This easy mini cheesecake recipe is a perfect dessert for summer BBQ’s! With only six ingredients, you’ll never be intimated by the idea of making cheesecake from scratch again. The almond flour crust makes this gluten free, but there are instructions for a quick graham cracker crust, too!

Growing up, we all had a certain dessert that we requested on our birthday. For years I requested my mom’s German Chocolate Cake. Then it was turtle cheesecake. Now…well it’s usually still cheesecake.

Cheesecake Factory was my go-to birthday spot for years and I would spend the whole meal trying to decide what kind of cheesecake I was going to get. My mouth is watering just typing this! Ha!

I always wanted to try to make my own cheesecake at home, but the thought seemed so intimidating. I was pretty sure I needed a spring form pan, and I read somewhere that you should pour water around the spring form pan to prevent cracking, and…it just seemed like a lot of work.

Y’all know what I’m going to say: ain’t nobody got time for that.

After trying a few mini cheesecake recipes and making my own tweaks, I landed on this super easy mini cheesecake recipe that is quick to make and majorly low-fuss. No spring form pans and no crossing your fingers to hope it turns out right.

It’s the perfect summer dessert for a party because your guests can just pop one in their mouth! Top with your favorite berries or caramel sauce! Bonus: the crust is gluten free!

What You’ll Need

Equipment:

• Standard sized muffin pan
• Muffin liners or re-usable silicone liners (I’m obsessed with my silicone liners and use them for SO many things!)
• Hand mixer

For the crust:

• Almond flour
• Unsalted butter
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Coconut sugar (can sub regular sugar)
• Vanilla extract

For the cheesecake:

• Neufchatel (similar to cream cheese, but made only with milk while cream cheese is made with both milk and cream. Find it right by the cream cheese at the store. See notes for baking adjustments.)
• Egg
• Vanilla
• Salt
• Sugar

If you want to go the easy route, I also tested a crust recipe with just crushed graham crackers and butter and we thought it tasted just as good! I mean, anything’s good when you add butter right? Just crush up about 8 graham cracker sheets with 3 tbsp melted butter. It’s perfect for a really fast option, though the gluten free almond flour crust doesn’t take much longer!

P.S., my husband tried both the graham cracker crust and the gluten free almond flour crust and loved them both!

How To Make Mini Cheesecakes

If you’re new here, let me tell you that we do things the easy way around here.

No complicated steps, no mile long ingredient lists.

We keep it simple, and these mini cheesecakes are no exception!

For The Crust

In a medium sized bowl, mix together almond flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add melted butter and vanilla and stir until combined. It will look crumbly!

Distribute the crust evenly among 12 muffin tins. Each tin will take about 1.5 tablespoons of the crust. Don’t worry about it looking full- it compacts majorly! Using the bottom of a shot glass or something of a similar size, press down firmly to compact each crust.

Pop in the oven to bake for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling. This helps the almond flour crust not get soggy while cooking. I tested once without pre-baking the graham cracker style crust mentioned earlier, and it didn’t make a difference. Almond flour crust = pre bake crust. Graham cracker crust = you can skip it.

For The Filling

In a separate bowl using a hand blender, cream together the neufchatel/cream cheese and sugar. Next add in the egg, vanilla, and salt. Blend until just incorporated- don’t over do it.

Once the crusts have cooked and been allowed to cool for 10 minutes, fill each muffin tin about 2/3 full with the cheesecake filling. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the middle of the cheesecake no longer jiggles when you tap the pan.

Other Easy Dessert Ideas:

• BJ’s Copycat Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
• These super easy Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
• Blueberry Crumble For Two – so summery!

Print Recipe

The Easiest Mini Cheesecakes (GF)

This easy mini cheesecake recipe is a perfect dessert for summer BBQ's! With only six ingredients, you'll never be intimated by the idea of making cheesecake from scratch again. The almond flour crust makes this gluten free, but there are instructions for a quick graham cracker crust, too!

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

25 minutes, divided

Servings

mini cheesecakes

Ingredients

for the crust

• 1 and 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp butter melted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

for the filling

• 8 oz neufchatel or cream cheese*
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch salt

Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes, divided Servings mini cheesecakes Ingredients for the crust 1 and 1/4 cup almond flour 1/4 cup sugar pinch salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 3 tbsp butter melted 1/2 tsp vanilla extract for the filling 8 oz neufchatel or cream cheese* 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla pinch salt

Instructions

For the crust

1. Preheat oven to 350. Pull out neufchatel/cream cheese from fridge and set aside so it begins to soften.
2. Melt butter and set aside to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, mix together almond flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon until well combined. Add in melted butter and vanilla, stirring until it is evenly distributed.
3. Line muffin tin with paper liners or silicone muffin liners. Place about 1.5 tablespoons of crust into each muffin tin. Using a shot glass or similar sized flat bottom, press down to compress each crust.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes while you make the filling.

For the filling

1. In a medium bowl, cream together neufchatel/cream cheese and sugar with a hand mixer.
2. Add in vanilla, egg and salt until just incorporated. Be careful not to over mix.
3. Fill each muffin tin about 2/3 of the way full and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, or until the center of the cheesecakes do not jiggle when you tap the pan.
4. Remove cheesecakes from oven once they're done and allow to cool for about 20 minutes. If you used paper liners, remove them now as it's more difficult to do after they have cooled completely.
5. Place cheesecakes on a plate and chill at least 1.5 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• Neufchatel is similar to cream cheese but lower in fat as it is made from just milk, while cream cheese is made from both milk and cream. When tested with regular cream cheese, the cheesecakes cooked a little faster, about 10 minutes.
• If you're looking for a shortcut, you can make a quick graham cracker crust by crushing 8 graham cracker sheets with a rolling pin and combining it with 3 tbsp melted butter. If it's too dry, add a little more melted butter. Cooking instructions are the same.
• Pre-baking the almond flour crust is important so that they don't get soggy during cooking!
• If you're using silicone muffin tin liners, the easiest way to get the cheesecakes out is to gently pull the liner away from the cheesecake, working all the way around. Then, gently turn the cheesecake over in your hand and it should fall right out.

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