Tessa's Recipe Rundown
TASTE: Perfectly chocolatey with plenty of PB flavor, and a wonderful slight tang from the cream cheese.
TEXTURE: Slight crunch from the graham cracker crust, with a beautiful cheesecake filling and a fudgy chocolate ganache topping.
EASE: Super easy – the hardest part is waiting for them to set!
PROS: Easy and so yummy.
CONS: None.
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? Yes!
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No Bake Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes are the perfect recipe for those days when you need something chocolatey and indulgent, but don’t want to turn on the oven.
I absolutely love cheesecakes, but sometimes you don’t want to spend hours baking one, with all the steps involved in preparing a water bath.
The beauty of these adorable mini cheesecakes is that there’s no baking involved, and they’re pre-portioned, so you don’t even need to slice them up before serving!
These No Bake Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes are so cute, absolutely delicious, and perfect for adults and kids alike! There won’t be a single one left at your next party!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make No Bake Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes
The Graham Cracker Crust
- Since we aren’t baking this crust, we need to make sure it holds its shape and doesn’t crumble too much.
- That’s why we need a generous amount of butter.
- Be sure to spray or grease your baking pan, so the crust slides off more easily.
- You want to finely grind your graham crackers. If they’re too coarse, you’ll get a crumbly result.
- Use a tamper or the bottom of a measuring cup to very firmly press the crust into the pan. Really compact it in there so it holds its shape.
Can I Substitute the Graham Crackers?
You can use the same amount by weight of digestive biscuits, vanilla wafers, Biscoff cookies, or any crunchy cookie you’d like! Please note that Biscoff cookies are a little richer than graham crackers (which are drier), so add just enough butter until it holds together when pressed.
Which Cream Cheese is Best for Cheesecake?
- Use high-quality, full-fat bricks of cream cheese for this recipe.
- Don’t use spreadable cream cheese meant for bagels.
- Make sure the cream cheese is COMPLETELY softened to room temperature, so it blends into a smooth and creamy filling with no lumps.
- Since we’re not baking this recipe, you can fill the cavities in your mini cheesecake or muffin pan all the way up to the top with the filling.
Do I Need a Special Pan for Mini Cheesecakes?
I love my mini cheesecake pan for this recipe. Each cavity in this pan has a removable base, so you can easily pop the mini cheesecakes out of the tin, without the need for muffin liners or any fuss at all. They come out of the tin looking so perfect and beautiful. My favorite Chicago Metallic pan is currently out of stock, but this alternative pan will work perfectly too.
You can alternatively use a regular or mini muffin pan and liners:
- Using a regular-sized muffin pan with liners: Follow the recipe as written, using quality cupcake liners instead of spraying the pan with non-stick spray. Otherwise, the graham cracker crust might crumble and the cheesecake might stick when you go to remove them.
- Mini muffin tin with liners: Line the tin with foil or paper liners. Place 1 tablespoon of crust into each cavity, then use the bottom of a 1-teaspoon cookie scoop to firmly press the crust into the pan. Use the same scoop to scoop a heaping teaspoon of cheesecake filling into the cavities.
Can I Make One Large No-Bake Cheesecake Instead of Minis?
We haven’t tested this, so I can’t say for sure what size springform pan this would best work in. Instead, I highly recommend my delicious No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake recipe.
How to Store No Bake Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes
You can store these mini cheesecakes in the fridge, covered, for about 2 days. Cheesecakes can also be frozen. Wrap un-topped mini cheesecakes in plastic wrap and store inside an airtight container or freezer bag for up to one month. Defrost overnight in the fridge before adding chocolate ganache and peanut butter cups and serving.
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Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 sleeve (9 cookies) graham crackers
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake:
- 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (90 grams) creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup (157 ml) heavy cream
- 4 ounces (113 grams) semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup (58 grams) heavy cream
- Mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
Make 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 in 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 other small object makes easy work of this). Set aside.
Make the cheesecake:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar on medium-high speed until creamy and well combined. Add in the vanilla and cream and continue beating until well combined and thickened. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat until combined. Divide the mixture among each cavity and cover with plastic wrap.
- Chill until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Make the topping:
- Place the chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream just until simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit for 3 minutes, then stir until the mixture is melted and smooth. Pour over each cheesecake, allowing to barely drip down the sides. Top each cheesecake with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Serve, or cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
These look amazing! When you freeze them ahead of time, do you think the graham crust will get stale? Thanks!
Hi Kristin! In our experience, the crust doesn’t get stale as long as the mini cheesecakes are stored as Tessa recommends (at the bottom of the tip box, just above the recipe). Let us know how it goes if you give these a try 🙂
Perfect, beautiful bites of creamy chocolate and peanut butter. It would be a nice dessert for a buffet.
Happy you loved this recipe, Martha!
THis looks so good! Have you made a regular sized cheesecake with this filling! It would be fun to have both ways!
Always a huge fan of linking to bloggers that I love but dont get a whole lot of link appreciate from.
These look amazing and I just happened to buy a mini cheesecake pan from Williams-Sonoma!
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