Mini Lemon Cheesecake Bites
Published 4/2/2023 • Updated 3/17/2024
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This mini cheesecake recipe is made with a sweet and salty crust, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest making them the perfect Spring dessert.
Best Mini Cheesecakes!
If you’re looking for mini cheesecakes recipes, look no further than these mini lemon cheesecake cups!
These little bites of heaven are made with the most delicious sweet and salty crust and the filling is a combination of cream cheese and Greek yogurt. You can even swap the Greek yogurt for cottage cheese if that’s your jam! The flavor stars include honey, lemon zest and vanilla making them oh-so-delicious.
In this post, we’ll teach you how to make mini cheesecakes to wow your guests. Plus, we love that this recipe uses a muffin tin so that you don’t need an obscure pan!
Why you’ll love them!
Bite-sized
Ready in less than an hour
<200 calories per serving
What You Need
Crust
You are going to love the sweet and salty crust of these mini cheesecake bites!
- Graham crackers: like most cheesecakes, you need some graham crackers.
- Ritz crackers: we’re making these extra special (and salty) with some Ritz crackers.
- Butter: butter makes it all stick together.
Cheesecake
- Cream cheese and Greek yogurt: the basis of this mini cheesecake recipe is cream cheese and Greek Yogurt. The combo is show-stopping good.
- Honey: instead of white sugar, we’re using honey. It also tastes delicious paired with lemon.
- Egg white: egg white helps hold the cheesecake ingredients together.
- Vanilla: adds the perfect hint of lemon.
- Lemon juice and zest: you need both lemon juice and zest to really give these mini cheesecakes a lemony kick.
What is the best pan for mini cheesecakes?
Good news! For this recipe, all you need is a muffin tin. We used a regular-sized muffin tin, but you could also use a mini muffin tin, too.
Are mini cheesecakes healthy?
This recipe uses a combination of cream cheese and Greek yogurt and honey instead of white sugar making these better for you.
Do mini cheesecakes need to be refrigerated?
We recommend keeping your cheesecakes in the fridge until serving. Store any leftover cheesecake in the fridge.
How do you know when mini cheesecakes are done?
You know your cheesecakes are done when they are firm to touch in the middle.
Variations
Add a berry: sprinkle on freshly chopped berries to the top.
Use a different citrus fruit: this recipe would work perfectly with oranges, tangerines, or even grapefruit.
Swap the extract: instead of vanilla, use a different extract such as almond or coconut.
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Storage
Store mini cheesecakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 7 graham crackers (full sheets)
- 9 ritz crackers
- 4 tablespoons butter at room temperature*
Cheesecake
- 8 oz. softened cream cheese
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, we recommend 2% or 5% OR cottage cheese*
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 large egg white
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Optional Garnish
- lemon zest
- ghraham cracker crumbs
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with muffin liners. Generously spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Next, prepare the crust. Place graham crackers, ritz crackers, and butter into a high-speed food processor. Process on high until the mixture forms a crumble.
- Spoon 1-2 heaping tablespoons of the graham cracker crumble into each muffin cup. You should have enough crust to make 12 mini cheesecakes. Use a spoon to press the crumble down into the pan.
- Bake graham cracker crust for 5 minutes at 350ºF.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the cheesecake filling. Place the Greek yogurt in a high-speed food processor and process until smooth. Then, add the softened cream cheese and process again until combined. Next, add the honey, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest process again. Lastly, add the egg white and pulse the food processor until just combined.
- Once the crust is done, remove it from the oven. Spoon in around 1.5 – 2 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture into each mini cheesecake.
- Top the lemon filling with lemon zest or graham cracker crumbs.
- Bake mini cheesecakes for 10-12 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch.
- Let the cheesecakes cool for at least 15 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. Then, transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Tips & Notes
- If the graham cracker crust does not stick together when you try to form it into a ball, add another tablespoon of butter.
- Be sure to let the lemon cheesecake cups cool completely before removing them from the muffin liners or you will have a sticky mess.
- Option to sub cottage cheese for Greek yogurt. Just make sure to blend it first to turn it into whipped cottage cheese .
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
Easy and healthy recipes. Love it 🤩
I made these for Easter, and they went over so well that I made a batch for my neighbors! So delicious and simple!
Aw, we’re so glad!