These mini cheesecakes are luxuriously creamy, delicious, and perfect for any occasion! Bonus: they can be made in a standard muffin tin, mini muffin tin or a cheesecake pan.
Cute as can be, these mini cheesecakes are also incredibly tasty, and are wonderful served at weddings, baby or bridal showers, parties of any kind, or just because you’re craving cheesecake!
First, Prep the Crust
The crust for these mini cheesecakes is basic, basic.
- graham cracker crumbs
- bit of sugar
- melted butter
Press a heaping tablespoon of crumbs into each lined muffin cup and bake for just a couple minutes to set the crust.
Parbaking the crusts ensures they won’t be soggy once the wet cheesecake batter is added and baked.
Second, Whip Up the Cheesecake Batter
The batter is ultra-creamy resulting in luxuriously velvety and soft baked cheesecakes.
The most important thing you can do for yourself and these mini cheesecakes is to use room temperature ingredients. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
Room temperature ingredients incorporate more quickly than cold ingredients. And the key to foolproof cheesecake(s) is to NOT over mix the batter once the eggs are added.
Over mixing can result in cracked cheesecakes while baking and a less creamy texture.
Third, Divide and Bake
The cheesecake batter can and should fill each muffin tin quite full, almost to the top.
Unlike regular quick bread muffins, the cheesecake won’t overflow and spread, so make sure to fill the muffin cups very full for the perfect crust-to-cheesecake ratio.
Bake the cheesecakes until the centers are puffed and the edges are set. Let the cheesecakes cool completely in the pan before removing and chilling.
Additional Pan Options
The recipe is written to use a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
However, the recipe works very well using a mini muffin tin or a mini cheesecake pan. Who knew there were so many options for mini cheesecakes?? I have you covered. Make them mini. Make them mini-mini. Or make them mid-mini. 😉
For the standard muffin tin and mini muffin tin, you’ll want to use liners to make it easier to remove the cheesecakes from the pan.
If using a mini cheesecake pan, no need to use liners as those handy removeable bottoms help release the cheesecakes so they stay pristine and lovely.
See the notes below the recipe for additional tips on using different pan sizes (i.e. crust amounts + baking time).
Topping Ideas for Mini Cheesecakes
These delightful little cheesecakes can be served plain or topped in a variety of ways! The options are endless.
Mini cheesecake topping ideas:
- easy fruit topping (see the simple recipe below!)
- chocolate drizzle or chocolate ganache (add a fresh strawberry, yum!)
- whipped cream
- fresh berries
- lemon curd
- salted caramel sauce or butterscotch sauce
- blueberry pie filling, cherry pie filling, or another pie filling flavor of choice
Or a combo of any of the above!
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Perfect Mini Cheesecakes
Crust:
- ¾ cup (83 g) graham cracker crumbs (about 5 rectangle graham crackers, crushed)
- 2 tablespoons (13 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) butter, melted
Cheesecake Batter:
- 12 ounces (340 g) full fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ⅔ cup (141 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 large (50 g) egg, at room temperature
- 1 large (18 g) egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Lightly grease the liners with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. (See note below for alternate pan sizes.)
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For the crust, in a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar. Add the melted butter and stir until all the crumbs are evenly moistened.
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Divide the crust evenly among the prepared muffin tin – about a heaping tablespoon of crumbs per muffin cup. Press the crumbs firmly into an even layer in each liner.
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Bake for 6 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
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For the cheesecake batter, in a medium bowl with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and sugar together until well-combined and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
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Add the sour cream, egg, egg yolk, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix just until all the ingredients are fully incorporated (don’t over mix).
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Divide the batter evenly on top of the cooled crusts. The muffin tins will be quite full (unlike regular muffins, the cheesecake batter won’t overflow).
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Bake the cheesecakes for 22 to 25 minutes until puffed and lightly set around the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cheesecakes cool completely in the pan.
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Once cooled, gently remove the cheesecakes from the pan and refrigerate until chilled and ready to serve.
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Serve with an easy fruit topping (see note below), whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, or plain.
Pan Options
Standard Muffin Tin
Yield: 12 cheesecakes, heaping 1 tablespoon crust per muffin cup, bake as directed in the recipe
Mini Muffin Tin
Yield: 32 to 40 cheesecakes, heaping 1 teaspoon crust per mini muffin cup, bake for 13-15 minutes
Mini Cheesecake Pan
Yield: 16 to 18 cheesecakes, 1 tablespoon crust per muffin cup, bake for 18-19 minutes
For both the standard muffin tin and mini muffin tin, line the tin with paper liners and grease the liners. For the mini cheesecake pan, grease each well in the tin (no need to use liners as the removeable bottoms help release and remove the mini cheesecakes).
Easy Fruit Topping: in a small saucepan, combine 6 to 8 ounces fresh or frozen fruit (about 1 cup), 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup granulated sugar (can be adjusted, more or less, depending on the sweetness of the fruit), 1 tablespoon cornstarch and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbly and thickened. Cool and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serving: 1 mini cheesecake, Calories: 221kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 155mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 16g
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