This Mini Cheesecake recipe is the answer to your cheesecake prayers. An easy way to get your cheesecake fix without the extra hassle of a water bath and in half the amount of time!
Now, imagine bite-sized cheesecake baked in mini muffin cups. There’s a graham cracker crust, a creamy cheesy batter, and a tangy strawberry compote. Sounds yummy, huh?
If you're not sold yet, these cheesecake bites bake quickly (12 to 15 minutes), taste just like the real deal, and they're fun! When it's time to eat, just pop these little cuties in the mouth.
Yes, I love a good slice of New York cheesecake, but those require a lot of attention to detail.
Similar to this mini cheesecake recipe is Strawberry Cheesecake Bars! They're larger and have a chocolate Oreo crust, along with strawberry sauce.
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Recipe Ingredients:
Recipe Notes
- Cream Cheese, Eggs and Sour Cream - Bring these ingredients to room temperature first for a smoother, more even bake.
- Graham Cracker Crumbs - Store bought are great, or blend whole graham crackers in a food processor until you have a fine crumb.
Variations & Substitutions
While I was writing this mini cheesecake recipe, I had so many ideas. You can apply this to regular full-sized cheesecakes, too!
- Replace the strawberries with fruit of your choice. Blueberries, peeled peaches and raspberries are good substitutions for the compote. Canned cherry pie filling on its own works well too.
- Fan of almond?! Try almond extract instead of vanilla then top this mini cheesecake recipe with toasted almonds.
- Use Golden Oreos or regular Oreos in place of graham cracker crumbs for the crust.
For the cheesecake filling, you can add in different flavors:
- Coffee – Need I say more? Espresso powder to the rescue!
- Salted caramel – A lovely blend of sweet and salty. Add a few pumps of salted caramel syrup or homemade caramel sauce to the batter and voila!
- Matcha – Spoon some green tea powder into the cheese batter. I might make these for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
- Chocolate – Use chocolate chips or melted chocolate. Yum!
Instead of strawberry compote, there are many toppings you can add after the cheesecakes come out of the oven. Try using my Amaretto Cherry Cheesecake Bars recipe and following the directions from this mini cheesecake recipe for a smaller version of those!
For some texture, sprinkle toasted sliced almonds or stick a mini pretzel in the cheesecake. Alternatively, you can drizzle some melted chocolate on top to make it look fancy! Fruits like blueberries, diced strawberries, and diced peaches also add a splash of color and sweetness to the cheesecake bites.
How To Make Mini Cheesecakes
Step 1: Stir strawberries, sugar and lemon juice together in a medium sauce pot then bring to a simmer. Continue on a low simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and melted butter together in a bowl until well combined.
Step 3: Place mini cheesecake liners into pan then fill with 1 teaspoon graham cracker crust, pressing down firmly.
Step 4: Blend cream cheese on medium-high speed for 1 minute with a hand mixer. Add granulated sugar and mix for 1 additional minute. Mix in vanilla, salt and eggs, scraping down the bowl. Stir sour cream into batter.
Step 5: Scoop 1oz of cheesecake batter into cheesecake liners. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cheesecakes will appear set. Allow to cool.
Step 6: Top mini cheesecake recipe with strawberry compote and whipped cream if desired.
Once you've made this mini cheesecake recipe then you can try Apple Pie Stuffed Cheesecake or Berry Cheesecake Galette! More fruit/cheesecake combo recipes that I can't get enough of.
Or if you're like me and love a savory cream cheese, then you'd love my Smoked Cream Cheese! It's all the rage, an easy appetizer that's delicious.
Expert Tips + Tricks
This mini cheesecake recipe is beginner-friendly and always turns out well. Here are some tips to make sure your cheesecakes are baked to perfection!
- Make sure to keep a close eye on the strawberry compote so it doesn't burn. Stir every couple minutes.
- How to make sure your cheesecake doesn’t crack – As a rule of thumb, your cold ingredients should be brought to room temperature to allow them to combine thoroughly. This will result in a better texture in the final bake.
- How to make a graham cracker crust that doesn’t crumble – The consistency of your graham cracker crust should be wet enough to clump together, yet not too dry that it crumbles. Adjust the consistency by pressing in more melted butter to make it stick together, or add more graham cracker crumbs if the crust is too wet.
- How to bake mini cheesecakes without cupcake liners – If you prefer not to line your muffin pan with cupcake liners, simply grease the muffin pan with cooking spray before you put in the crust and cheesecake filling. This ensures they don’t stick to the pan and are easy to remove after baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because these cheesecake bites are so small, they should have no problem baking fully. You can tell they are done when you shake the pan and it looks set and slightly firm.
Oreos are a fantastic substitute for graham crackers in this mini cheesecake recipe! I would process them the same way – pulse the Oreo cookies in a food processor and use unsalted butter to help them stick together.
A water bath is a pan of water in the oven in which you place the baking dish that contains the food into to provide gentle heat. You do not need a water bath for this mini cheesecake recipe! Because they’re bite-sized and bake so quickly, you don’t need to worry too much about getting a beautiful texture like in a full-sized cheesecake.
You can prevent your cheesecake filling from cracking by ensuring they’re at room temperature and not overbaking them. Another tip that always helps is to not over-mix, so use low speed on your mixer and don’t leave it running (if you have a tendency to multitask)!
If your cheesecake has too much air from being over-beaten it can sink in the middle after coming out of the oven. Using room temperature ingredients for your cheesecakes bites is also key for reducing risk of sunken sad cheesecake.
Storage Instructions
This mini cheesecake recipe is easily stored. Simply place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, without stacking. Even if you are going to have them in a few hours, like for anticipated late-night munchies, they will hold their structure better if chilled.
In the fridge, cheesecake bites keep well for up to 5 days. If freezing, arrange them in 2 freezer-safe bags – don’t stack them. They’ll last for up to 2 months.
Can't get enough cheesecake?! Join the club, haha. My no bake cheesecake cones will blow your mind!
More Cheesecake Recipes You'll Love
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Mini Cheesecake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 mini cupcake pan
- 1 stand or hand mixer
- 1 small sauce pot
Ingredients
Strawberry Compote
- 1 pt strawberries hulled and diced
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Graham Cracker Crust
- 6 oz graham cracker crumbs
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 oz cream cheese room temp
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup sour cream room temp
- 2 eggs room temp
Instructions
Make the Strawberry Compote
- Stir strawberries, sugar and lemon juice together in a medium sauce pot then bring to a simmer. Continue on a low simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Make sure to keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn. Remove from the heat and cool
Make the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and add mini cupcake liners to your pan
- Whisk graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in melted butter until fully combined
- Add about 1tsp graham cracker mix to each liner
Make the Cheesecake Batter
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the cream cheese on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth
- Mix in the sugar on low then blend for 1 more minute on medium speed
- Mix in vanilla and salt until combined
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly and scraping down sides between each addition
- Mix in the sour cream until fully combined
- Scoop cheesecake batter on top of crust ( I use a 1 oz cookie scoop) then bake for 12-15 minutes. Cheesecakes will look set
- Let mini cheesecakes cool on a rack for an hour then transfer them to the fridge to cool the rest of the way
- Top with strawberry compote and serve
Olivia
Couldn’t be happier about how the turned out! Super easy and taste delicious. My go to from now on.