A simple recipe for the best-tasting Mini Cheesecakes you’ve ever tried! This easy recipe can be thrown together in under 30 minutes and is less fussy than making a traditional full-sized cheesecake! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Mini Cheesecakes: An Easy and Foolproof Recipe
While most of us love a great classic cheesecake recipe, making one does have some drawbacks. Traditional, non-mini versions can be a little fussy. They take a long time to bake (over an hour), some of them require a messy water bath (mine does not!) and they take a long time to cool (at least 6 hours!). You have to worry about cracks and your springform pan leaking and while I’d never say that it isn’t worth the effort, sometimes you just want something easier.
Mini cheesecakes are much simpler. Baked into cupcake or muffin tins (as opposed to a springform pan), they need less than 20 minutes in the oven and require less than half the time of their full-sized counterparts to cool. This recipe is based off of my beloved cheesecake recipe but it takes less than half the time to make.
Quick and easy, creamy, sweet with a subtle tang, and just all around delicious, these mini cheesecakes are every bit as satisfying as a full-sized one.
A Few Tips For Making Mini Cheesecakes
- I used my graham cracker crust for this recipe, but you can change things up and use an Oreo crust instead. Just cut the recipe in half for 12 mini cheesecakes.
- Want even more chocolate? Toss a few mini chocolate chips or broken Oreo pieces into the batter for chocolate chip or Oreo versions!
- This recipe makes 12 mini cheesecakes, but it can certainly be doubled to make 24.
- Do NOT over-bake your mini cheesecakes! This is the easiest way to ruin any cheesecake, if it spends too much time in the oven the texture will be dry, mealy and even crumbly. We want smooth and creamy! Watch your cheesecake carefully, make sure your oven temperature is accurate (I keep two inexpensive oven thermometers in my oven at all times) and check your cheesecakes early. I usually check mine at 17 minutes. They’re done baking when the centers bounce back to the touch and the edges may be a light golden brown.
How to Store Mini Cheesecakes
You’ll want to store these mini desserts in the refrigerator, preferably in an airtight container (so they don’t absorb any odors from your fridge). They’ll keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
If you’d like you can freeze them! Follow the instructions for cooling the cheesecake and chilling in the refrigerator (as instructed in the recipe) first, and then freeze (wrap them up or keep them in an airtight container). Mini cheesecakes will keep in the freezer for several months.
Easy Topping Options
Here are a few of my favorite toppings for mini cheesecake (and for regular cheesecakes, now that I think of it).
- Homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit
- Chocolate Ganache (with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for good measure!)
- Blueberry Sauce (or just about any fruit sauce)
- Homemade Caramel Sauce
Or you can just enjoy them plain! I love a good topping, but these mini cheesecakes are perfectly fine served as-is, no topping necessary.
Enjoy!
Other Recipes You Might Like:
Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Graham cracker crust:
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 85g
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter melted
Mini Cheesecakes:
- 16 oz softened cream cheese 455g
- 1/2 cup sugar 100g
- 1/2 cup sour cream 80g
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten, room temperature preferred
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F (160C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl stir together graham cracker crumbs and 1 ½ Tablespoons sugar. Add melted butter and stir again until ingredients are moistened and completely combined.
- Portion about 2-3 teaspoons of the crust mixture into each liner in your prepared muffin tin. Use a spoon or the (clean) bottom of a ¼ cup measuring cup to tamp down crumbs so they are evenly packed into the bottom of each liner. Set aside while you prepare your mini cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake
- Place cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use an electric mixer) and stir on low speed until smooth and creamy (don’t whip the cream cheese or excessively beat it, you don’t want to incorporate too much air into the batter).
- Add sugar and stir again until well-combined.
- Add sour cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until ingredients are well-combined, pausing occasionally to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so there are no lumps.
- Gradually add eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated. Keep the mixer on low-speed and do not over-beat. Once again scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and stir on low-speed once more to ensure ingredients are completely combined.
- Evenly divide batter into muffin tin liners (I like to use an ice cream scoop with a lever release to do this, just makes it easy!).
- Transfer to 325F (160C) oven and bake for 17-20 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn a very light golden brown and centers are set. Do not over-bake or the texture will be dry and mealy.
- Allow cheesecakes to cool completely to room temperature and then gently remove each mini cheesecake from muffin tin. Transfer to refrigerator and chill completely (about 2-3 hours) before serving.
- If desired, top with whipped cream, strawberry sauce, blueberry sauce, or chocolate ganache!
Notes
Nutrition
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Jill Ellis says
Hi Sam,I love using recipes from you site if I use a jumbo muffin tin that makes six how long do you think I should bake them for?
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Jill! I am not certain of the exact baking time since I have not tried it myself. I would reccomend just keeping an eye on them. Keep me posted on how they turn out. 🙂
Marina says
Do we have to use cupcake liners? Can I just make them directly in the Tins? Thank you!!!
Ps. I love your recipes I’ve made so much already!!!
Sam says
Hi Marina! I recommend the liners because it gives you a guarantee that the mini cheesecakes will pop out of the pan easily. You can try baking them in the muffin tin directly (I’d lightly grease the tin) but make sure to let them cool completely before removing and use a butter knife to gently loosen them from the tin and pry them free. I’m so glad you have been enjoying the recipes! 🙂
Naomi says
I tried to cut the recipe in half. I may not have used enough sour cream or the right kind. They came out a bit clumpy and dense. I will def try them again.
Sugar Spun Run says
Oh no, Naomi! I am not certain what went wrong. It should not be clumpy or dense. It could be that the ingredients were not well combined or that enough sour cream was added. I hope that you give this recipe another try. If you do, I’d love to know how your second batch turns out.