These creamy mini cheesecakes are inspired by none other than.. the Cheesecake Factory! This recipe has more than 17 million views on our Youtube (as this post is published) and is also one of our readers' favourites.
We have uncountable messages and emails from our viewers and readers saying how they loved it as it's so easy and never fails. Many have also started selling these and they become one of their customers' favourites also.
We can't express enough how happy, grateful and satisfied we feel to know all the stories and feedback. This recipe truly has a soft spot in our hearts.
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Recipe Highlights
Texture and flavour - Creamy luscious filling with a crunchy base. The mildly sweet filling with delicious cream cheese flavour goes amazing with the contrast of the base that has a touch of saltiness to it. Amazing combo!
Level - Super easy, even for beginners. No water bath is needed.
Size - 12 mini cheesecakes, muffin size.
Occasion - I hate to limit these beauties to any occasion as they are perfect for any time, more when you want to impress somebody who's a cheesecake lover.
Lets Talk Ingredients
Digestive biscuits - Don't get taken aback by their name. We're based in Europe and instead of graham crackers, we use digestive biscuits which are easier to find. Honestly, I love the touch of saltiness from the biscuits, it's a nice contrast flavour.
SUBSTITUTION: Use graham crackers or any other similar biscuits.
Cream cheese - Use full fat, block ones. Not the ones for spreading on toasts, alright?
Sugar - Granulated sugar. Add a bit more if you want to use confectioner sugar as it's not as sweet as granulated. Or adjust to your liking.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Any dry sweetener will work. Add 30% more if you're using erythritol. The same amount for brown and coconut sugar but just know that they'll make the cheesecakes colour darker.
NOTE: I don't recommend using liquid sweetener as it'll affect the texture (too liquid).
All-purpose flour - I know it's not conventional but this small amount of flour will help prevent cracks, which is a huge no-no in baked cheesecakes.
Sour cream - Use full fat, please. We are making cheesecakes here. Go big or go home?
SUBSTITUTION: Use the same amount of full-fat unsweetened Greek yogurt.
Why This Recipe Has More Than 17 Million YouTube Views
These are the feedbacks that we keep getting from everybody who's made this recipe:
Super easy - Many who've never baked a cake, let alone made a baked cheesecake (which we know is tricky), have successfully made this recipe on the first try. No fancy method is needed here.
It works - The recipe never fails. I know it's difficult to find reliable recipes in the internet world but no recipes are published here on our website without me testing them first. We're also known for our reliable recipes here, just letting you know. What you see is what you get.
No water bath - Baked cheesecakes usually need a water bath to cook properly and beautifully. This recipe doesn't need it. Less hassle with great results.
Easy ingredients - No fancy ingredients here. So if you follow exactly my recipe or tips for ingredient substitutions above, then you'll nail it every single time.
Quick cooking time - Only 15 minutes in the oven, yep.
How To Prevent Cracks In Cheesecakes
Baked cheesecakes are considered a success if there's no crack on them. Right? And also when they maintain the flat top, or in other words, they don't deflate when they come out from the oven. Here's how you can easily achieve those:
Room temperature - Ingredients should be at room temperature. This is so that they mix easily with each other.
Don't over-mix - Never, at any point, in any of my baked cheesecake recipes, should you over-mix the filling. Less is extremely more in this case. Over mixing will whip in the air, which will cause the filling to inflate and crack in the oven.
Low speed - Use the lowest speed on your handheld or stand mixer. Remember, we don't want to over-mix.
Low temperature - Not all ovens are made the same. Yours could be hotter than mine, and vice versa. Use a portable oven thermometer to get the accurate temperature, it's very affordable. The high temperature will make them inflate, deflate and crack.
Conventional - Use conventional mode (without fan-assisted) as it'll keep the temperature stable-low. Lower by 20-25 degrees if you're using a convection oven.
Don't overbake - With the correct temperature, they take only 15 minutes to cook. Not more. They should still wiggle in the center when you lightly shake the pan. Over baking will cause them to crack.
Great Cheesecakes Need Time
Making these cheesecakes is super easy and quick. But we want that depth in flavour in our cheesecakes, right?
And we can achieve that by giving some time for the wonderful flavours to blend with each other. Chill the baked room temperature cheesecakes in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours. Preferably 8 hours. Trust me, you'll appreciate it.
Can I Put Them At Room Temperature For A Long Time?
The answer is, no.
All cheesecakes either baked or no-bake, are better-kept chill to maintain their structure. You can have these out on the table for a maximum of 30 minutes, not more.
If for some reason you want them to be longer than that, I'd recommend you freeze them for 1-2 hours, so that they hold longer at room temperature.
Can I Freeze Them?
Yes, you can. I do it all the time.
Place on a tray and freeze for 1 hour. Then put them in an airtight container and back in the freezer, for up to 6 months.
Thaw in the fridge.
More Recipes
- The BEST double chocolate cheesecake
- Fudgy pumpkin cheesecake brownies
- Pecan cheesecake bars
- Whole normal sized Cheesecake Factory inspired
- Cinnamon roll flavoured cheesecake
Recipe Video
📖 Recipe
Easy Mini Cheesecakes
Equipment
- Bowls (1 big and 1 small)
- Food processor or rolling pin (for biscuit crumbs)
- Muffin liners
- Handheld whisk
Ingredients
The Base
- 1 ½ cup biscuits crumbs (150 g) or use graham crackers
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (60 g), melted
The Cheese Filling
- 10.5 oz cream cheese, full fat (300 g), room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- 2 large eggs , room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoon all purpose flour (14 g)
- ¾ cup sour cream, full fat (185 g), room temperature
Optional Toppings
- some strawberry marmalade
- berries of your choice
Instructions
The Base
- Using a food processor, blend digestive biscuits into fine mixture. Pour into a bowl and add melted butter. Mix well.
- Divide evenly into 12 muffin liners in a muffin pan. Using a spoon, press the mixture tightly and evenly. Set aside.
The Cheese Filling
- Using a low speed in your mixer, mix cream cheese until just creamy. While mixing, gradually add in sugar. Then add in eggs 1 by 1, mixing just until well combined.
- Then add in vanilla extract, lemon juice, flour and mix again just until combined. Finally add in sour cream and mix everything together.
- Using an ice cream scoop, divide the cheesecake filling evenly into prepared muffin pan. Gently shake the pan to make the top surface flat.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 320ºF (160ºC), conventional mode, on ⅔ lower rack for 15 minutes or when you gently shake the pan, the cheesecake wiggle a bit and the center look not as set.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature in the pan. Place the pan in the fridge overnight.
How To Serve
- Serve as they are or with some strawberry marmalade and your favourite berries.
Notes
- Do not over-mix to avoid cheesecake from cracking while baking.
- Use a portable oven thermometer to get the accurate oven temperature.
- After chilling them in the fridge, removing the cheesecakes from the pan is easier.
- Don't leave them at room temperature for too long to maintain their structure. The maximum is 30 minutes. Freeze for 1-2 hours if you want them to hold a bit longer than that.
- They last up to 6 months in the freezer.
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition facts provided are an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Originally published on Feb 16, 2019. Updated with improved text and pictures on Aug 11, 2021.
Lyan says
Hello! I was wondering if I could make this cheesecake using a toaster oven? I love your blogs and your YouTube channel. Thank you!
Bea says
Hi Lyan! I can't really say since I haven't tried it (I don't have one), I'm sorry though! Thank you for your support!
Salma says
Very good
candy says
They look great! How did you make your cheesecakes no look like muffins? They don't look like they're wide at the top, like muffins. Did you use a different pan?
Bea says
Hi Candy! These are cheesecakes, they don't have leavening agent so they don't puff up like muffins do. Hope it helps and thank you!
Faezah says
Omg these are so good. I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream and it still came out perfect. However... these don’t last very long. My family finished these in just minutes :’)
Thank you so much for this recipe. I hope you can come out with another flavour for these mini cheesecakes, they’re just too good ❤️
Bea says
Hi Faezah! I'm glad that everybody loved it. I have a chocolate version of this recipe and it's super yum! Do give it a try also. Thank you for your feedback!
Nabila says
Looks really easy, will definitely do it!
Can I use Greek yogurt to replace sour cream? If yes, 185 gr. as well ?
Bea says
Hi Nabila! Although I haven't tried it myself but many have tried using Greek yogurt instead and it came out beautiful. Same amount. Hope it helps and thank you!
Farzeen says
Sorry, I forgot to rate the recipe earlier.
Bea says
And thank you so much for rating it Farzeen! 😀
Farzeen says
Thank you for such an amazing recipe! I absolutely love it! I’ve made it a number of times and it’s turned out divine each time 🙂
I want to make these for an upcoming event but as super mini cheesecakes (bite size). If I were to use a mini cupcake pan for that, how long would you advise me to bake it for?
Bea says
Hi Farzeen! Since I haven't made these into mini ones so I can't exactly say how many minutes (sorry!) but what you can do is look for the physical signs. Bake just until the surrounding sets but the center still wiggles a bit when lightly shaken. Hope it helps and do let me know how it goes.
Chewbakla says
Iade it for hubby's bday and everybody loves it! Thank u
Maryam says
Hi
Can i use this recipe (same amount of ingredients) to make on whole cheesecake instead of mini cheesecakes. If so which size pan should i use ?
Thank you
Bea says
Hi! I'd suggest you make my recipe for a whole plain cheesecake here. Hope it helps!
nathalie says
Bonjour, .je trouve vos recettes en video ,super et bien expliquée , je les traduis en français , je vais essayer de les faire surtout les minis cheesecakes et je vous tiens au courant , bonne continuation.
Maria Theodoridou says
I made this super easy mini cheesecakes
and they are amazing! I couldnt wait until
Tomorrow they have been in the fridge for 4 hrs
and I had to try one they are all you promised
to be delicious they will be even better
Tomorrow when they have chilled overnight!
Thank you for the recipe I will definitely make
them again.
Mayra coronel says
Hola buenas noches está receta solo es en individuales o se puede hacer en un molde más grande ??? Y a qué temperatura hornear 🤗 gracias
LESLIE VILLANUEVA says
Hello, we don't have true sour cream here in France (do you have it in Spain?). Should I use creme fraiche, and add more lemon juice? I have never made cheesecake with yogurt....Thank you!!!
Bea says
Hi Leslie! Yes, we have it in Spain. I always buy it at Aldi (the only place that sells it, that I know of). Although I haven't tried it but many said they used Greek yogurt (full fat) and the result is delicious. Hope it helps.
Rubab says
Hi I made these cheese cakes. Turned out amazing. Topped them with the lemon curd. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Celine says
Hi! I made this cheesecake and it was perfect! I topped it with strawberry jam and whole strawberries. Tasted really really good. I didn’t have yogurt so I increased the portion of the cream cheese instead. Worked perfectly fine. I made cupcakes and a 6” cake. Both cooked well, although I did increase the cooking time for the 6” cake. Great recipe! And very easy to make.
One question though, I found my graham crackers crust was a little too dry after baking and the taste was less graham-y. Is there a way to prevent this? Thank you so much!
Vyra says
I just try the recipe its really good. Thanks for sharing the recipe and for the tips ❤️❤️❤️.