Mini Cheesecakes with caramel sauce are completely delicious and easy to make since the cheesecake base is just 3 ingredients! If you love the classic taste and texture of a classic Cheesecake but want the simplicity of a No-Bake Cheesecake you will love this recipe!

a mini cheesecake with a bite in a hand

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Best Mini Cheesecake Recipe

We have tested scores of mini cheesecake recipes and it’s easy to say, this is THE ONE! One of my readers, Marta, shared her 3-ingredient mini cheesecake recipe with me, and I instantly fell in love with the flavor, texture, and how completely easy they were. This recipe makes 24 cupcake-sized cheesecakes.

Here, we used Marta’s cheesecake recipe, added a super-simple graham cracker crust, and drizzled sweet caramel and whipped cream over each one.

We just love mini, individual-sized desserts like Creme Brulee or Chocolate Souffle, and these mini cheesecakes are so easy and delicious that they will become one of your go-to desserts.

Mini Cheesecakes Video

Watch Natasha whip up these simple mini cheesecakes while giving you her tips on how to make them easy to make and look great for a party. Make these baby cheesecakes once and you’ll make them over and over!

Ingredients for Mini Cheesecakes:

These mini cheesecakes come together quickly and can be easily doubled to treat a whole crowd.

  • Cream Cheese – room temperature so it mixes evenly. We use regular cream cheese bricks for the best texture and taste. Light or whipped won’t create the same flavor.
  • Eggs – room-temperature eggs are the secret to making the batter
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk – the secret ingredient, making the cheesecake perfectly sweetened and creamy smooth
  • Crust – graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and cinnamon combine to make the perfect cheesecake crust. For gluten-free mini cheesecakes, substitute GF graham crackers or omit the crust.
  • Topping – we used our easy Caramel Sauce (you won’t want store-bought after trying it!), using just 4 ingredients. If you want some variety, you can also try the strawberry topping in our Mini Strawberry Cheesecake recipe.
ingredients for our mini cheesecake recipe including butter, sweetend condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs, graham crackers and cinnamon

How to Make Mini Crusts

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 24-count standard-sized muffin tin with cupcake liners.
  • Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and cinnamon in a bowl until evenly moistened.
  • Spoon the mixture evenly into the lined muffin tins, and press the crumbs into the base and slightly up the sides.

How to Make Mini Cheesecakes

  • Whisk the cream cheese and eggs (by hand or with a hand mixer) on high speed for 5 minutes, or until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add condensed milk and mix on LOW speed for 2 minutes to avoid adding air bubbles that can cause the cheesecakes to crack when baking.
  • Divide the batter evenly over the 24 crusts, filling each one about 3/4 full (or with a level ice cream scoop), and bake at 350˚F for 15 minutes. The cheesecakes should be set but still have a very slight jiggle in the center. Do not overbake.
  • Cool the cupcakes in the muffin tin to room temperature before spooning Caramel Sauce over each one. Refrigerate the cooled and topped cheesecakes for 2 hours. Then, dollop homemade whipped cream (see directions below) and dust with cinnamon, if desired.

Pro Tip

Avoid overbaking. Due to their small size, mini cheesecakes cook much faster than traditional Cheesecakes, so it’s easy to overbake. Take them out of the oven when the edges are set and the center may have a very slight wobble. Also, cracking is a sign of overbaking.

How to Make Whipped Cream Topping

  • Combine 1 cup cold heavy cream, 1 Tbsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp of vanilla in a large mixing bowl (preferably a chilled bowl). Beat the ingredients together with an electric mixture or hand mixer on high speed for 2 minutes or until fluffy. Using a piping bag with a star tip, pipe the whipped cream over each cupcake.
mini cheesecake cupcake with caramel sauce and whipped cream

Make-Ahead

You can completely assemble, decorate, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In fact, ours tasted and looked perfect the next day. We just love make-ahead desserts!

  • To Refrigerate: Cover in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 days
  • Freezing: Before topping with sauce or whipped cream, flash-freeze cheesecakes by placing them on a sheet pan in the freezer. When frozen, store it in a covered container or ziptop bag in a single layer, being sure to get the air out of the container.
  • To Serve: Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Mini cheesecake recipe with caramel sauce and whipped cream

These mini cheesecakes are so easy to make and so incredibly creamy and delicious! Make them a day ahead to take one “to-do” off your list before hosting friends and family, because these cheesecake cupcakes are truly the perfect party dessert!

More Mini Dessert Recipes

Once you try this mini cheesecake recipe, we bet you’ll fall in love with bite-sized desserts, especially when hosting! Here are a few of our favorite mini desserts to serve at your next party.

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Mini Cheesecakes with Caramel Sauce

4.97 from 230 votes
Author: Natasha Kravchuk
A bite taken out of a mini cheesecake cupcake with caramel sauce
These mini cheesecakes with caramel sauce are delicious! The base is just 3 ingredients. We love the flavor, texture and how completely EASY they were!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Refrigerate: 2 hours

Ingredients 

Servings: 24 mini cheesecakes

For the Crust:

  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, from 12 whole crackers*
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the Mini Cheesecakes:

Topping Ingredients:

Instructions

How to Make the Crust:

  • Prep: Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line a 24-count muffin tin with standard cupcake liners.
  • In a bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 6 Tbsp melted butter, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Stir to evenly moisten crumbs.
  • Divide crumbs between 24 cupcake liners (about 1 Tbsp in each). Push crumbs into the base and slightly up the sides using a small spoon or your fingers.

How to Make Mini Cheesecakes:

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat together 16 oz cream cheese and 3 eggs with on high speed 5 minutes, until blended and smooth, scraping down bowl as needed. Add condensed milk and mix on low speed** until blended (2 min).
  • Divide cheesecake mix evenly between cupcake liners – about 3/4 full (or a level ice cream scoop in each one) and bake at 350˚F for 15 min. They should be set with a very slight jiggle in the center. Don't over-bake. If you notice them starting to crack in the oven, they are over-baking.
  • Cool to room temp in baking dish then spoon 1/2 to 1 Tbsp caramel sauce over each one. Refrigerate 2 hrs or until fully chilled then top with whipped cream using a piping bag with large star tip. Lightly dust with cinnamon if desired. Serve with or without liners.

How to Make Whipped Cream:

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup cold heavy cream, 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla and beat together with an electric mixer on high speed for 2 minutes or until whipped and fluffy.

Notes

*For gluten free, use GF crackers/cookies or omit the crust and proceed with recipe as directed. The crust helps them rise more evenly but they still taste great without it.
**Cooks Tip: Mixing the condensed milk on LOW speed helps knock out excess air bubbles which can cause the cheesecakes to crack.

Nutrition Per Serving

233kcal Calories20g Carbs3g Protein15g Fat8g Saturated Fat68mg Cholesterol161mg Sodium119mg Potassium11g Sugar570IU Vitamin A0.5mg Vitamin C86mg Calcium0.4mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Mini Cheesecakes with Caramel Sauce
Amount per Serving
Calories
233
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
15
g
23
%
Saturated Fat
 
8
g
50
%
Cholesterol
 
68
mg
23
%
Sodium
 
161
mg
7
%
Potassium
 
119
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
 
20
g
7
%
Sugar
 
11
g
12
%
Protein
 
3
g
6
%
Vitamin A
 
570
IU
11
%
Vitamin C
 
0.5
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
86
mg
9
%
Iron
 
0.4
mg
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: mini cheesecakes
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 233

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

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Comments

  • Sharon Williams
    April 14, 2024

    Can this recipe of mini caramel cheesecake be made as 1 x large round cheesecake without changing recipe?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      April 15, 2024

      Hi Sharon! I have not tested this as a large cheesecake. If you experiment, let me know how it goes. We always use our go-to perfect cheesecake recipe when making a large sized cheesecake.

      Reply

  • Teri R.
    April 14, 2024

    Easy & Impresive!
    I used my coffee tamper to tap down the grahams after pulling the bit up the sides. Worked great!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      April 14, 2024

      That’s lovely to hear, Teri! Thank you for your excellent comments and review!

      Reply

  • Angela
    April 10, 2024

    Natasha, I will definitely be making these. My question, I’m not a fan of carmel sauce, what would be an alternative? Thank you!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      April 10, 2024

      Hi Angela! Any topping can work, fruit is the most common with fresh fruit or something like my Strawberry sauce recipe .

      Reply

  • jess
    April 8, 2024

    oh my goodness, this is everything that I wanted it to be and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazing dessert!

    Reply

  • Mel
    April 8, 2024

    These were so fun to make and the perfect size! I took them to a party and they were a hit!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      April 8, 2024

      That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Mel! I’m so glad these were a hit!

      Reply

  • Kristyn
    April 8, 2024

    Love mini cheesecakes!! And, the caramel sauce is so creamy & delicious! Great for any party or occasion!

    Reply

  • Candy
    March 29, 2024

    Tired your mini cheese cakes, they were so delicious.I try to make it when I get invited to my friends house for special occasions.. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  • Cindi
    March 25, 2024

    I want to make these mini cheesecakes but 24 is a lot. Can these be frozen before adding whipped cream?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 25, 2024

      Hi Cindi! I haven’t frozen these but generally cheesecake freezes well so it should work fine. Also, you can adjust the serving size in the recipe card which will convert the ingredients for you so you can make a larger/smaller portion.

      Reply

  • Jane
    March 19, 2024

    Crust was soggy and Carmel was grainy. Cheese cake was good.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      March 20, 2024

      Hi Jane, I haven’t had that happen but I’m happy to try to troubleshoot – did you have your oven fully preheated when baking? This would prevent a soggy crust. Also make sure to use the same proportions of crumbs to butter. A grainy caramel usually means overheating when the caramel was made (heating on too high of heat, or over-stirring can result in undissolved sugar crystals)

      Reply

  • June
    March 14, 2024

    I had someone ask me to make mini egg cheesecakes. Can I make this recipe and fold in some mini eggs before I bake them and then add some on top once they cool. YIA. This is my favourite recipe

    Reply

    • Natasha
      March 14, 2024

      Hi June, I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure how it would affect the rise or outcome of the mini cheesecakes. I would probably just garnish the top with the little candy eggs.

      Reply

  • Liz W
    March 4, 2024

    Could this recipe be made as a whole cheese cake? And what size pan

    Reply

  • Jeri
    February 12, 2024

    Hi Natasha!! I love your recipes and I especially love your style!
    I will have to try these tasty little cheesecakes and I look forward to seeing more of your culinary art.💖

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 12, 2024

      Thank you so much. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!

      Reply

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