These cheesecake bites are mini handheld cheesecakes featuring a graham cracker crust and a perfectly light, tangy cheesecake filling. They are just as delicious as a full-size cheesecake, but incredibly easy to make with no water bath and just 20 minutes of bake-time. You will love these for holidays or special occasions!
Cheesecakes are one of my favorite desserts to make, and this bite-size version is a serious game changer! They are just as delicious as a whole cheesecake, but wrapped in a single serving size and so much easier to make! This recipe uses a classic tangy cheesecake filling, but what's great about these is they are 100 percent customizable. You can add a blueberry swirl, mix in some chopped chocolate, or top them with a homemade caramel sauce. Whatever you go with, I guarantee these will be a huge hit!
What You Need to Make Cheesecake Bites:
Muffin pan: I prefer making these in a standard 12-count muffin pan versus a mini muffin pan. The cheesecakes are small enough to hold and eat with your hands, but slightly larger and easier to work with.
Making these in a mini muffin pan is pretty tedious, and the cheesecakes are so tiny and delicate. That being said, if you want to you definitely can, and they will be just as tasty! This recipe will yield about 36 mini bite-size cheesecakes, and the bake time will be roughly the same.
Graham Cracker Crust:
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Granulated sugar
- Butter, melted. Salted or unsalted is fine.
Cheesecake Filling:
For these cheesecake bites I used my favorite classic cheesecake recipe. It's tangy, creamy, perfectly sweet, and is what I use as the base for most of my cheesecake recipes.
- Cream cheese: Full-fat and softened to room temperature. To speed up softening, add the cream cheese to a small plastic bag and place the bag in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 5 minutes. Flip the bag over halfway.
- Sugar: Granulated.
- Flour: All-purpose.
- Sour cream: Full-fat and room temperature. If the sour cream is too cold it can re-harden the cream cheese and make the filling lumpy. Set it out on your counter before you start, it should be ready to go by the time you need it!
- Lemon juice: Fresh-squeezed.
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs: Room temperature. Leave them out on your counter for at least 1 hour, or to quickly bring the eggs to room temperature you can place them in a bowl of lukewarm water for a few minutes.
How to Make Cheesecake Bites:
Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Make the Graham Cracker Crust:
Mix the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter together until evenly combined. Add the crust mixture to each of the liners, about 2 tablespoons in each liner (or 2 teaspoons if using a mini muffin pan). Pack the mixture down tightly and pre bake the crust for 10 minutes while you make the filling.
Make the Cheesecake Filling:
1. Add the softened cream cheese to a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth with no lumps. Add the sugar and flour and beat until smooth and well combined without any lumps. Wipe any lumps of cream cheese from the sides of the bowl and the mixer and mix again until smooth.
2. Add the room temperature sour cream, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth. Switch to a whisk and mix in the room temperature eggs until just combined. Tap the bowl on your counter a few times to release any trapped air bubbles in the filling.
3. Pour the cheesecake batter over the pre baked graham cracker crust and bake the cheesecake bites for 10-12 minutes. They should be slightly puffy around the edges and just a little wobbly in the centers. Remove from the oven and let cool completely at room temperature and then in the fridge before serving. At least 2 hours, but overnight is best so the filling can set fully.
Store the cheesecake bites in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days. You can also keep them frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
Enjoy!
More Cheesecake Recipes:
- Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
- Lemon Cheesecake
- White Chocolate Cheesecake
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Marble Cheesecake
- Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake
📖 RECIPE
Cheesecake Bites
Equipment
- cupcake liners
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
Instructions
- Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Arrange your oven rack to the middle position and preheat your oven to 300°F.
Make the Graham Cracker Crust:
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter until well combined. Add about 2 tablespoons of the crust mixture to each cupcake liner.
- Pack the crust down in each liner and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes while you make the filling.
Cheesecake Filling:
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened cream cheese until smooth with no lumps. Add the granulated sugar and all-purpose flour and mix until combined. Wipe any lumps of cream cheese off of the sides of the bowl and also the mixer, then mix again until smooth.
- Add the room temperature sour cream, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Switch to a whisk and mix in the room temperature eggs until just combined. Don't overmix. Tap the bowl on the counter a few times to release any trapped air bubbles in the filling.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the pre baked graham cracker crust. Bake the cheesecake bites for 10-12 minutes. They should be mostly set and just slightly wobbly in the centers.
- Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature, then cool completely in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but overnight is best.
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