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These no-bake cheesecake cups come together in minutes with just a handful of ingredients — no oven, no fuss, and no slicing required. Each one is its own little individual dessert, which makes them perfect for parties, potlucks, or just treating yourself on a Tuesday. A buttery graham cracker crust, a creamy no-bake cheesecake filling, and your favorite toppings — that’s really all there is to it.
I made these for a dinner party and got great reviews! I topped them with some fresh fruits (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries).
-Betty
Cheesecake Cups
Some desserts need a plan. This one doesn’t. Six ingredients, no oven, and fifteen minutes of hands-on work gets you a cheesecake cup that tastes like you spent way more effort than you did.
That’s the whole appeal here. Whip up the filling, pipe it into cups, and let the fridge do the rest while you handle everything else on your list. An hour later you’ve got a dessert that looks intentional and holds up at any gathering, from a last-minute weeknight fix to a full table spread.
The topping is where you get to have fun. Pie filling, fresh fruit, crushed cookies, whatever’s already in your fridge works, so this recipe never looks the same way twice.
Why You’ll Love These No Bake Cheesecake Cups
Here are a few reasons why I love making these no bake cheesecake cups.
- No oven required. Skip the water bath, the pie pan, the muffin tin. Everything comes together right in the cup.
- Grab and go. No slicing, no plating. Hand someone a cup and a spoon and you’re done.
- Fast chill time. These are small, so an hour in the fridge is all they need. Perfect when dessert sneaks up on you.
- Made your way. Swap the crust, change the topping, never make them the same way twice. A few ideas are below.
What you’ll need for Cheesecake in a Cup
These no bake cheesecake cups are made with just 6 ingredients, plus your desired toppings! Scroll down to the recipe box for the full ingredient list.
- Graham cracker crumbs – You can buy the crumbs at the store (near the store bought pie crusts) or just use a blender to crush regular graham crackers.
- Cream cheese – It’s essential to use full-fat cream cheese when making no bake cheesecake. Otherwise, the filling will not be thick and stable.
- Heavy whipping cream – The heavy whipping cream helps to stabilize the cheesecake filling.
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens the filling.
- Lemon juice – A splash of fresh lemon juice enhances the other flavors but does not make this cheesecake citrusy.
- Vanilla extract – Adds a light flavor to the cheesecake.
Can I Use A Different Crust?
You can easily switch up these no bake cheesecake cups by using any of the following as your crust:
- Whole or crushed Nilla wafer
- Whole or crushed Oreos
- Whole or crushed gingersnap cookies
Each of those is the perfect size to drop one into the bottom of the cup instead of making crumbs, but it’s up to you!
How to Make Cheesecake Cups
This easy no bake dessert comes together in just a few easy steps. Just be sure to prepare with enough time for them to chill before serving.
- Prepare the crust. Fill the bottom of the cups with graham cracker crumbs. I used 2 tablespoons for 9 oz cups but if your cups are smaller, 1 tablespoon is enough.
- Beat the cream cheese. Beat the cream cheese and a cup of powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Make the whipped cream. Add the heavy whipping cream, remaining powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to a chilled metal or glass bowl. Beat until the whipped cream forms stiff peaks, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Combine the two fillings. Add the cream cheese to the whipped cream. Mix on low until combined. You shouldn’t be able to tell what is cream cheese and what is whipped cream.
- Fill the cups. Transfer the filling to a piping bag. Pipe into the cups, filling each one 3/4th full.
- Chill. Refrigerate the cheesecake cups for 1 to 2 hours, so the filling has time to set.
- Top and serve. Top the no bake cheesecake with your desired toppings, like pie filling or crushed candy, and enjoy. See topping ideas below!
Topping Ideas
There are endless ways to customize the topping on your individual cheesecake cups. You can even do a few different toppings to give people options. Here are a few ideas:
- Pie filling (like cherry, blueberry, or raspberry)
- Homemade strawberry sauce
- Chocolate ganache
- Oreo crumbs (with or without the chocolate ganache)
- Chopped candies
- Lemon curd
- Sautéed apples
- Chocolate shavings
- Mint chips
Tips for Cheesecake in a Cup
These cheesecake cups are pretty straightforward to make but here are a few tips to make them even easier.
- What size cups should I use? This depends on how big you’d like your dessert to be, or how many people you’re serving. I used large 9 oz cups and was able to make 8 cups with this recipe. If you use smaller cups, like 4 oz or 6 oz, you can make 12 to 14 cheesecake cups with this recipe.
- How many graham cracker crumbs do I need? This depends on the size cups you choose to use. For 9 oz cups, you’ll want 2 tablespoons of graham cracker crumbs for each. For smaller cups, 1 tablespoon each will work.
- Cover the cups with plastic for longer chilling times. If you make these cheesecake cups more than 2 hours in advance, I recommend covering them with plastic wrap. This helps prevent the top from forming a little crust
How to Store Cheesecake Dessert Cups
Keep cheesecake cups in the fridge. Lining them up on a baking sheet makes it easy to move them in and out, especially with smaller cups.
Cover the tops with plastic wrap if they’ll sit for more than 2 hours. You can make these a full day ahead and let them chill overnight without any issues.
Eat leftovers within 2 days. The crust softens the longer it sits, so they’re always best within that window.
FAQs
Yes. Make them up to a day in advance and store them covered in the fridge overnight. They’ll be ready to top and serve whenever you need them.
Freezing isn’t recommended. The texture of the whipped cream and cream cheese filling changes once thawed, so these are best made and eaten within a couple days.
Full-fat cream cheese and stiff peaks in the whipped cream are the two things that make or break this filling. If either one is soft, the filling won’t hold its shape.
This recipe is built for individual servings, but the same filling and crust work in a springform pan if you’d rather make one classic no bake cheesecake instead.
They’re good for about 2 days in the fridge, covered. The filling stays perfect, but the graham cracker crust softens the longer it sits, so these are best enjoyed sooner rather than later.
You can, and it’ll save you a step since there’s no whipping involved. Just fold about 2 cups of thawed Cool Whip into the cream cheese mixture instead of making the whipped cream from scratch. The texture will be a touch lighter, but it still sets up nicely.
Honestly, almost anything. Pie filling is the classic move, but fresh fruit, chocolate ganache, crushed cookies, or a drizzle of caramel all work great too. This is the fun part where you get to make them your own.
More like these No Bake Cheesecake Cups
- Classic Cheesecake
- Turtle Cheesecake
- Coffee Cheesecake
- Cream Cheese Brownies with Perfect Cheesecake Swirls
More Recipes
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Easy Cheese Cake Cups Recipe
Ingredients
- Graham cracker crumbs
- 16 oz full fat cream cheese, 2 8 oz packages, room temperature
- 2 cups (473ml) heavy whipping cream, equal to 1 pint
- 1 ½ cups (169g) powdered sugar, divided into 1 cup and 1/2 cup
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Video
Instructions
- The size of cup you use will determine how much graham cracker crumb to put in the bottom. The cup size will also determine the number of servings. I used large 9 oz cups and was able to make 8 cups.
- If using 9 oz cups, place 2 tablespoons of graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of 8 cups. If you are using smaller cups, between 4-6 oz, place 1 tablespoon of crumbs in 12-16 cups.Graham cracker crumbs
- Place a metal or glass mixing bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes, this bowl will be used in step 5.
- In a different mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Set aside.16 oz full fat cream cheese, 1 ½ cups (169g) powdered sugar
- Remove the metal mixing bowl from the freezer. Add the heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat with an electric mixer until the whipping cream has stiff peaks, about 4-5 minutes.2 cups (473ml) heavy whipping cream, 1 ½ cups (169g) powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Add the cream cheese to the whipped cream and mix them together on low spee for 1-2 minutes or just until you can’t tell which is the cream cheese and which is the whipped cream.
- Place the cheesecake filling in a piping bag (or ziplock bag with the corner cut off) and pipe the cheesecake into the cups, filling about 3/4ths full.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake cups for 1-2 hours. For longer refrigeration, I recommend covering the cups with plastic wrap. You can refrigerate these over night and serve the next day.
- Top the cheesecake with your desired topping – cherry pie filling, blueberry pie filling, homemade strawberry sauce, chocolate ganache, oreo crumbs, chopped candies, etc.
Notes
How long do they last in the fridge?
You can make these a day ahead of time and store them in the fridge overnight. Leftovers should be enjoyed within 2 days. Note that the longer they are refrigerated, the softer the crust will become.
Love this recipe. So easy and delicious. I really like how you write your recipe. Instead of having to scroll back up you just tell me the directions and also add the ingredients and amount underneath. Amazing. Thank you!
I made these cups for the first time over the weekend. Absolutely amazing! I loved the consistency of the cheesecake, as I find many recipes that have cheesecake consistency too runny/thin. Also the graham cracker at the bottom was still crispy after being in the fridge for 2 days! These were so good! I used traditional cherry topping, but will definitely be experimenting with other toppings! Thank you for sharing ❤️
Made 6 of these but used an 8 oz wide mouth canning jar. To let daughter take to work. They tasted really good. She said they were light so she ate whole thing.
Now need to make more with rest of cheescake filling. Thank you.