These Mini Cheesecakes are thick, smooth and creamy, with a little tang from some sour cream! They have a vanilla wafer crust and are topped with fresh whipped cream and berries for a classic little treat!
Who doesn’t love a good mini dessert? They are easily shareable and transportable. They’re easy to make (usually). And they feel so much more guilt-free than your average full-sized treat. I have loads of mini cheesecake options, but didn’t have a simple vanilla one here for you yet, so today I am sharing my classic vanilla mini cheesecake with you! Perfect for any occasion and easy to change up!
So how do you make mini cheesecakes?
Well let’s start with the crust. I used a vanilla wafer cookie crust by grinding up the cookies in a food processor. I love the extra bit of sweet and vanilla that the cookies give the mini cheesecakes, but you could definitely swap the cookie crumbs out for graham cracker crumbs without making any other changes. Both are totally classics in my mind and so yummy!
Next up is making the filling. Just a handful of ingredients are used and you likely have most of them handy already. You’ll want your cream cheese to be room temperature to start with so that it doesn’t get all lumpy in your batter.
Add some sugar for sweetness and flour for texture and mix it all together! Next up is the sour cream and vanilla extract. The sour cream softens up the texture of the cheesecake and lends some moisture, while also adding a nice pop of tangy flavor. And then of course the vanilla is totally necessary and adds flavor.
Next up are the eggs to bind everything together and add some nice richness to the cheesecake.
How do you bake mini cheesecakes?
Unlike a full-sized vanilla cheesecake, mini cheesecakes do not require a water bath. Score! I bake them right in a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
They also don’t need nearly as long to bake as a full-sized 9 inch cheesecake. Instead of taking almost 2 hours to go through the baking and cooling process, these take about 40 minutes. Much more friendly with your time for those days when you need cheesecake more quickly.
Once the cheesecakes are baked, they can be chilled in the fridge. I served these with a topping of fresh whipped cream and berries and oh my goodness – so good! These little mini cheesecakes are so classic and simple, but pack a LOT of flavor!
Can you freeze mini cheesecakes?
I get a lot of questions about freezing deserts, so I decided to test these out in the freezer. I froze them in a tubber ware container – some wrapped before going into the container and others unwrapped. After being frozen for about a month, I gave them a try. Delicious still! It didn’t seem to make a difference if they were wrapped prior to going into the container or not. They were slightly firmer around the edge than when they were fresh, but marginally. I also froze some with the whipped cream on them already and it froze and defrosted great. I just wouldn’t recommend freezing them with the fruit on top. Juices can run and fruit can get a little soggy after being thawed.
Check out these other fun mini cheesecakes:
Mini Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes
Mini Baileys Chocolate Cheesecakes
Mini Banana Pudding Cheesecakes
Mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cheesecakes
Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
Mini S’mores Cheesecakes
Mini Cherry Almond Cheesecakes
Mini Mint Chocolate Oreo Cheesecakes
Mini Strawberry Champagne Cheesecakes
Mini Cheesecakes
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Mini Cheesecakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Mini Cheesecakes are thick, smooth and creamy, with a little tang from some sour cream! They have a vanilla wafer crust and are topped with fresh whipped cream and berries for a classic little treat!
Ingredients
CRUST
- 1 cup (134g) vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs)
- 2 tbsp (26g) sugar
- 4 tbsp (56g) butter, melted
FILLING
- 12 ounces (339g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (104g) sugar
- 2 tbsp (16g) flour
- 1/2 cup (115g) sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
TOPPING
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 5 tbsp (36g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Fresh fruit
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F (162°C). Add cupcake liners to a cupcake pan.
2. Combine the vanilla wafer cookies crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Divide the mixture between the cupcake liners (about 2 tablespoons per cup) and press into the bottoms.
3. Bake the crusts for 5 minutes then remove from oven. Allow to cool while you make the filling.
4. To make the filling, reduce oven to 300°F (148°C). In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and flour until combined (Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until well combined.
6. Add the eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
7. Divide the filling between the cheesecake cups until the cups are mostly full.
8. Bake the cheesecakes for 15 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the door closed for another 10 minutes.
9. Crack the oven door and allow cheesecakes to cool for 15-20 minutes, then put in the fridge to finish cooling.
10. When cheesecakes are cooled, remove them from the pan.
11. To make the whipped cream, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
12. Pipe the whipped cream onto the tops of the cheesecakes and top with fresh fruit.
13. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Mini Cheesecake
- Calories: 194
- Sugar: 15.6 g
- Sodium: 154.9 mg
- Fat: 11.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.7 g
- Protein: 4.1 g
- Cholesterol: 53.2 mg
Keywords: how to make cheesecake, mini cheesecake recipe, sour cream cheesecake recipe
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Can I use one whole vanilla wafer instead of the graham cracker/butter crust?
Sure!
Are the crusts supposed to be crispy after you bake them by themselves?
I’m not sure I’d describe them as crispy.
I absolutely love this recipe! Perfect every single time. If I wanted to make these pumpkin, what changes would you suggest?
Glad you enjoy it! I would recommend my pumpkin cheesecake recipe. Just use the crusts from this mini cheesecake recipe and cut the pumpkin cheesecake in half to get about 12 minis. I hope that helps!
These are so good! Have you tried to make a pineapple upside down cheesecake mini yet? That is my son’s favorite at Cheesecake Factory!
Glad you enjoy them! I haven’t tried one like that yet, but love that idea. Just added it to my list. Thanks!
Hi, can I substitute sour cream with whipping cream? TIA
Yes, you can. You just might need a few more minutes of baking time.
if i wanted to add coffee how would i go about that