My easy Cheesecake Bites consist of a simple, no-bake cheesecake nestled in crisp sugar cookie cups. They take just 1 hour to make completely from scratch. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Easy Homemade Cheesecake Bites
Need a quick, easy, and impressive dessert? Let me introduce you to my fun and simple cheesecake bites! These are perfectly portioned mini no-bake cheesecakes served on a soft, but stable sugar cookie base (in lieu of a graham cracker crust). They look elegant but are very easy, and they’ve got a beautiful light vanilla flavor.
I like to top my cheesecake bites with fresh fruit or berries (wait to add the fruit until just before serving!), but these are also wonderful with ganache, macerated strawberries, strawberry sauce or blueberry sauce, or a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Of course they can also just be served as-is!
Why you’ll love them:
- Quick: NO chilling the cookie bases before baking, which saves a ton of time.
- Satisfying: The filling tastes like traditional cheesecake but is actually my easy no-bake cheesecake.
- Party-ready: They’re individually portioned and super portable.
- Customizable: The topping options are truly endless.
What You Need
These cheesecake bites use just a few basic ingredients. Most importantly, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter. Like most of my recipes, I recommend using unsalted butter for this recipe. Your butter should be softened, but not melty when you add it.
- Flour. Make sure you measure your flour properly. If you overmeasure your flour, your sugar cookie cups could turn out dry.
- Cream cheese. You must use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese, or your cheesecake bites won’t turn out properly. Make sure it’s softened before you add it.
- Sour cream. This is critical for an authentic cheesecake flavor (a key ingredient in my classic cheesecake), so don’t skip it! Full-fat Greek yogurt will work too.
- Heavy cream. Many no-bake cheesecake recipes use gelatin or condensed milk to stabilize the cheesecake, but I prefer to use whipped cream. It doesn’t add a strong flavor, and it blends beautifully with the rest of the ingredients.
SAM’S TIP: Rolling the dough before pressing it into the pan is optional, but it’ll make the surfaces of the cookies smoother and more uniform looking.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Cheesecake Bites
- Prepare the sugar cookie dough (it’s quick and easy!).
- Scoop the dough into a greased and floured mini muffin tin. As I mentioned, I like to briefly roll the dough into smooth balls that way the cookie bites have smoother surfaces.
- Indent the cookies with a spoon (I like to use my ½ Tablespoon, though the back of a rounded teaspoon would work well, or you could even just use your thumb!), then bake for 15 minutes.
- Indent the cookies again (the indents will have puffed quite a bit!) and let them cool in their pan for at least 20 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
Filling & Assembly
- Combine the cream cheese and sugar (make sure the cream cheese is softened and lump free after stirring!), then add the sour cream and vanilla and stir well.
- Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks in a separate bowl (just like if you were making whipped cream), then fold into the cream cheese mixture. Do this part by hand/using a spatula, not with the electric mixer!
- Portion the cheesecake into the cooled cookie cups. I like to put the filling in a piping bag or a large Ziploc with the corner snipped off and just pipe it in, but you could use a pair of spoons and just dollop the filling in instead!
- Top with fresh fruit or other desired toppings just before serving. Don’t add the fruit too soon or it will weep all over the cookies.
SAM’S TIP: Indent the sugar cookie cups before and after baking. Indenting before may seem like a bit of a waste since the centers will still rise as they bake, but it makes a difference. If your teaspoon sticks to the dough, just run it under some water.
Frequently Asked Questions
You could, or you could make my mini cheesecakes. They’re cupcake-sized and designed to be made with a graham cracker or Oreo crust.
You can make the cookie bases in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature until you’re ready to fill them. When you’re ready, prepare and add your cheesecake filling, then add your fruit right before serving.
Sour cream is an essential cheesecake component and I do not recommend skipping it. Your cheesecake bites won’t taste like sour cream if you use it, but they will lack flavor if you leave it out.
These are such a fun bite-sized dessert–I hope you love them!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Cheesecake Bites (in sugar cookie cups)
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Cups
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature preferred
- 2 ½ cups (313) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Cheesecake Bites Filling
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese softened (use brick-style cream cheese, not the spreadable kind found in tubs)
- ¼ cup (35) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream very cold
- Sliced fruit/berries for topping
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Cups
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and spray a 24-count mini muffin pan with baking spray (alternatively lightly grease and flour or use mini muffin liners).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar and use an electric mixer to beat until creamy and well-combined.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Add vanilla extract and egg and stir well.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.2 ½ cups (313) all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low-speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring just until combined.
- Scoop dough by level 1 ½ Tablespoon and drop into mini muffin pan (see note). Use the back of a rounded teaspoon (I like to use my ½ Tbsp measuring spoon) and make an indent halfway down into the sugar cookie dough. If dough sticks to spoon, run spoon under cool water first.
- Bake in center rack of 350F (175C) oven for 15 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn light golden brown.
- Immediately use the back of a (clean) rounded teaspoon (or ½ Tbsp) and re-indent the cookie cups, pressing at least halfway down.
- Allow cookie cups to cool in pan for at least 20 minutes, then to remove, gently twist in the pan and lift out to a cooling rack to cool completely before preparing your cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake Bites Filling
- Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar and stir together until smooth and creamy.4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, ¼ cup (35) powdered sugar
- Add sour cream and vanilla extract, stir well.1 Tablespoon sour cream, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour cold cream into a separate bowl (preferably glass or metal) and use an electric mixer to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form (mixture will be thick and fluffy like whipped topping).⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream
- Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture by hand, stirring until completely incorporated and smooth (don’t over-mix).
- Spoon or pipe cheesecake filling into sugar cookie cups. Add fruit topping just before serving. Enjoy!Sliced fruit/berries
Notes
Servings
This dough actually makes slightly more than is needed for a 24-count muffin tin. You’ll have enough to make about 27 cheesecake bites. Typically I just discard the extra dough, but you can absolutely bake and fill them instead, just note that if you bake only 3 or so sugar cookie cups at a time you will need less time in the oven.Storing
These will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For best results I do not recommend adding any fruit toppings until shortly before serving.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Related Recipes
I originally published these cheesecake bites in June of 2014. I’ve since updated the recipe to make it simpler and tastier, and I’ve also updated the photos and text to reflect the new recipe, and have added a how-to video!
Nadine
Can I freeze the cookie bases 1-2 weeks ahead of time then thaw and prepare them?
Sam
I think that should work just fine. 🙂
Sarah
Would I be able to use this dough as a pie crust for a strawberry cream pie?
Sam
Hi Sarah! I am not sure how it would work. It’s likely not going to be very sturdy. It could potentially work in a tart pan, but I think you’d be better off with the crust I use in my strawberry tart. 🙂
Liz
Can I use the cream cheese filling in the big tub ( no bake cheesecake) instead of making my own?
Sam
Hi Liz! If that’s what you like that can work. It likely won’t taste as good though.