This no-bake hazelnut cheesecake tastes like your favorite Ferrero rocher chocolates in cheesecake form!
It's rich and indulgent without the hazelnut flavor getting lost under too much chocolate. I tested the filling with dark chocolate alone, but found the flavor too intense, so I use a combination of dark and white chocolate to let the roasted hazelnut come through.
It's also particularly good for Christmas or entertaining because the cheesecake can be made the day before and left to set overnight. For more make-ahead ideas, browse my vegan Christmas desserts and my full collection of vegan cheesecake recipes.
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Why this recipe works
Chocolate without overpowering the hazelnuts. Using both dark and white chocolate gives the filling structure and richness while keeping that Ferrero-style roasted hazelnut flavor front and center.
Hazelnut in every layer. The crust contains whole hazelnuts, the filling uses hazelnut butter, and the ganache is finished with both hazelnut butter and chopped nuts.
Creamy but firm enough to slice. Cashews, vegan cream cheese, and melted chocolate give the no-bake filling a smooth texture that sets into clean slices once thoroughly chilled.
Perfect for making ahead. The cheesecake is best left to set overnight, making it a useful centerpiece dessert when you're already juggling Christmas dinner or entertaining.
Key ingredients
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Hazelnuts and hazelnut butter: Roasted hazelnut flavor is really the point of this cheesecake, so I recommend using a smooth hazelnut butter made from 100% roasted nuts rather than a sweetened chocolate spread. You can also make my homemade hazelnut butter.
Vegan cream cheese: Use a thick, full-fat-style vegan cream cheese rather than a very soft or watery variety. I use Violife. If there's visible liquid sitting in the tub, drain that off before weighing it.
Cashews: These help give the filling its creamy texture and enough structure to slice. Soak them thoroughly before blending - properly softened cashews make a noticeable difference to how silky the filling becomes.
Dark and white chocolate: I tested the filling with dark chocolate alone but found it overshadowed the hazelnut. Combining dark and dairy-free white chocolate gives a rounder chocolate flavor while letting the hazelnut butter come through.
Cookies: I like Biscoff for the crust because its caramelized flavor works beautifully with roasted hazelnuts. Digestives, ginger nuts, or vegan graham crackers can also be used.
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🔪 Instructions
Here's a visual overview of this recipe. Please refer to the detailed card at the end of this page for full written instructions.
For the crust, process the cookies and hazelnuts until the cookies are finely ground, but there are still a few small pieces of nut for texture. Once the butter is added, the mixture should hold together when pressed. Compact it firmly into the pan so it doesn't crumble when sliced.
The filling needs to be completely silky rather than simply combined. Properly softened cashews and a high-speed blender make the biggest difference here. I keep blending until there are no detectable pieces of cashew, giving the blender a short break if it starts to get warm.
Make sure the melted chocolate is smooth and fluid before adding it to the blender. Once everything is combined, the filling will be thick - that's exactly what you want. Transfer it to the crust and smooth it straight away.
Although you can speed up the setting process in the freezer, I prefer refrigerating the cheesecake overnight. The texture is creamier, and it slices beautifully once fully chilled.
Make the hazelnut ganache when you're ready to decorate rather than the day before. It firms up as it cools, so freshly made ganache is much easier to spread and swirl neatly over the cheesecake.
Christina's Recipe tips
Use a 7½ or 8-inch springform pan. This gives the cheesecake enough height while still allowing the filling to set evenly.
Drain watery cream cheese. Excess liquid makes the filling softer, so discard any water sitting in the cream cheese container before using it.
Don't stop blending too early. The filling may look combined before it's genuinely smooth. Keep going until you can't detect any cashew pieces.
Slice it cold. The cheesecake is easiest to portion straight from the fridge. Use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between cuts for neat layers.
Make Ahead & Storage
This cheesecake is especially useful for special occasions like Christmas because you can do most of the work the day before serving.
Prepare the crust and filling, then refrigerate the cheesecake overnight until completely set. The vegan Ferrero Rocher decorations can also be made well in advance.
I recommend making the hazelnut ganache shortly before decorating, rather than refrigerating it overnight. It sets as it cools and becomes much more difficult to spread into the swirled finish once firm.
Once decorated, keep the cheesecake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
For longer storage, freeze the undecorated cheesecake for up to 1-2 months. Defrost it overnight in the refrigerator, then prepare the ganache and decorations once thawed.
More Vegan Christmas Cheesecakes
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📖 Recipe
No-Bake Vegan Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 80 g (⅔ cup) whole hazelnuts
- 160 g (5.6 oz) vegan cookies I use biscoff *see note 1
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 60 g (4 tablespoons) vegan butter block-style
Filling
- 200 g (1 ½ cups) cashews soaked ahead of time *see note 2
- 500 g (17.6 oz) vegan cream cheese *see note 3
- 120 g (½ cup) vegan Greek-style yogurt *see note 4
- 90 g (½ cup) hazelnut butter
- 75 g (½ cup) coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 50 g (1.75 oz) vegan 70% dark chocolate
- 50 g (1.75 oz) vegan white chocolate *see note 5
Topping (optional)
- 100 g (3.5 oz) vegan 70% dark chocolate finely chopped
- 100 ml (⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon) almond milk or other non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons hazelnut butter
- 2 tablespoons hazelnuts chopped
- ½ batch vegan ferrero rocher
Instructions
- Prep: Pre-soak the cashews in water for 4 hours or quick-soak in boiled water for 30 minutes, rinse, and drain. Line the base and sides of a 7.5 or 8-inch springform cake pan with parchment paper.
- Make the crust: Add the hazelnuts, cookies, and salt to a food processor and blitz for a few minutes until the nuts have broken down into chunks and the cookies resemble crumbs. Add the vegan butter and blitz again, the mixture should stick together when pressed.
- Press the crust into the base of the pan and compact it down with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
- Melt the chocolate: Add the finely chopped dark and white chocolate to a large heat-resistant bowl and gently melt over a double-boiler (au bain-marie).
- Make the filling: Add cashews, cream cheese, yogurt, hazelnut butter, vanilla, sugar, and melted chocolate to a high-speed blender. Blitz until smooth and creamy without any lumps. Pour the filling into the pan and refrigerate for at least 8* hours (overnight is recommended) until set. (*or set in the freezer for 4 hours)
- Make the ganache: Add the finely chopped chocolate and almond milk to a large heat-resistant bowl and gently melt over a double-boiler (au bain-marie). Stir until smooth and remove the bowl from the heat. Stir in the hazelnut butter, followed by the chopped hazelnuts until evenly mixed.
- Decorate: Carefully remove the springform pan and place the cheesecake on a serving plate. Top with the hazelnut ganache. To get the swirl on top of the cheesecake, place it on a turntable. Use a spoon to make a swirl print on the surface of the cake whilst spinning the turntable. Lastly, decorate the edges with homemade ferrero rocher.
Notes
- Vegan Cookies: Biscoff, digestives, ginger nuts, or vegan graham crackers. Use GF cookies if needed.
- Soaked Cashews: Soak them in water for 4 hours, rinse, and drain. You can also quick-soak your cashews by soaking them in boiled water.
- Vegan Cream Cheese: I use Violife cream cheese, you can also use homemade cream cheese if you prefer.
- Greek-Style Yogurt: Sub with vegan sour cream, vegan skyr, or very thick coconut yogurt.
- Vegan White Chocolate: I use Vivani iChoc. Use cocoa butter in place of white chocolate if needed, and adjust sugar to taste.
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An unsolicited comment at our Christmas Eve luncheon. "Mom, this dessert is in the top five desserts you have ever made" Woo-hoo! As for myself, I could not put my fork down. THIS IS DELICIOUS!!! It's also beautiful and sliced perfectly.
Now I just need to get the mold so I can make the candy.
Hi Lisa,
Aw that's so amazing! I'm so happy you all loved it, thank you so much for letting me know x
Hi Christina, hope you're well. I'm planning to make this over Christmas. Re step 6, the ganache: Can you make this in advance? e.g the day before, leave in the fridge and use to decorate the cheesecake the next day? Or will it set and would it be better to make, cool and then decorate the cheesecake on the same day? Thanks very much! xx
Hi Meera ,
I'm good thank you, and you?
You want to make the ganache just before decorating as it will set, so it's best to do that at the very end. I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂