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This Turtle Cheesecake Recipe is made with a graham cracker crust and plenty of caramel, chocolate and pecans! It’s rich, creamy and sure to be a hit!
This post is sponsored by Challenge Dairy, but all opinions are my own.
I am a big fan of turtle candies. The combination of chocolate and caramel is my jam. Not to mention the cute shape of them when you actually get them in their true shape. If you aren’t familiar, turtle candies are called “turtles” because the pecans are placed in a way that looks like turtle legs and the caramel and chocolate are placed so that they look like turtle shells. They are delicious and cute little candies that is great for the holidays.
But perhaps even though you love the turtle flavors, but really want a cheesecake. Well then, this cheesecake is for you!
What’s in a Turtle Cheesecake?
This Turtle Cheesecake is made with several layers of turtle flavors throughout. To start, there’s the crust. In addition to graham cracker crumbs, the crust has pecans right it in for extra flavor and crunch. The cheesecake filling has a layer of caramel with more pecan chips mixed in, a layer of chocolate and then a creamy brown sugar cheesecake. The whole cheesecake is topped with even more buttery caramel, smooth chocolate and crunchy pecan chips. Delicious!
How to Make a Turtle Cheesecake
First, you’ll make the caramel sauce – arguably the best part of this Turtle Cheesecake. It’s basically the same as my Homemade Caramel Sauce, with a few tweaks to make it a little thicker.
The first ingredient for the caramel is the sugar, which gets melted down. Once melted, butter is added, then heavy whipping cream. It makes the most amazing caramel sauce with such a smooth, buttery flavor. Seriously, that buttery flavor is to die for, which is why I used my favorite Challenge Butter.
You’ve heard me say it before and I’ll say it again – Challenge Butter is a wonderful, high quality butter that is perfect for baked goods. Their butter is made from fresh milk at family-owned dairies and goes from farm to fridge in just two days. It has no added hormones, artificial flavors or fillers, which I’m a big fan of. I usually find it at Walmart, but it’s now also available in Kroger. And if you’re near a Harris Teeter, you can also usually find it there. If you aren’t sure, find a location near you where they carry it. It’s good stuff!
When your caramel sauce is made, it’s time for the crust. Combine all the ingredients and bake for 10 minutes.
Next up is the filling. You’ll start by adding some of the caramel sauce to the crust, then making the chocolate ganache. Add the chocolate ganache in an even layer on top of the caramel.
The next part of the cheesecake filling is the cream cheese mixture. Again, I rely on my trusty Challenge Cream Cheese, which is as close to homemade as it gets with nothing artificial and no added hormones. It’s super creamy and perfect as the base of the cheesecake filling. It’s combined with brown sugar, vanilla and your usual ingredients for a silky-smooth filling.
Bake the cheesecake in a water bath, then refrigerate until firm.
How do you bake a cheesecake in a water bath?
While water baths can seem intimidating, they really aren’t hard and they are totally worth it. I have a tutorial on how I set up my water baths that is quite helpful. I not only use aluminum foil, but also a crock pot liner bag to ensure that water doesn’t get into the cheesecake. Works like a charm!
As for benefits of a water bath, it’ll keep your cheesecake from browning too much, sinking and will help prevent cracks. Definitely the way to go!
Once the cheesecake has cooled, it’s topped with some of the remaining caramel sauce, more chocolate ganache and pecan chips. There’s nothing quite a beautiful as a dessert covered in caramel and chocolate! Nothing quite as tasty either!
The final cheesecake is smooth, creamy and the perfect combination of turtle candy flavors and cheesecake. Such a fun holiday dessert that makes a great alternative to pumpkin! Bring it on!
Watch How To Make It
You might also like Turtle candy desserts:
Turtle Brownie Cheesecake
Turtle Chocolate Layer Cake
Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes
Chocolate Turtle Poke Cake
Turtle Chocolate Cookie Cups
Chocolate Caramel Turtle Cake Roll
Turtle Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Turtle Cheesecake Recipe is made with a graham cracker crust and plenty of caramel, chocolate and pecans! It’s rich, creamy and sure to be a hit!
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (112g) salted Challenge butter, room temperature*
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature*
- 5 tbsp (41g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/4 cup (28g) pecan chips
Crust
- 2 cups (268g) graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup (112g) salted Challenge butter, melted
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (28g) pecan chips
Filling
- 4 oz (2/3 cup | 116g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 6 tbsp (90ml) heavy whipping cream
- 24 oz (678g) Challenge cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (144g) light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp (24g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (230g) sour cream
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
Chocolate Drizzle
- 2 oz (1/3 cup | 58g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 tbsp (45ml) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
1. To make the caramel sauce, pour the sugar into an even layer in a large saucepan.
2. Heat on medium-high heat, whisking the sugar until melted. The sugar will clump up first, but will eventually completely melt. This should take about 10 minutes.
3. Once the sugar has melted, stop whisking and allow to cook until the sugar has turned to a little darker amber color. You may notice a nutty aroma. The change in color will happen quickly, so don’t let it go too long or get too dark or it’ll burn. Remove the caramel from the heat.
4. Add the butter and whisk until combined. The mixture will bubble up quite a bit, but keep whisking until all the butter has melted and combined.
5. Slowly pour the heavy cream into the caramel and whisk until incorporated. I find it can help to add just a bit at a time until the caramel starts to thin out, then you can add the rest. Whisk until well incorporated and smooth.
6. Set about 1 cup of caramel sauce aside for topping. Add the flour and pecan chips to the remaining caramel and set that aside.
7. To make the cheesecake crust, preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.
8. Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.
9. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
10. Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil so that water from the water bath cannot get in (see how I prepare my pan for a water bath). Set prepared pan aside.
11. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (148°C).
12. Pour the caramel sauce with the pecans and flour into the bottom of the crust and spread into an even layer.
13. To make the cheesecake filling, put the chocolate chips in a small bowl.
14. Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
15. Pour the chocolate into an even layer over the caramel sauce in the crust.
16. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar and flour on low speed until well combined and smooth. Be sure to use low speed to reduce the amount of air added to the batter, which can cause cracks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
17. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until well combined.
18. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly to combine after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
19. Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust, over the chocolate.
20. Place the springform pan inside another larger pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.
21. Bake for 1 hour 35 minutes. The center should be set, but still jiggly.
22. Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for 30 minutes. The cheesecake will continue to cook, but slowly begin to cool as well.
23. Crack the door of the oven for 30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to continue to cool slowly. This process helps prevent cracking.
24. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and remove the water bath and wrapping.
25. Pour about 1/2 cup of the remaining caramel sauce over the top of the cheesecake and spread into an even layer. If the caramel sauce has firmed up too much to pour, heat it up for about 10 seconds.
26. Refrigerate cheesecake until completely cool and firm, 5-6 hours. When the cheesecake is cool and firm, remove it from the springform pan and place on a serving dish.
27. Place the chocolate chips for the drizzle in a small bowl. Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 3-4 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
28. Drizzle the remaining caramel sauce and chocolate sauce over the cheesecake and sprinkle with a few more pecan chips. Refrigerate cheesecake until ready to serve.
Notes
Caramel sauce: The butter and heavy cream need need to be at least room temperature, or warmer. Since every home is a little different in temperature, you may want to melt your butter and gently warm your cream, to ensure that they aren’t too cool. If they are, the caramel with seize.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 659
- Sugar: 55.8 g
- Sodium: 396.5 mg
- Fat: 37.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 73.5 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 119.4 mg
Enjoy!
This recipe is thorough and easy to follow. This was my first time baking a cheesecake and it was so fun! It is a beautiful and delicious cheesecake. I made it for a fundraiser (a dessert auction) and it was the biggest hit of the night.
Awesome! I’m so glad it was it!
I have never made a cheesecake before but my dad wants one for Fathers Day. I decided to test this one out first. Your recipe was easy to follow and it turned out great. Can’t wait to make it for my dad.
Awesome! I’m so glad you’re happy with it!
I don’t know if I’ve ever written a review for ANY recipe or fellow baker, but I couldn’t help myself this time…this was AMAZING!! This was the very first time I’ve ever had a cheesecake not crack on me, and my oh my, the flavor was delicious! So rich and creamy…oh so good!
While I struggled with making the caramel…twice!!…as I’ve never made caramel before, I look forward to trying it again and again until I get it right with this recipe. My boyfriend’s family still LOVED it, hiccups and all, and they’ve requested it again soon!
Thank you for giving me a stellar recipe I will use for years to come!!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks Gabi!
First time baking a cheesecake and it was a huge success! Your steps were easy enough to follow. I burned the caramel on the first try, but second time was delicious. It was definitely a time consuming dessert, but soooooo worth it! Everyone loved it and several said it was the best cheesecake they’ve ever had. Thanks for making my first cheesecake baking experience a grand slam! Now off to search your site for other cheesecake recipes.
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks Pam!
I love this recipe! It is beautiful and delicious! Second time I’ve made it. Has anyone ever noticed water seeping out of the pan? Or possibly butter….not sure. I don’t bake in a water bath, I’m too afraid to try it and I don’t own a roaster pan. I don’t remember this happening last time but it could have.
Just pulled it out of the oven and there was water inside of the plastic liner and aluminum 🙁 tell me it’s not completely ruined
It shouldn’t be ruined. The crust will usually dry out a bit and if not, it’s fine, just a little bit of a soft crust.
Best cheesecake I have ever made! Definitely worth the time and effort.
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks Lisa!
Help can’t make your turtle cheesecake the recipe is not in here
I’m so sorry for the trouble! There was an issue today that affected thousands of sites – mine included. It looks like it’s been resolved, so you should be able to access it here now. Sorry about that!
I’ve made this recipe 2 times now, but I can’t seem to find the recipe on this page anymore! ☹
I’m so sorry for the trouble! There was an issue today that affected thousands of sites – mine included. It looks like it’s been resolved, so you should be able to access it here now. Sorry about that!
I was just wondering what the calorie content is on this oh so yummy creation?
I’m not sure, I’m sorry. There are a lot of online calculators out there that might be helpful.
Omg…I’ve fallen in love with this cheesecake recipe. It turns out perfectly every time. I do however use a different caramel recipe though. This one is definitely in my catalog forever!!
I’m so glad you enjoy it!
I know this is the most despicable question to a great cook like you, but I’m in a time pinch and royally messed up my caramel sauce and wondered if I could just use some Hershey’s caramel topping that I have in my cabinet for this cheesecake? ???????? and if so how much do I use on the crust? I prob don’t need to mix the flour with the half of the tipping either?
I think it’ll be ok. And you do still want to add the flour – it helps keep the caramel sauce from disappearing and sort of dissolving into the cheesecake. I believe it was roughly 1 1/2 cups of caramel inside the cheesecake. I hope that helps!
Hey, k want to make it for my boyfriend birthday cake… Can I use quark cooking cheese instead?
I’m not familiar with that kind of cheese. Is it cream cheese?
i have tried everything to print this recipe. im hitting the print button,recipe shows up but no way to print!!!!! help
When you pull up the printable version, you should use the print button in your browser bar to actually print it. The print button mainly provides a nice, printable version so that you aren’t printing my entire post. I hope that helps!
This was the worst Carmel sauce I’ve Ever made (and I’ve Made at least 6 different recipes without a hitch). The sugar never did melt properly.
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble. I’ve made it not less than like 50 times, so I know it works well. Here’s the caramel sauce with a video showing how to make it. I hope that helps! If not, another caramel sauce should be fine.
do you use block cream cheese or regular? also, about how high does the cheesecake come out to be?
I used cream cheese in a block. It’s about the size of a normal cheesecake. I hope you enjoy!
I don’t know what I did wrong, the caramel sauce was off, like metallic-chemical-terrible tasting. I made sure to remove the sugar from the heat and add butter and heavy cream but the taste is like i burned it maybe it did turn dark amber. would love some help as the cheesecake itself is delicious and perfect.
The caramel can be a little tricky. Here’s the caramel sauce recipe on its own with a video where I show the whole process. You can definitely try not letting the melted sugar sit for very long before adding the butter. That sitting period deepens the flavor, but it won’t hurt the caramel to not do it for long. Hopefully that helps!
I made this for my son-in-law. It turned out awesome. The top didn’t crack open and it had a perfect consistency. The only change I made with the recipe was decreasing the graham crackers. I took the graham mixture half way up the side, to make sure the caramel did’t touch the side of the spring pan.
It turn out perfect. ( I couldn’t send a photo because I have a MacBook and it said it doesn’t support the format?)
BTW The instructions could be made a little simpler as expressed by ANITA
Delish!!! 5 Stars
I’m so glad you all enjoyed! 🙂