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    Home » All Recipes » Easy Mini Cheesecakes

    Easy Mini Cheesecakes

    June 12, 2020 by Dedra | QueensleeAppetit Leave a Comment

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    Feeling intimidated by full-sized cheesecakes? No worries! Now you can enjoy all of the creamy, silky richness of a whole classic cheesecake in miniature form! These Easy Mini Cheesecakes are truly a gift of dessert perfection. They bake up far quicker than a full cheesecake  and are made in a cupcake pan, making them the perfect individual portions!

    six cheesecake cupcakes on a safety grater

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my full disclosure policy for details. 

    3 years and 15 mini cheesecake recipes later, and I’m finally sharing a simple classic recipe for mini vanilla cheesecakes! Today’s post won’t just be about the flavour of the cheesecakes, though. Instead I’ll be teaching you everything you need to know on how to make the perfect little bite-sized cheesecakes!

    cupcake sized cheesecakes on a safety grater with fresh berries in bowls surrounding them

    What You’ll Love About These Mini Cheesecakes 

    Here’s why these mini vanilla cheesecakes are a MUST MAKE!

    • Easier to make than a full-sized cheesecake
    • Baking time is less than 30 minutes 
    • No water-bath required 
    • Can be made in a cupcake pan
    • Individual serving size (perfect for parties!)
    • Can be eaten with your hands
    • Incredibly creamy, rich and smooth

    halved mini cheesecake sitting on top of a whole one on a white plate with fresh berries on it

    3 Parts to These Cheesecakes

    There are 3 simple components to this recipe:

    1. Crust: a simple 3-ingredient crust. You can use graham crackers, vanilla wafer cookies or even Oreos!
    2. Cheesecake Filling: the creamiest, silkiest vanilla cheesecake ever! My family said this is the best they’ve ever had. 
    3. Whipped Cream Topping: you don’t HAVE to top the cheesecakes with whipped cream, but I highly recommend it! The fresh, fluffy whipped cream just emphasizes the thick, creaminess of the cheesecake filling below.  

    top view of halved cheesecake cupcake

    Graham Cracker Crust

    This is the easiest part of the recipe! If using graham crackers, you can either buy a pack of graham cracker crumbs, or pulse 7-8 whole graham cracker squares in a food processor. If using Vanilla Wafers (Nilla Wafers), you’ll need to crush around 25-27 cookies to get 1 cup of crumbs. 

    Once you’ve got the crumbs, use a fork to combine them with a bit of sugar and melted butter (you could even add a pinch of cinnamon for extra flavour!). You want all of the crumbs to be completely coated until they resemble wet sand. 

    three photo collage showing how to mix crushed graham crackers with sugar and melted butter

    What Kind of Pan You Should Use/ Baking the Crust

    Just like a full-sized cheesecake, we’ll need to pre-bake the crusts of these mini cheesecakes. But first, we’ve gotta prepare our pan! A long time ago, I received an angry email from a reader who insisted my Mini Strawberry Cheesecake recipe was all wrong because it did NOT work in her mini muffin pan. 

    After a good chuckle, I had to explain to her that these are called “mini cheesecakes” because they’re smaller than a full-sized cheesecake. Not because they’re literally miniature. So please don’t make the same mistake of using a mini cupcake pan. Mini cheesecakes are usually baked in your regular-sized 12-cup cupcake pans. 

    So it’s just like making cupcakes! You’ll need to line your cupcake pan with paper liners, no need to grease with cooking spray. I should also mention that I’ve had some readers say that they’ve gotten about 22 cheesecakes when my recipe only calls for 12. 

    Let me be clear, this, and all of my mini cheesecake recipes do in fact yield 12 cheesecakes. This is because each liner should be filled all the way to the top, since we don’t have to worry about them overflowing. However, you CAN make more than 12 if you don’t mind having less cheesecake in each serving. 

    Back to the Crust

    To divide the crust between the liners, I like to use a small cookie scoop. This keeps everything nice and even so you don’t have 1 cheesecake with too much crust and one with barely any. 

    Scoop the crust crumbs into each liner, then use that scoop to press and pack the crumbs down flat into the bottom, just like we’d do for a whole cheesecake! Once crumbs are packed, bake the crusts for 5 minutes, then let them cool while you prepare the easy cheesecake batter!

    three photos showing graham cracker crust in cupcake liners, pressing the crust down with a cookie scoop and a shot of the finished crust

    The Creamiest Vanilla Cheesecake

    Believe me when I tell you this is the creamiest vanilla cheesecake I have ever tasted! I think without any of the added flavours like Nutella, pumpkin purée, melted chocolate etc. The ingredients that give cheesecake the creamiest texture possible have been given the opportunity to truly shine!

    Let me walk you through how easy it is to make the cheesecake filling. 

    1. Blend the 1 and ½ packs of cream cheese until smooth. 
    2. Beat in the sugar and cornstarch until combined. 
    3. Add in the fresh lemon juice and vanilla for flavour. 
    4. Mix in the eggs, one at a time. 

    That’s it! Super simple and delicious cheesecake batter. Don’t leave out the lemon juice, it brightens up the flavours in the cheesecake!

    step-by-step visuals of how to mix vanilla cheesecake together

    Once again, when dividing the cheesecake, use a large cookie or ice cream scoop. I used to use a ¼ measuring cup, but I switched to the ice cream scoop because it’s much easier to scoop and pour it into the liners. 

    Gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove the air-bubbles, then bake for 18-20 minutes. Yes, you read that right! Mini cheesecakes don’t need to bake for over an hour like a whole cheesecake does, of course. They’re done in only 20 minutes!

    unbaked cheesecake batter in cupcake liners

    The cheesecakes will be puffed up and the tops will be dry (and maybe a bit cracked, but that’s not a problem). While they’re cooling on the rack, the tops will slowly sink back down. They only need to chill in the refrigerator for about 3 hours, but I usually let them chill overnight. 

    flat-lay view of plain cheesecakes on a safety grater with extras around it and fresh berries in a bowl and scattered around the cheesecakes

    Fluffy Whipped Cream and Fresh Fruit Topping

    I would normally say the toppings are optional, but certainly not in this case. I mean, you can definitely top these cheesecakes with ganache, salted caramel, lemon curd, strawberry or raspberry sauce etc. 

    I, however, highly recommend you top these cheesecakes with two things: whipped cream and fresh fruit! You only need 3 ingredients to make the whipped cream: heavy whipping cream + powdered sugar + vanilla. Just whip those up in a chilled bowl until fluffy. 

    The light and airy texture of the whipped cream pairs perfectly with the ultra creamy cheesecake and the fresh fruits tie everything together so well. These bite-sized treats are a huge crowd pleaser and summertime delight! They would definitely make a great addition to your Fourth of July celebrations! 

    The recipe can also be doubled with no problems to make 24 cheesecakes, incase anyone asks for seconds (which they undoubtedly will!). 

    flat-lay view of cheesecakes topped with whipped cream, raspberries and strawberries

    More Mini Cheesecake Recipes

    • Mini Triple Chocolate Cheesecakes
    • Mini Ferrero Rocher Stuffed Nutella Cheesecakes 
    • Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
    • Mini Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cheesecakes 
    • Mini Piña Colada Cheesecakes
    • Mini Guinness Chocolate Cheesecakes
    • Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cheesecakes
    • Mini Lemon Meringue Cheesecakes
    • Mini Creme Brûlée Cheesecakes

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    two photos of mini cheesecakes with the recipe title in the middle

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    Let’s get baking!

    Continue to Content
    six cheesecake cupcakes on a safety grater

    Easy Mini Cheesecakes

    Yield: 12 servings
    Prep Time: 25 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Additional Time: 3 hours
    Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes

    These Easy Mini Cheesecakes are truly a gift of dessert perfection. They bake up far quicker than a full cheesecake  and are made in a cupcake pan, making them the perfect individual portions!

    Ingredients

    Crust:

    • 1 cup vanilla wafer or graham cracker cookie crumbs
    • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup Salted Butter, melted

    Cheesecake:

    • 1 and ½ (8-ounce) packages (12 oz) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
    • ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
    • 1 and ½ Tbsp fresh lemon juice
    • 1 and ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 large eggs, room temperature 

    Sweetened Whipped Cream:

    • ½ cup heavy cream, chilled
    • ⅓ cup powdered sugar
    • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • Fresh fruit, for topping

    Instructions

    For the Crust:

    1. Preheat oven to 350°F and Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners. Set aside.
    2. Add graham cracker crumbs and sugar to a mixing bowl and mix together using a fork. Stir in melted butter until crumbs are completely coated.
    3. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of crumbs into each liner and flatten using the back of the tablespoon or a small glass.
    4. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Lower oven temperature to 325°F.

    For the Vanilla Cheesecake:

    1. In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
    2. Add the granulated sugar and cornstarch and continue to beat until combined.
    3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla and continue beating until smooth.
    4. Add eggs one at a time, beating slowly until just combined, do not overbeat. Batter will be thin.
    5. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is fully combined. Forcefully tap bowl on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
    6. Fill each liner with ¼ cup of batter. You may have some batter left, so scoop an extra tablespoon of batter into each liner until it’s finished. These cheesecakes can be filled all the way to the top.
    7. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until the tops are puffed and look dry.
    8. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
    9. Once cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm and chilled, about 2-3 hours or overnight.

    For the Sweetened Whipped Cream:

    1. In a chilled stainless steel or glass bowl, whip the chilled cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until it reaches stiff peaks, about 3-4 minutes.
    2. In a piping bag fitted with a large star tip, pipe a swirl of whipped cream onto each cheesecake. Garnish with fresh fruit, if desired. Enjoy!

    Notes

    1. Storage: Store the cheesecakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
    2. Double the recipe: Feeding a crowd? This recipe can easily be doubled to make 24 mini cheesecakes.

    Recommended Products

    As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    • KitchenAid KHM512IC 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer, Ice Blue
      KitchenAid KHM512IC 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer, Ice Blue
    • Green Direct Cupcake Liners - Standard Size Cupcake Wrappers to use for Pans or carrier or on stand - White Paper Baking Cups Pack of 500
      Green Direct Cupcake Liners - Standard Size Cupcake Wrappers to use for Pans or carrier or on stand - White Paper Baking Cups Pack of 500
    • Wilton Recipe Right Nonstick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan (2, STANDARD)
      Wilton Recipe Right Nonstick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan (2, STANDARD)
    Nutrition Information:
    Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 219Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 96mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 19gProtein: 2g
    © Dedra | QueensleeAppetit
    Cuisine: American / Category: Mini Cheesecakes

    BON APPÉTIT!

    Love, Dedra

    top view of six berry and cream topped cheesecakes on a safety grater

    ©QUEENSLEE APPÉTIT. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.

    Filed Under: All Recipes, Cheesecakes, Favourite Recipes, Fourth of July, Holidays, Mini Cheesecakes, Summer Recipes, Sweets and Treats Tagged With: crowd pleasers, Summer Desserts

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    Some may say I’m addicted to desserts, and they are absolutely right! Baking is my passion and has been ever since I was 6 years old, it just took about a decade for me to realize it. Now I am devoted to creating the BEST sweet and savoury recipes from my tiny little kitchen and sharing them with the world!

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