No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes

No Bake Mini Cheesecakes

These adorable little mini no bake cheesecakes are such a quick and easy sweet treat that can be made without ever turning on the stove. They are luscious, creamy, and ultra rich like a cheesecake should be, with a sweet and crunchy Nilla Wafer Crust, graham cracker crust, or an easy oreo crust that basically melts in your mouth. 

If you want to make these extra mini, you can also build them in muffin pans using cupcake liners.  As long as they have had enough time to set up in the fridge (at least an hour or two), they will peel away from the liners.

We topped this version with strawberries and blueberries to give it a red, white and blue patriotic theme for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.  But, there is really no limit to what you can choose to top these little beauties with. We’ve given you loads of ideas below, or try something else and let us know what worked!

Ingredients You Will Need

• Butter – this should be melted but not hot.
• Nilla Wafers – if you don’t have a food processor, an easy way to crush these is to put them into a ziplock bag and press a rolling pin over them until they are small and even crumbs.  You can also substitute graham cracker crumbs or crushed Oreos.
• Sugar – regular white granulated sugar.
• Cinnamon – adding ground cinnamon is completely optional, but tastes great.
• Heavy Whipping Cream – be sure that your cream is nice and cold before whipping.
• Cream Cheese – it is crucial that this be soft, room temperature cream cheese.  If it isn’t soft enough when you go to make it, you can transfer to a microwave-safe container and warm up 10 seconds at a time until soft but not melted.
• Powdered Sugar – it’s always a good idea to sift your powdered sugar.
• Vanilla Extract – pure vanilla extract tastes best.
• Fruit for topping: to make these red, white and blue we used blueberries and strawberries, but really any kind of fruit will taste great here.

How to Make Mini No Bake Cheesecakes

1. Make the crust.  Place 10 clear 8 ounce cups on a baking sheet and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, Nilla Wafer crumbs, sugar and cinnamon and mix well, then spoon about 3 tablespoons into the bottom of each cup.  Press lightly and evenly to form the crust and set aside.
2. Whip cream.  In a large bowl, whisk the cold heavy cream until soft peaks form, then set aside.
3. Mix the cheesecake filling together.  Place the room temperature cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or bowl with the beater attachment of a hand mixer) and beat the cream cheese using the paddle attachment until fluffy.  Once the cream cheese is fluffy, add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix again until fluffy.  Lightly fold in the whipped cream in a few additions using a rubber spatula, mixing just until the cheesecake mixture is evenly combined.
4. Build cheesecakes.  Add the cheesecake mixture to a piping bag and pipe an equal amount into the prepared cups.  Top each mini cheesecake with blueberries and strawberries (or any other fruit that you want).
5. Refrigerate and serve. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days, until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Topping Ideas

We love making mini cheesecakes around the Fourth of July, so we will often make them with blueberries and strawberries for a red, white and blue theme.  However, these taste amazing with a whole variety of other toppings.  Here are some other ideas:

• Lemon Curd and fresh berries.
• Sugared Cranberries or Cranberry Orange Sauce during the holidays.
• Chocolate Ganache set over the top, garnished with fresh raspberries.
• Fresh fruit, such as fresh kiwi, mango, pineapple or peaches.
• Grilled fruit, such as pineapples or peaches.
• Macerated Strawberries– So quick and easy!