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 5 ingredients. If you want some variety, you can also try the Butterscotch Sauce recipe or 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 or Butterscotch 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
These cupcakes are delicious. I added some pumpkin spice to the recipe.
Thanks you Natacha
That sounds delicious! I’m so glad you loved the recipe.
I love these! I have made them before and they are so yummy! Planning to make them ahead for an event, but I was wondering, how many days is ok to keep them in the refrigerator? Thanks!
Hi Rose! I’m glad you love the recipe. You can refrigerate them in an air-tight container for 3-4 days
Hello, I am making these Carmel mini cheesecakes for the first time… my question is, can I make the whipped cream a day ahead of time?
Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving
Hi Peggy! The whipped cream is best when it’s made fresh. It does not have anything to stabilize it so making it in advance can cause it to loose its volume and become watery/grainy.
Can you make this into a regular size cheesecake ? Thank you
Hi Peggy, this is my go-to recipe for a Classic Cheesecake. You can add caramel sauce to it.
Hi Natasha! Thanks for the wonderful recipe. We tried making it, and it was absolutely delicious. It’s also easy to make. However, our homemade caramel sauce, became salted caramel. The saltiness over-powered the sweetness of caramel, we did not use sea salt, just an ordinary salt, maybe that’s why? But it tasted good, it balanced the overall tastes of the cheesecake.
Almost perfect. We’ll try again soon.
That could be the culprit. I would make some adjustments and reduce your salt to just a few grains next time.
I have made the mini cheesecakes many times. Love it. Need a mini choc cheesecake recipe. Do you have one?
Hi Sandra! I’m glad you love this. No, I do not have a recipe for chocolate version, however- ganache or fudge topping would be great on these!
I managed to get only 22 cheesecakes and that was scraping the bowl completely empty. 🙁 maybe I was a bit too stingy with the graham crackers? Well at least I know that they’ll taste good.
Yes, that could be the case. Just make sure that the measurements are all correct but I’m glad the result was great and yummy!
I’d love to make a chocolate cheesecake version of this. Any ideas for me?
Hi Canda, I have not tested this recipe chocolate but I bet it is possible. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
These turned out really well and was my first time making cheesecake! The grocery store didn’t have light brown sugar for the caramel sauce so I substituted with dark and it was delicious. I doubled the whipping cream recipe and only had a tiny bit left so I’d recommend making two batches if you’re using a generous amount!
Yay! Thanks a lot for your comments and recommendation. Happy to know that you liked the result!
Hey! I was wondering if i can use a 12 cupcake tin pan. The 24 pan lLailooks small. Can i use a 12 cupcake pan or should i use the 24 muffin pan?
Hi Laila! We used standard-sized cupcake pans, not miniature cupcake pans. Using just a 12-cupcake tin would be fine but you’ll need 2 of them since this recipe makes 24. You can also cut the recipe in half if you only want to make 12.
Hi Natasha. Love your recipes. Can we make the mini cheesecakes sugar free for someone who has diabetes? It’s their birthday and they love cheesecake.
Thanks
Iona
Hi Iona! I have not tested it but I think you could. Let us know how it turns out if you experiment.
Hi Natasha can you make a whole cheesecake out of this recipe
Hi Karen! You use the cheesecake with blueberry topping. You can change out the toppings for the caramel sauce.
With the mini chesecakes, I plan to freeze some ….
undecorated
Will put caramel & whipped cream on later.
Sounds ok right?
I freeze cooked pieces of cheesecake frequently
Hi Peggy! I haven’t tried freezing mini cheesecakes, but I imagine these would freeze and thaw fine. I suggest thawing in the fridge and definitely adding the topping before serving and not ahead of time.
Natasha, thank you for the amazing recipe! I made this a few months ago for a coworker’s birthday and everyone loved them. 🤗 They said “it is on point and absolutely delicious!” 😍😋 Keep up the good work! God’s blessings! 🥰
P.S. if I make them into bite-sized cheesecakes, for how long should I bake them for?
Hi Oksana! That’s great. I’m so glad it was loved. Thank you for the wonderful review. You’ll have to watch them in the oven and may need to take them out a few mins early but I cannot say exact time without having tested it.
My husband loves anything pumpkin. How can this be modified to create a pumpkin flavor? I need easy… I don’t bake. Lol
Hi Melissa! I think you could by adding some pumpkin spice to the mix however, be sure to check out my pumpkin cheesecake recipe HERE.
Have you watched this new format for your baking videos? Very frustrating! Ads just keep popping up all over. There is no “X” to delete. Then the video that you are featured in is so small in size. Please return to old format.
Once again, too frustrating!!!
Hi Catherine, there is an “x” in the top left of the little video player. Also, if you are watching our youtube video that is in this post for the cheesecakes, if you turn your phone horizontally while playing the video, the video will cover the whole screen and it is a better viewing experience. I hope that helps!
First a question I only used half the mixture and stored the rest in the fridge. Any problem with bringing it to room temp and baking a few days later? Now these are a hit – I am renaming them babycakes. Caramel sauce is wonderful – I could have eaten it with a spoon by itself. The cakes turned out great – very tasty and sweet – may want to use a few grains of salt to cut the sweetness. A winner!
Hi Judy! I’m so glad you love this recipe. Thank you for the feedback. I have not tried baking the mixture days after it’s made, so I cannot provide feedback on that however, these mini cheesecakes last in the refrigerator for several days and can be frozen.
Made your cheesecakes and they were perfect. Everyone loves them for my party thank you
Good to know that it was a huge hit!
Is it ok to use lowfat/nonfat cream cheese in the base? I’m always looking for ways to reduce saturated fat if I can.
Hi Marlow, I suspect it would work, but I haven’t tested that in this recipe to see how it would affect the texture.
We are celebrating our, 50th Wedding Anniversary in just about 2.5 weeks. Would love to add some cherry and blueberry to these cheese cakes If I freeze these will the paper liners stand up to the moisture of the freezer? I have tried a few of your recipes and I love them all. I too, have been gifted in cooking and baking. It is my passion. Blessings
Hi Linda! Congratulations on your anniversary. I haven’t tried freezing mini cheesecakes, but I imagine these would freeze and thaw fine. I suggest thawing in the fridge and definitely adding the topping before serving and not ahead of time.