Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes with Nilla Wafer Crust

Mini raspberry cheesecakes with Nilla Wafer crust are a go-to recipe for me. Mini desserts are all the rage, but this recipe has been a favorite of mine for a long time. I think you will love it too.

Want another great dessert recipe? Try my key lime pie recipe. It won’t disappoint!

Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes with Nilla Wafer Crust

My mom taught me how to make these mini cheesecakes, but I did have to adapt her original recipe. Although the initial recipe was easy and tasty, a change in the size of the Nilla Wafer forced me to adapt.

 It used to be that the Nilla Wafer crust of this recipe was just a Nilla Wafer. However, as Kenzie was adding all of the Nilla wafers into the muffin tins, they didn’t fill the bottom of the regular-sized muffin tin like they were supposed to. I was perplexed. Looking online, I discovered that others were saying the wafers are being made smaller now. I had to come up with another solution, so I developed a crust.

The raspberry topping I stole from my Raspberry Cream Shooter recipe. I added one raspberry on top as decoration to finish off the look.

These are amazing. Cheesecake, for me, is always one of the most tempting dessert items. These will not disappoint. 

Mini Dessert Ideas

 As I was doing multiple desserts for a shower, including these mini raspberry cheesecakes, the idea was to make them all the sweet treats mini so that people could choose a few to try.

Side note: While this post was written way before the mini-dessert rage (originally written in 2013 but updated recently for clarity and quality), I’ve always thought it would be fun to create a restaurant called “Bites.”

This restaurant concept was born because I always just want a bite of everything on the menu. The idea is like a sushi conveyor belt with tapas and mini-desserts on the belt. Each color has a price associated with it, so you just grab plates of appetizers and desserts as they pass. I have no desire to pursue my “Bites” concept, but if you want to steal it and give me 10% of everything, go for it. I’ll join you on Shark Tank.

Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes with Nilla Wafer Crust Recipe Card

Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes with Nilla Wafer Crust

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Cooling Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Baking

Servings 20 cheesecakes

Calories 235 kcal

Ingredients

  

Crust

• 28 Nilla wafers
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cheesecake Filling

• 24 oz packages of cream cheese softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Raspberry Compote Topping

• 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup brown sugar

Decoration

• 20 fresh raspberries

Instructions

 

Crust Instructions

• Prepare regular-sized muffin tins by lining them with a cupcake liner.
• Preheat oven to 325.
• Put 28 Nilla wafers in a food processor or crush them fine.
• Add 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla. Stir until combined.
• Take heaping tablespoons full of crust and put them in the bottom of lined, regular-sized muffin tins. I used a measuring cup to press the crust into the muffin tin layer, but you can use a tamper.

Cheesecake Filling Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients (24 oz cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, and 3 eggs).
• Combine all ingredients on medium speed, scraping the inside of the bowl until completely combined.
• Pour mixture on top of Nilla Wafer crust, filling the muffin tins 2/3 of the way full.
• Bake these at 325 for 18-23 minutes, until set. Set means that the edges puff a bit, and the center is a little jiggly.
• Let cool completely.

Raspberry Compote Instructions

• While cheesecakes are baking and cooling, in a small saucepan, bring all the ingredients (1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, 1 Tbsp corn starch, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1/4 tsp lemon zest, 1/8 cup sugar, and 1/8 cup brown sugar) to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until thickened. Raspberries will break down as they cook. This process tends to take 12-20 minutes.
• Optional: You can strain the raspberry compote if you prefer no seeds, but I don’t mind the texture, so I leave them in.
• Let cool before adding a small spoonful to the top of the cheesecake.
• Add one raspberry to the top of each cheesecake.

Keyword cheesecake, mini-dessert

I like to serve these cheesecakes out of the wrapper, but you can keep them in the wrapper for convenience also.

As always, I encourage you to get your kids baking in the kitchen with you so you can create memories, learning experiences, and goodness together.

Looking for More Great Mini-Dessert Ideas?

Lemon Curd and Sour Cream Mini-Desserts in Sugar Cookie Cups

Mini Raspberry Cheesecake Trifle Recipe

Pineapple Curd and Coconut Buttercream Mini Dessert