Mini Lemon Cheesecake Bites Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes  

Cook Time: 15 minutes  

Refrigeration Time: 1 hour  

Cuisine Type: New American  

Category: Dessert  

Recipe Source:  Kate McMillan  

Yield: 24–28 Mini Cheesecake Bites  

Summary:

We’ve combined all the best rich flavors of cheesecake into a petite portion for this mini lemon cheesecake bites recipe. A simple graham cracker crust is made in a mini muffin tin and topped with a luscious creamy and lemony cheesecake filling. Make sure you save time for refrigeration; these really do need time to set-up.

Ingredients:

Filling Ingredients:  

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature  
• ¼ cup sour cream  
• ¼ cup granulated sugar  
• 1 large egg  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice  
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest  

Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients:  

• 8 full sheets graham crackers  
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted  
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar  

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 24-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Set aside.

To make the crust, break up the graham crackers and add them to a food processors fitted with a metal blade. Process until you have small crumbs. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the butter and sugar. Use your fingers to combine well. Add about 2 teaspoons of the crust to each muffin cup. Use the bottom of a clean spice jar to pack the crust into the bottom of each liner. Transfer to the oven and bake for 4 minutes. Set aside.
Make the cheesecake filling by adding the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar to a Stand Mixers fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix until completely smooth then add the egg, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix until combined. Spoon filling into muffin cups until almost filled. (They will shrink when they cool.)

Transfer back to the oven and bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cheesecakes cool for 30 minutes and then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. 

Notes:

If you don’t have a food processor you can purchase graham cracker crumbs or you can put the crackers into a resealable plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.  

You can also use other citrus in this mini lemon cheesecake bites recipe such as limes or oranges.  

You can store these in your freezer for up to 3 weeks.  

If you have any leftover crumbs and filling, you can bake it in a ramekin: just adjust cooking time until the cake is set.