Mini Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes have a homemade graham cracker crust topped with a creamy cheesecake filling and a swirl of cinnamon-sugar.

These Mini Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes have so many things going for them. First of all, they are mini, which we all know makes them more desirable. Second, cheesecake is one of the best desserts out there and it's hard to beat a classic mini cheesecake recipe. Third, cinnamon roll desserts are basically proven to be better than other run-of-the mill desserts.
These cheesecakes are so delicious and I promise they will be the talk of the town when you bake them up!
How to make creamy cheesecake:
I think that cheesecake is best when it is extra creamy and there are a few steps that you can take to ensure you get the creamiest cheesecake possible.
- Beat at a low speed. Beating your cheesecake filling at a low speed will prevent air bubbles from forming. It takes a bit longer, but it is worth it in the end.
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. If all of your ingredients are at room temperature they will combine a lot easier and it will prevent lumps from forming.
- Scrape down the bowl. I scrape down the bowl often while making the cheesecake filling. This ensures that everything is getting well combined.
- Don't over-bake. A lot of times we think cheesecake isn't done baking because it is still jiggly, but this is when we want to stop the baking process. If you let the cheesecakes cool in the oven and then in the fridge they will set up and be a perfect consistency.
Ingredients for Mini Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes:
Ingredients for homemade graham cracker crust:
- Graham Crackers. They need to be finely crushed. I always use a food processor to do this.
- Salt. Salt is a must in baked goods. It will help to balance out the sweetness and improve the overall flavor.
- Granulated Sugar. We’ll use a small amount of sugar to sweeten up the graham cracker pie crust.
- Unsalted Butter. I always make sure to use unsalted butter when baking because there is no “standard” for the amount of salt they can add to butter. So if you add salt to a recipe and then use salted butter you could end up with a very salty end product.
Ingredients for cinnamon-sugar swirl:
- Unsalted Butter. See above note.
- Light Brown Sugar. This will sweeten the mixture and bring it together.
- Ground Cinnamon. This will add the cinnamon roll flavor to our mini cheesecakes
Ingredients for cheesecake filling:
- Cream Cheese. The cream cheese needs to be at room temperature to prevent lumps in your cheesecake.
- Granulated Sugar. This will add flavor and sweetness to the cheesecake bars.
- Eggs. It will be easier to incorporate the eggs into the batter if they are at room temperature.
- Heavy Cream. Heavy cream will help make the cheesecake extra creamy.
- Vanilla Extract. Vanilla is a must in baked goods just like salt. Real vanilla adds a better flavor than imitation vanilla.
How to make Mini Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes:
Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F). Line a 12 cavity cupcake tin with cupcake liners and set it aside.
STEP 2: In a medium bowl mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, salt, and sugar until well combined. The mixture should be the texture of wet sand.
STEP 3: Use the bottom of a clean cup to firmly press about 1-1 ½ tablespoons of the crumb mixture into each liner.
STEP 4: Bake the crusts for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl
STEP 1: In a small bowl combine the melted and cooled butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
STEP 2: Whisk until fully combined and thick. If the butter is too warm it will be liquidy and separate from the sugar. If this happens let it cool in the fridge for a few minutes.
Cheesecake Filling
STEP 1: Turn the oven down to 300 degrees (F).
STEP 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together on low speed until fully combined and smooth. Don’t overmix or you’ll add too much air into the mixture.
STEP 3: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
STEP 4: Add the heavy cream and vanilla. Mix until fully combined.
STEP 5: Fill each liner up almost to the top. The cheesecakes won’t rise much, so you can fill them up most of the way.
STEP 6: Add the cinnamon-sugar mixture to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Pipe swirls of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on the top of each cheesecake.
STEP 7: Bake the cheesecakes for 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecakes to sit in the oven for 30 minutes. Crack the oven door open and allow to sit until cooled to room temperature.
STEP 8: Transfer cheesecakes to the fridge until ready to serve.
Can I make mini cheesecakes ahead of time?
Absolutely! These mini cinnamon roll cheesecakes freeze and refrigerate really well. If you freeze them be sure to take them out of the freezer about an hour before you are ready to serve.
More Mini Cheesecake Recipes
- Mini Lemon Cheesecakes- A homemade graham cracker crust topped with a creamy cheesecake swirled with lemon curd.
- Mini Creme Brûlée Cheesecakes- A classic mini cheesecake recipe topped with crunchy brûléed sugar.
- Blueberry Lavender Mini Cheesecakes- These mini cheesecakes have a fresh blueberry lavender swirl.
- Oreo Mini Cheesecakes- Creamy mini cheesecakes with an oreo crust
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Mini Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For Crust:
- 6 sheets graham crackers crushed
- 1 ½ tablespoons (18 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter melted
For Cinnamon Sugar Swirl:
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 6 tablespoons (80 grams) light brown sugar packed
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
For Filling
- 2 blocks (454 grams) cream cheese room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) heavy cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F). Line a 12 cavity cupcake tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a small bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, salt, sugar, and melted butter. Mix until fully combined. The mixture should be the texture of wet sand.
- Use the bottom of a clean cup to firmly press about 1-1 ½ tablespoons of the crumb mixture into each liner.
- Bake the crusts for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow them cool completely.
For Cinnamon Sugar Swirl:
- In a small bowl combine the melted and cooled butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Whisk until fully combined and thick. If the mixture is runny place it in the fridge until the butter cools enough for it to thicken.
For Filling:
- Turn the oven down to 300 degrees (F).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together on low speed until fully combined and smooth.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla. Mix until fully combined.
- Fill each liner up almost to the top.
- Transfer the cinnamon sugar mixture to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Pipe a swirl of the mixture on top of each cheesecake.
- Bake the cheesecakes for 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecakes to sit in the oven for 30 minutes. Crack the oven door open and allow to sit until cooled to room temperature.
- Transfer cheesecakes to the fridge until ready to serve.
Angela says
GREAT recipe! the cinnamon swirl was the perfect extra special touch. I halved the recipe since there are just 3 of us, and it was the perfect dessert for our weekend meals. thank you!
Ellie Haley says
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Karolyn says
These were a hit at a friendsgiving party!!! thank you!!
Ellie Haley says
So glad you enjoyed them!