This mini cheesecake recipe is the ultimate easy dessert! With a crunchy graham cracker crust and a classic cold and creamy cheesecake filling. Delicious with whipped cream, chocolate ganache, or fresh fruit on top. Baked in cupcake liners, and no water bath required, this is as easy as cheesecake gets!

Mini Cheesecake Recipe

Cheesecake is my FAVORITE dessert. So I wanted to provide you with a mini version of my internet famous New York-Style Cheesecake and Classic Cheesecake. This is such a great mini dessert recipe for Memorial Day, 4th of July, graduation parties, or summer picnics!

Reasons to Love Bite-Sized Cheesecakes:

• You bake the cheesecake filling in a muffin pan lined with cupcake liners, making clean up quick and easy!
• No fussy water bath or springform pan required!
• Everything you love about a full sized cheesecake recipe, but in cupcake form.
• Individual portions make it easy to serve a crowd… or practice portion control.
• Makes exactly one dozen individual cheesecakes! But you can easily double it if you need more.
• Delicious with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, or fresh fruit… you can get super creative with the toppings.
• Always a crowd-pleaser at parties and celebrations!

Mini Cheesecake Ingredients

• Graham Cracker Crumbs: You can use crushed graham cracker crumbs or buy the sleeves of graham crackers and crush them yourself. To do this, place them in a blender or food processor and pulse until completely crushed. Then measure and use the amount called for.
• Granulated Sugar: Don’t sub brown sugar here, as it will change the taste, texture, and appearance.
• Salt: A tiny dash helps balance sweetness and enhance the other flavors.
• Unsalted Butter: Melted butter is the binder for the graham cracker crust. In a pinch, salted butter may be used if needed, but you’ll want to omit the salt called for.
• Cream Cheese: Full-fat cream cheese gives the cheesecake filling the best taste and texture. Bring your cream cheese to room temperature before using it in this recipe. And use brick-style cream cheese for best results.
• Sour Cream: Full-fat works best and bring it to room temperature before use. If you can’t find sour cream, you can use full-fat plain Greek yogurt instead.
• Vanilla Extract: Just a dash adds rich vanilla flavor and enhances all the other flavors. Always use real vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla.
• Eggs: You’ll want to use large eggs, that are at room temperature. This recipe calls for 2 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk.
• Lemon Juice: Just 1 teaspoon adds a burst of brightness to the flavor without tasting “lemony”. You may leave out this ingredient in a pinch, no need to replace it with anything else!
• Heavy cream: Aka whipping cream, this makes our mini cheesecakes extra rich and creamy, so don’t skip it! Do not replace heavy cream with milk! You’ll also need heavy cream if you plan on making homemade whipped cream.

How to Make Mini Cheesecakes

1. Baking Prep: Preheat the oven at least 20 minutes before you plan on baking. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners. I suggest using a lighter colored muffin tin for best results.
2. Make the Graham Cracker Crust: In a large bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Stir everything together until evenly combined.
3. Pre-Bake Crust: Add the crust to the muffin tin and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature and set the muffin tin aside until needed.
4. Make the Cheesecake Filling: Use a food processor to beat the cream cheese and sugar. And scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl in between pulsing. The cheesecake pie filling should be silky smooth with no large lumps of cream cheese. No need to add the eggs one at a time.
5. Fill the Muffin Tin: Evenly divide the cheesecake batter filling among the muffin cups. Pouring it on top of the prepared graham cracker crust. And filling each mold up all the way to the top of the muffin tin, the molds will be very full.

How Long to Bake Mini Cheesecakes

1. Bake the Mini Cheesecakes: Place the muffin pan in the preheated oven and bake for 16 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for another 10 minutes. The cheesecakes should still look jiggly at this point, but don’t fret, because they’ll firm up as they cool!
2. Cool to Room Temperature: Remove the muffin pan from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Once cool to the touch, place the muffin tin in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.
3. Time to Serve: Once the cheesecakes are cool, remove them from the pan and serve! Top with whipped cream or your favorite cheesecake toppings right before serving.

How to Store Mini Cheesecakes

Did you know you can store mini cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days?! Because you can… making these bite-sized cheesecakes the perfect make-ahead party dessert.

• Place the muffin pan on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
• Carefully remove the cheesecakes from the muffin tin and transfer to an airtight container.
• Place the container in the fridge and keep chilled until needed, up to 5 days. Or freeze according to the instructions below!

How to Freeze Mini Cheesecakes: Grab a Freezer Bag

You can freeze mini cheesecakes for up to 2 months! The cheesecake filling stays super creamy and the graham cracker crust stays delightfully crunchy. So I always have a few of these hiding in my freezer for “dessert emergencies”!

• Simply cool to room temperature. Then place the muffin tin in the freezer for about 20 minutes, or until they mini cheesecakes feel solid.
• Remove the muffin tin from the freezer and carefully remove the cheesecakes from the pan.
• Tightly wrap each mini cheesecake in saran wrap and freeze until solid. Then arrange the solid cheesecakes in a freezer bag and freeze until needed!
• Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Then top with whipped cream – or your favorite cheesecake toppings – and serve! Don’t be surprised if these are gobbled up in less than 20 minutes!

Mini Cheesecake Toppings

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More Mini Cheesecake Recipes:

• Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
• Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
• Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
• Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes
• Mini Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes