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!
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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.
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.
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.
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.
- Pavlovas
- Mini Pumpkin Pies
- Baklava Cups
- Eton Mess
- Raspberry Mousse Cups
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Coconut Balls
Mini Cheesecakes with Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
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:
- 16 oz cream cheese, from two 8oz packages, softened
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
Topping Ingredients:
- 1 cup caramel sauce
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon to garnish, optional
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
**Cooks Tip: Mixing the condensed milk on LOW speed helps knock out excess air bubbles which can cause the cheesecakes to crack.
Can I bake this in a round cheesecake pan? Have you tried it?
Hi Maria! 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.
Can’t wait to make these for the holidays. Sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Question – how long will these keep? Thinking of making them today for a gathering on Sunday. Will they still be fresh?
Hi Tanya! See my “make ahead” section above. You can refrigerate or freeze them.’
I have not tried these yet, but I love the GF option. I have never mastered baking with Gluten free option. I love to cook but not good of changing the recipe to Gluten free. I plan to try it this week. Thanks
June
I hope you love it, June!
Thank you for a great recipe Natasha. I have a question – I am concerned about the cheesecake cupcake sticking to the paper cup. How easy is it to remove the cupcake from the casing – must I pre-spay the casing with a non-stick product like Spray & Cook before I put the filling in? Many thanks. Elsabe
Hi Elsabe! They remove easily without any issues. No need to spray.
I just made these mini caramel cheesecakes. Oh my goodness!! They are fantastic!! Thank you for the recipe 😊
You are so very welcome!
The best recipe that I keep on my go to list for mini cheesecakes
Can this recipe of mini caramel cheesecake be made as 1 x large round cheesecake without changing recipe?
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.
Easy & Impresive!
I used my coffee tamper to tap down the grahams after pulling the bit up the sides. Worked great!
That’s lovely to hear, Teri! Thank you for your excellent comments and review!
Hey Natasha. I think I accidentally commented on the wrong blog post earlier 🥲 I meant to comment on this one.
My family and I loved this recipe the last I made it. Out of curiosity though, it is possible for me to add a little sour cream or yogurt simply for the flavour? Thank you 😊
Hi Dianne! I’m glad you love this recipe. I haven’t tested it in this recipe but here is what one of our readers wrote: “It worked! I used 5 packs of cream cheese, 6 eggs, 1/2 cup of sour cream, and 2 cans of condensed milk. Baked for an hour at 325 until just barely turning golden on top. Next time I would do 1.5 cans of the sweetened condensed milk for less sweetness. Thanks for the inspiration! This is my new favorite cheesecake now!” I hope that helps!
Natasha, I will definitely be making these. My question, I’m not a fan of carmel sauce, what would be an alternative? Thank you!
Hi Angela! Any topping can work, fruit is the most common with fresh fruit or something like my Strawberry sauce recipe .
oh my goodness, this is everything that I wanted it to be and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazing dessert!
These were so fun to make and the perfect size! I took them to a party and they were a hit!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Mel! I’m so glad these were a hit!
Love mini cheesecakes!! And, the caramel sauce is so creamy & delicious! Great for any party or occasion!
Can I get the recipe for the Carmel sauce please?
Here’s my recipe for the Caramel Sauce.
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.
I want to make these mini cheesecakes but 24 is a lot. Can these be frozen before adding whipped cream?
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.
Crust was soggy and Carmel was grainy. Cheese cake was good.
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)
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
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.
Could this recipe be made as a whole cheese cake? And what size pan
Hi Liz, here’s the full version of the recipe.
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.💖
Thank you so much. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!