These mini no-bake cheesecakes are formed in a muffin pan. Using only a few basic and delicious ingredients, these tiny cheesecakes set up in the refrigerator instead of the oven. They’re extra creamy and lightly sweetened just like my regular no-bake cheesecake!
No-bake cheesecake, no-bake pumpkin cheesecake, and even my no-bake cheesecake jars are exactly that: Cheesecake without the oven. I like to compare the filling to cheesecake mousse. It has a light and airy texture because it’s made with homemade whipped cream. When spooned over a graham cracker crust and refrigerated, the eggless cheesecake filling sets up beautifully.
It’s pure dessert magic.
What it lacks in oven time, it makes up for in taste and texture:
• Thick, buttery, and crunchy graham cracker crust
• Light, creamy, and velvet-rich cheesecake filling
Though I already have a full no-bake cheesecake recipe on my website, sometimes I enjoy making it in individual muffin cups instead of a springform pan. And I figured you’d want to see how it’s done! These mini nobake cheesecakes are simple, straightforward, and at only a few bites each, perfect for portion control.
Make room in your refrigerator. Two muffin pans need to squeeze in there!
Line two standard 12-count muffin pans with liners. Cupcake liners are key—you won’t be able to remove the cheesecakes without them.
Combine the crust ingredients. You need graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and brown sugar. Butter and moist brown sugar (as opposed to regular granulated sugar) help this crust set up properly. Spoon 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of the crust mixture into each liner and use the back of the spoon to pack it down tightly.
Smooth cheesecake filling before adding the whipped cream.
The next step is optional. To really ensure that these tiny crusts set up properly, I recommend a quick 5 minutes in the oven. Now I know these are NO-BAKE—and the filling still is—I simply found that the crust is sturdier after 5 minutes of baking. But if you can’t use an oven, you can definitely skip it. The crust will just be a bit crumblier.
Make the cheesecake filling. These no-bake cheesecakes set up because we add homemade whipped cream. This is the secret to a thick sturdy filling, and we also use this trick in strawberry cream cheese pie. First, whip heavy cream into stiff peaks and set it aside. Next, combine the rest of the filling ingredients including cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the whipped cream.
Add filling over crusts. I’ve made these countless times and prefer piping the cheesecake filling on top of the mini crusts. You can certainly spoon the filling onto the crusts instead, but piping isn’t quite as messy. Feel free to use a piping bag with a large tip (star or round), or you can snip the corner off of a zipped-top plastic bag.
Refrigerate until set. The mini no-bake cheesecakes set up in about 3 hours. I don’t recommend using the freezer to speed this up because the graham cracker crust will quickly freeze before the filling does. A frozen crust is difficult to bite.
After you fold in the whipped cream, the no-bake cheesecake filling will be fluffy and airy—just like mousse.Here is a photo for a visual:
I was skeptical at first, but they don’t. As long as you follow the recipe exactly and chill the mini no-bake cheesecakes for long enough, the wrappers will neatly pull away from the filling. The cheesecakes do begin to soften up when at room temperature, so as long as you unwrap them shortly after taking them out of the refrigerator, you’re fine.
Though plain mini no-bake cheesecakes are flavorful on their own, they welcome all sorts of fun toppings. I love serving these with strawberry sauce and fresh berries. Don’t have fresh berries? Top with a spoonful of lemon curd, salted caramel, apple butter, or your favorite fruit preserves. You can also top with chocolate ganache or hot fudge sauce. If using ganache or hot fudge, I recommend spooning a little over each mini cheesecake before refrigerating so the ganache can set up too.
Whip the Heavy Cream: The most important step in this recipe is to beat cold heavy cream into peaks before folding it into the cheesecake filling. The whipped cream helps solidify the filling and its airiness creates an irresistible mousse-like consistency. (You’re basically making unsweetened, unflavored whipped cream!)
Use Bricks of Cream Cheese: To guarantee the cheesecakes set up properly, use 8-ounce bricks of full-fat cream cheese. Do not use low-fat cream cheese or cream cheese spread that’s sold in a tub. Same success tip I recommend when making the icing for fruit pizza, too!
Refrigerate, Don’t Freeze: You might be tempted to speed up the chilling process in the freezer, but the colder air won’t chill the cheesecakes evenly. The crust will firm up before the filling does. And trust me, you don’t want to bite into frozen crust underneath partially frozen cheesecake.
