These mini lemon cheesecakes are so quick to make because they have a secret, simple crust method. Instead of crushing graham crackers or other cookies, mixing with melted butter and more sugar, we’re just going to drop the whole cookie right in! I use this crust method for my mini strawberry cheesecakes, too! My cookie of choice for the crust on these mini lemon cheesecakes is a vanilla wafer. You know the ones in the yellow box that says ‘Nilla Wafers,’ right? They’re great crushed into a crust, but they’re also great whole. If you’re looking for a larger version of this recipe, don’t miss my lemon blueberry cheesecake made in a loaf pan.
How to Make Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
If you have a muffin or cupcake pan, you can make this recipe so easily! I really recommend using cupcake liners because sometimes, the cheesecake can stick to the pan and make it hard to remove. If you love my original mini cheesecakes with chocolate sauce and strawberries, you will love this new tangy version! If you’re looking to amp up the lemon flavor even more, try topping these with my microwave lemon curd just before serving. Yes, really, this recipe only contains 6 ingredients! Can you believe you’re so close to a sweet lemon dessert that is so simple to make?
The Ingredients
Cream Cheese. It’s imperative that your cream cheese be fully softened to room temperature. To do this, chop up 6 ounces of cream cheese and leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes. If you don’t fully soften it, your mini lemon cheesecakes will have lumps in the final product. Egg. One large egg, the whole egg yolk and egg white! Sugar. While calling for ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar seems like an odd amount, please remember that’s because we’re small batch baking. Six tablespoons of sugar is what we need to make 4 mini lemon cheesecakes. Vanilla Extract. When a recipe has such few ingredients, it’s best to use high quality, real vanilla extract. Lemon. We need one fresh lemon, because we’re using the entire zest of the lemon plus one teaspoon of the juice for the filling. Wafer Cookies. Instead of making a crust, we’re dropping a whole vanilla wafer cookie in the bottom of the cupcake liner and calling it ‘done’.
The Instructions
Equipment Needed for Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
Muffin Pan - My photos show this small 6-cup muffin pan, which I love. If you only have a standard-size pan, place the 4 liners on the outside edge of the pan for this recipe to ensure even heat distribution. Microplane Grater - I really recommend this microplane grater to get perfectly zested lemons. The flavor of the lemon is in the oil, and lemon zest is such a key component to this lemon mini cheesecakes recipe.
Other Lemon Desserts:
Lemon Shortbread Cookies Lemon Pancakes Mini Lemon Cakes
Cream Cheese: Your cream cheese MUST BE fully softened to room temperature. To do this, chop up 6 ounces of cream cheese and leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes. If you don’t fully soften it, your mini lemon cheesecakes will have lumps in the final product. Wafer Cookies: You need small vanilla-flavored cookies. I used the ones in the yellow box labeled ‘Nilla Wafers.’
