Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Just like actual strawberry lemonade, but better!
Texture: The cheesecake is super rich and creamy, and is perfectly contrasted by the crunchy buttery crust. The texture will definitely be “looser” than a baked cheesecake.
Ease: Super easy! Let the food processor and electric mixer do all the hard work for you.
Pros: Ultra fun, adorable, AND tasty. Not to mention you don’t have to turn on the oven or stove once!
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Absolutely.
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The day I made these cheesecakes it almost reached 120°F here in Phoenix.
Needless to say, I was NOT about to turn on my oven. Or stove. The recipes I had planned on testing that day had to wait, because something fresh and delightful with no extra heat required was simply a necessity.
I’m almost happy it got so hot that day because I’m not sure I would have ended up creating these No Bake Strawberry Lemonade Mini Cheesecakes otherwise!
I just love how adorable and bright these cheesecakes are. You kind of get an idea of what they’re going to taste like just by looking at them! And they’re about a million times easier to make than a full sized baked cheesecake.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make No-Bake Strawberry Lemonade Mini Cheesecakes
The Pan
I used my beloved Mini Cheesecake Pan for this recipe, but if you don’t have one go ahead and use a standard muffin tin with paper liners sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Also make sure to grease your mini cheesecake pan if you’re using that. We don’t want any sticking here since there is no baking!
The Crust
This is a simple graham cracker crust made with finely ground crackers and a generous amount of butter to ensure the crust holds its shape since there’s no baking here. To make quick and easy work of assembling the crust, I like to take a heaping tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture and place it into each cavity. Then I take a shot glass or small tamper and to firmly press the crust down into the pan so it’s nice and compact and neat. If there are a lot of stray crumbs up the sides of the cavities I’ll try to brush them away so they don’t end up on the actual cheesecake.
The Cheesecake
Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature. Since there are no eggs in this recipe and we aren’t baking it, there’s no risk of overmixing the batter. That means you can beat it to oblivion to make sure it’s completely smooth and creamy with no lumps. You can also fill each cavity with cheesecake filling all the way to the top, again because there’s no risk of it overflowing while baking. Make sure you chill the cheesecakes for at least 4 hours, or until firm enough to hold their shape. This may take more time depending on your fridge and the weather, so I usually just chill overnight to ensure they’re firmed.
Making Ahead & Storing
The plain cheesecakes, without the topping or garnishes, can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container up to 2 days ahead of time. Once you add the strawberry puree on top, and especially once you add the garnishes, the cheesecakes should be served within a few hours to preserve their appearance. This also ensures the extra water from the garnishes doesn’t seep into the cheesecakes.
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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, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
For topping::
- 5 ounces (142 grams) strawberries, hulled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Strawberry slices
- Lemon slices
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 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.
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 in the cream, zest, and juice and continue beating until well combined and thickened. 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 strawberries, 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 with a strawberry and lemon slice. Serve.
These turned out so great!! Once I added the cream I whipped them more than I would a normal cheesecake to help build volume in the cream and make it a little stiffer. Refrigerated overnight and it set beautifully. Also had extra filling and crust so put them in some ramekins for a little extra dessert. Always appreciate how well done Tessa’s recipes are!
Hey Tessa, I was just wondering if I could use a muffin tin instead of a mini cheesecake pan for this recipe?
Hi Morgan! Yes, you can use a muffin pan! Tessa actually talks about this in more detail in the tips section above the recipe 🙂 Let us know how you like the mini cheesecakes!
its very good! smooth and creamy! i was a little impatient so i ate it exactly 4 hours after putting it in the fridge, but it wasnt set yet. the next day it was ok.
hi Tessa, this is amazing! I want to make these for my friend’s birthday, can I make it only with strawberry? And do you think silicone muffin moulds will work? Thanks for any help.
Can you make ahead of time and freeze? If so for how long
These are delicious! Made for Mothers Tea and everyone loved them! I’m making for engagement party.
Can I make ahead and freeze?
So happy you enjoyed them! Yes, you can freeze these—just do so without the toppings. After completing the chilling period in step #3, place them in a single layer in an airtight freezer container. When you’re ready to serve, thaw them in the fridge for about 24 hours, then add the toppings before serving.
Made these for a friends bachelorette, unfortunately they didn’t set properly. I would definitely add a teaspoon of gelatine in, it was a real shame because the flavour was delicious!
I found if the whip the heavy cream separate then fold it into the cream cheese mixture it sets up better.
Hi,
If I wanted to make this in a 9in springform pan, how much do I need to increase the ingredients to fit that size pan? I dont have the mini cheesecake pan
Thanks.
Followed the recipe step by step. Turned out perfect! Will be trying again in different flavors!! Thank you.
I added an extra tablespoon of lemon juice to the cheesecake. It was delicious. However, it did not set overnight and I was unable to take the Cheesecake out of the tin I prepared it in. I brought it to a new years eve gathering, I little embarassed that it was sloppy. As someone has mentioned above it needs something to make it set. Otherwise it is delicious.