I recently had to make a couple of cheesecakes for a graduation party, and while one of them of course would be my go-to New York Cheesecake, I needed a second flavor. After flipping through my recipe stash, the choice was obvious: turtle cheesecake. Rich chocolate, silky caramel, and plenty of toasted pecans all wrapped into one cheesecake? There was no way to go wrong. And I didn’t — both cheesecakes disappeared in about five minutes. Honestly, I probably should’ve made extra.
This one does take some work, like any good cheesecake, but it’s absolutely worth it. I especially love the chocolate graham cracker crust and the final drizzle of chocolate syrup, caramel, and chocolate chips. If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing cheesecake that feels decadent but doable, this turtle version is a winner.
See next: Peanut butter cheesecake featuring Reese’s peanut butter cups
Turtle cheesecake recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cooling Time: 3 hours+
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 14 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven-baked
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 3/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs, crushed
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
Filling
- 3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
- 2 tablespoons caramel sundae syrup
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
-
Prepare the crust.
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and grease a 9-inch springform pan. In a bowl, combine the chocolate graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, then press the mixture onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan. -
Make the filling.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add the sugar, lime juice, eggs, and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined. -
Melt the chocolate and swirl.
Microwave the chocolate chips in 10-second intervals until just melted. Stir 2 cups of the cheesecake batter into the melted chocolate. Spoon the plain batter and chocolate batter alternately into the crust—starting with plain batter, then chocolate, and finishing with plain. -
Bake the cheesecake.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the center moves only slightly when gently shaken. Remove from the oven and cool completely. -
Add the topping.
Once cooled, top the cheesecake with chocolate syrup, caramel sundae syrup, chopped pecans, and additional chocolate chips. Slice and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 597
- Sugar: 50.5 g
- Sodium: 187.5 mg
- Fat: 40.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Protein: 9.7 g
- Cholesterol: 101.5 mg