These mini cheesecakes are one of the desserts I make the most often! They’re incredibly simple and the recipe makes one dozen perfect mini cheesecakes. The tops naturally indent as they cool, making them perfect for topping with anything you can imagine- salted caramel, chocolate, lemon curd, whipped cream, etc. My Mom made these easy mini cheesecakes every single 4th of July for as long as I can remember and always topped them with cherry and blueberry canned pie filling. I love them with fresh red white and blue berries as well- the options are endless!
Ingredient Notes
- Nilla Wafers – These little cookies make the perfect crust when dropped in the bottom of a cupcake liner. Brand name or generic will be just fine. In the details below, you’ll find two different ways you can do the crust- one involves simply a single Nilla wafer cookie, and the other is a quick crust.
- Cupcake Liners – I find that foil cupcake liners work well. When you purchase foil liners, they come with paper dividers that can be discarded, or saved for a different use. These gold liners in my photos are from Walmart- they’re foil on the outside and paper on the inside and they worked great.
- Cream Cheese – You will need softened full fat or Neufchatel/low fat cream cheese. Avoid fat free. I do find using full-fat cream cheese produces a richer, creamier cheesecake.
- Sugar
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Poweder
- Lemon Juice
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Toppings – The options are endless here! Pie filling makes a quick and easy topper. Ganache and a berry is always a good combo, as is caramel sauce or lemon curd. If you’re making these for the 4th of July, I recommend cherry and blueberry pie fillings or whipped cream with strawberries and blueberries.
How To Make Cheesecake Tarts
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Fill a muffin pan with 12 foil cupcake liners. Place a single Nilla wafer at the bottom of each one, OR scroll down for another quick crust option.
- With an electric mixer, beat some cream cheese and sugar. Add in a bit of flour and baking powder and beat to combine. Then add in a couple of eggs, one at a time, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat to combine.
- Divide the batter between 12 muffin papers. They will be filled up close to the top, that’s okay! Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. They’ll puff way up during baking, but they’ll settle after being chilled.
- When you take them out of the oven, place them on a cooling rack and let them cool completely. While they cool, they will sink down in the center. Don’t worry- that’s normal! It makes the perfect little well to fill up with the fruit filling. Before you top them, chill in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours or preferably over night. Then top and serve. You can be creative and top with whatever you like!
Single Cookie Crust or Traditional Crust
I’ve always made these by placing a single Nilla wafer at the bottom of each cheesecake like my mom did. It’s incredibly quick and easy! The texture of the cookie after baking is a bit softer than a traditional cheesecake crust. If you’d like a more traditional crust, it’s super simple- I’ll include this option in the recipe card as well.
How to Top Mini Cheesecakes
- The options are endless. Aside from fresh or canned fruit filling, another favorite of ours is chocolate ganache and a raspberry, or jarred caramel with a sprinkle of flakey salt.
- These are great because you really can just eat them with your hands in a few bites, kind of like a cupcake. Try canned pie filling for a no-fuss option, or a little whipped cream or cool whip with your favorite fresh fruit.
Storing and Other Tips
- Mini cheesecakes are a great make-ahead dessert option. Bake up your cheesecakes a day ahead of time and store, covered in cling wrap, in the refrigerator until ready to top and serve.
- To store leftovers, simply cover with plastic wrap or pop in an airtight container and pop them back in the fridge. These are best eaten within 2-3 days… if they last that long!
- I’ve always made these by placing a single Nilla wafer at the bottom of each cheesecake like my mom did. It’s incredibly quick and easy! The texture of the cookie after baking is a bit softer than a traditional cheesecake crust. If you’d like a more traditional crust, it’s super simple- I’ll include this option in the recipe card as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use foil cupcake liners?
I definitely recommend foil! The cheesecakes tend to stick to traditional paper liners.
How do I know if my mini cheesecakes are done? Can I overcook them?
The beauty of these mini cheesecakes is that they are a really low-fuss alternative to traditional cheesecake. You can test these cakes with a toothpick just like a cupcake. When it comes out clean, they are done! They will be a little golden on top, but not completely browned. They are pretty hard to mess up!
Mini Cheesecake Tarts
A single cookie makes up the crust for each of these single-serve cheesecake tarts. You can top them with whatever you like, but they are especially perfect for the 4th of July with strawberries and blueberries, or cherry and blueberry pie filling.
Servings tarts
Equipment
Ingredients
Cheesecake Tarts
- 12 Nilla Wafer Cookies see below for more traditional cheesecake crust option
- 2 8- ounce packages cream cheese softened or at room temp
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- foil cupcake liners
Optional Toppings
- canned pie filling
- fresh berries
- whipped cream
- chocolate sauce
- caramel sauce
- lemon curd
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F. Fill a muffin pan with 12 foil cupcake liners and place one Nilla Wafer at the bottom of each one. (*Or see below for simple traditional cheesecake crust recipe)
- With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and free of lumps. Add in flour and baking powder and beat to combine. Then add in eggs, one at a time, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat to combine.
- Divide batter between 12 muffin papers, they will be quite full and that's okay! Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. They'll puff way up during baking, but they'll settle after being chilled.
- When you take them out of the oven, place them on a cooling rack and let them cool completely. While they cool, they will sink down in the center. Don't worry- that's normal! It makes the perfect little well to fill up with the fruit filling. It's also not abnormal for these little cheesecakes to have some cracks. No stress since you'll cover up the tops with toppings! you top them, chill in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours or preferably over night.
- Top and serve.
- *Traditional Cheesecake Crust Option
- Place 24 Nilla Wafer cookies in a blender or food processor (or simply place in a zip top bag and smash until crumbs). Place crumbs in a small bowl and mix with 1 ½ tablespoons butter, melted, and ¾ teaspoon sugar. Divide mixture evenly between muffin liners (should be about heaping tablespoon each) and gently press down.
Notes
- The filling options are endless. Aside from fresh or canned fruit filling, another favorite of ours is chocolate ganache and a raspberry, or jarred caramel with a sprinkle of flakey salt.
- These are great because you really can just eat them with your hands in a few bites, kind of like a cupcake. Try canned pie filling for a no-fuss option, or a little whipped cream or cool whip with your favorite fresh fruit.
- Mini cheesecakes are a great make-ahead dessert option. Bake up your cheesecakes a day ahead of time and store, covered in cling wrap, in the refrigerator until ready to top and serve.
- To store leftovers, simply cover with plastic wrap or pop in an airtight container and pop them back in the fridge. These are best eaten within 2-3 days… if they last that long!
- I’ve always made these by placing a single Nilla wafer at the bottom of each cheesecake like my mom did. It’s incredibly quick and easy! The texture of the cookie after baking is a bit softer than a traditional cheesecake crust. If you’d like a more traditional crust, it’s super simple, just follow the recipe as outlined above.
Nutrition
Calories: 158kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Sodium: 104mg, Potassium: 55mg, Fiber: 0.04g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 397IU, Vitamin C: 0.5mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Calories: 158kcal
Cost: $10
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Questions & Reviews
Just kidding, I read the other comments. I swear I’ve made these before in my mini muffin tin, but I don’t remember how I adjusted the cook time. Any suggestions?
Are you using a regular muffin tin or a mini muffin tin? I can’t tell from the pictures.
Can I use regular cupcake holders or does it have to be the foil ones?:)
You can use regular ones, but I find the cheesecake often sticks so that’s why I like the foil ones. They hold up a little better to the dense batter too.
I have used another recipe for mini cheesecakes for years and this one tops it! They are more like a real cheesecake and the lemon juice makes a nice flavor enhancer. Glad to have found it. They were a big hit.
Just made this last night. They are incredible. I did use a graham cracker crust because I may be freezing the leftovers (then this morning after having one for breakfast I realized there probably won’t be leftovers – Ha). Thanks for the easy and very yummy cheesecake recipe.
Thank you so much for the recipe! I just put these in the oven for my nephews 2nd birthday tomorrow. He loves cheesecake and what better way to serve them than as tarts for a two year old?! Thanks so much 🙂
These sound awesome. Can I freeze these? I am hosting an engagement party, I would love to make these at least 4 days prior.
I’ve never frozen these, so I honestly don’t know. That being said, most cheesecakes freeze really well so I image it would work great. You might want to put a graham cracker crust in there though, if you freeze them, because the little nilla wafer might get to soggy.
Good idea. I think i will make them ahead of time… like tomorrow see how they turn out. party’s not till end of August!! Thanks
I just made bite-size versions of these in my mini muffin tin. I used purple mini vanilla wafers for the crust and they were perfect for Valentine’s Day! I couldn’t find mini foil cupcake liners so I just used paper ones, but they worked great! Thanks!
Is there a way to make a crust from grahm crackers instead of vanilla wafers
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving!! and it was a winner.. I couldnt stop eating them. Great recipe, Thanks for sharing!