No Bake Mini Cheesecakes Recipe
These are perfect small treats for when you don't want to use the oven. They have a simple cheesecake filling and a crumbly graham crust and are great as cute finger desserts for a gathering. Top them with your favorite fruit sauce, fresh berries or a drizzle of chocolate for a personalized touch.
Servings 12 servings
Ingredients
For the crumb crust:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter melted
For the cheesecake filling:
- 1 cup cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese 2 blocks, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons regular sour cream at room temperature
- ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- fresh berry sauce and fresh fruit to serve, see Notes below
Instructions
For the graham cracker crust:
- Have ready two 12-mini muffin pans or one 24-mini muffin pan, and line with paper cups.
- Prepare the base by mixing 2 cups graham cracker crumbs with ¼ cup sugar in a medium bowl. Add ⅔ cup unsalted butter, melted, and stir well until it resembles wet sand.
- Press onto the bottoms of paper liners, dividing evenly. Refrigerate while making the filling.
For the cheesecake batter:
- Beat 1 cup cold heavy cream in a medium bowl with ⅓ cup powdered sugar until medium-firm peaks (almost stiff peaks) form when the beaters are lifted. The tip will fall slightly, and the cream will have consistency but not be completely firm.
- Beat 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened, with 2 tablespoons regular sour cream and ⅓ cup white granulated sugar until very smooth in a large bowl. Stir or fold in 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and mix well.
- Add half of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and mix with a spatula. Before fully integrating, add the rest and incorporate until smooth and even colored with no streaks. Don’t beat but fully integrate with the spatula.
- Divide the cheesecake mixture evenly on the prepared crusts. Smooth with the back of a small spoon.
- Refrigerate for 2-4 hours, or until firm. Serve cold, topped with fresh berry sauce and fresh fruit. Or topping of choice. See Notes below for ideas.
Notes
Crust consistency: Make sure the melted butter and graham crumbs are well-combined before pressing them into the paper liners, so they provide a sturdy and flavorful base for your mini cheesecakes.
Quick setting: If you're short on time, placing the assembled mini cheesecakes in the freezer for about 30 minutes can expedite the setting process. That said, refrigerating them until well chilled is the best way to achieve the creamiest texture.
Plain cheesecake: These mini desserts need a topping; it's like completing the outfit. If you eat them on their own, they might be too plain. But you can, of course. I highly recommend amplifying the flavorings and adding some additional lemon zest and vanilla to the filling.
Toppings: use a mix of fresh berries and a berry sauce like strawberry sauce or blueberry sauce, whipped cream or lemon curd and berries. Caramel sauce, dulce de leche or chocolate ganache are good non-fruity options. Also, a store-bought cherry pie filling works if you're short on time.
