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Mini Cheesecakes are completely no-bake, with a buttery graham cracker crust and a creamy cheesecake filling. Served in mini mason jars with any toppings you like, these make the perfect individual treat! Favorite toppings include strawberry compote, blueberry sauce, and lime curd!
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love Mini Cheesecakes:
- Ingredient Overview:
- Ingredient Substitutions:
- How to Make Cheesecake Jars:
- Serving + Storing Mini Cheesecakes:
- Expert Success Tips:
- FAQs:
- Recipe Variations:
- Special Tools:
- More Cheesecake Recipes to Love:
- More No-Bake Desserts to Love:
- Mini Cheesecakes (Cheesecake Jars!) Recipe
Why you’ll love Mini Cheesecakes:
- Creamy Filling – The creamy no-bake cheesecake layer is easy to make and super silky!
- Endless Topping Possibilities – Choose from over a dozen topping options for your mini cheesecakes, including fruit compotes or fresh fruit. You can easily make different flavors in the same batch by using a few topping options!
- No-Bake Recipe – From start to finish, this recipe is completely no-bake! This includes the crust, filling, and toppings.
- Make-Ahead Dessert – These easy no-bake treats are a great make-ahead dessert.
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Graham Crackers – Pulse whole graham crackers in a food processor (or pound them in a freezer bag with a rolling pin). Or, purchase graham cracker crumbs from the grocery store.
- Butter – I always use salted buter for the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Cream Cheese – Use full-fat cream cheese , at room temperature for best results.
- Heavy Cream – Make sure this is cold, straight from the fridge when using.
- Vanilla Extract – Use real vanilla for the best flavor.
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Gluten-free – Simply use gluten-free graham crackers to easily make this recipe gluten-free!
- Dairy-free – Use your favorite, trusted dairy-free products in this recipe.
- Whipped Cream – You could use cool whip in place of the homemade whipped cream in a pinch. I believe 1 and 1/2 tubs (8 ounce tubs) would be the equivalent.
- Crust Alternatives – Vanilla wafers, or digestive biscuits if you’re in the UK, work in place of graham crackers. You can even use oreo cookies for a chocolate crust.
How to Make Cheesecake Jars:
Step 1: Make the Crust. Stir melted butter & graham cracker crumbs together in a medium bowl. The mixture will be like wet sand. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Filling. In a medium mixing bowl, beat cold heavy cream and powdered sugar with an electric mixer, until stiff peaks form.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla on medium speed. Gently fold in the whipped cream until completely combined.
Step 3: Assemble & Add Toppings. Press 2 tablespoons of graham cracker crust into the bottom of each jar. Pipe in the cheesecake batter with a ziploc bag, snipping off the tip. Or, use a small cookie or ice cream scoop.
Top individual cheesecakes with desired toppings! You can also alternate layers of cheesecake, topping, cheesecake, and topping like I did in the photos.
Serving + Storing Mini Cheesecakes:
Let your no bake cheesecakes chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before serving, to get the best texture. These can also be made a day ahead. Refrigerate leftovers for 2-3 days, in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap.
Expert Success Tips:
- Fold Gently – Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, so as not to deflate the whipped cream that we just beat full of air.
FAQs:
Yes! I don’t recommend doubling it, as it may be too much mixture for one bowl, an you run the risk of over-folding in the whipped cream, which would deflate the mixture a bit.
David, you just fold it in. Hehe, kidding. To fold something in, slide a silicone spatula down the side of the bowl, across the bottom, and up the other side, then cut through the mixture with the side of the spatula. That’s folding! It’s a much gentler way to stir – it preserves all the air we whipped into the cream.
Yes! This is a great option if you don’t want to buy little jars. Fill a cupcake pan with cupcake liners, then proceed with the recipe as directed. You won’t be able to alternate filling and topping since they’re smaller, but you’ll get double the yield!
Recipe Variations:
- Toppings – Have fun with the toppings! Here are just a few suggestions of easy homemade toppings to add to your no bake cheesecake jars. You can also use something like canned cherry pie filling or blueberry pie filling.
Special Tools:
- Mini Jars – These are the cheesecake jars I used! They are 8 ounces each. You could also use slightly smaller ones, like 6 ounces, if you want to stretch the yield.
More Cheesecake Recipes to Love:
- Mini S’mores Cheesecakes
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Swirled Key Lime Pie Cheesecake
- Bailey’s Chocolate Cheesecake
- Biscoff Cheesecake
- Triple Nutella Cheesecake
- Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
More No-Bake Desserts to Love:
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment & star rating!
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Mini Cheesecakes (Cheesecake Jars!)
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted, 113 grams
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs`, 230 grams
For the Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature , Use the full-fat, block style. This needs just 20-30 mins at room temp.
- 1 cup granulated sugar, 210 grams
- 3 tbsp sour cream, at room temperature , 45 grams
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp lemon juice, more to taste*
- 2 cups cold heavy cream, 480 mL
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 29 grams
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: You can use mason jars or a muffin tin to make this recipe! The jars need no prep, but if using a muffin pan, line it with muffin papers.
- Make Toppings: To allow time to cool, make your desired toppings first! I have a huge list of ideas in the blog post above, under "recipe variations" but a few of my favorites are Cherry Compote, Strawberry Compote, Blueberry Sauce, Lime Curd, and Salted Caramel Sauce. I recommend picking two toppings, as that will cover all the cheesecakes, and give a little variety.
- Make the Crust: Stir together crust ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Press 2 tbsp of crust mixture into each jar, or 1 and 1/2 tablespoons if using a muffin tin. Set aside. See note if using muffin tin.1/2 cup salted butter, melted, 2 cups graham cracker crumbs`
- Make the Cheesecake Filling: In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and granulated sugar. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix just until combined. In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on medium high speed just until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture. See note under faqs if you need help with folding.16 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature , 1 cup granulated sugar, 3 tbsp sour cream, at room temperature , 2 tsp vanilla extract , 2 tsp lemon juice, more to taste*, 2 cups cold heavy cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Fill Jars: Fill a piping bag with cheesecake filling and snip off the end. This makes filling the jars or muffin wells SO much easier. Pipe in the filling, leaving room on top for toppings. Or, you can alternate filling, topping, filling, topping like I did in the photos.
- Serve & Store: Chill cheesecakes in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before serving, or up to 24 hours. Store leftover cheesecakes in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great summer dessert, it tasted so delicious.
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Joanna!
I see 2 tsp vanilla extract is listed twice in the recipe. Is that a typo?
Hi Rosemary! No, that’s not a typo – you’ll add each quantity of vanilla to each portion of the mixture as directed in the directions. Let me know how you like the recipe!
Hi there,
Can I store these with the lid on before I add the topping?
Yes you could store them in the fridge for about a day with the lids on before adding toppings! Please let me know how you like the recipe!
Could you substitute CoolWhip for the whipped cream? I have that on hand and would really like to try this recipe today.
Hi Wendy! Yes I think that would be just fine. Let me know how you like these! ☺️
Easy to make, present so neat and beautifully. Made them for my Cafe – customers were simply delighted.
Thank you for making my recipes! ❤️
Could you use frozen cherries in this recipe?
I think that would work fine! Just thaw them first and drain the excess liquid before beginning the recipe. Let me know how it goes! ❤️
It is such a winner recipe 🙂 I love that it is no bake and it has one of our favorite fruit, cherries. I might skip the booze as my kids will not be able to stay away from it. Love the beautiful color from the cherries!
Totally fine to leave the alcohol out! It tastes great either way 🙂 Thanks for your kind comment!
I’m so into this no-bake recipe especially with extra boozy cherries. Perfect summer treat.
Thanks Linda!