Smooth chocolate cheesecake blankets a rich and fudgy brownie crust, in this absolutely show-stopping chocolate brownie cheesecake recipe.
Velvety Brownie Cheesecake
If your two favorite desserts in the world happen to be brownies and cheesecake like mine are, this decadently dark chocolate brownie cheesecake recipe is pretty much the best dessert you could ever make, because it solves the problem of being forced to choose one over the other.
Now there is no need to choose at all – you can have both.
You may also like: Vegan Cheesecake Recipe – NO cashews!
Basic Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
This chocolate cheesecake looks fancy, but it’s deceptively simple to make.
And if you’re short on time, you can easily skip the brownie crust for a plain chocolate cheesecake that comes together in just minutes.
I used my go-to vegan brownie recipe for the base, but if you have a favorite brownie recipe, feel free to use it instead.
Just remember to undercook the brownie layer, because you’ll be baking it a second time when you bake the cheesecake.
I bet my Black Bean Brownies recipe would be amazing here.
The flax or cornstarch in the recipe is optional because I accidentally forgot it the second time I made the cheesecake (yes, I make baking mistakes too!), and surprisingly I didn’t notice a difference.
The brownie bottom still held together as if I hadn’t forgotten the binder ingredient – so I marked it as optional.
Also try this popular Keto Cheesecake Recipe
Above – watch the video how to make brownie cheesecake
Because I really love you, I made you a video.
Or maybe I made the video because I wanted an excuse to make this cheesecake again.
I’ll never tell.
The recipe was adapted from my Healthy Cheesecake and this Vegan Chocolate Pie.
Brownie Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp milk of choice
- 2/3 cup oil
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup spelt or white flour, or packed 3/4 cup Bob’s gf
- 1 cup cocoa powder (I used mostly regular, plus 2 tbsp dutch, to make 1 cup)
- 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or packed coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup regular sugar OR stevia baking blend
- 2 tbsp flaxmeal or cornstarch, optional
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Whisk together the first 3 ingredients, then set aside. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine all remaining ingredients. Pour wet into dry, stir to combine, and pour into prepared pan. Smooth down. Bake 12 minutes.For The Cheesecake: 24 oz cream cheese or vegan cream cheese, 2 cups plain yogurt (vegan if desired), 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract, 3/4 cup sugar or maple syrup, honey, or xylitol for sugar-free, 3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used mostly regular, plus 2 tbsp dutch, to make up the full amount)Preheat oven to 350 F. Fill a 9×13 pan about halfway with water and place it on your oven’s lower rack. Bring cream cheese to room temperature. In a blender or food processor, beat all cheesecake ingredients just until smooth. (Don’t overbeat, as this would introduce air bubbles that could burst in the oven and thus cause cracking.) Smooth into the 9-inch springform pan with the baked brownies. Place on the middle rack above the other pan. Bake 30 minutes, and do not open the oven during this time. When the time is up, leave oven door closed and turn off heat. Leave in the closed oven an additional 5 minutes. Then remove—it will look underdone—and let cool 20 minutes before placing the still-underdone cheesecake in the fridge. Chill at least 6 hours, during which time it will firm up. Leftovers covered in the fridge will last around 3-4 days.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
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Natasha @ Thoughts of Tradition says
I am beyond excited about this recipe because I remember you mentioning it in a much older post!
marti @fitwithheart says
two of my FAVORITE things combined in one? awesome!!
Pauline L says
This looks so decadent but when I looked at the ingredients I was surprised at how healthy it was without using too many super obscure or irregular ingredients. I want to try this soon! Thanks for sharing
Emily says
This is genius! Can’t wait to give it a try for our next special occasion!
xo,
Em
Debsy says
is there any substitutes for the vegan cream cheese and yogurt? Will coconut cream work for the yogurt?
Jason Sanford says
Coconut cream would definitely work for the yogurt!
Whitney says
Why have I not thought of this before?!? Now, it’s making me think about trying a chocolate chip cookie bottom!
Paige Flamm says
This looks incredible! I need this in my life asap!
Paige
Sofia says
Do you think you could substitute Greek yogurt and regular cream cheese for the nondairy ones?
Jason Sanford says
Yes that’s fine
Gary says
I’m really looking forward to a cheesecake recipe made without store-bought cream cheese, but only from scratch. Preferably not coconut-cream based because, well, that’s not so healthy.
Dia says
Um, coconut cream isn’t that bad compared to other fats out there. You can look at her cashew based cheesecake recipes.
Jenn says
That looks amazing! I think I know what I’ll be making for Easter 🙂
Linda says
I noticed that the instructions (especially baking time) in the video are not the same as the text of the recipe… Which one is correct? In the video it seems that it’s not baked after the cheese is added. Can you clarify?
Thanks for your amazing recipes!
Jason Sanford says
Hi Linda, it’s not that they’re different, just that the video stops before that step and says to go to the blog for the full recipe. Sorry for the confusion, and hope that helps clarify! Definitely always go by the recipe instructions in the actual post.
-Jason
Linda @ the Fitty says
I want to sneak in gelatin in this recipe! I think it’ll make it even thicker. Think it’ll work?
Jason Sanford says
You never know unless you try!
Candonow says
Why would you want to put ground cow hoofs (gelatin) in this recipe? Please explain. Thanks
Nina says
Wow! This is wonderful. I love all your cheesecakes, and can’t wait to try this one.
Marie E, Turner says
Hi Katie, I need to ask a couple questions. At what altitude is your baking being done? Would you adjust the baking time for very high altitudes?
The reason I ask is that I made this wonderful Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake last night, all according to directions, but the brownie crust was far from a set condition to take on a thick layer of chocolate cream cheese. I also baked the cheesecake as directed, then let it set overnight. Do you know how difficult it is to not slice into it when it’s chilled?!
This morning I cut a thin slice (I am on an eating plan to lose weight, you know!) and ate it for my breakfast. It was delicious! However, the crust was still in an unbaked pudding-like condition and the center of the cheesecake is also like pudding. So, if my final product is a pudding cheesecake, I’m right on track. But the properly baked potion of the whole was wonderful enough that I would like all of it to be baked and to taste like my outer portion of it.
I live and bake at an altitude of 7220 feet and generally make adjustments for that. Next time I make this delicious chocolate brownie cheesecake, I will definitely bake the brownie layer a few minutes longer and I will also bake the cheesecake a few minutes longer. I’m sure my end product will be exactly what I’m dreaming of!
But many, many thanks for this and other recipes! I have 2 of your cookbooks and love your ideas! Keep Baking and Cooking for all of us!
Jason Sanford says
Oh yes, higher altitude definitely would need changes to be made. Katie is at a low altitude. Unfortunately we don’t know much about high altitude baking, but hopefully it will work well with your changes!
Mia w says
I’m so glad I found this post as some of the recipes I’ve tried from her don’t work in high altitude and some do. It’s been so challenging for me because I live her recipes & have made several. It’s hit or miss. For example, if you don’t do the water bath Bain Marie in high altitude, it will crack. Glad to know her recipes Dont work in high altitude all the time.
CCK Media Team says
Hi! This is unfortunately true for baking in general, not something specific to Katie’s recipes. High altitude is notorious for messing with baked goods due to the lower air pressure.
Missy says
tHANK YOU FOR THIS QUESTION, AS WE ARE AT A HIGH.. 5,400… HIGH ALTITUDE. i DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE AREN’T NOTES FOR HIGH ALTITUDE AT THE END OF ALL RECIPES, JUST AS THEY ARE ON BOX RECIPES….IT REALLY COSTS A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY THAT GETS FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET!!
Jason Sanford says
Unfortunately, because Katie runs this blog on her own, she does not have a large full-time testing team like companies who produce packaged products do. Katie does not live at high elevation, so for her to give made-up tips she hasn’t tested on how to modify recipes for higher elevation would be irresponsible (and probably wouldn’t work very well for readers!). Maybe someday she will have a giant team and the ability to do so 🙂
Sarah Axling says
There are all sorts of resources for high altitude baking adjustments online, just Google it. Here is one I found in under 5 seconds.
https://www.allrecipes.com/article/high-altitude-cake-baking/
Robynne says
Honestly, more people should try Google. Thanks for sharing the link!
Chantal says
We are supposed to use 1/2 cup brown sugar AND 1/3 cup unrefined sugar? Video doesn’t show it but directions say to
Jason Sanford says
I think in the video it’s already combined. Yes, you’d use both.
Fani Malik says
Awesome tips, I agree completely…especially
Cassie Thuvan Tran says
If someone tells you that you can have too much chocolate in one day, then that person is LYING. 😉 This cheesecake looks like a chocolate lover’s dream! Personally, I would love to dig into this glorious treat any day!
Sarah says
It turned out absolutely delicious! I used raspberry-flavored SoDelicious coconut yogurt and the raspberry and chocolate flavors went together perfectly. Even my coconut-hating friend loved it, since the coconut taste wasn’t discernible. The cake is creamy and the crust very fudgy.
Just a note to other bakers: you may need to bake both the crust and the filling for longer than the recipe states, depending on your oven. I have a somewhat older oven and the crust and filling were quite soft. One of my friends thought the crust was too sweet, but the rest of us liked it and though it nicely balanced the slightly tart filling, so you may want to adjust the sugar if you hate sweet things. Also, maybe it was just me, but the recipe made a HUGE cake! It was probably about 4-4.5 inches high and still 9 inches in diameter. We only finished half, so I froze the rest (no complaints there)!
David says
This recipe was really good taste wise and the yogurt was on point. I used silk tofu before and that was pretty good as well.
The only issue i had was the brownie did not cook at all in the 12 minutes and when i put the cheesecake mix on top it just got pushed to the sides.
I guess i need to leave it in longer? also i read the altitude comment. im at very near sea level.
Thanks
Kristin says
this looks so good!
Xhulio Jamaku says
Hello Katie,
I was searching for Brownie Cheesecake articles online and I came accross your website.
I noticed that you linked to one of my favorite food articles.
Since I love it so much, I just wanted to let you know that I created a similar article but much more delicious and updated.
Might be worth a mention on your page!
Either way, keep up the awesome work!
Thanks for considering my work.
Best of All,
Xhulio
Jacob Carstens says
I’d like to try making this, but I’m curious about the baking method. Normally I would bake the cheesecake directly in a Bain Marie (water bath). But from your recipe it seems you bake it above the Bain Marie , without having the cake submerged in it. Is that correct ? This would of course be easier, since you don’t have to wrap the springform.
Best regards
Jacob
Jason Sanford says
I have never tried baking directly in the water bath but can say from experience that this particular cake came out perfectly when I baked it with the water underneath 🙂
Hope Reed says
Just finished baking this for my husbands birthday it looks delicious i cant wait to surprise him with it tomorrow! I did take the coco powder out of the cheese cake part because I know him and chocolate cheesecake on top of a brownie crust will be too much chocolate for him, im going to decorate the top woth a bit of whip cream and mini chocolate chips and possiably some crushe peanut butter cups to add a bit of peanut butter flavor to it 🙂 hope its as good as it smells ! Thank you for sharing the recipe !
Shannon says
Hi there. Ingredients says coconut sugar, then lists unrefined sugar, an I able to just use coconut sugar again for that? Also for the flour it says I can use gf, I have coconut, tapioca and oat flours, would I just use a combination of my 3 flours to get that? How much should I use? Thanks.
Jason Sanford says
Hi, yes you can definitely use coconut sugar. For the flour, the only ones Katie can vouch for are the ones listed (with Bob’s gf all purpose mix being the gf option), but feel free to experiment as long as you are okay with the possibility of a not so great turnout. Be sure to report back if you do experiment!
Vital Wires says
Woowww. So easy and simple! I want to make for my family gathering. So thank youu.
Tafsia says
Can you freeze this cheesecake? How long would you say it lasts in the freezer, if you were to freeze the entire thing, and defrost the entire thing as one later? Would the brownie texture be affected? Thanks!
Paulette says
This looks amazing! My friend and I have been craving chocolate lately (okay that’s not actually newsworthy; that’s us on any given day) and I want to try a new recipe for a special treat, like this! The only thing is, I can’t justify spending money for THREE packages of cream cheese right now. I live overseas, and while Philadelphia original has finally arrived in some grocery stores, it is super-expensive. Would it be possible to scale the recipe down and make only one-third of a batch, with one 8-ozpackage of cream cheese? I don’t have much experience with cheesecakes, so am concerned this would ruin it. If you think it would work okay, what type of pan would you recommend baking the cheesecake in, for a one-third batch?
Jason Sanford says
It is indeed possible! 🙂 https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/08/18/chocolate-mousse-cheesecake-bars/
Paulette says
Thank you for that link, Jason! This looks like the perfect recipe for this weekend.
Laurie Rhoades says
Could these be made into individual cheesecakes – muffin size cups? What temperature would you suggest and for how long?
Jason Sanford says
I would try adapting this one first https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/08/18/chocolate-mousse-cheesecake-bars/
Colleen Marble says
I have it in the oven now, and I think it will be delicious. But a food processor is absolutely the wrong tool for mixing the cheesecake filling. The filling is very thick, and there was too much of it for the food processor to effectively mix. Also, getting it out of the bowl was a huge mess because you have to use your hand to get the blade out and it was covered in thick filling. There was no way to get all the filling out without getting your hands absolutely covered in filling. Next time I’ll use the Kitchenaid mixer. Also, the brownie base didn’t bake through in 12 minutes, but the instructions don’t say that it has to be baked to a certain level of doneness, so I just did 12 minutes. But then when I put the filling on top it squished the brownie base to the side. I’m not sure it will cook through in the 30 minutes allowed, but fingers crossed it works out. Flavor of the filling is just right, though, and I think with some process tweaks this is a winner.
Jason Sanford says
Hmm, what size food processor do you have? The one in the video didn’t have a problem mixing the cheesecake batter, which should not be too thick. (It’s a 7 cup Cuisinart food processor.) Hopefully yours turned out well in the end!
Jason
Amanda says
Is there a substitute for the vegan yogurt? I don’t have any
Karen says
What kind of oil did you use? Is coconut o ok to use?
Jason Sanford says
Coconut works! I use it melted.
Victoria says
It is a good cheesecake. The following are just some things I discovered making it; The crust takes longer than 12 minutes. Mine ended up being in about the 20 minute range. The cheesecake took waaaay longer than 20. I ended up doing mine around 45-50 minutes like a traditional cheesecake before it was cooked. The crust was not dry at all. We cut into ours at the 6 hour mark, and the cheesecake top was a little bitter, but fine with whipped cream and making sure you had a bite of the crust. Had some more today and it has sweetned up more overnight as the flavors have had a chance to meld. Once again, it’s a good cheesecake, but I would personally add more sugar just due to personal taste
Ailene says
The hubby and I enjoyed it! Low sugar taste but rich and fudgy so you don’t miss the uber sweetness. A much healthier version of my favorite gluten free chocolate cheesecake from a popular restaurant.
Gayle says
Hi Katie
Have you tried making this cheesecake in the Instant Pot?
Jason Sanford says
We unfortunately haven’t tried, but it sounds like a fun experiment! Be sure to report back if you try 🙂
Jason (media relations)
Molly says
Katie this recipe is outstanding! I have successfully tried so many of your recipes and this was delicious. The brownie layer baked perfectly. I’ll admit I was worried after baking the cheesecake layer because it was not firm, but I had faith and refrigerated it over night. Perfection! I used soy yogurt, Daiya cream cheese and Dutch cocoa. Tangy from the yogurt and silky texture. I think all cheesecake should have a brownie crust now! Thank you!
Jason Sanford says
So glad to know it works with Daiya! I want to try that one now 🙂
Ashley says
Can you substitute sour cream in for the plain yogurt? I am completely out of yogurt.
Jason Sanford says
Yes!
Jeff says
I can’t justify spending money for THREE packages of cream cheese right now. I live overseas, and while Philadelphia original has finally arrived in some grocery stores, it is super-expensive. Would it be possible to scale the recipe down and make only one-third of a batch, with one 8-ozpackage of cream cheese? I don’t have much experience with cheesecakes, so am concerned this would ruin it. If you think it would work okay.
Jason Sanford says
You can! It could fit an 8×8 pan. Here are two of her recipes that are similar, one that uses 8oz and another 12oz:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/08/18/chocolate-mousse-cheesecake-bars/
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/05/16/cheesecake-bars-vegan-chocolate-chip/
Scott Callum says
I just baked these last night. Amazing recipe! Delicious and easy. With all that cocoa powder and butter, it’s hardly economical, but its totally worth it. If you don’t like a fudgy brownie, you can add a few tablespoons of water to the batter. I added 1/4 cup of and they turned out fine. 5 stars!
Earlene says
Are we supposed to bake the brownies FIRST. Sorry, I’m confused. Love you black bean brownies BT
Jason Sanford says
Yes! Bake the brownie part 12 minutes, then pour the cheesecake on top and bake again 🙂
Mary says
Why doesn’t the ingredients list include the cheesecake ingredients?
CCK Media Team says
Hi, they are there – just down under the brownie crust part 🙂
Mary says
Yes, but why aren’t they listed in the ingredients list? What’s the point of having a list of ingredients, if it only includes half the recipe?
Mae Qing says
Does this apply to regular cream cheese and yoghurt ?
CCK Media Team says
Yup those are fine to use.
-stace. says
I made this for my (very picky, very un-vegan) Mom, for her birthday this weekend.
I used your Keto Brownie recipe for the crust and a combination of Kite Hill plain cream cheese and Forager sour cream for the cheesecake. The texture was Amazing and the taste was even better!
Best of all, the birthday girl LOVED it!
CCK Media Team says
Happy birthday to her, and that combination of the keto brownies and addition of the vegan sour cream sound amazing!
Angela says
In the recipe box ingredients list, only the crust ingredients are in the bulleted list. The cheesecake ingredients are listed in the paragraph after the crust instructions. This makes them difficult to find if you just shop from the bulleted ingredients list because you’d expect everything to be there. They get lost in amongst the instructions, and since the cheesecake is the whole point, it’s rather frustrating. I think that’s what Mary is trying to explain. I was rather lost as well. (Sorry this shows up twice, I tried to respond to the media team’s unhelpful answer, but it popped up as an answer to Mary’s question so I didn’t know if you’d read it there. I think this is a formatting issue that should be addressed.)
LORINE ANN NICKERSON says
Hi! I really want to try this, but, could I cut everything in half to make a smaller version?
CCK Media Team says
Sure! You’d need to change the pan size and baking time, but it will work! Probably for 12 oz cream cheese, an 8×8 pan should work well.
Jennifer says
Just to make sure .. when making the brownie layer you add brown sugar and regular sugar ? And can you use regular sugar or does it have to be refined ?Thanks !
Karen says
I’m confused on the recipe..you go through the recipe, and then below that it says “for the cheesecake.” Is this two steps that go into the oven.
Grammy says
Made Katie’s 5 ingredient cheesecake last week, and we loved it. I was hoping to find a similar recipe for a chocolate version, and here it is. Can’t wait to make it. Thankful for all the tips from other bakers in the comments. I will bake the brownie layer longer, and patiently wait for the refrigerated cheesecake to set up properly. Thanks Katie (and Jason).
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for making the cheesecake! Hope you like the chocolate one too!
Victoria says
I had the same issue as some other commenters. The brownie bottom did not cook in 20 minutes, so I left it in for another 7 minutes. It still wasn’t done but I was too nervous to let it bake longer. I added the cream cheese mixture on top but putting it around the edges first (where the brownie was solid) and then smoothing toward the liquid center. :/
I also wonder if using regular (not vegan) cream cheese and greek full fat yogurt made the cream cheese section too “heavy” on top of the brownie part. I love that the recipes here are flexible for a wide variety of ingredients that readers may have in the fridge already, but I have to wonder how it alters the recipe. Either way, at least there’s no eggs in either section so if it’s not actually done there’s not much harm.
CCK Media Team says
Hi Victoria, did you refrigerate it overnight? It should definitely still be underdone when you take it out of the oven 🙂
Dorothy says
I made this and took it to a potluck meal for a group that are on the Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease. To make the recipe complaint with the program, meaning fat free, I made some substitutions. I used applesauce instead of oil in the crust and used fat free cream cheese and zero fat Greek yogurt in the cheesecake.
It was a hit, especially with the men. Several people asked for the recipe. For me, the taste of the cocoa powder was too strong.
If I made this again, I would increase the cooking time for both the crust and the cheesecake. The middle of both were too soft and mushy. This may have been caused by my substitutions.
Thanks for the recipe!
Dorothy says
Please remove my last name from my prior review. Thanks!