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.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Should we use the mini liners and mini cupcake pan?
Hi Sharon, these are standard-sized cupcake liners in a standard cupcake pan. They are called mini cheese cakes but they do not go in a mini cupcake tin. I hope that makes sense.
I made these with my daughter and they are delicious! My only issue was the caramel sauce didn’t fully harden and the whipped cream wasn’t “stiff” enough and the dessert didn’t hold up the look like in the photo. Maybe my mixer isn’t fast enough or something? I followed the recipe step by step.
Great to hear that you enjoyed it! On your next try, you can top the cheesecakes with caramel just before serving it and make sure to cool the caramel completely before adding it.
I made these for my husband’s bday last weekend and they were such a hit! ♥️
The only two problem I had with these was that most of them sank in the center and almost all of them had big cracks. How can I avoid these in the future?
Hi Sue! Good to know that it was a huge hit. Regarding your concern, it can be because of several reasons. One is it could be because of overmixing the batter, next time, you can mix your ingredients just until they are combined. Make sure to bake it also at the right temperature and always preheat your oven before placing the cheesecakes inside. Avoid opening the oven door too, you can use an oven light if you want to check if they’re done.
Hi, do you think we can store the cheesecake batter in the ref for 3 days or more?
Hello, yes that will work! Let us know how it goes if you give this recipe a try!
Can I half the recipe…as in, make 12 standard cupcake size cheesecakes instead of 24? Would that work?
Hi Karen! I’m sure that will work if you half the recipe.
Why did mines rise in the oven and when i took them out they fell causing a crease in the middle and some formed bubbles? I did exactly what the recipe called for
Hi Eliza, if you over-bake them, they rise too much and then collapse.
In all your pics you are showing 2 x 6 cupcake forms. You say 24 mini, is it 12 or 24?
Thanks
Hi Kathy! This recipe as written makes 24 muffin/cupcake size mini cheesecakes.
Hi Natasha, In your video the cupcake pans and liners look like a regular size to me, not mini. Am I mistaken?
Hi Katherin, I have this note in the recipe, I hope it’s helpful to you. & yes, they are regular standard-sized muffin tin. The recipe is called “mini” since these are miniature versions of a full sized cheesekcake which is typically 9″ or bigger. I hope that helps.
Hello Natasha
Thank you for sharing this recipe. What can you add to replace eggs? Please guide me!
Hi there! I haven’t tested an egg substitute. You can try myNo-Bake Mini Cheesecakes instead.
Made this for my daughters birthday and it was very easy and wonderful. Thank you so much.
Love these nice, simple and DELICIOUS! Do you think adding cocoa powder would make a good chocolate cheesecake?
Hi Nichole, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t tested that but I think it could work with a few adjustments. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Made these several times and everybody
Loved them. Also made with crushed Biscoff cookies as the crust.
Made these a few times and everybody loved them !
These mini cheesecakes are a big hit at dinner parties. Very easy to make and so delicious. I printed out the recipe, meaning it’s a keeper and go to. One of my favourite desserts. 😁😁👏
I’m so happy to hear they were a hit, Isobella!