These mini strawberry cheesecakes are adorable, hand-held cheesecakes made with a graham cracker crust, a tangy cheesecake filling, and a homemade fresh strawberry sauce topping. They are easy to make and perfect for parties or entertaining!
Cheesecakes have always been one of my favorite desserts, and now that I've started making them in mini form, I have to say it's a real game changer!
Mini cheesecakes are just as delicious as the full-size version, but so much easier to make! You just need a muffin pan, some cupcake liners, and a few simple ingredients to make them. And there's no water bath or hours of slow cooling to worry about.
For these mini strawberry cheesecakes, I used my favorite classic tangy cheesecake recipe and added a simple fresh strawberry sauce on top. Feel free to swap the strawberries for another fruit like blueberries, mangos, or cherries. Whatever you're making these for, I guarantee they will be a huge hit!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MINI STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKES
STRAWBERRY SAUCE:
- Strawberries: Sliced. Fresh or frozen.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and helps the strawberries release their liquid.
- Lemon juice: Fresh-squeezed. You can also use water instead of the lemon juice.
- Water: Or more lemon juice.
- Cornstarch: Just half a teaspoon to thicken the sauce slightly.
GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:
- Graham cracker crumbs: You can buy store-bought crumbs or crush the graham crackers into crumbs with a food processor.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps bind the crust.
- Melted butter: Salted or unsalted butter is fine.
CHEESECAKE FILLING:
- Cream cheese: Full-fat and softened to room temperature. It's important the cream cheese is completely softened when you use it. To speed up softening you can cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces, or you can add the unwrapped package of cream cheese to a small plastic bag and place the bag in a bowl of lukewarm water for a few minutes.
- Granulated sugar
- Flour: All-purpose flour helps thicken the filling.
- Sour cream: I love using sour cream for a delicious tangy flavor. Always use full-fat and room temperature sour cream. If the sour cream is too cold it can make the filling lumpy and lead to overmixing.
- Lemon juice: For even more tangy flavor, always use fresh-squeezed, not bottled!
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs: Room temperature is a must! Set the eggs out on your counter for at least 1 hour. Or to quickly bring the eggs to room temperature you can place them in a bowl of lukewarm water for a few minutes.
HOW TO MAKE MINI STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKES
Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.
MAKE THE STRAWBERRY SAUCE:
1. Add the fresh or frozen sliced strawberries and sugar to a saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries begin to release their liquid.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch, water, and fresh lemon juice. Add it to the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring and mashing the strawberries as you do. Once the liquid is boiling, lower the heat and continue to cook and stir until the sauce is bubbly and thick.
3. Take the pan off of the heat and immediately strain the sauce through a sieve and into a bowl. Set aside and allow to cool.
MAKE THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:
Mix the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter together in a bowl or food processor until the mixture comes together. It should have a texture similar to wet sand.
Add about 2 tablespoons of the crust mixture to each of the liners and pack it down tightly in each.
Pre bake the crust for 10 minutes while you make the filling.
MAKE THE CHEESECAKE FILLING:
1. Add the softened cream cheese to a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth with no lumps. Add the sugar and flour and beat until smooth and well combined. Wipe any hard clumps of cream cheese off the sides of the bowl and the mixer and mix again until smooth.
2. Mix in the room temperature sour cream, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and vanilla extract until combined and smooth. Switch to a whisk and mix in the room temperature eggs by hand until just combined, don't overmix. Tap the bowl on your counter a few times to release any trapped air bubbles in the filling.
3. Scoop the cheesecake batter into the pan over the pre-baked graham cracker crust. Top each with a dollop of the strawberry sauce and use the back of a spoon to spread it out evenly over the top. Bake for 17 minutes. They should be puffed up and not too wobbly.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely at room temperature. Then refrigerate the mini cheesecakes for at least 2 hours or overnight before unwrapping.
Store the mini strawberry cheesecakes in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also keep them frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
Enjoy!
MORE CHEESECAKE RECIPES:
- Red Velvet Cheesecake
- Lemon Cheesecake
- White Chocolate Cheesecake
- Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake
- Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
- Marble Cheesecake
📖 RECIPE
Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
Equipment
- 12 cupcake liners
Ingredients
- 1 cup sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or water
- 1 teaspoon water, or more lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Graham Cracker Crust:
- ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Make the Strawberry Sauce:
- Add the sliced strawberries and granulated sugar to a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook until the strawberries start to release their liquid.
- In a small bowl, whisk the water, lemon juice, and cornstarch and add it to the saucepan. Continue to cook and stir, mashing the strawberries as you do, until the sauce is bubbling and thick.
- Remove from heat and immediately strain the sauce through a sieve and into a bowl. Set aside and allow to cool.
Make the Graham Cracker Crust:
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until evenly combined. Add 2 tablespoons of the crust mixture to each cupcake liner and pack the crust down tightly in each.
- Prebake the crust for 10 minutes while you make the cheesecake filling.
Make the Cheesecake Filling:
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened cream cheese until smooth without any lumps. Add the sugar and flour and mix until smooth. Wipe any lumps off of the mixer and sides of the bowl and mix again until smooth.
- Add the room temperature sour cream, fresh lemon juice, and vanilla extract, and mix until the batter is completely smooth. Use a whisk to mix in the room temperature eggs until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Scoop the cheesecake batter evenly into each liner over the pre-baked graham cracker crust. Add about 1 teaspoon of the strawberry sauce on top of the cheesecake filling and use the back of a spoon to spread it out on top.
- Bake the mini strawberry cheesecakes for 18 minutes. They should be puffed up and not too wobbly.
- Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature, then cool completely in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving. Store cheesecakes in the fridge for 3-5 days.
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