Eggnog cheesecake with cranberry topping is the most wonderful dessert of the holiday season! Each bite is infused with the Christmas magic of creamy rich eggnog and tangy cranberry sauce.

Have you ever noticed that the Christmas creep doesn’t just apply to things you’d give as gifts but also applies to food?

Seriously, by October, the local grocery store is stocking more than Halloween candy.

We’re talking eggnog and cranberries.

The cranberries I understand- Thanksgiving is right around the corner afterall.

But eggnog?

Christmas is still two months away.

But I don’t complain.

No instead I say let’s take advantage of these glorious festive flavors and practice making our Christmas desserts like:

And my family certainly never complains when I make this eggnog cheesecake with cranberry topping.

It’s creamy, rich, eggnog laced cheesecake sitting on a gingersnap crust topped with a tart cranberry sauce.

The result is a taste of Christmas in each and every bite that will put you in the spirit faster than listening to Mariah Carey belt out “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Ingredients

To make this you’ll need a set of ingredients for the crust, one for the eggnog cheesecake filling, and a final set for the topping.

For the crust you’ll need:

Gingersnap cookies– Finely ground.
Sugar– Brown
Butter– Unsalted melted butter.

Next for the eggnog cheesecake filling you’ll need:

Cream cheese– Full fat cream cheese that you’ve let come to room temperature
Sugar– Granulated
Flour– All purpose
Eggs– Whole eggs and an egg yolk. Let them come to room temperature.
Eggnog– Your favorite brand or even homemade eggnog at room temperature
Flavorings– Vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg

And lastly for the topping you’ll need:

Sugar-Granulated
Cornstarch
Cranberry juice– Try to use cranberry juice without any other fruit flavors added in. (Don’t use cranapple or cranraspberry.)
Cranberries– Fresh ones
Whipped cream– Canned whipped cream for garnish

How to Make

Let’s breaking making this eggnog cheesecake with cranberry topping into a few parts:

making the crust
making the cheesecake filling
making the cranberry topping

To Make the Crust

Pulse together the cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter in the bowl of a food processor just until evenly combined.

Transfer the cookie crust mixture to the bottom of a spring form pan lined with parchment paper and sprayed lightly with nonstick spray.

Press the cookie mixture into a packed, even layer.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, at 325 degrees.

After 10 minutes, remove the crust from the oven, and let it cool completely.

To Make the Eggnog Cheesecake Filling

To make the eggnog filling, start by beating the cream cheese using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer until the cream cheese is light and fluffy.

Then cream in the sugar, beating for 5 minutes.

Beat in the flour, mixing until evenly incorporated.

Next mix in the eggnog, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg just until blended.

Once the spices are incorporated, beat in the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk, mixing as littles as possible after each one.

Pour the mixture evenly onto the baked, cooled crust into the spring form pan.

Lift the pan an inch or two above the counter top and drop it gently 2-3 times to remove any trapped air bubbles.

Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes.

Do not open the oven for at least an hour before checking on it.

Once the center of the cheesecake is set but turn off the oven and crack the door.

Let the cheesecake cool in the cracked oven for another hour.

After an hour cooling in the cracked oven, take the cheesecake out of the oven.

Run a hot knife in between the edges of the cheesecake and the pan to release it.

Then let the cheesecake cool completely, around 2-3 hours, on the counter.

Cover the cheesecake, without touching it, with foil and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

To Make the Cranberry Topping

To make the cranberry topping, bring all of the ingredients to a boil in a large skillet over high heat.

Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium and let the mixture simmer, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes or until it thickens.

Remove the skillet from heat and let it cool completely.

Spoon most of the cranberry topping evenly out over the top of the cheesecake, reserving some to spoon out over individual slices just before serving if desired.

Top with dollops of whipped cream, if desired, either in a ring around the actual cheesecake, or just on individual slices.

Enjoy!

Storing Leftovers

Store any leftover cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge.

Keep in mind the cranberry topping will set more as it sits in the fridge.

Tips and Tricks

Not a fan of gingersnaps? Just use a regular graham cracker crust in its place.
Make sure to not overmix the cheesecake filling after adding the egg. You want to beat it just until the eggs are incorporated and no more.
Let the cheesecake cool exactly as directed to prevent cracking. The slow cool down should give you a nice smooth surface.
But if your cheesecake does crack, it’s ok! You’re going to be topping it with cranberry topping and that will cover up any imperfections!

Other Holiday Cheesecake Recipes

This eggnog cheesecake with cranberry topping is a festive flavor bonanza of Christmas spirit!

Make it and enjoy!

Looking for other holiday cheesecake recipes?

Try these:

If you’ve tried this EGGNOG CHEESECAKE WITH CRANBERRY TOPPING, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!