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Mini lemon cheesecakes are topped with lemon curd and fresh berries for a bright addition to any summer menu.
I come from a cheesecake obsessed family. Whether it’s mini cheesecakes for a spring birthday party or a pumpkin cheesecake on Thanksgiving, a cheesecake of some variety graces our table for almost every occasion.
It’s one of those desserts that immediately takes me back to being a kid and baking with my Nana.
Perched up on a kitchen stool, I’d help her every step of the way. From sifting cups of flour and cutting shapes into pie dough to rolling up the perfect pumpkin roll, I was always her right hand girl.
Many times, we’d bake the day away and then deliver our sweet treats to neighbors, church friends, and family. I loved every minute of it. In that kitchen is where my love for baking began.
So of course, any time I make cheesecake, whether it’s Nana’s easy cheesecake or these mini lemon cheesecakes, I always think of her.
My adorable and easy mini lemon cheesecakes
I’ve always been a fan of individual desserts. They’re super cute and come with built-in portion control, which is definitely a good thing for this cheesecake loving girl!
And as much as I love full-sized cheesecakes, they do take a while to bake and cool. These mini lemon cheesecakes, on the other hand, are pretty quick to make.
You can have these cute little cheesecakes in the oven in 10-15 minutes, and they take less than 30 minutes to bake. They also only need to chill in the fridge for 4 hours before serving.
So while I usually have to plan to make a traditional cheesecake the day before I want to serve it, you can make this recipe in the morning and they’ll be ready for dessert that night!
And for a summer party or cookout, you won’t have to worry about people trying to cut a slice of cheesecake for themselves. They can easily take one of these mini lemon cheesecakes and be on their way.
How to make mini lemon cheesecakes
If you’ve been wanting to try my cheesecake recipes but have been intimidated by the idea of making a large one, this mini lemon cheesecake recipe is the perfect place to start.
Ingredients you’ll need
One of the things that makes this recipe so quick and easy is that you don’t need to make a graham cracker crust for the cheesecakes. Instead, we’ll use vanilla wafers as the crust!
To make these mini cheesecakes, you will need:
- 2 (8-ounce) blocks room-temperature cream cheese
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- zest of one large lemon
- 2 large room-temperature eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 12 vanilla wafer cookies
The eggs and cream cheese should both be at room temperature before you start baking. This will help you get a smoother cheesecake filling.
If you forget to set them out ahead of time, I have some tips for softening cream cheese and bringing eggs to room temperature quickly.
Since you only need 12 vanilla wafers for this recipe, you will have a lot of the box leftover. Try using the rest to make homemade banana pudding!
Making this recipe
This recipe makes 12 mini lemon cheesecakes in 12 standard muffin cups. To get started, line a standard muffin tin with paper baking liners. Set the pan aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer and a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese for about 2 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar becomes moist and fragrant. I use this trick a lot to help infuse the aroma and flavor of the lemon zest into every single bite of a recipe.
Add the lemon sugar to the cream cheese. Beat until light and fluffy, then add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix until smooth.
To assemble the cheesecakes, place a vanilla wafer, flat-side down, in the bottom of each muffin cup. Use a large cookie scoop to divide the cheesecake filling into each cup; they should each be about ⅔ full.
Bake the cheesecakes at 325°F for 22-24 minutes or until the centers are almost set. Let the cheesecakes cool in the pan, then refrigerate them for at least 4 hours before serving.
As the cheesecakes cool, the centers will deflate a bit. Don’t worry – this is normal and gives us the perfect spot to hold some toppings!
Serving suggestions
My favorite way to serve these mini lemon cheesecakes is by topping them with homemade lemon curd and fresh raspberries, but the options don’t stop there!
The lemon in these cheesecakes pairs well with so many fruits, especially summer berries. Some other toppings to try include:
- Homemade blueberry sauce
- Raspberry sauce
- Strawberry pie filling or strawberry sauce
- Cherry pie filling or cherry coulis
And of course you can never go wrong with some whipped cream and fresh berries!
Storage and freezing
Store these mini lemon cheesecakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend waiting to add any toppings until just before serving.
You can also freeze the cheesecakes for longer-term storage or for whenever you get a lemon cheesecake craving.
To freeze, wrap the cheesecakes in plastic wrap and place them in a zip-top bag, or use a vacuum sealer to seal them. Freeze for up to a month.
Let the cheesecakes thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 1-2 hours before enjoying.
Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the cheesecake:
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- zest of one large lemon
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 12 vanilla wafer cookies
For the topping:
- 1 cup store bought or homemade lemon curd
- fresh raspberries optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper baking liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese for about two minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. Mix with your fingertips until sugar becomes moist and fragrant. Add lemon sugar to cream cheese and mix until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice and mix until smooth.
- Place a wafer (flat side down) in the bottom of each muffin cup. Spoon batter into each cup, filling each 2/3 full.
- Bake in preheated oven for 22 to 24 minutes or until the centers are almost set. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Note: The mini cheesecakes will deflate in the centers upon cooling. This is expected and leaves a nice spot to hold any toppings you choose to add.
- Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
- Just before serving, garnish cheesecakes with lemon curd and fresh raspberries, or any other toppings you like such as homemade blueberry sauce, homemade raspberry sauce, strawberry pie filling, etc.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What can I use in place of vanilla wafers. They have changed the recipe and the size. Not as good as they were.
I made these little treasures along with the homemade lemon curd. All I can say is these are life-changing! So amazingly good, I had a hard time leaving any for my family to eat. Thank you so much for this recipe!
These are so yummy & look so cute.
The whole family loves them
Still one of my favorite recipes all these years later. I’ve made it about 4 times now and it never fails to be a crowd pleaser.
Back here again to make a variation of this recipe–but scaled up into a full sized cheesecake with fresh blueberries on top–for a big birthday party this weekend.
This is my 4th time making these. I use different toppings like blueberry and lemon curd.
EVERYONE loves them. They are a hit at every party or gathering!!!
I’m making them tomorrow for a dinosaur 2nd birthday party. I bought edible dinosaurs to place on top with whipped topping. And got the colored muffin cups for the bottoms, first time leaving them in the paper cups. But I’m sure it will be fine
So excited. Love love love this recipe