Mini Lemon Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust
Why is it that everything in miniature is so darn cute? Let’s ponder over Mini Lemon Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust.
Each of these adorable baby New York-style cheesecakes is a creamy dreamy combo of Greek yogurt, bright lemon zest, and classic cream cheese, set atop a spicy gingersnap. Did I painstaking crush cookies, blend them with melted butter, then delicately spoon and press them into muffin cups? Girl please—I save that kind of effort for Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread. We’re popping a premade gingersnap into a cupcake liner, then giving ourselves a high five. For tiny cheesecakes like these, I promise you won’t miss a thing.
The gingersnaps’ light bite is the ideal complement to the cheesecakes’ luscious lemon filling. A kiss of orange zest creates a flavor effect similar to Meyer lemons and makes these mini cheesecakes oh so fancy!
Since I can’t let well enough alone (ask Ben), I stirred together a 30-second brown sugar Greek yogurt sauce that’s straight out of the New York cheesecake dictionary. I simply swapped Greek yogurt for the traditional sour cream. The taste is outstanding, and the extra protein boost from the Greek yogurt gives us all a nice excuse to go back for more.
Spoon the sauce over the top of each mini cheesecake, gild the little guys with some crushed gingersnaps, then settle down to quietly eat four or so. They are “baby” cheesecakes after all.
And speaking of baby….a certain blogger friend of mine is expecting! Liz of The Lemon Bowl will be having a beautiful baby soon. As a surprise, a group of bloggers and I collaborated to throw Liz a virtual baby shower, by each featuring a lemon-themed recipe in her honor. I’ve long-admired Liz’s blog, both for her recipes (which all have a healthy twist), and for the wonderful, generous person that she is. Liz, please go ahead and eat six of these Mini Lemon Cheesecakes: three for you, and three for Baby!
Luscious Mini Lemon Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust will rank right up there with fuzzy ducklings, baby booties, Golden Retriever puppies, and mini-Snickers bars on the “Tiny Things I Simply Can’t Resist” list.
Whether you are looking for a fun party dessert (I brought Mini Lemon Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust to a tailgate and watched them vanish) or a special treat just for you, Mini Lemon Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust are an easy to make, delightful to eat treat.
- Love ginger? Try Ginger Molasses Maple Cream Sandwich Cookies
- Love lemon? Check out Lemon Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Icing
- Love cream cheese? Jump on Banana Cake with Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Mini Lemon Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust
Luscious Mini Lemon Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust are an easy to make treat for parties (or just for you!) Greek yogurt adds a New York-style tang and keeps these mini cheesecakes light. Top with Greek yogurt brown sugar sauce, and you have an elegant dessert that your friends and family are sure to love.
Yield: 24 mini cheesescakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours, 33 minutes
Ingredients:
Mini Cheesecakes
- 24 gingersnap cookies, plus additional crushed for garnish
- 20 ounces reduced fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 and 1/2 cups (12 ounces) 2% or whole plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
Topping
- 1/2 cup 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
Directions:
- Place racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven (if halving the recipe, place the rack in the center) and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line two standard-sized 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and place 1 gingersnap in the bottom of each.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 and a time. Beat in the Greek yogurt, lemon zest, orange zest, lemon juice, and orange juice.
- With an ice cream or cookie scoop, fill each muffin cup nearly to the top with batter. Bake for 18 minutes, rotating the pans 180 degrees and switching their positions on the upper/lower racks halfway through. Let cheesecakes cool for at least 1 hour, then refrigerate uncovered for 4 hours or overnight.
- For the glaze: Stir together the Greek yogurt and brown sugar until smooth. When ready to serve, spoon over each cheesecake and garnish with crushed gingersnaps.
Refrigerate leftover mini cheesecakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Did you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!
For more lemon eats, dive into these lemon-themed recipes, each cooked up for Liz’s surprise virtual baby shower!
Appetizers
- Whipped Feta Spread with Lemon, Garlic & Rosemary by Miss in the Kitchen
- Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” in a Lemon Cup with Smoked Paprika by Climbing Grier Mountain
- Lemon Basil Bruschetta by Dine & Dish
- Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries w/ Lemon Basil Aioli by What’s Gaby Cooking
- Lemon Garlic Herb Marinated Olives by Sarah’s Cucina Bella
- Kalamata Olive and Feta Dip with Baked Lemon Pepper Pita Chips by In Aggie’s Kitchen
- Creamy Asparagus Guacamole by The Healthy Apple
Beverages
- Sparkling Honey Rosemary Lemonade by Nutmeg Nanny
- Basil Hibiscus Lemonade by Fabtastic Eats
- Jam Mocktails: Lemon & Pineapple by Cooking with Books
- Lemon Jalapeno Spritzers by Bev Cooks
- Sparkling Blackberry Lemonade by Crumbs and Chaos
- Limonana (Middle Eastern Frozen Mint Lemonade) by An Edible Mosaic
- Tipsy Lemonade Iced Tea by Family Fresh Cooking
Salads
- Kale Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing by Thrifty Veggie Mama
- Lemon Quinoa Salad with Pistachios & Sun-Dried Tomatoes by Cookin’ Canuck
- Greek Salad with Garlic-Lemon Vinaigrette by Gimme Some Oven
- Pear Quinoa Salad by Reluctant Entertainer
- Lemon Avocado Salad Dressing by The Lean Green Bean
- Lemony Spinach & Tomato Quinoa Salad by MomAdvice
- Herbed Calamari Salad with Preserved Lemons by Everyday Maven
Main Dish
- Italian Lemon Roast Chicken Pot by Eat2Gather
- Roasted Lemon Garlic Cocktail Shrimp by Simply Scratch
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp Tostada by A Zesty Bite
- Lemon Pepper Shrimp Linguine by Taste and Tell
- Salmon with Lemon Herb Butter by Handle the Heat
- Lemon Chicken Stew by FoodieCrush
- Chicken Saltimbocca with Lemon Cream Sauce and Olive Orzo by Baker by Nature
Desserts
- Honey Lemon Shortbread Cookies by Rachel Cooks
- Lemon Blueberry Macarons by Chocolate & Carrots
- Lemon Glazed Cookies by A Cedar Spoon
- Healthier Lemon Bars by Texanerin Baking
- Lemon Sugar Cookies by What Megan’s Making
- Light Lemon Mousse by Country Cleaver
- Lemon Sugar Cookie Sandwiches by i am baker
- Mini Lemon Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust by The Law Student’s Wife
- Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Chips by Seeded at the Table
CONGRATS LIZ!
About Erin Clarke
I’m fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food taste incredible. Wearer of plaid, travel enthusiast, and firmly convinced that sweets and veggies both deserve a place at the table. MORE ABOUT ERIN…
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Yum. Gingersnap crust is the best! I love that these are mini…no sharing with anyone. ;-) It was a pleasure bringing goodies to the baby shower with you Erin!
Couldn’t agree more! Thanks so much Caroline.
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These are just too cute and I love the gingersnap crust with the lemon, sooo good!
It’s a favorite flavor combo of mine too. Thanks so much!
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Lemon and gingersnaps – what a fantastic combo Erin! I have SUCH a soft spot for all things cheesecake and all things mini. Pinning this! Oh, and I love that you used greek yogurt! Healthy sub that no one can tell … my favorites:)
Cheesecake is always a good choice, and I love minis too! Thanks so much Mary Frances.
These are so pretty and the ginger addition is perfect for Liz!
Thanks Rachel!! I’m such a sucker for ginger too.
Oh, this looks so yummy! What a great dessert treat for Liz!! Yum!
Thanks so much Amy! Cheesecake can’t ever be a bad choice, right? :-)
You totally have me craving cheesecake at 8:22 in the morning. So beautiful… its like I can envision the soft and velvety filling! Awesome job girl!
Cheesecake knows no hour! Thanks Amanda!
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So good! I love the flavor of ginger + lemon!
I love using gingersnaps for crusts on cheesecakes, especially in the fall. And BABY cheesecakes? That’s even better. This is also great because Mi-Del makes really great gluten free gingersnaps so this recipe would be a great one for GF folks!
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Wow those look absolutely incredible, I’ll take about ten of them! :P
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Gingersnaps with lemon is always a magical combination.
Couldn’t agree more! Thanks Nicole :)
I love cheesecake like the rest of your fans. As i was reading over your recipe, I couldn’t find the instruction where it mentioned to place a gingersnap cookie into the paper liner before adding a scoop of the cheesecake batter. Oops, I think you forgot that or I missed seeing it in your recipe. I love all the citrus zest and juice. I would also add 1/2 teaspoon of fresh minced ginger to the cheesecake batter. Instead of sugar, I would use a combination of honey, maple syrup, apple cider syrup and ginger syrup (from Ginger People). I love ginger, can you tell? :-)
Hi Susan! It definitely sounds like you have a lot of fun ideas to really pump up the ginger. Yum, I love ginger too! The cookies are in step 1. Thanks!
Hi Erin, you’re right. Sorry I missed it. Yes, I love ginger, cheesecake, playing with recipes and making revisions to suit my healthy taste/flavor profiles. I like to think of my cooking and baking as Gluten-Free and Good4U, nutritious and delicious. Keep on creating those yummy bites in the kitchen; the world needs more lovin’ created from our heart and hands to nourish their minds and bodies.
These little cups are so cute! Thanks for celebrating Liz with us.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! Thanks Sandy–this shower was a blast to be a part of.
The only thing I love more than lemon is ginger!! Love that you combined them both!!! Thank you so much for coming to my shower!! xoxox
Yay for lemon + ginger! Congrats again and happy shower :-)
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These look super cute! And lemon cheesecake? I’m in! Gosh, I need these in my life, please!
And what a fun baby shower for Liz, all that food sounds awesome :)
These are adorable and I love the lemon aspect in them!! They’re perfect for a baby shower!
OMG! Erin, these are flipping cute!! Save me some!
I’ve got about 8 with your name on them! Thanks Lauren :-)
Lemon and ginger are the best together! So cute.
I love the combo too! Thanks Julia :-)
Erin – I have to agree with all these comments- LUUUURRRVE the lemon/ginger combo-in cheesecake form! These are adorable!
Thanks lady!! You’re the best.
Hi Erin! I agree, all things mini equals all things adorable. These look too cute! And I love the pairing of lemon with ginger. Brilliant! Thanks for sharing!
Totally love gingersnap crust! These cheesecake beauties look irresistible!
I have seen Christina over at Dessert for Two use the cookie-as-a-crust thing for her mini cheesecakes, and thought it was a fantastically-awesome idea! And now I know I MUST try it soon! AHH-dorable.
It sounds like I am in the best of company! And you should for sure try it (an excuse to buy cookies? I say yes.)
Brilliant! I’m with Liz… ginger and lemon together forever! LOVE!
I’m going to make this! I have a bag of Newman’s own Ginger Snaps – I’ll just crush’em up!
It’s meant to be!!
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Brilliant use of gingersnaps for the crust here – you are a girl after my own heart! BTW, I love your blog and writing style…I’ve been following you for a while! As a law school survivor myself, your blog’s title totally caught my attention. :)
Faith, your comment totally made my day–I love your blog, and I am totally blushing right now! PS–Congrats on surviving law school. Even the ‘honorary’ degree I’m getting is wearing me out, lol
Awww, thank you! I know what you mean…on the first day of orientation they told us that law school really is a jealous mistress – so true! Hang in there. xo
These are the cutest little cheesy cakes ever!!!!
Aww, they are cute! And good call with that topping. Definitely a good move! :)
Thanks lady! Stole that play directly from my grandma (though she’d totally go for the sour cream instead. Have yet to sell her on Greek yogurt!)
YUM! These are so adorable and such a great idea!
I just love individually-sized versions of dessert! Gingernaps make the perfect crust, too.
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Yeah, I wouldn’t be able to resist these!
No need to resist! Giving in is just so tasty :)
I love lemon and gingersnap. Such a great flavor, and these are gorgeous! Pinned!
Thanks Dorothy! It’s one of my all-time favorite flavor combos too.
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