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.
I originally published this recipe in 2018 and have since added new photos, a video, tweaks to the recipe to yield a full dozen, and additional success tips.
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.
This recipe for individually sized cheesecakes is so simple and the perfect dessert to make for a smaller crowd. The classic cheesecake flavor is a great base for any of your favorite toppings, like whipped cream and berries, salted caramel, chocolate ganache, or raspberry sauce. Have fun with it!
One reader, Rachel, commented: “Wow… I knew these would be good, but I was still impressed with just how delicious they are! Super easy too, definitely making again soon. ★★★★★”
One reader, Susan, commented: “Yes, this recipe is a winner! Easy, delicious, able to be topped in so many ways! This will definitely go into “My Signature Dishes” file! Thank you! ★★★★★”
One reader, Leah, commented: “These were super easy to make and incredibly delicious. It was difficult to just eat one. 10/10. ★★★★★”
I have a few mini cheesecake recipes:
They’re simple, they’re delicious, and at only a few bites each, they’re perfect for portion control. Today’s recipe is my go-to, signature version of the classic flavor. Since first sharing it in 2018, I’ve slightly scaled it up to yield 1 full dozen thick and creamy cheesecakes.
Why You’ll Love These Mini Cheesecakes
- Quicker and easier to make than a full cheesecake
- Same creamy, velvety-smooth filling and buttery graham cracker crust you love in a classic cheesecake
- Individual grab-and-go portions are great for parties—no fork and plate required!
- Wonderful make-ahead dessert option
- Perfect base for so many different topping options—see below for some suggestions
Ingredients You Need & Why
With so few ingredients making up the filling, you can be sure that each one is there to serve a specific purpose:
- Bricks of Cream Cheese: Whichever brand you use, make sure you’re using bricks of full-fat cream cheese—not the cream cheese in a tub you would use for spreading on bagels. Same rule applies when making cream cheese frosting and strawberry cream cheese pie.
- Granulated Sugar: You’ll love that this cheesecake isn’t overly sweet. Vanilla sugar would be great here, if you have some!
- Sour Cream: You need 1/4 cup of sour cream to help bind the ingredients together and smooth out the filling so it tastes creamy. It may be a small amount, but trust me when I say this is an essential ingredient.
- Vanilla Extract: Feel free to use homemade vanilla extract or even vanilla bean paste here.
- Lemon Juice: A splash of lemon juice adds freshness and depth of flavor.
- Eggs: A main ingredient in any baked cheesecake! Add them right at the end, and be sure to not over-mix the batter once the eggs are incorporated.
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. Like the big version, pre-bake the crust, and make sure your cheesecake batter ingredients are at room temperature.
Mix up the graham cracker crust ingredients including graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. You need 8 full-sheet graham crackers for this. Firmly press a heaping Tablespoon of the crust mixture into each cupcake liner. Bake the crusts for 6 minutes, to give them a little head start.
Next, make the cheesecake filling using an electric mixer. It’s important to beat the cream cheese and sugar together until there are zero lumps; stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times as needed.
Like with most cheesecake recipes, add the eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined before adding the next. Do not over-mix.
Expect a creamy, thick batter:
Bake the cheesecakes in a lined standard 12-count muffin pan. 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. Yum!
Here’s an Easy Cheesecake “Water Bath” Method (& It’s Optional)
If you’ve never made cheesecake before, you might be wondering what a water bath is and why you need one. I actually have an entire post and video tutorial dedicated to How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath, if you’re interested in learning more.
Baking these mini cheesecakes with a water bath is optional, but I recommend it because it keeps the cheesecakes from sinking as they cool. Cheesecakes like to bake in a humid environment, and you can create that by pouring boiling water into a large roasting pan set on the oven rack below the muffin pan of mini cheesecakes. Close the oven door quickly to trap the steam inside. This is a simpler version of a traditional water bath, and it works great for these minis!
Bake the mini cheesecakes until the edges are set and the centers slightly jiggle when you tap the pan, about 20 minutes.
Set the pan on a cooling rack and allow the mini cheesecakes to cool at room temperature for 45 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.
And even if your mini cheesecakes do sink down after baking (some sinkage is always expected!), this just gives you plenty of room for…
Cheesecake Toppings:
- Strawberry Sauce, Raspberry Sauce, or Blueberry Sauce
- Lemon Curd
- Homemade Whipped Cream and fresh berries/mint
- Homemade Salted Caramel
- Chocolate Ganache
Mini Cheesecakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Bake deliciously creamy mini cheesecakes in a muffin pan! This easy recipe yields a dozen 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
Crust
- 1 cup (120g) graham cracker crumbs (about 8 full sheet graham crackers)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a standard 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- 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. Bake the crusts for 6 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 completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, and beat until fully combined. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined before adding the next. Do not over-mix. Divide the batter among the liners, filling each all the way to the top. (It’s OK if the crust is still warm.)
- Optional Water Bath (prevents cheesecakes from excess sinking; skip this step if desired): Boil a pot of water. You need 1 inch of water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. Place a large metal baking or roasting pan (I usually use a 9×13-inch baking pan—do not use glass) on the bottom oven rack of the preheated oven. Pour boiling water into pan, about 1 inch deep. Immediately place the cheesecakes on the center rack. Close oven to trap the steam inside. This unique water bath adds steam to the oven without having the muffin pan sit inside the water itself, which is a traditional water bath method used for full-size cheesecakes.
- Bake until the edges are set and the centers slightly jiggle when you tap the pan, about 20 minutes.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack and allow cheesecakes to cool at room temperature for 45 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. (Or place in the freezer for 1 hour to speed things up.) If chilling in the refrigerator for longer than 2 hours, loosely cover the cheesecakes. Even if you used the water bath method in step 4, the cheesecakes will slightly sink as they cool.
- Top the cheesecakes: I used Wilton 1M tip for piping whipped cream on the pictured mini cheesecakes. Garnish with berries, mint, and/or other toppings suggested in recipe Notes. Whipped cream can be made and piped/spread on mini cheesecakes up to 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate decorated cheesecakes until ready to 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 berries and mint, and/or homemade whipped cream.
- 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.
- Updated in 2025: This recipe was updated to scale up to 1 full dozen cheesecakes. To make the old version, use 2/3 cup (65g) graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tbsp (29g) melted unsalted butter, and 1 Tbsp sugar for the crust. For the filling, use 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, 1/4 cup (50g) sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 egg. The sour cream and lemon juice remain the same. Use the same baking and cooling instructions. Makes 9 cheesecakes that aren’t quite as thick.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Has anyone tried using cinnamon graham crackers for the crust? Would this mess with the other flavors too much? Planning on doing fresh whipped cream and berries as my topping.
Hi MM, the taste will be different of course, but if you like cinnamon that won’t be a problem here. Enjoy!
My wife is allergic to all citrus is there something else I can use instead of lemon juice? I frequently substitute apple cider vinegar when its necessary for chemistry reasons but Im unsure how it would work as a flavor substitute.
Hi Kirsten! You can just leave out the lemon juice if needed.
Very good!
Thank you so much for the updated recipe, which now makes a dozen.
These are easy to make and come out just perfectly!
Hi Sally,
Can I bake these without the crust
Hi Karen, we fear you’ll have a hard time removing the cheesecakes from the cupcake wrappers if there’s no crust, though you can certainly try it. Skip the pre-bake time and bake the cheesecakes until the edges are set and the centers only slightly jiggle, which will probably still be about 18-20 minutes. Let us know if you try it!
I made these Mini Cheesecakes for Father’s Day weekend and my family and loved them! So delicious and simple . Love it . I wish I could post a picture! Yummy!
Truly delicious and simple to whip up. Family loved the size and flavor.
Baked these as minis for a tea party yesterday and they were wonderful! This was my first time attempting any cheesecake dessert. The recipe was easy to follow, and came out exactly as pictured. The taste was perfect for my topping of a blueberry and mini lemon wedge. The crust was a little crumbly (but they did not fall apart). I’ll absolutely use this recipe again, and maybe add a half tablespoon more butter to the crust.
This is why you’re the best Sally: notes to non-US readers. I was originally disappointed when I started reading as you said not to use tubs of cream cheese, because I can’t get block cream cheese in the U.K., even though I have made American cheesecakes before with the tub cream cheese you get here. But you anticipated that in the notes- thank you! Can’t wait to try these with digestive biscuits.
Excellent….would not change a thing! Wonderful flavor and texture and tidy little cakes to pack up for a small gathering. I even forgot to bake crumb crust for 6 minutes and they held together perfectly and there was no trouble.
Note….to press crumbs into pan I used a paper muffin cup and placed it into cavity over crumbs and pressed a small spice jar onto the paper and it worked perfectly.
That’s a great idea! I think I’ll do that next time.
Excellent….would not change a thing! Wonderful flavor and texture and tidy little cakes to pack up for a small gathering. I even forgot to bake crumb crust for 6 minutes and they held together perfectly and there was no trouble.
Note….to press crumbs into pan I used a paper muffin cup and placed it into cavity over crumbs and pressed a small spice jar onto the paper and it worked perfectly.
Yes, this recipe is a winner! Easy, delicious, able to be topped in so many ways! This will definitely go into “My Signature Dishes” file! Thank you!
These are delicious- light and fluffy. Can easily eat more than one. Topped w/ salted Carmel. This is a keeper. Will definitely make again. Thank you for this recipe Sally.
I have made these before and they were delicious! This time, I would like to add lemon curd to some and blueberry sauce to some for a variety of flavors. Do you add the curd and sauce before or after baking the mini cheesecakes?
Hi Casey, you can add the lemon curd and sauce after baking and cooling the cheesecakes. Enjoy!
Made these several times very easy and delicious!
Can I top these with cookies and cream buttercream? The fruit toppings might be messy for transporting.
Absolutely!
Wow…I knew these would be good but I was still impressed with just how delicious they are! Super easy too, definitely making again soon.
I made these and added some of Sally’s Blueberry Topping recipe! I layered a dollop into the center of the cheesecakes, swirled it in and added some on top. It was absolutely perfect!
A wonderful little handheld dessert. Loved them. I made them and added a little mixed berry compote. I will DEF make them again.
Very quick to make and incredibly delicious. I used jarred cherry pie filling to add a small spoon of cherries on top of each. A perfect two bite treat.
These were super easy to make and incredibly delicious. It was difficult to just eat one. 10/10
I made these with your strawberry topping sauce and it was wonderful. You mentioned making mini ones, but do you think they could be made in jumbo cupcake pans, using this recipe to make six? If you think that would work, what is your guesstimate for baking time? Thank you.
Hi, we don’t see why that wouldn’t work, but are unsure of the bake time. If you decide to try it, please report back!
Can I use silicone cupcake molds for this and will I need to add baking time?
We’re sure you could, Janelle, but we haven’t tested it. Let us know if you do!
What is the purpose of the lemon juice? Can I switch this to orange juice instead?
I have a family member allergic to lemon.
Hi Maureen, A splash of lemon juice adds freshness and depth of flavor here. You could leave it out if needed, but the flavor may be a little lacking.
Want to try sound so much simpler than a regular cheesecake and faster cooking time . Make mine without a crust have done 1 with a crust both are great.
Can I get the original recipe for the mini cheesecake please
Absolutely! The changes are listed in the recipe Notes. The recipe was slightly scaled up. The cheesecakes are thicker now, and the recipe yields more.
I can’t wait to do this one the lemon pie one and the cheese mini thank u can’t wait for September I order my book on amazon thank u
Sally ~ this looks great! I am looking forward to giving it a try. Thanks!
I made your large blueberry muffins and the we’re fabulous. I have already preordered your new book and now I will be anxiously waiting for the challenge recipes to come each month
Hi Mary, thank you so much for this thoughtful comment! I really appreciate it, and am so happy to hear that you preordered my cookbook. I actually just received my advanced author copy this week and I’m THRILLED with it. I can’t wait for readers to have it, too.
I am going to try this. I have a question – can you freeze these successfully?
Hi Pat, absolutely! Freeze individual baked cheesecakes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Hi Sally,
A problem I constantly run into when making cheesecake is when I want to make a flavored one and every single recipe just gives swirls and toppings. Do you have any advice on if I wanted to make fruit mini cheesecakes with a fruit reduction added into the filling? I’m not sure how to adjust the ratios
Hi Alice, you could reduce the sour cream by half and add a couple Tablespoons of jam or fruit reduction. I have a couple other flavors I have published: mini margarita cheesecakes and mini pumpkin cheesecakes
Can I use whipped cream cheese to substitute for part of the brick cream cheese?
Hi Wendy, brick-style cream cheese is crucial for these cheesecakes. Whipped cream cheese will not set properly.