Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes

These Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes combine creamy cheesecake with crunchy pecan pie topping. This bite-sized dessert is perfect for holiday gatherings!

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I’ve become a huge fan of portion-controlled desserts. Not only do smaller versions look really fun when you serve them, but they keep you from eating the entire cake. (Well, you could go back again…and again…but you know what I mean.) Cheesecake is actually a great dessert to make in miniature form.

Baking a cheesecake at home can be a bit fussy. It’s not difficult by any means, but it’s a process. You really want to include a water bath in the oven to keep the cheesecake from splitting. And I like to freeze the cheesecake overnight as it makes it easier to slice. That requires a bit more advanced planning. It’s all worth it because, well, cheesecake is amazing. But it’s a process.

Using a muffin tin to bake cheesecake is one of my favorite baking hacks. Just line a muffin tin with paper liners and add a bit of crust mixture to the bottom of each one. Pour in the cheesecake batter and send it off to the oven. No need for a water bath. And another bonus? The mini cheesecakes bake in ~20 minutes. That’s right. 20 minutes!

I still freeze mini cheesecakes for about an hour as it makes it easier to remove the paper wrapping. I got too excited the first time I made these, and I ended up losing about half of the cheesecake when I peeled the wrapper away. I still scraped it off and ate it…but it wasn’t pretty. #IHaveNoShame

Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes

With the holiday season quickly approaching, I thought it might be fun to combine 2 of my favorites: pecan pie and cheesecake. Why pick one when you can have both?? It took a couple of attempts, but I finally settled on this version: mini cheesecakes topped with a spoonful or two of pecan pie filling. You get a combination of creamy cheesecake filling and crunchy caramelized pecans in each bite. It’s amazing! (I won’t judge you if you go back for seconds…)

While this Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes recipe sounds rather fancy, it’s actually not that difficult. I took my about an hour from when I pulled the graham crackers out of the cabinet to when the muffin tin was cooling on the countertop. I came back later and added a little dollop of whipped cream to the top of each, but that is entirely optional.

Ingredients

For these Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes, I used a graham cracker crust. The graham flavor pairs well with the brown sugar of the pecan pie filling. If you want to go a different route, you could make a chocolate crust using Oreo cookie crumbs.

• Graham Crackers – You’ll need 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs. This is ~7 full sheets of graham crackers. Just put ’em in a mini-chopper or food processor until finely ground. Of course, many store sell boxes of graham cracker crumbs. I just make my own as it’s easy.
• Unsalted Butter – 3 Tablespoons of melted butter to 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs is the perfect ratio. The crumbs will still seem a bit dry, but there’s still enough butter for them to pack into a tight crust.
• Brown Sugar – I like to add a bit of brown sugar adds it adds a unique depth of flavor to the crust.

The mini cheesecake ingredients are the exact same as what you’d use for a larger cheesecake.

• Cream Cheese – 2 blocks of cream cheese is the perfect amount for this recipe. Just make sure to pull the blocks out early so they come to room temperature before you make the cheesecake batter.
• Sugar – Regular granulated sugar (not brown sugar) is used to sweeten the cheesecake base.
• Flour – A tiny bit of flour in the batter leads to a fluffier cheesecake. It also helps prevent the cheesecake from cracking – although cracking really isn’t a problem with these mini cheesecakes.
• Eggs – 2 eggs plus an additional egg yolk produces a silky and smooth cheesecake. Save the extra egg white for another recipe…or just cook it by itself for breakfast the next day!
• Sour Cream – Sour cream adds flavor and moisture to the batter. It also helps break up the denser cream cheese.
• Vanilla Extract – Adds flavor.

And finally there’s the pecan pie filling. This is the exact same filling I use when making traditional pecan pie.

• Light Brown Sugar – Brown sugar gives this pecan pie filling it’s signature caramelized flavor.
• Heavy Whipping Cream – Feel free to substitute with heavy cream, but don’t use milk or half-and-half.
• Light Corn Syrup – Corn syrup provides the glue that holds the filling together. It also gives the filling a smoother texture by preventing the sugar from crystallizing while baking.
• Unsalted Butter – A pat of butter adds richness and texture to pecan pie filling.
• Salt – Feel free to use salted butter or salted pecans. I like using unsalted and then adding a bit of salt separately as it allows you to control the saltiness of the filling.
• Vanilla Extract – Adds flavor.
• Chopped Pecans – Make sure to chop the pecans finely. Since you’re spooning the filling over cheesecake, you want the pecans to be a bit smaller.

How to Store Leftover Mini Cheesecakes

Leftover mini cheesecakes should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. These cheesecakes also freeze well! Just place the mini cheesecakes in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator before serving. (Bonus – keeping a bag of these in the freezer means you can pull out just 1 or 2 mini cheesecakes whenever you’ve got a craving!)

And there you have it. 2 awesome desserts combined into 1. If you’re looking for a fun dessert to serve family and friends, then put these mini cheesecakes on the menu. Happy Baking!

Did you bake this Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!

Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes

These Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes combine creamy cheesecake with crunchy pecan pie topping. This bite-sized dessert is perfect for holiday gatherings!

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Freezing Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 mini cheesecakes

Calories: 392kcal

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Ingredients

For the Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs ~7 full-sized crackers
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ cup unsalted butter melted

For the Cheesecake

• 16 oz. cream cheese room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1½ Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Pecan Pie Topping

• ⅓ cup light brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
• 3 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• {for garnish} freshly prepared whipped cream

Instructions

For the Graham Cracker Crust

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
• Using a small mixing bowl, add graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter; stir until well combined.
• Divide crust mixture evenly into lined muffin pan. (Tip: Pack mixture down into liners using a small flat-bottomed glass.)
• Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

For the Cheesecake

• Using a countertop mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until completely smooth (about 3 minutes).
• Add sugar and flour; mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add eggs and egg yolk; mix until well combined.
• Add the sour cream and vanilla extract; mix until well combined. (Tip: Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the filling is fully mixed.)
• Pour batter evenly into muffin cups. (Note: The cheesecake batter will fill the liners nearly to the top.)

For the Pecan Pie Topping

• Using a small saucepan, add brown sugar, heavy whipping cream, corn syrup, butter and salt.
• Place over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture begins to boil. Once mixture begins to boil, let it boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla extract and pecans.
• Carefully spoon pecan topping evenly into muffin cups (on top of cheesecake filling).
• Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until centers of cheesecakes are just barely set. (Note: If you have an instant read thermometer, the temperature should be ~150°F.)
• Let cheesecakes cool for 15 minutes and then transfer to freezer for 1 hour.
• Remove paper liners from cheesecakes
• Before serving, garnish tops of cheesecakes with freshly prepared whipped cream.

Looking for more cheesecake recipes? Check out these other favorites, too: