
Correct pan: Make sure to use the correct type of pan. Baking with metal pans yields better results.
Don't over mix: Once eggs are incorporated, stop mixing. Over mixing could result in cracks.
Don't over bake: Start checking the cheesecake bars at 30-32 minutes to ensure you don't over bake.
Cool to room temperature: Once baked, make sure to cool completely at room temperature.
Refrigerate overnight: For best results, refrigerate at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Avoid cheesecake cracks: Make sure you start with room temperature ingredients. Once adding the eggs, only mix until combined, and start checking your cheesecake bars at 30 minutes. Once the sides are puffed with cracks and the center has a slight jiggle, remove it and let it cool.
Cut clean slices: Warm your knife under warm water, then wipe it down. Slice into the cheesecake, and make sure to wipe the knife down between slices to get clean cuts. I like to run my knife under water before each cut (but make sure to wipe the knife dry before cutting).
❄ Storage
Store Chocolate Cheesecake Bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
📖 Recipe Card
Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 handheld mixer
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 20 Oreo cookies
- 4 tablespoon (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
- 8 oz. dark chocolate melted
- 16 oz. (455 g) cream cheese room temperature (see notes)
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon (15 g) unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
- ¼ cup (65 g) sour cream room temperautre
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Chocolate ganache
- 100 g semi-sweet or dark chocolate
- 100 g heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 325℉ and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. To keep the parchment paper in place, I like to use binder clips.
- Make the crust: Using a food processor, pulse the Oreo cookies until crushed, then add the melted butter.Alternate method: If you don't have a food processor, use a Ziploc bag and crush the cookies using a rolling pin.20 Oreo cookies, 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- Pour crushed cookies into the pan and press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. You can use a spoon, offset spatula, or flat measuring cup to create a smooth, flat bottom. Don't press too hard. Just until it's compact. Bake for 8 minutes. Once baked, remove and let cool.
Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
- Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and then melt in a microwave safe bowl in 15-30 second increments, making sure to stir every 15-30 seconds. Once melted, let cool until ready to use.8 oz. dark chocolate
- Make the cheesecake: In a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese and sugars and beat together on medium speed until well combined, smooth, and creamy - about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and sides. Add the cocoa powder and mix for another 45 seconds until combined.16 oz. cream cheese, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoon unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
- Add the sour cream, salt, and vanilla extract, and beat together until combined. Scrape down the bowl.¼ cup sour cream, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add eggs and beat until combined. Don't over mix. Just until all the eggs are combined. If you feel like you might over mix the eggs, you can crack the eggs in a separate bowl and whisk them, then add them to the batter and mix.3 large eggs
- Lastly, add the melted chocolate and fold it in using a spatula. This will prevent over mixing the batter.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. When done baking, the sides of the cheesecake will have puffed up and form cracks and there will be a slight jiggle in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Chocolate Ganache
- Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and set aside.Heat up heavy cream until it reaches a simmer (do not boil), then pour it over the chocolate and let sit for a few minutes, then stir until completely smooth. Once smooth, let it sit for a few minutes until it thickens a little, then pour it over the cheesecake and smooth it out. Chill the cheesecake for 10 minutes before slicing into it.100 g semi-sweet or dark chocolate, 100 g heavy whipping cream
- Tips for cutting cheesecake: Warm your knife under warm water, then wipe it down. Slice into the cheesecake, and make sure to wipe the knife down between slices to get clean cuts. I like to run my knife under water before each cut (but make sure to wipe the knife dry before cutting).
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