Searching for the best dessert to end your Christmas dinner with? Look no further than this Eggnog Cheesecake with a beautiful pomegranate seed garnish! A creamy homemade cheesecake that’s perfect for the holidays!
Want to save this recipe?
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
This Eggnog Cheesecake is Christmas Dessert Perfection
Before this post, I might have told you that there’s nothing better than a glass of cold, creamy eggnog during Christmas time. But now, I think there is. This Eggnog Cheesecake is eggnog in dessert form, and it’s glorious.
In fact, it’s so glorious that it totally deserves the place of honor on your table as the finale to your Christmas dinner. A bold statement, I know, but it’s truly worthy. With its smooth, rich eggnog filling, sweet graham cracker crust, and pomegranate seed garnish, who could resist devouring a big slice? Not me!
What Does Eggnog Cheesecake Taste Like?
This is essentially an old fashioned cheesecake recipe with the addition of eggnog and warm holiday spices. I think it tastes like a glass of eggnog with a little nutmeg and cinnamon mixed into each bite. In other words, absolutely rich and delicious!
Recipe Ingredients
Ready to start on this Christmas dessert? Pop on some holiday tunes and let’s begin! Here’s what you’ll need:
Cheesecake Ingredients:
- Cream Cheese: make sure it’s at room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs: should also be at room temperature.
- Eggnog: Homemade Eggnog or store bought; either works.
- Rum: optional, feel free to skip it!
- Vanilla Extract
- Cornstarch: you can substitute this for flour if you want.
- Seasonings: Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Salt
- 1 9-inch Graham Cracker Crust: in a 9-inch springform pan.
Optional Decoration:
- Pomegranate Seeds
- Fresh Rosemary
How to Make Eggnog Cheesecake
Making this special Christmas cheesecake is actually pretty easy. In just 7 steps you can have a creamy cheesecake baked, decorated, and ready to be served; here’s how you do it!
Mix Cream Cheese and Sugar: In a large bowl using a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat cream cheese with granulated sugar until no lumps remain.
Add Other Ingredients: Add eggs, one at a time, beating mixture between each egg, then beat in the eggnog, rum and vanilla extract. Add cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat until smooth.
Pour into Crust: Tap the cheesecake batter bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the prepared graham cracker crust in an 9-inch spring form pan and gently smooth the top.
Bake: Bake for 30 minutes at 325°F. Reduce temperature to 250°F and continue baking for another 30 minutes. Once this time has elapsed, turn the oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes, but DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR. After the 30 minutes has passed, crack the oven door open to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing.
Let Cool: Allow cheesecake to cool to room temperature on the counter (approximately 3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge to chill.
Let Chill: Refrigerate cheesecake until completely chilled (about 6-8 hours, or overnight is best). Open springform pan and remove the metal collar.
Decorate and Serve: Slice and serve or decorate with pomegranate seeds and fresh rosemary for an easy and fun Christmas decoration!
Tips for Success
Cheesecakes can be a little bit tricky, so here are some tips and tricks to help you get the best results:
- Keep Ingredients at Room Temperature: this will make the process of mixing easier, and it will ensure that you get a smooth, creamy filling for the cheesecake.
- Don’t Over-Bake: you want the center of the cheesecake to be a little jiggly; it will keep cooking for a little bit in the pan as the whole thing cools.
- Ultra-Smooth: For smooth cream cheese, be sure to beat the cream cheese thoroughly at the beginning of the prep process, when there are little to no ingredients combined with it. This way, you can make sure that all of the clumps are smoothed out from the get-go.
- Don’t Beat the Eggs Too Much: this will result in cracks in the cheesecake, so try to the best of your ability not to over-mix.
- Refrigerate After Baking: cheesecakes taste best after they have had time to set and cool in the fridge. As hard as it is, you’ll want to wait a little bit before digging in!
Topping Ideas
What can you top this cheesecake with besides pomegranate seeds and rosemary? Take a look at some of these ideas:
- Whipped Cream: I mean, what dessert doesn’t it go with?
- Cinnamon: a dusting of cinnamon over the top would be a welcome addition.
- Caramel Sauce: people will love a drizzle of caramel on this cheesecake.
- Fruit: maybe some chopped strawberries or a cherry sauce?
How to Store Homemade Cheesecake
Refrigerate leftovers (if you have any!) in an airtight container, or covered with saran wrap, in the refrigerator for 5 days.
If you want to freeze the cheesecake, keep it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in a couple layers of plastic wrap, and eat it within 3 months. Thaw cheesecake in the fridge overnight before serving.
Eggnog Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Cheesecake:
- 3 ( 8 oz) blocks cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup eggnog
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch, or flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust, in a 9-inch springform pan
Optional Decoration:
- pomegranate seeds
- fresh rosemary
Want to save this recipe?
We’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat cream cheese with granulated sugar until no lumps remain.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating mixture between each egg, then beat in the eggnog, rum and vanilla extract. Add cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat until smooth.
- Tap the cheesecake batter bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the prepared graham cracker crust in an 9-inch spring form pan and gently smooth the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 325°F. Reduce temperature to 250°F and continue baking for another 30 minutes. Once this time has elapsed, turn the oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes, but DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR. After the 30 minutes has passed, crack the oven door open to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing.
- Allow cheesecake to cool to room temperature on the counter (approximately 3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge to chill.
- Refrigerate cheesecake until completely chilled (about 6-8 hours, or overnight is best). Open springform pan and remove the metal collar.
- Slice and serve or decorate with pomegranate seeds and fresh rosemary for an easy and fun Christmas decoration!
Notes
- Refrigerate cheesecake in an airtight container, or covered with saran wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- If you want to freeze the cheesecake, keep it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in a couple layers of plastic wrap, and eat it within 3 months. Thaw cheesecake in the fridge overnight before serving.
Nutrition
Categories:
More Delicious Cheesecakes To Try
- Easy Instant Pot Cheesecake
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
- Almond Amaretto Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
- Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
- Bananas Foster Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
- Triple Coconut Cheesecake
- Best Pumpkin Cheesecake
Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
This was amazing! Many family members want me to make it for their birthdays now haha! Thank you for the recipe!
Made this on 12/24/22 for Christmas eve. Everyone loved it!
They didn’t have to deal with the mess or frustration, but their enjoyment of the cheesecake made it worth the trouble. My oven and then the kitchen filled with smoke as liquid of some sort ( I’m assuming butter from the crust?) hit the hot oven bottom, I don’t recall at what point ..but we removed the pan from the oven, opened doors and windows, turned on fans .and my husband got on his knees and cleaned the oven bottom…the cake was very much still “rippling” so I returned it to the oven in 10 min. periods…I could’ve cried if not for my husband. ..I’d say that COOK time ended up at 2 hours rather then the 60 minutes listed in the recipe. I used the graham cracker crust recipe from the link…wish I knew what happened so I could avoid a recurrence, but fear will prevent me from making it again
I do not have a spring form pan. Will baking this in a premade graham cracker crust be okay?
Hi Shanon! Yes you can use a premade graham cracker crust, however they are smaller than the crust you can do yourself in a spring form pan (the sides are much less tall). So you will probably want to make two 9-inch cheesecakes with the batter in a store-bought pie crust. Hope this helps!
Can I use rum extract
Sure!
Is the garnish just to look nice, or do you think it complements the flavors and should be eaten?
It’s just for looks, you can skip it!
If I am cooking the cheesecake in a glass pie pan, will that change any of the cook time?
Hi Renee, I am not sure, I have not tried baking cheesecake in a glass pan before. If you try it, please report back in case anyone else has the same question. Good luck!
How many eggs?
3 large eggs, at room temperature!