These lemon cheesecake shooters are the summer dessert you didn’t know you needed. They are creamy no-bake cheesecake parfaits, with bright lemon flavor, fresh blueberries, and just enough crunch from a graham cracker crumble, all layered into a shot glass. They take about 20 minutes to put together, require no oven time, look elegant, and taste fabulous.
I made these for the Fourth of July last year on a total whim, mostly because it was too hot to turn on my oven. My family demolished them before the fireworks even started. Safe to say they’re on permanent rotation now.
Here’s what makes them work: no baking, no fiddly decorating, and you can make them hours ahead. That means you can actually enjoy your cookout instead of hovering in the kitchen. The lemon cuts through the richness of the cheesecake filling just enough to keep things feeling light, and the blueberries on top make them look almost too good to eat.
This dessert is pure lemony cheesecake bliss, perfectly portioned into shot glasses that’ll make you look like a dessert genius. I love that I can make this no-bake cheesecake without a water bath or worrying about the top cracking.
Below, I’ll walk you through exactly how to make them, plus tips for prepping ahead and a few easy swaps if you want to change up the fruit. Once you try these, you’ll be making them for every gathering.
Looking for more mini dessert ideas to make this summer? Try my lime cheesecake cups, snowcone Oreo balls, or mini lemon tarts.
Ingredient Notes
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
- Graham crackers
- Cream cheese: This needs to be softened to room temperature, and I mean really softened.
- Heavy cream
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Lemon: You’ll use both the zest and the juice, so grab a fresh lemon.
- Blueberries
How to Make Lemon Cheesecake Shooters
- Add the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla to your mixer and beat until everything is well combined and smooth. This usually takes about 2 minutes on medium speed. You want it fluffy and lump-free.
- In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer if that’s what you’ve got), whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. This takes 3 to 6 minutes, depending on your mixer. You’ll know you’re there when the cream holds its shape, but the peaks curl over gently.
- Zest your lemon first, then juice it. You’ll need about 1 tablespoon of juice for the filling.
- Gently fold the whipped heavy cream, lemon zest, and about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into the cream cheese mixture. Use a spatula and fold carefully.
- Toss the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs, or put them in a ziploc bag and roll them with a rolling pin.
- Spoon some graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of 12 tall shot glasses. You don’t need much, just enough to cover the bottom.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture into a ziplock bag or a piping bag, then cut off the tip. Pipe the mixture into each shot glass, filling them about ⅓ full.
- Drop a layer of blueberries into each glass. I usually put 4 or 5 berries in each glass. Then pipe another layer of the cream cheese mixture on top, filling the glasses almost to the rim.
- Top each shooter with a few more blueberries and tuck a small lemon wedge on the side of the glass.
Serving Ideas
I love serving these lemon blueberry shooters at dinner parties because they feel fancy without requiring hours in the kitchen. They work beautifully as individual portions for a summer gathering.
Since you’re making 12 shooters, they’re perfect for a small dinner party or a casual get-together with friends. I’ve also found they’re excellent for brunch spreads, especially paired with fresh fruit and coffee. If you’re hosting a larger crowd, you can easily double the recipe. You can also serve these at baby showers or baby sprinkles.
The individual portions and bright lemon flavor feel celebratory without being over-the-top. They photograph beautifully, too, so if your guests are the Instagram type (and let’s face it, most of us are these days), these shooters will get plenty of attention.
How to Store
Store your assembled shooters in the fridge, loosely covered with plastic wrap, or in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The graham cracker base will soften slightly over time, which some people don’t mind, but I prefer eating them within the first 24 hours when everything still has that nice textural contrast.
If you want to prep ahead without sacrificing texture, here’s what I do. I make the cream cheese mixture and store it separately in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I also crush the graham crackers and keep them in a sealed container. Then, a few hours before serving, I assemble everything.
Tips
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- Make sure your cream cheese is truly softened to room temperature before you start mixing. I usually set mine out on the counter about an hour before I plan to make these.
- When you’re whipping that heavy cream, keep a close eye on it. You want soft peaks, which means when you lift the beater, the cream should form gentle peaks that slightly curl over at the tips. The 3-6 minute range is a guideline, but your mixer speed and the temperature of your cream will affect timing.
- Don’t have a piping bag? Neither do I, most of the time. A gallon-sized Ziploc bag works perfectly. Just spoon your cream cheese mixture into one corner of the bag, twist the top to push everything down, and snip off about half an inch from the corner. This gives you enough control to pipe neatly into those shot glasses without making a mess.
- Since shot glasses are deep you will need dessert spoons when serving these.
Reader Questions
Absolutely. While I love blueberries for their pop of color and because they don’t bleed into the cream cheese, raspberries and blackberries work beautifully too. Strawberries are fine, but dice them small, so they fit nicely in the shot glasses.
Fresh is definitely best. If you use frozen, thaw them completely and pat them very dry with paper towels.
Sure. I’ve made these in small mason jars, wine glasses, and even disposable plastic cups for outdoor parties. The recipe makes enough for 12 shot glasses, so you’ll get fewer servings if you use larger containers. Just adjust your layering accordingly.
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Lemon Cheesecake Shooters
Ingredients
- 5 graham crackers crushed
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup blueberries
Instructions
- Whip the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer until well combined.8 ounces cream cheese, 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Whip the heavy cream in a stand mixer until soft peaks form, about 3-6 minutes.1 cup heavy cream
- Zest and juice the lemon.1 lemon
- Carefully fold the heavy cream, lemon zest, and about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into the cream cheese mixture.
- Crush the graham crackers in a food processor or in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin.5 graham crackers
- Put some of the graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of 12 tall shot glasses.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture into a baggie or a piping bag, then cut off the tip. Pipe the mixture into each shot glass, filling them about ⅓ full.
- Add a layer of blueberries to the shot glasses. Then pipe another layer of cream cheese mixture, filling the glasses almost to the top.1 cup blueberries
- Add a few more blueberries on top, along with a small lemon wedge.
Notes
- When you’re whipping that heavy cream, keep a close eye on it. You want soft peaks, which means when you lift the beater, the cream should form gentle peaks that slightly curl over at the tips. The 3-6 minute range is a guideline, but your mixer speed and the temperature of your cream will affect timing.
- Don’t have a piping bag? A gallon-sized Ziploc bag works perfectly. Just spoon your cream cheese mixture into one corner of the bag, twist the top to push everything down, and snip off about half an inch from the corner. This gives you enough control to pipe neatly into those shot glasses without making a mess.
- You can use raspberries or blackberries instead of blueberries. Strawberries are fine, but dice them small, so they fit nicely in the shot glasses.
- Since shot glasses are deep you will need dessert spoons when serving these.
- Make these in small mason jars, wine glasses, or disposable plastic cups. The recipe makes enough for 12 shot glasses, so you’ll get fewer servings if you use larger containers. Just adjust your layering accordingly.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
