These mini no bake cinnamon roll cheesecakes are full of cinnamon flavor in every bite! They feature a crispy cinnamon spiced crust, creamy and smooth cheesecake filling, and a cinnamon icing swirled on top. They're the perfect year round treat for whenever you're craving cinnamon rolls!

Mini No Bake Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes in plate

no bake cinnamon graham cracker crust

This recipe starts like any delicious cheesecake recipe does: with a buttery and crisp graham cracker crust. This crust also has a dash of cinnamon mixed in to draw out the natural toasty flavor of the graham crackers and to add an extra layer of cinnamon goodness.

No bake crusts can be a bit more crumbly than their baked versions, so here are a few tips for ensuring your crust holds up perfectly - despite not being baked:

Pack it in TIGHTLY: This is probably the most important tip! Pressing the crust tightly into the cups helps keep it from crumbling later on. My favorite method is to use the bottom of a cup (one that's small enough to fit into the cupcake cup) and press the crust down with it to really pack it in.
Keep it cold: When it's time to serve, keep the cakes in the fridge until right before you plan on serving them. Not only does this keep the filling firm, it also keeps the crust from crumbling.
If all else fails, partial bake: If you like a crispier crust, you can always give the cheesecake crusts a quick bake to firm them up! These mini crusts would need 5 minutes in a preheated 350F oven to crisp up nicely. They won't really look different, but this helps dry the crusts out slightly. Make sure the crust cools completely to room temperature before filling.

cheesecake crusts packed into cupcake cups

one bowl cheesecake filling

If you've made a no bake cheesecake before, you may have noticed that traditional recipes involve whipping cream in a separate bowl and then folding it into the other cheesecake filling ingredients. That's not really necessary here and you can whip the filling up in one bowl to save on cleanup!

Making the cheesecake filling is super easy and can be summed up in 3 simple steps:

Cream together cheese and sugar until smooth. It should be lump free and creamy.
Whip in all the remaining ingredients (minus the heavy cream). Again, mix until smooth.
Slowly incorporate the heavy cream. The key here is to be SLOW because the cold heavy cream can cause the room temperature cream cheese to clump up if it's added in too quickly. Pause every so often to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Once it's all incorporated, keep whipping until the mixture thickens up.

cream cheese and sugar mixed together in bowl

heavy cream being slowly streamed into cheesecake filling in bowl

no bake cinnamon cheesecake filling in bowl

making the cinnamon cream cheese swirl top

This may be my favorite part in the whole recipe! The idea behind it was to create a mix between a classic cinnamon roll filling and the cream cheese icing you typically spread on top. The topping adds flavor and gives the cheesecakes that swirly, cinnamon roll feel!

To make the topping, all you need to do is cream together all the ingredients until smooth. Transfer it to a piping bag and pipe swirls on top of each cheesecake. You can also just scoop and spread it on top of each cake if you prefer. Once the cheesecakes are layered, chill them in the fridge until the filling has firmed up and set before digging in.

Mini No Bake Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes on wooden serving board

how to cleanly unwrap no bake cheesecakes

No bake cheesecake fillings are typically softer than a baked cheesecake and have more of a mousse-like consistency. Because of this, they can misshape a little when you're unwrapping them - but there's a solution!

Before you're ready to unwrap and serve, pop the cheesecakes in the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the outside just starts to freeze solid. The semi-frozen exterior will easily peel away from the paper but cakes will still have that mousse-like texture.

Do you have to do this? No. The cheesecake peels away easily from the paper regardless but it'll be more prone to getting squished and smooshed. Whether you place them in the freezer or not, just make sure to peel the paper off while the cheesecakes are nice and cold (either straight from the fridge or freezer). As they sit out at room temperature, the filling will soften and stick to the paper.

Mini No Bake Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes on plate

FAQs

Can I make these gluten free?
Yes! There's not a lot of gluten in this recipe to begin with, so it's very easy to switch to gf! All you'd need to do is substitute the graham crack crumbs with an equal amount of gluten free graham crackers and make sure all your other ingredients are manufactured in a gluten free environment.

Light vs dark brown sugar?
You can use either one for each component in this recipe. The main difference will be in the color - dark brown sugar will darken everything up a bit more than light brown. You may also notice a slightly less molasses flavor, but it's really not significant if you ask me. I personally used dark brown sugar for all my cheesecake components this time around just because that's what I usually have on hand.

What's a substitute for yogurt?
I like using plain yogurt in this cheesecake just for convenience, but Greek yogurt or sour cream work too!

Do I have to use lemon juice in the filling?
Adding something fresh like lemon juice may seem a little weird in such a warm and toasty recipe, but it's really not noticeable. The lemon juice adds a slightly tangy flavor and also helps the cheesecake filling thicken, so I wouldn't recommend skipping it.

Can I make these ahead?
Yes! Cheesecake needs a bit of time in the fridge, so it's a really good make ahead dessert. You can see in the next point how to store it:

How do I store mini no bake cheesecakes?
Keep stored in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. These cheesecakes will keep for up to 4 days. Anything containing cream cheese is best served within no more than 3-4 days.

Mini No Bake Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes on wooden serving board with bite missing from cheesecake

check out these other recipes!

• No Bake Biscoff Cheesecake
• Pistachio Cake
• Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
• BEST Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

Mini No Bake Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes

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5 from 2 reviews

Author: Mimi
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 12 cheesecakes

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 & ½ cups (200g) graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup (50g) light or dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
7 tablespoons (100g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling:

12oz (340g) block full fat cream cheese, room temp
¼ cup (50g) light or dark brown sugar, packed
¼ teaspoon salt
1 & ½ tablespoons plain yogurt, room temp
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup (180mL) cold heavy whipping cream

For the cinnamon swirl topping:

4oz (115g) full fat cream cheese, room temp
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
¼ cup (50g) light or dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

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Instructions

Make the crust:

Line a 12 count muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, mix together all the crust ingredients until moistened and combined.
Evenly divide the crust between the cupcake cups and pack them tightly into the bottoms. I find this is easiest to do with the bottom of a cup - all you need to do is press down and it should pack in perfectly!
Transfer the crust into the fridge while you work on the filling.

Make the filling:

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and brown sugar. Using an electric or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together until smooth and combined.
Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, then add in the salt, yogurt, lemon juice, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix together until combined then scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again until smooth.
With the mixer running on low speed, very slowly pour the cold heavy cream down the side of the bowl in a thin stream. Go very slow here to ensure the cold cream doesn't cause the room temperature cheese to clump up. Pause after about half of the cream is mixed in to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl then continue with the remaining cream.
* If you find it difficult to mix and pour at the same time, add in about 2 tablespoons of heavy cream at a time, mixing after each addition, until combined.
Once all the cream is mixed in, increase the mixer speed to high and whip for about 1-2 minutes or until it thickens and starts leaving behind a trail of ripples behind the beater. If you scoop up a bit of the mixture and plop it back into the bowl, it shouldn't sink back into the rest of the mixture.
Evenly divide the filling into the cupcake cups on top of the crusts. I personally find it's easiest to do this step with a piping bag, but you could also use a cookie scoop or 2 spoons to portion out the filling.
Use a spoon or spatula to even out the tops so they're relatively flat. They don't need to be perfect though - they're going to get covered with the cinnamon topping anyways! Set aside in the fridge while you work on the topping.

Make the cinnamon swirl:

In a medium bowl, whip together all the ingredients for the cinnamon swirl topping until smooth and combined.
Transfer to a piping bag or sandwich bag and snip a little tip off. Pipe swirls on top of the cheesecakes.
Place the cheesecakes in your fridge and chill for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
(Optional) Before you want to unwrap the cheesecakes, I recommend placing them in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the surface just starts to freeze so the paper easily peels off without misshaping the filling.

Equipment

KitchenAid Hand Mixer

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