Mini Lemon Blueberry Cheesecakes
These Mini Lemon Blueberry Cheesecakes feature an easy homemade graham cracker crust, smooth and creamy lemon cheesecake filling, and a simple blueberry swirl!
On Monday, I shared a post about how to make stabilized whipped cream. So today I’m showing you one way that you can use that whipped cream recipe with these delicious mini lemon blueberry cheesecakes.
While there are a few steps to these mini cheesecakes with graham cracker crust, they are pretty easy to make. And since they need to be refrigerated for a few hours, they’re a perfect dessert that you can prep ahead of time or freeze for whenever you need them.
You can even leave off the blueberry swirl for a regular mini lemon cheesecake or swap out the blueberries with your favorite berry!
Ingredients for This Recipe
These mini blueberry cheesecake bites have three components: the blueberry swirl that goes on top, the lemon cheesecake filling, and the graham cracker crust. Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Blueberries: I’ve only tested this recipe with fresh blueberries, but I don’t see any reason why frozen berries wouldn’t work.
- Sugar: Is incorporated in every layer of the mini cheesecake bites to balance out the sour lemon juice.
- Lemons: Buy whole lemons for this recipe, as you’ll need both lemon juice and zest.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the blueberry topping. You’ll need to whisk it with a little water first to prevent it from clumping up.
- Graham cracker crumbs: Save yourself some time and buy pre-made graham cracker crumbs rather than crushing sheets of graham crackers yourself.
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter in my baked goods because the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between brands.
- Cream cheese: Must be softened to room temperature before making the filling.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract will deliver the best flavor.
- Eggs: Also need to be room temperature before being added to the filling.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bites
To make these mini lemon blueberry cheesecakes, you’ll start out by making the blueberry swirl. The swirl is a mixture of blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, water, and cornstarch cooked down in a saucepan.
You’ll cook the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice down until the mixture starts to boil. You can also mash the blueberries to help them release their juices and make the mixture cook a little quicker. Then, you’ll whisk together the water and cornstarch, pour it in, and continue letting the mixture cook for another minute or two until it thickens.
Once the mixture is thickened, strain it through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Then set it aside to cool.
Next up is the graham cracker crust, which is just a simple mixture of crushed graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter.
If you want to make the graham cracker crust a little easier, then you can use crushed graham cracker crumbs. I typically do this when I make cheesecakes now because it’s one less step (you don’t have to break out a blender or food processor) and less cleanup too!
Then, line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, press the graham cracker crust down in them and bake them for a few minutes.
Then, you’ll mix up the lemon cheesecake filling which is just cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and a couple of eggs. As always, make sure your ingredients for the filling are at room temperature to ensure a smoother, creamier cheesecake filling.
One thing to note is that this recipe does make 14 mini cheesecakes. I tried making just 12, but as you can tell from the picture above they were just a little too full. So you can either use two standard 12-count muffin pans or use a standard 24-count muffin pan.
Then just bake the mini cheesecakes, let them cool, and refrigerate until they’re firm.
You can either top these with my homemade whipped cream recipe or if you’re looking for one that lasts a few days you can use my stabilized whipped cream recipe.
Can You Freeze These Mini Cheesecakes?
Yes! You can prep these ahead of time and freeze them for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, place them in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
Baking Tips
- I suggest starting with the blueberry swirl first so that it has time to cool before you swirl it into the cheesecake filling.
- Make sure your cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature before mixing the cheesecake filling. This will ensure a much smoother and creamier cheesecake!
- You can serve these mini cheesecakes in the liners. If you prefer to remove them first, place the cheesecakes in the freezer for 30 minutes or so to make it easier to remove the liners.
More Mini Cheesecake Recipes to Try!
I have quite a few easy mini cheesecakes on my site. Here are some of my favorites:
- Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes
- Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
- Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
- Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
- Classic Mini Cheesecakes
Mini Lemon Blueberry Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the blueberry swirl:
- 1 cup (140 grams) fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon (13 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons water
For the graham cracker crust:
- 1 cup (120 grams) graham cracker crumbs (about 8 full-sheets)
- 3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 and 1/2 tablespoons (50 grams) butter, melted
For the lemon cheesecake filling:
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
To make the blueberry swirl:
- Combine the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the berries begin to soften and release their juices, mashing the berries as it cooks.
- Once the mixture begins to bubble, whisk together the water and cornstarch then add it to the saucepan. Allow to cook for another 1-2 minutes, continuing to mash the berries and stirring, until the mixture has thickened.
- Once the mixture has thickened, remove from the heat. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a heat-safe bowl, and carefully strain the blueberry mixture through it. Discard any solids from the strainer and set aside the blueberry sauce to cool.
To make the graham cracker crust:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two standard 12-count muffin pans (or one standard 24-count muffin pan) with 14 cupcake liners and set aside.
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Evenly distribute the mixture between all 14 cavities of the muffin pans, making sure to press each one down firmly into an even layer. Bake at 325°F for 5 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Keep oven temperature at 325°F.
To make the lemon cheesecake filling:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
- Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then, add in the eggs one at a time and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Evenly distribute the cheesecake filling between all 14 cavities of the muffin pans. Then, evenly distribute the blueberry swirl mixture on top (about 1 teaspoon or so per cheesecake) and swirl with a toothpick or knife.
- Bake at 325°F for 17-20 minutes or until the tops of the cheesecakes are set (bake in separate batches if using two muffin pans).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
- Once cooled, remove the cheesecakes from the muffin pan, place them in an airtight container, and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3-4 hours or overnight. Once the cheesecakes are chilled, serve and enjoy!
Notes
I made these and they are awesome! Easy directions and they taste great! Thanks!!
So glad you liked the mini cheesecakes, Marla!
I love your site!
Thank you, Sheila! I’d love to hear if you try any recipes!
Made these and they’re delicious however could not taste any blueberry as the lemon was a little overpowering. Next time I’ll cut down on the zest.
You could cut out the lemon zest next time and see if that helps, Sue. Glad you liked the mini cheesecakes though!
Great website, I was led here looking for a recipe for stabilized whipped cream . The blueberry swirl lemon mini cheesecakes look awesome. What would you alter to make them in mini muffin tins?
You should be able to make about 24 or more with a mini muffin pan. I would bake the crust for just 2-3 minutes and reduce the baking time on the cheesecakes too.
These were so delicious. The flavors were beautiful in sinc. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
I don’t know what happened with mine! They was nice and beautiful raised and, before I take them from oven, suddenly get deflated ! I followed the recipe step by step! What I did wrong?
Please, help!
There are several reasons that could happen. If you over mix the egg into the batter, it can incorporate more air and cause your cheesecakes to sink. Another reason could be the sudden temperature change from removing them from the oven. If you make them again, you can try turning the oven off, cracking the door, and letting them sit in there for a few more minutes before removing them. Also, have you checked your oven temperature with an oven thermometer?
Loved this! Do you have recipe for a full size cheesecake?
I have a regular full-size cheesecake recipe, you can find it here.
If you don’t have an airtight container, would it make a difference in the chilling process?
You do want them to be covered, just so they stay fresh. Do you have a container that you can store them in and cover with plastic wrap?
Should I use a different baking time and different ingredient measurements if using a mini 24ct muffin pan? Would using the mini double the serving to 28?
I haven’t tried it, but I think the measurements would be okay for a mini muffin pan. I imagine it would make about 28-30, but you will want to reduce the baking time for both the crust and filling.
I made these tonight and while I haven’t tasted them yet, they sure look good! I am going to make a blueberry sauce to serve with them tomorrow. A little whipped cream to top them off! Yum!
Followed the recipe exactly as written using fresh Ontario blueberries
Hope you enjoy the mini cheesecakes, Carolyn!
Very yummy cheesecake and simple to make. I had fresh mangos I wanted to use up and followed the directions for the fruit topping by subbing in an equal amount of mango. I kept everything else the same. The cheesecake itself was very creamy, and good call on baking the crust first. It was nice and crunchy when I finally got to have a taste! Delightful!
So glad you liked the mini cheesecakes, Stephanie!
These sound delicious, but I have one question. Why do you strain out the solids from the blueberry concoction?
Just a personal preference, I prefer to remove any seeds or large pieces. You can skip that step if you like though.
Loved this recipe. I made it for my sister in law’s wedding shower, and they were a huge hit. I am making them again for a friend’s birthday. This will be a recipe I return to again and again! Thank you!
Beautiful cheesecakes, mine looked perfect but unfortunately, they had such a strong bitter aftertaste. I’m thinking it was from all that lemon zest?
Sorry to hear that, Julia. When zesting your lemons it’s best to only zest the outer yellow part because the white part can be bitter. If you did do that, you can omit the lemon zest next time and see if that helps.
would using blueberry preserves/jam be a good substitute
Yes, that would be fine!
Made these tonight in my pampered chef brownie pan. I have to wait for them to cool but turned out great. I tasted the batter and it was delicious! I didn’t buy a lemon but used lemon juice and doTERRA lemon essential oil. I’m so excited to try them!!!
Would it be just fine to use light cream cheese? I happen to have some on hand.
Light/reduced-fat cream cheese would be fine, I don’t recommend fat-free though.
Trying these for a group, would baking them in mini mason jars and a water bath change the cooking time/temp?
It really depends, but if you’re using more filling in the mason jars than you would in the muffin pan you will want to increase the baking time.
Could you substitute blueberry pie filling for the blueberries?
Blueberry pie filling is already sweetened and thickened. I would either puree the filling and swirl that in or just bake them without the swirl and top with the filling.
I made this for people at work and it was a big hit! Directions easy to follow and followed as written except used frozen blueberries which I have always on hand. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
So happy to hear that, Arlene!
hi danielle. for a blueberry-only cheesecake can i simply omit the lemon and zest from the filling, or should a substitution be made? Would the swirl still require lemon juice or could that be omitted as well? Thanks in advance!
Hi, Kristyn! For a plain cheesecake, you can use the cheesecake base in this recipe and swirl the blueberry filling on top of that. You can leave the lemon juice out of the filling too.
I followed the recipe to a T (I think) and it took me close to 30 min to bake… Took them out and toothpicks still wet…. What did I do wrong?
Hi, Lisa! 30 minutes seems like quite a while, did they firm up any after they cooled and chilled in the refrigerator? If not, have you checked your oven temperature with an oven thermometer?
I made these as well as the strawberry mini cheesecakes. These are just divine. So easy to do. My husband said one of the best cheesecake he has tried
I just made these today and oh my goodness. This is the only cheesecake recipe I’ve ever made that’s actually turned out. And it’s so tasty! Instead of blueberries I used strawberries from my garden and it was the best possible use for them. Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ll making these again in a couple weeks with my raspberries.
Huge hit! Directions were easy to follow and the results were fabulous. Thank you for this hit!
These were AMAZING! I felt like such a rockstar whipping these out. Everyone raved over them and want to know when I’m making more. Thank you for the recipe.
I made these and they were delicious, however the centers fell, so they were not as pretty as they should have been. What could I have done wrong?
Any hints to prevent this in the future?
Hi, Nancy! There are a couple of reasons cheesecakes can sink. One could be that they were slightly under baked, you may check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer or increase the baking time by a few minutes. Another reason could be that the egg was over mixed into the batter, which incorporates more air and causes the cheesecakes to fall. If you make them again, I would recommend mixing in the egg on low speed until just combined. Hope that helps!
Hi, is there any replacement for eggs? Will the recipe still work? Thanks for your help ?
I honestly haven’t tried an egg replacement in any of my cheesecake recipes, so I’m not quite sure. Sorry!
Hello, I was hoping to make this for my grandma’s birthday but she can’t eat egg’. What could I use to substitute the egg?
Hi, Daisy! I haven’t tested my cheesecake recipes with an egg substitute, so I’m honestly not sure.
Hi there!
I’d love to make these slightly larger – maybe 6-8 individual cheesecakes vs. 14 minis. I’ll use the same amount of batter, just divide it into larger portions. Any suggestions for how to adjust the bake time or what to watch for doneness?
Any insight will be greatly appreciated! Thank you 🙂
You may need to increase the baking time by a few minutes. I would just keep an eye on them, once they start to puff up and look set they should be done.