Food Recipe Collections & Favorites Desserts Pretty and Festive White Chocolate Pomegranate Cheesecake 5.0 (1) Add your rating & review This gorgeous cheesecake deserves a spot on your holiday menu. By Marianne Williams Marianne Williams Marianne has been writing and testing recipes in the test kitchens for Dotdash Meredith since 2016. She studied at the International Culinary Center, in New York, and the International School of Italian Cuisine, in Italy, under highly esteemed chefs and graduated in 2015. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on December 15, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Victor Protasio Prep Time: 50 mins Total Time: 6 hrs 50 mins Servings: 8 servings Jump to Nutrition Facts You’ve just landed on the Christmas dessert you will make time and again. It’s joyful and vibrant and guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. This white chocolate cheesecake recipe is decked out in Christmas colors while still looking classy. Pistachios, lime zest, and pomegranate arils form a wreath around the cheesecake for a pop of color and texture. The cheesecake itself is creamy and sweet with a subtle tang from the sour cream in the mixture, and it’s baked in an easy make-it-yourself gingersnap cookie crust that adds to the holiday vibes. A silky pomegranate sauce is served alongside for some extra sweet-tart tang. Feel free to vary the nuts and fruit that top the cheesecake. Other delicious combinations include sliced, toasted almonds with raspberries and chopped, toasted pecans with dried cranberries. 25 Easy Christmas Desserts That Look Holiday Worthy Ingredients 7 oz gingersnap cookies, finely crushed (1 1/2 cups) 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, divided, plus more for greasing pan 3/4 cup, plus 2 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar 1 tsp kosher salt, divided 3 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature 3 large eggs, at room temperature 2/3 cup sour cream 7 oz white chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature, plus more, unmelted, for topping (optional) 1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp cornstarch (divided) 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice 2 tsp. lime zest plus 1/2 tsp. fresh juice (from 1 lime) 1/4 cup pomegranate arils 2 Tbsp roasted salted pistachios, roughly chopped Directions Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in center position. Wrap bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with 4 layers of aluminum foil; lightly grease pan with butter. Stir together crushed cookies, 5 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Press evenly into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake crust until dark brown and fragrant, about 12 minutes. Let pan cool on a wire rack while you make filling. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Combine cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until very smooth. With mixer on low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just incorporated. Add sour cream, melted chocolate, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat on low speed until combined. Pour filling into crust and smooth top. Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until sides are set but center is still slightly jiggly, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cheesecake cool completely on a wire rack about 1 hour. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours. While cheesecake chills, stir together 2 teaspoons water and remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small bowl. Bring pomegranate juice and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar to a boil over medium-high in a small saucepan. Boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in cornstarch-water mixture; cook, stirring often, until sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice, remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a small bowl. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use. Run a paring knife around edges of crust. Remove sides of springform pan. Run knife around bottom of cheesecake to loosen. Gently shimmy or use large spatulas to transfer cheesecake onto a cake stand or serving plate. Decorate cheesecake with pomegranate arils, lime zest, and pistachios. Use a Microplane zester to grate white chocolate over top of the cheesecake, if desired. Serve cold or at room temperature with pomegranate sauce. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 792 Calories 55g Fat 67g Carbs 12g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 8 Calories 792 % Daily Value * Total Fat 55g 70% Saturated Fat 31g 153% Cholesterol 195mg 65% Sodium 618mg 27% Total Carbohydrate 67g 24% Dietary Fiber 1g 4% Total Sugars 49g Protein 12g 23% Vitamin C 2mg 2% Calcium 192mg 15% Iron 2mg 12% Potassium 455mg 10% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.