These Mini Cherry Cheesecake bites feature a delicious cheesecake filling, cherry pie topping, and cookie crust. They’re semi-homemade and a cinch to throw together!
I love making these mini cherry cheesecake bites because they are about the easiest cheesecake recipe out there!
No need to make a graham cracker crust for these yummy treats.
Plus they’re done in just 15 minutes in the oven, so you can go about the rest of your day.
They’re so small you may want to eat more than one, so I won’t tell if you don’t tell 😉
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Combine two 8-ounce packages of room temperature cream cheese, 2 room temperature eggs, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with beaters until smooth.
Place the mini cupcake liners in a muffin tin and add a mini vanilla wafer to each liner.
Pour the cream cheese mixture over the vanilla wafers filling each liner up 3/4 of the way.
Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes. Allow the cheesecakes to cool on top of the stove and then store in the refrigerator.
Top each mini cheesecake with 1 tablespoon cherry pie filling before serving.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
The ingredients must come to room temperature before you start mixing. I can’t stress this enough! I’ve botched this recipe too many times to know.
To bring the cream cheese to room temperature:
If you have time to spare, you can pull the cream cheese out of the packaging and let it sit on a plate for up to an hour.
If you’re running low on time, here are a few ways to bring cream cheese to room temperature quickly:
- Leave the foil wrapper on and place the cream cheese block in a bowl of warm water.
- Cut the cream cheese into small cubes and place on a plate on top of your stovetop while the oven preheats.
- Place the cream cheese block on a microwave-safe plate and microwave it for 10 seconds at a time until the middle is soft. (Flip the block after each time in the microwave.
To bring the eggs to room temperature:
Remove them from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you’ll start making the recipe and allow them to sit on your countertop for about 30 minutes.
To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place the eggs in a small bowl and cover them with warm (not hot!) tap water, and allow them to soak for 5-10 minutes. You don’t want the eggs to accidentally cook in the water, so make sure it’s not hot.
There’s no right or wrong way to put the wafers in the cupcake liners. If you put the flat side down, they sit evenly with the wrappers off. It you put the rounded side down, the cookie will nestle in the liner better. You can decide!
I find a cookie scoop is the perfect size for adding enough cream cheese mixture to the cupcake liners.
This recipe calls for cherry pie filling, but you can top these cheesecake minis with any traditional toppings like whipped cream, berries, jam, or crushed Oreos.
Serve These With
Throwing a party? Here are some of our favorite red treats to add to your dessert table:
- Cherry Chip Cake Mix Cookies
- Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Christmas Sandwich Cookies
- Raspberry Pretzel Jello Dessert
- Cherry Bars Recipe
- Pink Fluff
- Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Raspberry Jello Salad
FAQ’s
Mini cheesecakes are done when the centers bounce back when gently touched. If the centers are wet or you get batter on your finger, they aren’t done and need to go back in the oven for a few more minutes.
Alternatively, you don’t want the cheesecakes to be in the oven too long. They’re ready to come out when they are still a pure white color and haven’t turned golden yet.
I find that 15 minutes in my gas oven is the perfect amount of time for these mini cheesecake bites.
Mini cheesecakes can sink in the middle for a number of reasons:
1. You didn’t use room temperature ingredients so the change from cold to hot caused the cheesecakes to sink.
2. You over-mixed the batter so the cheesecakes puffed in the oven and then sank when they were removed.
To prevent your mini cheesecakes from sinking, make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. You can avoid over-mixing by beating the cream cheese with beaters and then using a spatula to mix in the rest of the ingredients.
The easiest way to transport these mini cheesecakes is in a large air-tight container. Do not put the topping on until ready to serve so you can stack the mini cheesecake bites in the container.
If the cheesecakes will be out of the fridge for longer than 20 minutes, put the container in a cooler with some ice packs or in a thermal bag with bags of ice.
If you’re taking 24 or less cheesecakes to your event, you can put them in the mini cupcake tin with a cake cover over top.
Because mini cheesecakes have a large amount of cream cheese in them, they need to be refrigerated. Cream cheese has high moisture and fat content which can create a breeding ground of bacteria if left out at room temperature for too long.
Yes, they can be frozen. I recommend letting them cool completely and then wrapping them individually with plastic wrap. You should then place them in a freezer-safe bag for storing. When you’re ready to use them, thaw in the refrigerator and then top with the cherries right before serving!
I hope your family loves this recipe! If you make it, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable!
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Mini Cherry Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 48 mini vanilla wafers
- 1 cup cherry pie filling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine cream cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice with beaters until smooth.
- Place mini cupcake liners in muffin tin and add a mini vanilla wafer to each liner.
- Pour cream cheese mixture over the vanilla wafers filling each liner 3/4 of the way.
- Bake cheesecakes for 13-15 minutes. Allow cheesecakes to cool on top of stove and then store in refrigerator.
- Top each mini cheesecake with 1 tablespoon cherry pie filling before serving.
Ann
Tuesday 5th of December 2023
Can these.mini cheesecakes be frozen for later date
Jessica Ashcroft
Wednesday 6th of December 2023
Hi Ann! Great question! Yes they can be frozen. I recommend letting them cool completely and then wrapping them individually with plastic wrap. You should then place them in a freezer safe bag for storing. When you're ready to use them, thaw in the refrigerator and then top with the cherries right before serving!
Joanne Savini
Tuesday 22nd of March 2022
Hi Jessica,
How many minis does the recipe make?
Jessica Ashcroft
Tuesday 22nd of March 2022
Hi Joanne! The recipe makes 48 minis :)
Sandy Madfox
Friday 31st of December 2021
My family and friends loved these! Great recipe
Jessica Ashcroft
Monday 3rd of January 2022
I'm so glad to hear that Sandy!
Party O.
Friday 17th of December 2021
I made them for the American Legion Christmas Party and they were a big hit. The mini vanilla wafers were too big for the paper cups so I ground up graham crackers and added melted butter for the crust. Worked great.
Jessica Ashcroft
Monday 20th of December 2021
I'm so glad to hear that they were a hit! And thanks for the tip about the graham crackers!