Description
These Easy Cheese Cake Cups are a delightful no-bake dessert featuring a creamy, rich cheesecake filling atop a crunchy graham cracker crust. Perfect for entertaining or a quick sweet treat, they require just six simple ingredients and can be customized with your favorite toppings like cherry pie filling, chocolate ganache, or fresh fruit sauces.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs per 9 oz cup (for 8 cups)
- 1 tablespoon graham cracker crumbs per 4-6 oz cup (for 12-16 cups)
Filling
- 16 oz full fat cream cheese (2 8 oz packages), room temperature
- 2 cups (473 ml) heavy whipping cream (1 pint)
- 1 ½ cups (169 g) powdered sugar, divided (1 cup and ½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the Cups: Choose your cup size based on servings: use 9 oz cups for 8 servings or 4-6 oz cups for 12-16 servings. Add graham cracker crumbs to the bottom—2 tablespoons for 9 oz cups or 1 tablespoon for smaller cups.
- Chill Mixing Bowl: Place a metal or glass mixing bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes to ensure the whipping cream whips to stiff peaks later.
- Mix Cream Cheese: In a separate mixing bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese and 1 cup of powdered sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
- Whip Cream: Remove the chilled bowl from the freezer. Add heavy whipping cream, ½ cup powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, roughly 4-5 minutes.
- Combine Mixtures: Gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream on low speed for 1-2 minutes until fully combined and smooth.
- Fill Cups: Transfer the cheesecake filling into a piping bag or ziplock bag with a corner cut off. Pipe the filling into the cups, filling about ¾ full.
- Chill: Refrigerate the cheesecake cups for 1-2 hours to set. For longer storage, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight if desired.
- Add Toppings: Just before serving, top with your favorite toppings such as cherry pie filling, blueberry pie filling, homemade strawberry sauce, chocolate ganache, Oreo crumbs, or chopped candies.
Notes
- Cheesecake cups are a perfect no-bake dessert that is easy to make and great for entertaining.
- You can customize these cups with a wide variety of toppings to suit your taste or occasion.
- Ensure the cream cheese is at room temperature to achieve a smooth filling without lumps.
- Chilling the mixing bowl before whipping the cream helps in achieving stiff peaks quickly and effectively.
- These cups can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator, making them convenient for parties and gatherings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (approx. 9 oz)
- Calories: 491 kcal
- Sugar: 26 g
- Sodium: 194 mg
- Fat: 41 g
- Saturated Fat: 25 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 0.01 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 124 mg
