What you’ll love about this peanut butter cheesecake:
Smooth, creamy texture: a splash of heavy cream really smoothes things out. No water bath needed. Water baths are fussy, messy, and far too often can leave you with a soggy crust. I don’t use a water bath here (or in any of my cheesecake recipes), yet we still get perfect, crack-free results. Rich peanut butter flavor: yet you can still taste the “cheesecake” flavor too–it’s utterly perfectly balanced (if I do say so myself)! Crisp, Oreo cookie crust: a no-brainer, really. Chocolate and peanut butter go SO well together! Chocolate ganache topping: the cherry on top, I recommend finishing things off with a layer of chocolate for my fellow peanut butter & chocolate lovers. If you’re feeling fancy, I recommend adding some homemade whipped cream and a sprinkle of crushed Reese’s pieces on top, too!
A Carefully (obsessively?) tested recipe
For such a classic flavor, I had quite a difficult time trying to tackle this peanut butter cheesecake. In fact, I’ve actually been testing this recipe on and off for years! Most often, my biggest challenges were a lackluster peanut butter flavor and a dense, almost crumbly texture (also stemming from the peanut butter). After many attempts, I finally figured out how to strike the perfect balance of peanut butter and cream cheese, and I even added a surprise ingredient I NEVER use in cheesecakes but found necessary here. The end result? A smooth, distinctly peanut butter flavored cheesecake that pairs so nicely with an Oreo crust and chocolate ganache topping.
What You Need
It’s very important that all of your ingredients are at room temperature; this will help them mix easier and prevent over-mixing (which can cause cracking or a sunken cheesecake). Here’s what you need!
Peanut butter. Stick with creamy peanut butter for a smooth texture. I have not tested this recipe with natural peanut butter, so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out if you used it. Cream cheese. Just like my chocolate cheesecake and strawberry cheesecake (okay, actually all of my cheesecakes!), you need to use full-fat, block-style cream cheese. Low-fat or spreadable cream cheese will NOT work here. Oreos. Oreos and peanut butter work so well together! We’re using the same Oreo crust from my Oreo cheesecake, which means you must remove the filling from the Oreos. I don’t recommend using my traditional Oreo crust (with the cream included), because the cream tends to leak out of the springform pan during baking. I haven’t tested this recipe with my homemade Oreos yet, but it’s on my to-do list (for a truly 100% from-scratch version). Sour cream. While we are still including sour cream in this recipe, you may notice that it’s a smaller amount than usual. This is intentional; it still gives depth of flavor while allowing the peanut butter flavor to shine. Heavy cream. Adding a splash of heavy cream (something I never do in my classic cheesecake, but do use in my basque cheesecake) lightens the custard and gives it the proper consistency.
SAM’S TIP: Be gentle with the eggs! Over-mixing the eggs can cause your cheesecake to have a curdled texture. To avoid this, lightly beat each egg before adding it and work one at a time. Mix each egg on low-speed until just incorporated, then stop! Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Make the Crust
Make the Cheesecake
SAM’S TIP: With all of my cheesecakes, avoiding over-mixing is important, but it’s especially important here. Over-mixing the ingredients could cause the cheesecake to rise much too much, which will then cause it to either over-brown, collapse in on itself (it’ll still taste good) or just look funny with raised edges and a sunken center (will still mostly taste good!).
Bake and Decorate
SAM’S TIP: A classic graham cracker crust would work here too, or for a fun twist, feel free to toss in half a cup of finely chopped peanuts to your graham cracker crust! What other cheesecake flavors would you like to see? Let me know in the comments! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter and make sure to follow along on Instagram, YouTube (over 500 free videos!) and Facebook 💜
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