No Bake Mini Cheesecake Parfaits

Hot summer weather is the best time for no bake desserts, like these no bake mini cheesecake parfaits. These creamy little individually sized desserts take only 15 minutes to make and are perfect for a party. Top with blueberries, strawberries for patriotic 4th of July treat or your favorite seasonal fruit any time of the year.

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Making these mini cheesecakes in shot glasses makes the dessert seem elegant and sophisticated. In reality this dessert is an easy to make combination of graham crackers, a creamy no-bake cheesecake filling and fresh seasonal fruit.

But your family or guests will see the fruit and cheesecake carefully layered and topped with whipped cream and see a fancy, indulgent dessert!

Containers for No Bake Mini Cheesecake

There are a lot of different things you could use for making these adorable no bake mini cheesecake. They would work well in a small, half pint sized mason jar or in yogurt jars. You could also buy small plastic dessert cups, which would be perfect for hosting a large party.

I used shot glasses mainly because I own a lot of shot glasses! These are 2 ounce shot glasses, so they give you enough cheesecake to be delicious but not an overwhelming amount.

Small desserts in individual serving sizes are a great way to indulge without guilt! A huge piece of cheesecake is too heavy for a summer dessert. But a small jar of creamy cheesecake is just right, especially when it includes fresh seasonal fruit like blueberries and strawberries.

Make Ahead No Bake Cheesecake

During the hot summer months it is nice to not have to turn on the oven to make a delicious dessert. This dessert is also a great one for making ahead of time.

If you have a party or gathering you can make these mini no bake cheesecake the day before and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. That means more time socializing with your friends, not working in a hot kitchen.

How to Make No Bake Mini Cheesecake

The crust for this easy no bake cheesecake is just graham cracker crumbs. Actually it isn’t really a crust at all, it is just a layer of crushed graham crackers.

I used a food processor to make the crumbs for the min parfaits. The graham cracker crumbs act as a base for the dessert and add a bit of texture to the final dessert.

No Bake Cheesecake Filling

If you are making a traditional baked cheesecake, like this blueberry cheesecake, the filling would have a bunch of eggs and cream that need to be baked into a solid cake.

But this dessert doesn’t need to stand on dessert platter, you are just going to scoop it out of the shot glass with a spoon! So the no bake cheesecake filling is very simple.

The filling is a mixture of cream cheese and heavy cream, with a little bit of sugar and vanilla. That is it, the four ingredients are blended together in a mixer for a creamy and cheesy filling.

I used half an 8 ounce block of cream cheese which was enough for 12 mini desserts, perfect for our family size. For a party I would double the recipe and use whole block of cream cheese.

Assembling the No Bake Mini Cheesecake

I wanted this dessert to have a patriotic theme, with layers of strawberries and blueberries combining with the cheesecake filling to make a red, white and blue dessert.

So I sliced some strawberries up into small pieces. Then I added a layer of strawberries to the shot glasses, on top of the graham cracker crumbs.

The one issue with using shot glasses is that because they are so tall and narrow you can’t just spoon the filling into them. You could put the filling into a pastry bag and pipe it into the shot glasses.

If you use a decorative tip on a pastry bag you can make the dessert look even fancier, like I did on these no bake peanut butter cheesecakes.

But in this case I didn’t even bother with a pastry bag, and I just put the filling into a zip top baggie. I sealed the bag, cut one corner off, and squeezed the no bake cheesecake filling into the shot glasses, on top of the strawberries.

Then I added in a layer of blueberries to the shot glasses, so that the mini cheesecakes would follow a red, white and blue pattern. Finally I topped the parfaits off with a dab of whipped cream.

If you are making these no bake cheesecakes ahead of time wait until serving time to add the whipped cream.

Tips to Make Easy No Bake Cheesecakes

There are a few things that will ensure this dessert is quick and easy to make.

• Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before you mix the no bake cheesecake filling. Get it out an hour before you plan to make the dessert.
• If you are transporting this dessert, like to a 4th of July party, shot glasses likely aren’t the best container choice. Making it in small mason jars with lids or yogurt cups with lids will make it more easily portable.
• Standard spoons won’t fit into shot glasses. So make sure you have small dessert spoons if you are making this dessert in shot glasses.

Variations on Mini Cheesecakes

Obviously these cute little desserts are perfect for the Memorial Day or the 4th of July. But you don’t have to make them red, white and blue. You could use any fresh fruit that is in in season.

Blackberries, kiwi, cherries or bananas would also taste amazing in this easy dessert. Almost any fresh fruit goes well with cheesecake, so use your imagination and figure out what combinations your family will like best.

These easy mini desserts go together in just minutes. The fresh fruit tastes amazing with the rich and creamy no bake cheesecake filling. These are the perfect make ahead treat for your next party!

Find more Quick & Easy Desserts

• No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake
• Frozen Lemonade Pie
• Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Treats
• Peanut Butter and Chocolate Crescent Rolls