Crustless Cheesecake Bites Recipe
If you’re searching for a recipe that’s easy, delicious, and perfect for any occasion, these Crustless Cheesecake Bites are exactly what you need! These bite-sized cheesecakes are ideal for baby showers, parties, or whenever you want to treat yourself to something sweet and creamy without the hassle of making an entire cheesecake.
The recipe makes 24 mini crustless cheesecakes, and because there’s no crust to prepare, they come together with just a handful of ingredients. Serve them plain or dress them up with berries, lemon curd, jam, caramel, or chocolate.
Ingredients
For these mini cheesecake bites, you’ll need the following ingredients, all readily available at your local grocery store:
- 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese, room temperature: For that rich, creamy texture.
- ½ cup granulated sugar: Adds just the right amount of sweetness.
- 2 large eggs, room temperature: Helps bind everything together, giving the cheesecake its classic texture.
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour: Provides a little structure to the cheesecake bites.
- 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract: Adds depth of flavor.
- ¼ cup sour cream: Enhances the creaminess and adds a subtle tang.
Use Room-Temperature Ingredients
Softened cream cheese is one of the keys to smooth cheesecake batter. Cold cream cheese tends to stay lumpy no matter how enthusiastically you attack it with the mixer.
Let the cream cheese and eggs come to room temperature before starting. The ingredients will combine more easily and you’ll be less likely to overmix the batter trying to get rid of lumps.
How to Make Crustless Cheesecake Bites
Prepare the Cheesecake Batter
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F and line 24 24-cup mini muffin tin with small cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Start by creaming the room-temperature cream cheese and sugar together in a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition. This helps prevent the batter from absorbing too much air, which can lead to cracks.
- Mix in the flour, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Continue blending until the cheesecake batter is smooth and lump-free.
Bake the Cheesecake Bites
- Divide the batter evenly among the 24 mini muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the centers are set. You can check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center – it should come out clean.
Cool and Serve
- Allow the mini cheesecakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Once completely cool, you can enjoy them as is or top them with your favorite toppings, such as fresh fruit, lemon curd, or chocolate ganache.
How Do You Know When Mini Cheesecakes Are Done?
Don’t wait for cheesecake bites to become completely firm in the oven.
The edges should look set, but the centers can still have a slight wobble when you gently move the pan. They will continue to set as they cool and chill.
A toothpick test isn’t especially helpful for cheesecake. Waiting until a toothpick comes out completely clean can result in overbaked cheesecake with a dry or grainy texture.
How To Store Crustless Cheesecake Bites
Store the cheesecake bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
For the best appearance, store them without wet toppings such as berries, fruit sauce, or lemon curd and add those closer to serving time.
How To Keep Cheesecake Bites Creamy
A few small details make a big difference.
- Start with softened cream cheese. This helps create a smooth batter without excessive mixing.
- Don’t overmix after adding the eggs. Too much air whipped into cheesecake batter can make the cakes puff in the oven and then sink as they cool.
- Don’t overbake them. Remove the cheesecakes once the edges are set and the centers still have a little movement.
- Let them chill. Cheesecake develops its familiar dense, creamy texture after it has cooled and spent some time in the refrigerator.
Why Did My Cheesecake Bites Sink?
A small dip in the center of a cheesecake is completely normal and, frankly, gives you an excellent place to put some lemon curd.
If the centers sink dramatically, however, the batter may have been overmixed or the cheesecakes may have been baked too long.
Cheesecake batter can expand when too much air is incorporated into it. Once removed from the oven, that extra air collapses and can leave a deeper indentation.
Mix the eggs into the batter on low speed and stop once everything is combined.
Why Do Mini Cheesecakes Crack?
Cracks usually aren’t a disaster – especially when berries are waiting in the wings – but they can be a sign that the cheesecakes were overbaked or contained too much air.
For these little cheesecake bites:
- Use room-temperature ingredients.
- Mix the eggs on low speed.
- Don’t overmix the batter.
- Bake only until the edges are set.
- Allow the cheesecakes to cool before refrigerating them.
And no, you don’t need to drag out a water bath for a pan of 24 tiny cheesecakes.
Can You Make Cheesecake Bites Ahead of Time?
Absolutely. In fact, they’re a great dessert to make ahead because cheesecake needs time to chill anyway.
You can make them the day before serving, refrigerate them overnight, and add toppings shortly before serving.
That makes these mini crustless cheesecake bites especially handy for baby showers, bridal showers, holidays, birthday parties, and other gatherings when you’d rather not be baking dessert while people are ringing the doorbell.
Cheesecake Bite Topping Ideas
One of the best things about crustless cheesecake is that you can change the toppings without changing the basic recipe.
Try:
- Fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries
- Lemon curd
- Strawberry or raspberry jam
- Chocolate ganache
- Caramel sauce
- Cherry pie filling
- Blueberry topping
- Fresh whipped cream
- Chocolate shavings
- Toasted coconut
You can also set out several toppings and let everyone finish their own mini cheesecake.
Easy Flavor Variations
- Lemon Cheesecake Bites – Add a little finely grated lemon zest to the cheesecake batter. Top the chilled cheesecakes with lemon curd or fresh berries.
- Berry Cheesecake Bites – Add a small spoonful of strawberry, raspberry, or blueberry preserves to the top of each cheesecake before baking and gently swirl it into the batter.
- Chocolate Cheesecake Bites – Top the chilled cheesecakes with chocolate ganache or a drizzle of melted chocolate.
- Holiday Cheesecake Bites – The basic recipe works year-round. Change the toppings to suit the occasion—berries for summer, lemon curd for Easter, cherries for Christmas, or chocolate and strawberries for Valentine’s Day.
FAQs
Yes. Plain full-fat Greek yogurt can be substituted for the sour cream.
The flavor and texture will be slightly different, but it works well when sour cream isn’t available.
The recipe only contains 1 tablespoon of flour, so it’s easy to adapt.
Replace the all-purpose flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour. Be sure to check the labels of any toppings you use if you are preparing the cheesecakes for someone who needs to avoid gluten.
No. Although they’re crustless, the recipe contains granulated sugar and flour, so these are not keto cheesecake bites as written.
If you’re specifically looking for keto cheesecake bites with no crust, you would need to use appropriate sugar and flour substitutes rather than simply leaving off the graham cracker crust.
Crustless and keto aren’t automatically the same thing. The internet occasionally needs reminding.
Yes. For a larger party, you can double the ingredients and make 48 mini cheesecakes.
For the most consistent baking, divide the batter between two mini muffin pans rather than overfilling one pan.
If you’re baking two pans at once, rotate them during baking if your oven has noticeable hot spots.
Yes. These mini cheesecakes freeze well.
Let them cool completely and chill them first. Freeze the plain cheesecake bites in a freezer-safe container, separating layers with parchment paper if necessary.
For longer storage, you can wrap the individual cheesecakes before placing them in the container.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and add toppings after they have thawed.
Crustless Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F and line 24 cup mini muffin tin with small cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Mix the cream cheese with the granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix in one egg at a time to the cream cheese mixture until well combined.
- Add in the flour, vanilla, and sour cream and mix on low speed until smooth.
- Once smooth, divide the filling mixture evenly between the 24 mini muffin cups. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers still jiggle slightly.
- Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once cool to the touch, transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3-4 hours.
- To serve, remove from refrigerator and top each mini cheesecake with your choice of filling. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!More Cheesecake Desserts
If cheesecake is your weakness, I have a few more ways to get your fix.
My Easy No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes with Cherries are a good choice when you want individual cheesecakes with a crust but don’t want to turn on the oven.
No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Jars combine chocolate and cheesecake in an easy individual dessert.
And when choosing between cheesecake and brownies seems unnecessarily cruel, make Cheesecake Brownies and have both.
Last Bite
These crustless cheesecake bites prove that a cheesecake doesn’t need a graham cracker crust – or even a fork – to make a pretty convincing dessert.
Make them ahead, keep them simple, or pile on your favorite toppings for parties and holidays.
What would you put on yours: berries, lemon curd, chocolate, caramel, or something else entirely? Leave a comment below and let me know.
I’m definitely going to make this recipe, but I’m going to use a regular size muffin pan instead of the mini, but do I need to adjust the baking time and temperature?
What a great and super easy recipe! I love lemon and the contrast so I added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the batter. Love it ❤️ 5 stars ⭐️
Love these! I’ve made the mini versions and have also made them in individual 4 inch ramekins. Last made the mini version for my friend’s wedding reception two weeks ago and they disappeared in a heartbeat. Topped with homemade chocolate whipped cream (2 cups heavy cream whipped with a 3.4 oz instant pudding mix) and topped that with Luxardo maraschino cherries for a fancy feel. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Homemade chocolate whipped cream and maraschino cherries – 💖 – you are speaking my love language. I can see why they disappeared quickly.
Can these be frozen?
I have not tried it, but I would think they could be frozen.
Can these be made using regular sized muffin tins?
I have not tried it, but I am sure you could. There is a recipe for Cheesecake Bites at The Dizzy Cook and they are baked at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
Please let me know if you try baking them in regular muffin tins and let me know how they turned out.
I have been making your mini cheesecake recipes for the past few month as a treat for my son, who loves them. I would like to use the batter in a 6-inch springform pan rather than the muffin tin as I have been doing. Can you suggest what you think the oven temp. should be and how long to bake in a 6-inch pan rather than in a muffin tin? Thanks in advance.
I am so delighted that your son loves them!
I haven’t tried it, but I found a recipe online at Chocolate Moosey for a 6-inch cheesecake that is made using a water bath. I recommend that you read the entire post before trying it to help ensure success. (She bakes her cheesecake at 325 degrees for 65-75 minutes.)