Mini Ricotta Cheesecakes are single-serving baked cheesecakes with a thin graham cracker crust and a lightly tart lemon-vanilla filling. Bake in a regular 12-cup muffin tin and chill until the paper liners peel away nicely.
Most of the cheese is whole-milk ricotta, so the center has a delicate ricotta character, rather than the dense smoothness of an all-cream-cheese cake. First, processing the ricotta softens the curds, and checking moisture before measuring helps the little cakes set evenly.
Table of Contents
What’s Special About These Mini Ricotta Cheesecakes?
Ricotta is the dominant cheese by weight, 425 g ricotta and 170 g cream cheese. The small amount of cream cheese adds some body to the filling, while the ricotta leaves a softer, slightly more delicate texture. The processing of the ricotta fills the void between its natural curds and a standard smooth cheesecake, but does not turn ricotta into cream cheese.
Mini Ricotta Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin. If the ricotta releases visible liquid, set it in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl in the refrigerator until it is thick and spoonable and no longer sheds liquid when lifted. Measure 425 g after draining. Bring the ricotta, cream cheese, and eggs to room temperature.
- Mix graham crumbs, melted butter, and salt until evenly damp. Divide among the liners, about 1 level tablespoon per cup, and press into thin, flat layers about ¼ inch thick. Bake 5 minutes; cool while mixing the filling.
- Process the ricotta until fine and creamy, scraping the bowl. Add softened block cream cheese and sugar; process just until smooth. Scrape into a mixing bowl.
- Stir in the two whole eggs one at a time, then vanilla, finely grated lemon zest, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Mix just until evenly combined and pourable, without whipping in excess air.
- Divide batter among the 12 lined cups, filling each about ¾ full. Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 20–23 minutes after the crust prebake, until edges are set and the centers quiver gently together when the pan is nudged. If centers slosh, bake another 2 minutes and check again. Total oven time is about 25–28 minutes. No water bath is used.
- Set the pan on a rack for 30 minutes, then lift out the cakes and cool until no longer warm, about 30 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Peel away liners only after chilling. Add optional berries or a light dusting of powdered sugar just before serving.
Notes
- Cover and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below within 2 hours of baking; use within 3 to 4 days.
- Serve chilled. Total time includes about 1 hour cooling and 2 hours chilling; drainage time, if needed, is additional.
Ingredients for Mini Ricotta Cheesecakes
- For the Graham Cracker Crust: Use ¾ cup (75 g) fine graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons (42 g) melted unsalted butter, and a pinch of fine salt. The crackers are already sweet, so this thin crust has no extra sugar. Mix until uniformly damp; use about 1 level tablespoon per cup and press to roughly ¼ inch.
- For the Lemon-Vanilla Ricotta Filling: These lemon ricotta mini cheesecakes use 15 ounces (425 g) whole-milk ricotta weighed after any draining, 6 ounces (170 g) softened full-fat block cream cheese, ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 g) granulated sugar, 2 large whole eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch. The zest supplies aroma; the measured juice adds tang. Use the specified cornstarch for this untested formula rather than substituting flour by volume.
- To Finish: Fresh berries or a light dusting of powdered sugar are optional. Add them just before serving, so fruit does not wet the surface during storage.
- Ricotta moisture: If liquid pools in the tub or runs from a spoonful, drain the ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl in the refrigerator until it mounds on the spoon without shedding liquid, then weigh 425 g. Food Network’s ricotta guidance describes a thick, spoonable endpoint for cheese used in cheesecake.
How to Make Mini Ricotta Cheesecakes
These baked mini ricotta cheesecakes use a short crust prebake, a smoothed ricotta filling, and a gentle center-wobble cue.
Total time: 3 hours and 58 minutes
-
Prepare and Press the Crusts
Line a standard muffin tin. Mix the fine crumbs, melted butter, and salt until evenly damp, then press about a tablespoon into each liner. Prebake at 325°F for 5 minutes. A thin flat base is easier to bite through than a thick compacted one.
-
Smooth the Ricotta and Mix the Filling
Process the measured, thick ricotta until its curds are fine. Blend in room-temperature block cream cheese and sugar, then stir in the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cornstarch. The finished batter should be smooth-looking and pourable, with no cream-cheese lumps or visible dry starch.
-
Fill and Bake the Cheesecakes
Fill each liner about ¾ full. Bake 20–23 minutes after the crust prebake, checking for set edges and centers that make a small, unified quiver when nudged. A liquid-looking center needs another couple of minutes. This muffin-tin method uses no water bath.
-
Cool, Chill, and Unmold
Cool 30 minutes in the tin, then lift the cakes to a rack until no longer warm, about 30 minutes more. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before peeling the liners. Chill first for clean sides; add berries or powdered sugar at serving time.
Common Ricotta Cheesecake Problems
Grainy filling
Ricotta naturally has fine curds. Coarse lumps may mean it was not smoothed, or cold cream cheese did not blend into it.
Wet centers
Very loose ricotta or insufficient baking can leave a liquid center. Drain to a thick spoonable texture and use the set-edge, unified-quiver cue.
Cracked tops
Excess air from vigorous egg mixing or baking past the gentle wobble can contribute to cracks.
Sticking liners
Warm cakes are fragile. Chill fully before peeling back the paper.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Serving
Make ahead
Up to 1 dayMake-ahead ricotta cheesecakes can chill covered overnight; leave toppings off until serving.
Refrigerator
3 to 4 daysCover and refrigerate within 2 hours at 40°F or below. Use within 3 to 4 days, following FoodSafety.gov’s leftover guidance.
Transport
Keep chilledCarry the cakes in their liners in a covered container and add berries or sugar at the destination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Save This Recipe
Save these lemon-vanilla ricotta cheesecakes for your next dessert tray.
