Did you know you can bake cheesecake in a muffin pan? This recipe for creamy mini cheesecakes is so simple and perfect for a small crowd. Make sure you use a standard 12-count muffin pan. For extra mini cheesecakes baked in a mini muffin pan, see recipe Notes.
Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts and I have two recipes that steal my heart each time: classic cheesecake and no-bake cheesecake. Both recipes serve A LOT of people. If you love cheesecake, but don’t need an entire cheesecake in the house, try mini cheesecakes instead.
I have a few mini cheesecake recipes:
- Mini Margarita Cheesecakes
- Pumpkin Cheesecakes
- Red Velvet Cheesecakes
- Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes
- Sprinkle Cheesecake Cookie Cups
These recipes yield anywhere from 16–24 muffin-sized cheesecakes. They’re all fun and flavorful, but maybe 16–24 mini cheesecakes is still too many. I felt inspired to reduce down even further and leave out all the extra goodies. Today’s recipe yields 9–10 mini cheesecakes. They’re simple, straightforward, and at only a few bites each, they’re awesome for portion control.
Video Tutorial
How to Make Cheesecake in a Muffin Pan
All we’re doing here is scaling down both the graham cracker crust and cheesecake batter from my classic cheesecake. Use a little more than 1 Tablespoon of both the crust and batter in each mini cheesecake. Like the big version, pre-bake the crust and make sure your cheesecake batter ingredients are at room temperature.
Bake the cheesecakes in a standard 12-count muffin pan. There’s no need for a springform pan and no need to mess with a water bath. Mini cheesecakes are not only easier than a full cheesecake, they take half the time to prepare! And if you’re looking for a version that sets in the refrigerator instead of the oven, you’ll appreciate these mini no-bake cheesecakes instead.
Want to add some flavor? Use my white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars recipe and see those recipe notes for how to turn them into mini cheesecakes. Love those.
Get creative with the toppings. The baked and cooled cheesecakes will slightly sink down in the centers, but all is not lost. The way I see it, the dip gives you more room for toppings!
Cheesecake Toppings:
- Strawberry Sauce
- Lemon Curd
- Homemade Whipped Cream
- Red Wine Chocolate Ganache
- Homemade Salted Caramel
- Chocolate Ganache
Mini Cheesecakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: 9-10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Bake deliciously creamy mini cheesecakes in a muffin pan! This easy recipe yields 9 individual cheesecakes that are perfect for portion control. Use a standard 12-count muffin pan. For extra mini cheesecakes baked in a mini muffin pan, see recipe note.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 2/3 cup (80g) graham cracker crumbs (about 5 1/2 full sheet graham crackers)
- 2 Tablespoons (29g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
Cheesecake
- one 8-ounce block (226g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (optional, but recommended)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a standard 12-count muffin pan with 9–10 liners. (For a mini muffin pan, see recipe note.) This recipe yields only 9–10 mini cheesecakes, so there will be 2–3 empty. You could skip the liners and spray the pan with non-stick spray or grease with butter, but the mini cheesecakes are pretty stubborn to release from the pan. I recommend using liners to make things easier.
- Make the crust: Combine all of the crust ingredients in a medium bowl. Mixture will be sandy. Firmly press a heaping Tablespoon of crust mixture into each liner. (I use closer to 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of crust per mini cheesecake.) Pre-bake for 5 minutes.
- Make the filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon juice then beat until fully combined. On medium speed, add the egg and beat just until combined. Batter will be thick. Divide the batter between all the liners. It’s about 1 Tablespoon per cheesecake.
- Bake until the edges are set and the centers only slightly jiggle, about 18–20 minutes.
- Set the pan on a wire rack and allow cheesecakes to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. If chilling for longer than 2 hours, loosely cover the cheesecakes. The cheesecakes will slightly sink in the middle as they chill. It gives you room for toppings!
- Once chilled, add any desired toppings (see Note below) and serve. Cover and store leftover cheesecakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare the cheesecakes through Step 3 up to 2–3 days in advance. Cover unbaked cheesecakes and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Continue with Step 4. Freeze individual baked cheesecakes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12- count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Food Processor | Glass Mixing Bowls | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack
- Topping Suggestions: Salted caramel, lemon curd, strawberry topping, chocolate ganache, red wine chocolate ganache, fresh fruit or maraschino cherries, and homemade whipped cream.
- More Than 9 Mini Cheesecakes: This recipe is fantastic for doubling, tripling, or quadrupling. Simply double, triple, or quadruple each ingredient, including in the crust.
- Super Mini Cheesecakes: Line a 24-count mini muffin pan with mini muffin liners or grease with nonstick spray or butter. For easy and seamless removal from the pan, using liners is preferable. Make the crust and cheesecake batter as directed. Press 2 teaspoons of crust into each mini muffin liner. Pre-bake at 350°F (177°C) for 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and fill each with cheesecake batter. Bake for 10–11 minutes or until the cheesecakes appear set on top. Continue with Step 6 in this recipe. Yields approximately 30 super mini cheesecakes.
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use these measurements for a biscuit crumb crust for these mini cheesecakes: 1 cup (105g) digestive biscuit crumbs (7 biscuits) + 30g butter, melted + 2 Tablespoons (25g) sugar. Grind the biscuits into crumbs, combine with sugar, then stir in the melted butter. Press into liners and pre-bake as directed in Step 2. And from what I understand, spreadable cream cheese sold in a tub in countries outside of the US is a little different from the spreadable cream cheese in the US. It’s thicker, sturdier, and more solid and should be OK to make cheesecake. I have no experience with it, but this is what I’ve heard from other non-US readers.
Keywords: mini cheesecakes
Just made them. Super delish! Just perfect! The whipped cream & maraschino cherry topping is too cute!
★★★★★
Excellent recipe! I doubled the recipe. Did half with an Oreo crust and half with a Biscoff/graham cracker crust. I left out the lemon juice and added a bit more vanilla. They were done at 17 minutes. Topped with a stabilized whip cream and blueberries and strawberries. Creamy and delicious!
★★★★★
I’m trying out this recipe and the filling came out a bit lumpy, not sure why that happened. It seemed to get lumpy after I added the egg.
Thank you for the recipe! I was thinking of adding some raspberry jam as a topping. Would this work? If yes, how do you think I should go about doing so using this recipe?
Hi Kat, you can try adding a raspberry swirl to the tops of the cheesecakes like we do for these white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars. Let us know how it goes!
I am making for one of my St Pats Day party. Can I freeze so I can make ahead of time? Or how late in the week can I make. You are my go to baking recipes. Great tips I especially loved the pumpkin pie recipe. The black pepper added was just the thing my pie needed.
Hi Mara, Freeze individual baked cheesecakes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Thank you for making and trusting our recipes!
These were great. I don’t like the look of muffin liners, so I cut 1 inch strips of parchment and place them in the muffin tin after greasing. The parchment that sticks out on both sides makes a perfect handle to lift these out of the pan with no problem.
I divided the cheesecake in half and added mini chocolate chips to one half. The other got blueberry pie filling made from scratch. So so good!
This recipe worked out great! The taste was amazing and very balanced, however I omitted the lemon juice and it turned out better than with it. Also, my suggestion for a filling serving size probably would be better if you used 1/8 of a cup to fill that way no filling is left after you finish scooping them in.
★★★★★
Fantastic taste! I keep making this for my husband as it is more manageable to finish than a whole cake. My only criticism is that the serving size is not precise. I have tried making 9 and 10 cupcakes. The lack of exactness in the number of scoops for each crust and filling is mildly irritating.
★★★★
I loved this recipe so much. But I completely missed the last step of chilling in the refrigerator. Is it ok if I set it in the refrigerator after a few hours of taking them out of oven. And have it ready for brunch next morning?
Hi Sukriti, I think it should be fine. Try it and let us know how they turn out!
Thinking of making these but cheating with the crust by Trader Joes Ginger cookie thin for the crust, what do you think? I’ve used them before on another mini cheesecake recipe. Any thoughts?
Hi Leslie, that should be fine!
Hello I am new to this group, I like the mini cheese recipe. Question.. can this be doubled for a large group or do I have to make individual batches.
Hi Victoria, this recipe is fantastic for doubling, tripling, or quadrupling. Simply double, triple, or quadruple each ingredient, including in the crust.
Hi. No water is needed to be im the oven?
I doubled the recipe exactly (18 cheesecakes) and ended up having a lot more filling than the stated 1 Tbsp per muffin tin. I ended up putting close to 3 Tbsp in each one and they turned out beautifully! No cracking or overflow. Is the 1 Tbsp of filling stated in the recipe a typo?
This happened to me too. I doubled the recipe and had 20 crusts. I ended up with 2 Tbsp of filling for each one.
I didnt double it and had about twice as much filling as mentioned. I just doubled up the cheesecakes. They took a lot longer to bake but were still amazing.
Hello, Sally. I was wondering if I can substitute lemon juice for lime juice.
Hi Adrian, You can skip the lemon juice and reduce the sour cream down to 2 Tablespoons. Then add 2 Tablespoons of key lime juice. We also have these mini key lime pies, too!
Hi! Could you bake this in a water bath? Or would it be worth the effort?
Hi Laura! There’s no need for this recipe.
I made these and they taste great, but they fell far more than yours did in your video. Are you able to help me figure out what I did wrong?
Hi Jennifer, that’s completely normal and expected. Dense centers of egg-heavy baked foods typically fall, just as the center of a full size cheesecake slightly dips. All the more room for toppings!
First time I’ve made cheesecake ever! So easy and delicious. I topped with some melted chocolate and a slice of strawberry. I love that you can make a small amount that requires only 8 oz. of cream cheese. Will definitely make again and again!
★★★★★
Hi! Can I make this in a 9 inch pan. I dont want to make the other recipe because its far too much for me but I still want a round one opposed to the mini ones in this recipe. Thank you I have made the small ones before and they are absolutely divine but I want a thinner, round and just as delicious as this one.
★★★★★
Hi Jenifer, you can definitely give it a try! We haven’t tested it so we’re unsure how thick of a cheesecake it would yield or how long it would need to bake. Let us know if you give it a go. You may also enjoy this small batch cheesecake baked in a loaf pan.
I made these & they were a hit! I spaced them out to make 12, so they were a bit smaller. I baked for 18 minutes & they came out perfect. I topped half with a mini Reese’s cup pushed in while they were warm & the other half with luxardo cherries. I will be making them again!
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
I am looking at possible recipes to try out for bite size cheese cakes for a graduation. I have debated using a jelly roll pan or large sheet pan, cooling, then cutting. my other idea was these silicone square molds I have. I have had many successes with your recipes and was looking to make this work.
Have you ever used a silicone mold instead of a cupcake pan? If so could I just adjust the bake time, or would you suggest adjusting temperature too?
I look forward to hearing from you soon,
Mercedes
Hi Mercedes! We haven’t personally tested these in a silicone baking molds, but we can’t see why that wouldn’t work. The bake time will vary by the size of your molds, so we’d recommend baking at the same temperature and keeping a close eye on them for doneness. Hope they’re a hit!
I just made these in a 4×6 mini silicone mold to prep for Cheesecake Day tomorrow. I lost a little bit of crust in a few (crumbly), but on the whole I’m really happy with how these turned out. I think it’s safe to use a silicone mold. I used a muddle to press the crust in before pre-baking it.
★★★★★
Question – how would I make the filling more lemony – lemon zest, lemon curd, Meyer lemons? What would the quantities be? Thank you.
Hi Kelly, You can add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and reduce the sour cream by 2 Tablespoons.
Can I just ditch the sugar from both the cheese mixture and biscuit base?
Hi Anda, we don’t recommend it. The sugar provides not only taste but structure to both the crust and filling. Without it, the cheesecakes won’t set the same.
These are the perfect size dessert when you want just a little something sweet after dinner. I used chocolate cookies for the crust and my family loved them!
★★★★★
ABSOLUTELY THE BEST! I used 2% Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream and gluten free graham crackers for the crust (omitted sugar) and it was just AMAZING!! The yogurt gave it a better texture (IMO) . This is the second time I have made this for my kids! A definite keeper! Thank you!!!
★★★★★
I doubled this recipe and found I had not quite enough crust and a bit too much filling – so I ended up overfilling and they puffed up quite a bit and cracked. The recipe itself worked out just fine
★★★★★
Can i use heavy cream instead of sour cream in this recipe ?
Hi S, plain full-fat yogurt really is the best substitute for sour cream. We don’t recommend heavy cream in its place.
Could I add allspice or cinnamon to the batter, top with very small pieces of apple, hen top with salted caramel after? Caramel apple cheesecake bites?
Sounds delicious, Nick! Let us know if you give that combination a try 🙂
Hello! I have used your cheesecake bar recipes many times and love them. Just wondering why these cups include sour cream and the bars don’t? Thank you!
Substituted Greek yogurt and they were super good. I doubled the recipe and did 12 cupcake size and 24 mini cupcakes size and it worked beautifully!
★★★★★