Easy Cheesecake Bites
These no bake mini cheesecake bites with crunchy graham cracker crusts are perfect for when you don't want to turn on the oven or just want to whip up quick bites of cheesecake for individual servings. Top with your favorite sauces, curds, jams, fruits, or whipped cream.
Servings: 15 cheesecake bites
Ingredients
GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
- ¾ cup (75g) graham cracker crumbs about 5 full sheets of graham crackers
- 1 and ½ Tablespoons (19g) firmly packed brown sugar1
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter melted
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- ¼ cup (60mL) heavy whipping cream
- 4 ounces (112g) full fat block cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- squeeze of lemon juice2 optional
- OPTIONAL: desired toppings3
Instructions
- Line 15 wells of a 24-count muffin pan4 with mini cupcake liners.
- Set aside.
GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
- If your graham crackers aren’t crumbs yet, use a food processor to pulse them into fine crumbs. Pour the crumbs into a medium size bowl, add the brown sugar and melted butter, and then stir to combine.¾ cup (75g) graham cracker crumbs, 1 and ½ Tablespoons (19g) firmly packed brown sugar1, 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter
- Spoon approximately 1 Tablespoon of the graham cracker crust mixture into each mini cupcake liner, then use your fingers to press the mixture tightly into the liner, covering the bottom and going up the sides a bit. Set aside.
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy whipping cream on medium-high speed until it reaches stiff peaks, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.¼ cup (60mL) heavy whipping cream
- Add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, lemon juice (if using), and vanilla extract to a medium size bowl (if using a handheld mixer). If you want to use your stand mixer again, carefully transfer the whipped cream to another small bowl to set it aside. No need to clean the bowl or whisk attachment, just use them again. With the mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.4 ounces (112g) full fat block cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, squeeze of lemon juice2
- Turn the mixer down to low, or use a spatula, to gently fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake mixture until combined, being careful not to deflate the whipped cream.
FILL THE CRUSTS
- Spoon or pipe the filling into each crust, then use the back of a spoon or your finger to flatten and smooth out the tops.
- Refrigerate the mini cheesecakes in the pans for at least 2 hours5 and up to 2 days. If refrigerating for longer than 2 hours, I recommend covering them to prevent a film from forming.
- Keep the cheesecakes refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve with optional toppings (see note number 3 in the recipe notes). Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 2 months.OPTIONAL: desired toppings3
Notes
- Brown sugar: if you want to use cinnamon sugar graham crackers, you can omit the additional brown sugar or just add sugar to taste.
- Lemon juice: this is completely optional. I like the additional tang it adds to the flavor profile, and we almost always have lemons on hand.
- Toppings: I highly recommend homemade lemon curd, homemade whipped cream, bourbon salted caramel sauce (leave the bourbon out, if you want to), fresh fruit, or other assorted candies/chips/nuts.
- Mini-cupcake pan: you can use one 24-count cupcake pan, two 12-count mini-cupcake pans, or simply fill the 12 wells of one pan and make one additional mini cheesecake in a small bowl if you don't have a large pan or two small pans.
- Refrigeration: since there are no eggs to give structure to the no bake cheesecake base, this is a very soft filling. If the cheesecakes are too soft for you, you can freeze them.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Serving: 1cheesecake bite | Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.2mg
