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, 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!

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. I use my 24-count muffin pan all the time (especially when it comes to baking cupcakes) and it is such a timesaver.

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.

You can also prep these ahead of time and freeze them. I’ve included instructions in the recipe notes for this as well!

Baking Tips For Mini Lemon Blueberry Cheesecakes

• 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.

 

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

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!

Prep Time40 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mini lemon blueberry cheesecakes

Servings: 14 mini cheesecakes

Author: Danielle

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

Store mini cheesecakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Freezing instructions: Mini cheesecakes will freeze well for up to 3 months. Store in a freezer bag or container, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Add the whipped cream (if using) once the cheesecakes have thawed.

Love mini cheesecakes? Try my Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes next!

 

This post contains affiliate links, which pay me a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Share this post