Mini Margarita Cheesecakes

Baked in a standard 12-count muffin pan, these mini margarita cheesecakes are handheld miniature versions of a regular cheesecake. The filling comes together with 8 simple ingredients including tequila, triple sec, and lime. Sitting on a graham cracker crust and garnished with tequila whipped cream, these conveniently portioned desserts are ready for your next celebration!

One reader, Macky, commented: “Out of this world. Followed recipe exactly. Only problem? I are three within a half hour of being ready to eat. And yes, I could easily have eaten more. I gave them to a friend. Same accolades. They were perfect. ★★★★★”

Like a slice of cheesecake without the fork and like a margarita without the glass! Individual desserts are party favorites because guests can grab and go without slicing, sharing, and portioning. I served these mini margarita cheesecakes alongside plain mini cheesecakes at a summer gathering and I don’t want to play favorites, but adults picked these boozy little numbers clean. I regretted not making a double batch!

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Here’s Why You’ll LOVE These Mini Margarita Cheesecakes Too

• Fun unexpected margarita flavor that tastes like vacation!
• Full of fresh lime & lightly spiked with tequila and triple sec.
• Thick & fluffy.
• Lots of contrasting texture from the crunchy graham cracker crust and creamy filling.
• Adorably garnished with tequila lime whipped cream, lime slice, and coarse sugar.
• Dessert recipe that conveniently makes 1 dozen & you can easily double it.

Even though I titled these “mini,” they’re baked in a standard 12-count muffin pan and not a mini muffin pan. I call them mini because they are mini versions of a full-size cheesecake. Think of them as the cheesecake version of margarita cupcakes. (Because, yes, I have a recipe for those too!)

This Dessert Has 3 Layers

You need 11 ingredients total and many of the ingredients are repeated in each layer.

1. Graham Cracker Crust (3 ingredients)
2. Margarita Cheesecake Filling (8 ingredients)
3. Tequila Lime Whipped Cream (4 ingredients)

This recipe is slightly scaled up from my regular mini cheesecakes to make a full dozen batch of extra thick mini cheesecakes. After you mix the graham cracker crust ingredients together, press a heaping Tablespoon of the mixture into your cupcake liners. You’ll pre-bake the crust for 6 minutes.

The crust takes longer to bake than the filling, so pre-baking is key. Moving on to the filling…

Grab 8 Ingredients for the Filling:

1. Cream Cheese: Philadelphia cream cheese isn’t affiliated with this post, but it IS my favorite cream cheese brand. Whichever brand you use, make sure you’re using bricks of full-fat cream cheese and not the cream cheese you use for spreading on bagels. This imperative rule applies to many other dessert recipes like cream cheese frosting, strawberry cream cheese pie, and no bake cheesecake.
2. Granulated Sugar: I tested this recipe with both 1/2 cup and 2/3 cup of sugar. I found the greater amount masked the light flavors of lime and tequila, so use 1/2 cup (100g) in the filling recipe.
3. Sour Cream: Sour cream is a magical ingredient in baked goods, especially cheesecake, because it adds moisture and richness without thinning out the batter. You need just 2 Tablespoons, so buy a smaller container if you don’t use it often. (You should definitely make double chocolate muffins with your leftovers!) If it’s easier, use plain yogurt instead.
4. Flour: The mixture is too thin and lacks structure without flour.
5. Tequila*: Use your favorite.
6. Triple Sec*: Triple sec is an orange-flavored liqueur commonly found in margarita beverages. If you don’t have it, use more tequila or swap with orange juice.
7. Lime: You need 1 Tablespoon juice & 2 teaspoons zest. Have 2–3 limes on hand, which would also be enough for the lime slice garnish.
8. Eggs: The cheesecake batter can’t bind together without eggs. Careful not to over-mix these, and be sure to add them right at the end.

*See recipe Note for version without alcohol.

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Expect a thick margarita cheesecake batter. Spoon/pour mixture on top of warm pre-baked crusts:

Success Tip: A Steamy Oven

Are you familiar with cheesecake water baths? Cheesecakes are egg-heavy desserts and eggs are notorious for rising up in the oven and then falling down in cooler air. Some sinkage is expected, but you can prevent excess sinking by filling your oven with humidity. Instead of placing your muffin pan in water, place a roasting pan filled with hot water on the rack below the mini cheesecakes. The hot water steams and gently cooks the eggs so the mini cheesecakes aren’t as prone to sinking as they cool.

I teach this method in my key lime cheesecake post, too.

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Chilling & Garnishing Your Cheesecakes

After baking, the margarita cheesecakes must cool and chill. I like speeding this process up by cooling at room temperature for 45 minutes and then I place them in the freezer for 1 hour. If you have more time, refrigerate them for 2 hours.

Feel free to serve plain, but if you want to amplify the margarita flavor, I recommend garnishing with tequila lime whipped cream. Make plain whipped cream and add 1 Tablespoon each tequila and lime juice. Easy! I used a Wilton 1M tip for piping. Lime slices, lime zest, strawberry slices, and/or coarse sugar are optional but very fun extras.

(Though salt on a margarita glass is a prime choice, I don’t recommend coarse salt as garnish unless it’s a very light sprinkle.)

Serving Success Tip: If serving these margarita cheesecakes outside on a hot day, I recommend keeping them in the refrigerator until 10 minutes (or less) prior to serving.

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For more summer dessert inspiration, see my roundups of favorite Memorial Day recipes and BBQ cookout dessert recipes.

Even More Party Favorites:

• Mini No Bake Cheesecakes
• S’mores Cookie Bars
• Coconut Lime Cookies
• M&M Cookies
• Key Lime Pie Bars

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