You can make this easy recipe for Mini Cheesecakes in HALF the time a full-sized cheesecake takes! They’re creamy, super smooth, and perfectly portioned–great for parties! Recipe includes a how-to video.
Full-Sized Flavor in a Bite-Sized Treat
While most of us love a classic, full-sized cheesecake recipe, making one does have some drawbacks. They take a long time to bake (over an hour), sometimes require require a messy water bath (although mine does not!) and 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…like these mini cheesecakes.
Mini cheesecakes are the much simpler, muffin tin version of a regular cheesecake. They’re quick and easy, creamy, sweet and subtly tangy, and just all around delicious–just like the full-sized version! BUT they take less than half the time to make! 😲 Plus, they’re already portioned out into individual servings, so no one is on slicing duty. Win-win.
Why You’ll Love Mini Cheesecakes:
- So quick compared to a regular cheesecake: less than 20 minutes to bake and only a few hours to cool.
- Can be made on today’s graham cracker crust, or you can change things up and use a half batch of my Oreo crust instead.
- Can handle a few mini chocolate chips or broken Oreo pieces (for an Oreo cheesecake or chocolate cheesecake flair) in the batter, if you need a chocolate kick.
- Easily doubles to make 24 mini cheesecakes!
What You Need
Just a few simple ingredients come together to make these nice and easy mini cheesecakes. Here are the important ones:
- Cream cheese. As with my other cheesecake recipes, I don’t recommend using tub-style or low-fat cream cheese. Stick with the block-style, full-fat kind for best results!
- Sour cream. To me, you simply can’t make cheesecake without sour cream. It is an essential flavor element that adds a perfect richness. Full-fat Greek yogurt could also work in a pinch.
- Butter. Unlike most of my other recipes, I recommend using salted butter for today’s cheesecake crust. If you only have unsalted, that will work too; just remember to add ⅛ teaspoon of salt!
SAM’S TIP: While they’re great plain, these cheesecakes also taste wonderful topped with homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit, chocolate ganache (with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for good measure!), hot fudge sauce, blueberry sauce (or just about any fruit sauce), or homemade caramel sauce.
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 Mini Cheesecakes
- Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar, then add the melted butter and stir until combined.
- Press crust into 12 lined cupcake tins and set aside.
- Stir the cream cheese until smooth, then add sugar and stir again.
- Add the sour cream, vanilla, and salt and mix until well combined, then add the eggs one at a time.
- Divide the batter among your cupcake liners and bake for 17-20 minutes.
- Let the cheesecakes cool to room temperature, then remove them from the pan and chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours before serving.
SAM’S TIP: Do NOT over-bake! Overbaking 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–not smooth and creamy! Watch your cheesecakes carefully, make sure your oven temperature is accurate (I keep two inexpensive oven thermometers in my oven at all times), and check your cheesecakes a few minutes before they’re supposed to be done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Just like a regular-sized cheesecake, the mini version also needs to cool slowly. Don’t bring them out of the oven and throw them right in the fridge; instead, let them cool in a warm place (preferably on top of your oven) until they reach room temperature, then chill them.
They’re done when the centers bounce back to the touch and the edges may be a light golden brown. I usually check mine at 17 minutes; remember, do NOT overbake or they could become mealy and dry!
They’ll keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If you’d like to freeze them, follow the instructions for cooling and chilling first, and then wrap in plastic and freeze in an airtight container for several months.
I’d love to hear how you top or decorate yours; let me know in the comments below!
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
Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Graham cracker crust:
- ¾ cup (85 g) graham cracker crumbs
- 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter melted
Mini Cheesecakes:
- 16 oz (455 g) softened cream cheese
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ½ cup (80 g) sour cream
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten, room temperature preferred
Recommended Equipment
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.¾ cup (85 g) graham cracker crumbs, 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar, 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- 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).16 oz (455 g) softened cream cheese
- Add sugar and stir again until well-combined.½ cup (100 g) sugar
- 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.½ cup (80 g) sour cream, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 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.2 large eggs
- 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
Doubling
This recipe can be doubled without issue or alteration.Storing
Mini cheesecakes can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. These mini cheesecakes also freeze well and can be kept frozen (in an airtight container) for several months.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.
notabaker
I made these when my roommate requested cheesecake for her birthday dessert! I’d never made cheesecake before, and I’m not a super huge cheesecake fan (I can take it or leave it), but these were GOOD. I made them with the Oreo crust, and I made a mixed berry sauce to go over top. They were DELICIOUS!
The only tweaks I made were using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and carton egg whites instead of regular eggs since I already had those ingredients.
This gets a double thumbs-up from myself and all of my housemates.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Tracy
These were so easy and delicious! Another home run, Sugar Spun Run. Thank you!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you loved them, Tracy! Thank you for your 5-star review. 🙂
Blair
These are INCREDIBLE! And they were so easy to make. I topped them with macerated strawberries. I made them for my husband’s birthday and he loved them!
Thank you!
Sam
I’m so happy to hear they were such a hit! Thank you so much for commenting, Blair, I appreciate it 🙂
Maggie
These were excellent, and I had to half the recipe since I only had 8 oz. of cream cheese. I used a large six muffin pan. Still worked great! One thing that might help people with too much air: I smacked the pan against the counter a couple times before putting into the oven to let any excess air bubbles rise up. Worked great. Thanks for a great easy recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Maggie! 🙂
Calvina
Can I replace sour cream with something else as I don’t have sour cream
Sam
Hi Calvina! Greek yogurt should work here. 🙂
Calvina
Thank Sam . They turned out just perfect 👌🏻 … all loved the consistency. I topped Some of them with caramel and hazelnut crumb , and others with mango pulp and strawberry
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Pat
This recipe is simply the best!!! And easy as well. They are beautiful (I made them with chocolate ganache from the link on this page…everyone raved! Easy, fabulous, beautiful…its a trifecta of desserts!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Pat! 🙂
Dona
Wanted to say that these are DELICIOUS! Came out perfect at 20 min! Wanted to try these before I made them for my bff’s birthday party next weekend. The 1/3 cup worked perfectly for the crust, thank you so much for your little tips!
Xoxo
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Dona! 🙂
Migdalia Zammatore
I never made cheese cake of any kind….. till this recipe! I loved them my family loves them I gave some to my neighbors they loved them! Can’t wait to make them for a party! Thank you.
Sugar Spun Run
Congrats! I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Migdalia! Thank you for trying my recipe. 🙂
julie
Thank you for the recipe and helpful video! I’m looking forward to making these.
Question: How flat do the tops of these look after cooling on a rack when you make them? Your photos show with toppings so I just wondered if they always look somewhat sunken?
Sam
Hi Julie! They should turn out flat. If they sink it could be a result of over-beating or potentially cooking on too high of a temperature. 🙁
Emily
So, this reecipe was AWESOME! It’s tasty, but (My fault by the way) i undercooked them. ): but they are still yummy! 2 of them cracked, but they are delish!!!!!
Sam
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Emily! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Brianna
Hey, I wanted to know why you used salted butter for this recipe but for your best cheesecake recipe you didn’t specify to use salted or unsalted. Does it make a difference? Loved that recipe btw my family loved it
Sam
Hi Brianna! For just the crust it really doesn’t matter too much whether you use salted or unsalted butter. I’m glad everyone enjoyed it! 🙂
Kathleen Hepworth
Going to try these .
Do you have a recipe for a cheese cake (springform pan size) without a crust ? We’re not big on Graham crack era .
Sam
Hi Kathleen! I actually have done this in my cheesecake layered carrot cake. The cheesecake is a little thinner here because it is a layer in the carrot cake. 🙂
Josue
Remember you can use your favorite type of cookie for the crust, I do mine with the animal crackers from Costco and the flavor and crunchiness of the crust is superb!!! I process the crackers in a nutribullet for a few seconds.
Erin
Hey Sam! Your cheesecake recipe is the first I’ve used, and it turned out amazing! I’ve baked about 5 in the past 6 months, and just tried the mini cheesecake this week. They turned out amazingly perfect as well! Great recipe! Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Erin! 🙂
Jill Ellis
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
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. 🙂
Devra
I just took a jumbo muffin pan out of the oven, made 6 cheesecakes. I pulled them out at 28 minutes as they started to crack. They just didn’t have the golden brown rim. Actually the cracks don’t show once it starts to cool down. Perfect for a social distancing dinner for 4. Can’t wait to try them now!
Sam
I hope you love them Devra! 🙂
Marina
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
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
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
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.