Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Ultra-fresh with the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.
Texture: The crust is crunchy and buttery, while the cheesecake filling is super creamy, luscious, and rich.
Ease: Ridiculously easy. The hardest part is waiting for them to chill and set before eating!
Pros: Perfect spring or summer dessert. Fast, easy to transport, and requires no oven or stove use.
Cons: I’ve noticed if you don’t use high-quality bricks of cream cheese, you end up with extra moisture, making it harder for these cheesecakes to set firmly.
Would I make this again? Absolutely!
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These No Bake Mini Blackberry Cheesecakes are the perfect treats to make this spring or summer!
When it’s 110°F or hotter here in Phoenix, the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven.
Sometimes I make that sacrifice in order to continue testing new recipes to share with you. It’s a small price to pay to wake up to my dream job every day!
That’s why I love thinking up new no-bake recipes once the temperatures start to soar.
I knew I wanted to create a no-bake recipe incorporating berries, and I’m so pleased with how delicious and beautiful these No Bake Mini Blackberry Cheesecakes are.
I’m a weirdo and would much rather eat berries raw and fresh than bake with them, so this recipe worked out perfectly to preserve the sweet and tart freshness of the blackberries.
I particularly love mini cheesecakes because they’re so much quicker and simpler to make and transport than full-sized cheesecakes. Plus it gives the illusion of moderation … that is, until you realize you’ve actually eaten 4 mini cheesecakes!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make No Bake Mini Blackberry Cheesecakes
The Blackberries in No Bake Mini Blackberry Cheesecakes
To keep things simple, we’re using blackberry jam in the cheesecake itself. I find that adding fresh fruit to a no-bake cheesecake “batter” makes it too watery to set properly, so the jam is a perfect workaround.
An easy puree of fresh blackberries then gets dolloped on top. Feel free to use defrosted frozen blackberries in the puree, if preferred.
What Type of Cream Cheese is Best for No Bake Cheesecakes?
- Be sure to use blocks of full-fat, high-quality cream cheese.
- I recommend using a high-quality brand such as Philadelphia, for the best possible texture.
- Do not use reduced-fat cream cheese, or your mini cheesecakes may be watery, rubbery, or may not set properly.
- Don’t use whipped cream cheese or cream cheese for spreading on a bagel.
- Be sure your cream cheese is COMPLETELY softened to room temperature before beginning.
Graham Crackers Substitutions for the Cheesecake Crust
Feel free to use the same amount by weight of digestive biscuits, vanilla wafers, or any crunchy cookie you prefer.
What Type of Pan for No Bake Mini Blackberry Cheesecakes?
- For perfectly adorable mini cheesecakes, get yourself a mini cheesecake pan. The bottoms are removable, just like a springform or tart pan, so you can pop out each cheesecake and keep it perfectly intact.
- If you don’t have a mini cheesecake pan, use a muffin tin instead.
- Use high-quality liners to avoid the graham cracker crust crumbling and avoid the cheesecake sticking to the pan.
- Another super cute idea is to use mini mason jars to assemble and serve this recipe. You might end up with less than 12 cheesecakes, but they’d be perfect for a dinner party or BBQ.
Chilling No Bake Cheesecake
No Bake Mini Blackberry Cheesecakes need to chill for at least 4 hours to ensure the cheesecakes are fully set and hold their shape. I usually prepare the mini cheesecakes the day before I plan to serve them, just to ensure they’re fully set before serving.
How to Store No Bake Mini Blackberry Cheesecakes
Store No Bake Mini Blackberry Cheesecakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Can You Freeze No Bake Mini Blackberry Cheesecakes?
While we haven’t tried that, it should work just fine to freeze these un-topped mini cheesecakes. Place individual cheesecakes on a baking tray and freeze until solid, then move to an airtight container for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight. Add the blackberry topping and fresh blackberries before serving.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Raspberry Lemonade Cheesecake Bars
- No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
- Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts
- Baked Strawberry Lemon Doughnuts
- No-Bake S’mores Mini Cheesecakes
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No Bake Mini Blackberry Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 sleeve (9 crackers, 140 grams) graham crackers
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake:
- 12 ounces (340 grams) cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (180 grams) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (80 grams) blackberry preserves
For topping:
- 1 cup (145 grams) blackberries, fresh or thawed frozen
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Fresh blackberries, for garnish
Instructions
For the crust:
- Thoroughly grease a mini cheesecake pan. Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until moistened. Divide the mixture among the cavities of the cheesecake pan, about 1 heaping tablespoon in each. Firmly press into the bottom of each cavity (a shot glass or tart tamper are perfect for this). Set aside.
For the cheesecake:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until creamy and well combined. Add the cream, lemon juice, and blackberry preserves, and continue beating for 2 to 3 minutes, until well combined and thickened, with a texture similar to frosting. Divide the mixture among each cavity and cover with plastic wrap.
- Chill until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight. The cheesecake can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
For the topping:
- Combine the berries, sugar, and lemon juice in the bowl of a blender or food processor and pulse until pureed. Top each cheesecake with a dollop of the sauce. Garnish each mini cheesecake with fresh blackberries. Serve.
Recipe Notes
This post was originally published in 2017 and has been updated with additional baking tips. Photos by Constance Higley.
How do you get the mini cheesecakes out of the pan without cracking or crushing them. I have pampered chef 24 slot pan which I use for the baked kind. Is that the type of pan you mean?
Hi Cheryl! This is the pan Tessa recommends for the best, more perfect-looking mini cheesecakes. I think the type of pan you’re describing is a mini muffin/cupcake pan, which is significantly smaller cavities, and doesn’t have the little removeable bottoms like the pan linked above. If you wish to use a regular or mini muffin/cupcake pan, you will need to line with paper or foil liners to most easily remove the cheesecakes – if otherwise, you can cut small strips of parchment paper to criss-cross underneath each mini cheesecake and up the sides (long enough to grab), so you’ll be able to more easily lift each mini cheesecake out – but it will still take some tinkering to perfect this. I would also, in this scenario, recommend using a thin spatula to run around the edge of each cheesecake, to loosen it a little, before attempting to lift out. I hope something here helps, Cheryl! let us know how it goes 🙂
If you made them a day or 2 early – could you freeze (without the fresh berries on top)? Trying to reduce the recipes on the day of a party
Hi Karen! We haven’t specifically tried that with this recipe, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work! As you say, just leave off the fresh berry topping and put that on just before serving. I would recommend freezing inside an airtight container, for no longer than a month, and then thawing for several hours or overnight in fridge before serving. Let us know how it goes! 🙂