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
What size ice cream scoop are you using to spoon the cheesecake mixture into the cups?
Hi Jess, we used this 4oz scoop HERE. I hope that helps.
Made them a couple of weeks ago. Made them again tonight to share with coworkers tomorrow. They are, bar none, the easiest and best tasting I’ve made. Thank you for the easy and delicious recipe!
You are most welcome, JD. Thank you for your great comments and feedback!
This is the best mini cheesecakes I have ever tasted and made – the condensed milk makes it even better. I really want to make these exact mini cheesecakes for Thanksgiving – can I add pumpkin puree to the mix to give it that pumpkin taste?
Hi Cachet, I haven’t tested it with this recipe but I would follow the main steps from our Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe HERE.
I split the batter into 2 portions and made half regular and half pumpkin. For the pumpkin, I added 3/4 cup of pumpkin pie filling to the remaining half of the batter. Both flavors turned out amazing !
Thank you so much for sharing that with us! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I made these tonight and will finish them off tomorrow with the whip cream. They baked up so nicely and I ate one that ACCIDENTALLY fell on the counter 🙂 THEY’RE DELICIOUS, I love it because they’re not super sweet!
Hello Linda, I’m glad you loved these mini cheesecakes! Thank you so much for your great feedback and for sharing that with us.
I absolutely love your recipes, they are soo easy to follow. I am trying these mini cheesecakes for the first time and was wondering I only have a 300 ml tin of condensed milk, would that be enough to work?
Hi Sam, without testing that, I’m not sure how it would affect the recipe.
In case of having only unsweetened milk, how much and what kind of sugar would you add to make a sweetened milk?
Thank you.
Hi Agnieszka, The condensed milk is the secret ingredient of this recipe, and I have not tried any substitute for this yet. It’s thicker and creamier than standard milk, so milk and sugar alone will likely not work.
Hi Natasha,
I was wondering have you ever made these with mini cupcake pans? I am doing a bite-sized dessert spread and was wondering if you have and if so, any advice! Thank you!
Hi Jilian, I have not tried this with mini cupcake pans, but that may work; I have not tested that with mini cupcakes to advise.
Hi Natasha, do I have to reduce the baking time if I am using a 12 count cupcake tin?
Hi Mohini, the bake time should not differ by much, if by any. If they are the same size as we made them, it should remain close to the same.
Thank you for this awsome recipe..my friends and family love it and they told me this is there new fav cheesecake:) i gonna make it again later thank you :*
That’s so great! I’m so glad you found a favorite!
I haven’t tried yet, but this looks so delicious… question on the whipping cream… I plan to make these and take with me to a friends house (1.5hrs drive) do you think the whipping cream will last this long and not melt? If not, any idea what I can do to make them last or what alternatives to use? Thanks
Hi Jasmin, if they are sturdy and in a cooler or refrigerated they might. You can also pipe on the whipping cream once you get there.
Hey Natasha.
I saw one of your recipes on facebook and have been a fan ever since. I have tried a few of them and they are a hit.
Question about the mini cheesecake whipping cream, Can I use ready made whipped cream or will that alter the taste? And if ok do I add vanilla to the ready made whipped cream?
Hi Kaiti, I make my own whipped cream but you can use ready-made, just be sure to add it just before serving. I would probably avoid mixing in vanilla since the ready-made usually are flavored pretty well. It should still work out great.
Hi Natasha! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. I just made the mini cheesecake cupcakes and it came out really good and it’s a perfect desserts. I love all the recipes that your share and enjoying marking most of it. You’re the best and keep up the good work. Hope all is well with your and your family. Love,
Rhea from Harford County, MD
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Rhea!
Can this recipe be used as a 9″ cheesecake instead of individual cupcakes?
Hi, I haven’t tried that with this recipe. Here is the recipe we use for a classic cheesecake.
Hi Natasha, can I use light cream cheese instead?
Hi Julie, I haven’t tried this with light cream cheese to advise.
‘Hi Natasha,
I live in Australia. We dont have graham crackers. What other biscuits could you use
Hello Noeleen, I am not really sure what you use there as a substitute for graham crackers. You may try ice cream cones or pretzels but I’m not sure how it would taste.
I would love to try and make these for thanksgiving with a pumpkin twist. Any advice on how to make these pumpkin cheesecake flavor? Thanks
Hi Kc, I honestly haven’t tried that. We have a great pumpkin cheesecake recipe but haven’t tried adapting it to mini pumpkin cheesecakes.
There is a post in August from someone who lives in Australia and she said she used butternut snap biscuits…
HI , Noeleen, I use Arnotts Nice biscuits crushed up for my cheesecakes with the melted butter, turns out beautiful, Mel Aussie
That’s a great idea! Thank you for sharing that with me Mel!
You can also use digestive biscuits , I tried it with coconut biscuits and ginger they are all good 😁😁
I use an entire cookie/biscuit for the bottom crust instead of graham crackers. A million choices and flavors as long as they are small enough to fit in the cupcake tin.
If I want to 1/2 the recipe for mini Carmel cheesecake what would you do for 1/2 the egg . It is 3 eggs for full recipe . Would you still do with 3 eggs ?
Hi Linda, I would cut everything down proportionally. You could use 2 small eggs or lightly beat 1 egg (to divide it easier) and just use half of it.
Hey Natasha, how much time ahead can I make the whipped cream before I can put it on the cheesecakes without it going bad?
Hi Rebecca, you make them a couple of days in advance, just keep them in the refrigerator. But you are welcome to add the cream before serving also.
Hi Natasha,
This is your biggest fun from Greece, EU.
I was wondering if I can make this cheesecake as one big in a spring form pan instead of 24 mini. Should I try it?
Thanks a lot
Hi Georgia, I would follow this recipe here for a big cheesecake. It’s the same exact recipe simply change the topping for caramel.
Hi Natasha ,
I tried your recipe for the cheese cake and everyone loved it!!! If possible can you show / assist in measurement for a smaller cheese cake (6” instead of the 9”)
Hi Hema, I have only tried this in a 9″ pan to advise. If you experiment with a 6″ I would love to know how you like that.
Hi Hema, I haven’t tested this in a 6″ springform so I can’t say for sure. You would have to scale the recipe down proportionally or it would overflow.
Hi natasha,
these look delish! do you think I can add some cocoa powder to make them chocolate cheesecake? if so, how much would you recommend?
Hi Danya, I haven’t tested that to advise. If. you experiment I would love to know how you like that.
Hi Natasha, this mini cheesecakes look so good! I don’t have regular cupcake liners, but have paper baking cups, 5 oz. Do you think they will work, and if they would should i still fill them 3/4 and bake the same amount of time? Thank you very much for bringing yummy food to our home!
Hi Lida, I haven’t tested this recipe with those but I imagine it will work. If you experiment I would love to know how it works out!
Natasha, I made a test batch at first, and used half regular liners and half paper baking cups. They are taller and hold shape up better, but not as pretty of a presentation as with regular cupcake liners. I also baked them a few min longer than regular cupcakes, since I put a little more batter in them. So I definitely used the regular cupcake liners for my second time baking them. My guests were very pleased! Thank you kindly!
So geat to hear that your guests enjoyed these mini cheesecakes. Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Aren’t cupcake liners and paper baking cups the same thing? I just use the paper baking cups you find in any grocery store, so I’d like to know if I should be using something else. Thank you.
Hi Debbie, yes they are the same thing.