Mini Citrus Honey Cheesecakes are the perfect single-serving dessert for summer with the fresh taste of lemon, lime, and orange in a creamy, honey cheesecake.
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Delicious Cheesecakes for Every Season
Cheesecake is the ultimate creamy dessert to enjoy any time of the year. There are so many flavors fitting for each season and holiday. Whether it's New York-style Cherry Cheesecake for Christmas, Margarita Cheesecake for Cinco de Mayo, Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake for the 4th of July, or Carrot Cake Cheesecake for Easter, they're always a showstopper.
Now you can add these cute and irresistible mini citrus honey cheesecakes to your repertoire. With their creamy, moist cheesecake filling, infused with the perfect balance of sweet-tart citrus flavors and the sweetness of honey, they're a refreshing bite-sized delight just made for summer barbecues and poolside parties.
And the citrus is so colorful that you can use them for decoration too. Don't these mini cheesecakes look pretty & so delicious?
Why You'll Love These Triple Citrus Cheesecakes
Easy to make muffin tin cheesecakes.
You'll taste cool creaminess, the sweetness of the honey, and the sweet-tart of the citrus. It really is a great combination!
They look really pretty on your barbecue buffet table too. And you won't even need forks. Just let everyone grab one of these individual cheesecakes and dive in.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- Vanilla wafers
- Sugar
- Butter
For the cheesecake filling:
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Eggs
- Honey
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Vanilla extract
- Orange
- Lemon
- Lime
How to Make Mini Citrus Honey Cheesecakes
Now you're probably thinking they are hard to make and take too much time. Wrong! These little minis are actually quite simple to make and only take 20 minutes to bake.
To make vanilla wafer crust
- Place vanilla wafer crumbs and sugar in a bowl and add melted butter.
- Mix until all crumbs are moistened.
- Fill the bottom of the paper-lined muffin tin cavities with a tablespoon or two of crumb mixture.
- Press into the bottom with a small glass. I used a shot glass. Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 8 minutes. Let cool while you make the filling.
To make citrus honey cheesecake filling
- Add softened cream cheese to a large mixing bowl.
- Beat the cream cheese until creamy.
- Add honey, eggs, sour cream, flour, vanilla extract, and sugar.
- Pour in fruit juices.
- Sprinkle in orange, lemon, and lime zest.
- Beat until creamy and well incorporated.
Finishing steps
- Move the crispy vanilla wafer crust close to the cheesecake filling.
- Scoop the filling over the baked crusts.
- Fill them almost to the top. You should get between 12-14 mini cheesecakes.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes.
Chill the honey cheesecakes for at least three hours. Remove from refrigerator, peel off the cupcake liners, and decorate as desired. I used whipped cream (easy if you use the refrigerated variety), small slices of fruit, and mint sprigs for a pop of color.
Other options for garnishes include lemon curd and orange marmalade giving them either a little more sweetness or a touch of tartness. They're all good!
Recipe Tips
- Have all ingredients at room temperature.
- Mix on low speed so you don't incorporate air into the batter.
- Don't overmix or it will cause the cheesecake to fall or crack.
- Don't overbake. Only bake until the tops are set as they will continue to firm up after cooling and chilling.
- Using a muffin pan and cupcake liners causes ridges to be on the side of the cheesecakes. If you want mini cheesecakes with a smooth side, use a mini cheesecake pan with removable bottom.
Recipe Variations
You can change up this recipe to suit your liking. Here are some ideas:
- Crust - Use ginger snaps, graham crackers, or shortbread cookies instead of Nilla wafers.
- Crustless Cheesecakes - Just make the mini cheesecakes with no crust.
- Mini Lemon Cheesecakes - Use only lemon.
- Mini Lime Cheesecakes - Use only lime.
- Mini Orange Cheesecakes - Use only orange.
Mini Cheesecake Toppings
Here are some ideas for a citrus cheesecake topping:
- Candied Citrus Slices
- Citrus Zest
- Fresh Citrus Slices
- Fresh Berries
- Fresh Mint Leaves
- Whipped Cream
- Lemon or Lime Curd
- Orange Marmalade
Make Ahead
You can make them a day or two in advance and refrigerate them until serving.
How to Store and Freeze
To Store: Place the mini cheesecakes in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To Freeze: Wrap each mini cheesecake in plastic wrap and then either wrap them again with aluminum foil or place the plastic-wrapped cheesecakes in a plastic freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight.
More Easy Cookout Recipes
Korean BBQ Kabobs with pork and assorted vegetables.
Salmon with Red Pepper Sauce for a healthy summer meal.
Surf and Turf Burgers for the best of both worlds.
Grilled Pound Cake with cinnamon sugar.
Find lots of easy dessert recipes here on 2CM!
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Mini Citrus Honey Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups crushed vanilla wafers
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ cup butter, melted
Cheesecake
- 12 oz cream cheese (1-½ packages)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon each orange juice, lemon juice & lime juice
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in a 12-cavity cupcake pan. You may need an additional 6-cavity cupcake pan (for 2 more to use up the batter.)
Crust
- Using a Ninja chopper or food processor, pulse vanilla wafers into small crumbs.
- Mix with sugar and melted butter.
- Spoon into the bottom of each cupcake liner and press down well. I used a small shot glass.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Cheesecake
- While crust is baking, beat cream cheese until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and beat until creamy and well incorporated.
- Divide evenly between cupcake cavities. You will probably fill about 14 cavities.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until slightly brown on top.
- Cool on wire rack.
- Remove from tins and chill for at least 3 hours.
- When ready to serve, peel off cupcake liners, garnish with whipped cream and a wedge of citrus fruit. Or opt for a topping of marmalade, lemon and lime curd.
Notes
Nutrition
This post has been updated with new photos and helpful information. It was first published on June 29, 2017.
