The best mini funfetti cheesecakes are loaded with rainbow sprinkles! This birthday cheesecake has sprinkles in the graham cracker crust and in the funfetti cheesecake batter!
I have yet to meet a kid that doesn’t like sprinkles. I mean how many times have you seen a kid pick a certain donut because it has sprinkles?!
But sprinkles aren’t just for kids. Sprinkles are fun, and adults need to have fun too.
These mini funfetti cheesecakes are l-o-a-d-e-d with sprinkles. Sprinkles in the graham cracker crust, sprinkles in the cheesecake, and topped with sprinkles.
What Type of Sprinkles to Use in Funfetti Cheesecake
You’ll want to use rainbow jimmies for this recipe. Jimmies are the long, skinny, rod shaped like sprinkles. The ball sprinkles, there fancy name is nonpareils, can bleed when you bake with them, so for best results I recommend jimmies.
Tools to Make Mini Cheesecakes in a Cupcake Pan
- standard size muffin pan
- paper muffin / cupcake liners
Making individual cheesecakes in a muffin pan is a great way to scale down a regular cheesecake recipe. Mini cheesecakes don’t require a water bath or any special tools, plus they bake faster than regular cheesecake.
Ingredients
Our funfetti mini cheesecake recipe only calls for 5 ingredients!
- cream cheese: use two 8 oz packages. Be sure to use full fat, not low fat, cream cheese for best results.
- sugar: helps to balance the tanginess of the cream cheese.
- vanilla extract: just a teaspoon, but it enhances the classic cheesecake flavor.
- eggs: eggs are the last ingredient that get mixed into the cheesecake batter. Be sure to mix them in, one at a time, just until the yolk breaks. Over beating the eggs is the number one cause of air bubbles and cracking.
- rainbow jimmie sprinkles: After lots of searching, I love the funfetti jimmie sprinkles from Walmart because the colors are so bright and there are NO BROWN sprinkles in the mix!
How to Make Mini Cheesecakes in a Muffin Pan
- Line the muffin pan with paper liners.
- Place about 2 tbsp of the crust in the bottom of each liner. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the crust down.
- Pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes.
- Mix the cheesecake batter ingredients together.
- Divide the cheesecake batter evenly among the muffin liners.
- Bake until the center of the cheesecake only slightly jiggles when you shake the muffin pan.
Total Time Required
- 10 minutes to prep the crust and pre-bake
- 5 minutes to prep the cheesecake
- 20 ish minutes to bake cheesecake
- at least 4 hours to refrigerate the cheesecake before serving. I prefer to refrigerate mine overnight. Waiting is the hardest part, right?!
How to Tell When Mini Cheesecakes are Done Baking?
The best way to tell when the mini cheesecakes are done is the jiggle test. The center of the cheesecake should jiggle slightly when you shake the pan and the edges of the cheesecake will be slightly more puffy or airy.
How to Cool Mini Cheesecakes
Once the cheesecakes are done baking, remove the pan from the oven and place it on the counter until the cheesecakes have cooled to room temperature. Then loosely cover the muffin pan with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight to chill.
Why Did my Mini Cheesecakes Sink?
Over beating the eggs is the number one cause of air bubbles in cheesecake. Air bubbles cause the cheesecakes to sink in the middle as they cool. Be sure to mix the eggs in, one at a time, just until the yolk breaks. Once all the eggs have been added to the cheesecake batter, beat for only 30-60 seconds, until the eggs are fully incorporated.
Tips
- Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature before beating it. Room temperature cream cheese is easier to whip.
- The eggs are the last ingredient that get mixed into the cheesecake batter. Be sure to mix them in, one at a time, just until the yolk breaks. Over beating the eggs is the number one cause of air bubbles and cracking.
- Thoroughly chill the mini cheesecake factory birthday cheesecakes in the fridge before serving.
How to Freeze Mini Cheesecakes?
- Cool the cheesecakes completely before freezing.
- Place the mini cheesecakes, without any garnishes, on a baking sheet, uncovered, and place in the freezer until frozen.
- Once frozen, wrap each cheesecake in aluminum foil and place them inside a ziplock bag in the freezer. They can be frozen for 4 months. To thaw, place them in the refrigerator overnight.
- Before serving add your desired toppings.
More Cheesecake Recipes
- Classic Cheesecake
- Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecakes
- Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
- Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
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Mini Funfetti Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup rainbow jimmie sprinkles
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake
- 16 oz full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, added one at a time
- ⅓ cup rainbow jimmie sprinkles
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Line a regular sized muffin pan with 12 muffin liners.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until it resembles coarse sand.
- Gently mix in the sprinkles.
- Put 1 heaping tbsp of graham cracker crumbs in each muffin cup.
- Use a 1/3 cup (or similar) to press the crumbs down firmly into the pan.
- Bake the crust for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool while prepping the cheesecake.
Cheesecake
- In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth, 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in the sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Add the rainbow sprinkles, mix with a spatula.
- Place a little more than 2 tbsp of cheesecake batter in each muffin cup.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the center of the cheesecake is only slightly jiggly.
- Allow the cheesecakes to cool to room temperature then place them in the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill before serving. If refrigerating overnight, loosely cover the cheesecakes in plastic wrap.
- For decoration: add a dollop of whipped cream to each cheesecake and top with sprinkles.