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This 4-inch cheesecake recipe is the perfect small batch dessert when you’re craving classic New York–style cheesecake without baking a full-size cake. Made with cream cheese, a buttery graham cracker crust, and simple pantry ingredients, this recipe delivers a smooth, rich texture with just the right amount of tang.
Unlike large cheesecake recipes that leave you with leftovers for days, this mini cheesecake recipe is baked in a 4-inch springform pan, making it ideal for one or two people. It’s perfect for special occasions, date nights, or anytime you want a truly indulgent dessert without the commitment.
Since you are here make sure to check out these other cheesecake recipes like this creamy pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving, this pumpkin brownie cheesecake, these golden Oreo delicious mini cheesecakes, these cream cheese cheesecake brownies, as well as this 4-inch burnt basque cheesecake!
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This recipe came from testing multiple small cheesecakes that either cracked, overbaked, or lacked that signature creamy cheesecake filling. Baking a cheesecake this small is a little different, temperature changes, mixing technique, and even ingredient room temperature matter more than you’d expect.
After a few tweaks, this version became my go-to. It has the same flavor and texture as a full classic cheesecake recipe, just scaled down into a small batch form that actually works. It’s now one of my favorite desserts to make when I want something special but realistic.
Table of Contents
- Why This 4-Inch Cheesecake Recipe Works
- Ingredients for a 4-Inch Cheesecake
- Mini Cheesecake Topping Ideas
- Tools to make the best 4-inch cheesecake
- How to make homemade cheesecake for one?
- What are some other crust variations I can use?
- Tips for a Perfect 4-Inch Cheesecake
- How to Store and Freeze Cheesecake
- FAQ- Frequently Asked Questions
- The creamiest mini cheesecake recipe ever! Recipe
Why This 4-Inch Cheesecake Recipe Works
- True New York–style cheesecake flavor and texture
- Made with full-fat cream cheese for a smooth, creamy filling
- Buttery graham cracker crust that holds together perfectly
- No stand mixer required (hand mixer or whisk works)
- Designed specifically for a 4-inch springform pan
- Prevents cracks with a gentle water bath and slow cooling
- A foolproof small batch cheesecake recipe for one or two
Ingredients for a 4-Inch Cheesecake
For the graham cracker crust:
- Graham cracker crumbs – finely crushed using a food processor or rolling pin
- White sugar – lightly sweetens the crust
- Melted butter – binds the crumbs into a wet-sand texture
For the cheesecake filling:
- Pinch of kosher salt – sharpens flavor
- Full-fat block cream cheese, room temperature
- Granulated sugar
- Large egg, room temperature
- Sour cream – adds tang and creaminess
- Heavy cream – softens the texture
- Vanilla extract – enhances overall flavor
- Lemon juice or lemon zest – balances richness
This 4-inch cheesecake recipe makes a rich, creamy New York–style cheesecake for one or two, perfect when you want dessert without leftovers.
Mini Cheesecake Topping Ideas
- Fresh fruit or strawberry sauce
- Chocolate ganache or chocolate shavings
- Caramel sauce or dulce de leche
- Whipped cream
- Cherry pie filling or blueberry sauce
Tools to make the best 4-inch cheesecake
To make this perfect cheesecake for one you will need these tools:
- 4-inch cheesecake spring form pan
- Measuring spoons and cups
- A hand and a stand mixer
- Aluminum foil
- A larger dish for the water bath
How to make homemade cheesecake for one?
This mini cheesecake recipe follows the same method as classic cheesecake baking, with a few small-batch adjustments to ensure an even bake, smooth layers, and a crack-free top.
- Preheat the oven then grease your mini springform pan and line with parchment paper inside and foil on the outside. Set aside.
- To a small bowl, add the graham crackers and sugar and mix.
- Add in the melted and mix again to fully coat.
- Pour that onto the prepared springform pan and press it down evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- In a larger bowl, cream the softened cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and flour. Once light and fluffy add in the egg and mix again to combine. Make sure to not overmix the batter.
- Pour into the prepared pan on top of the warm crust.
- Lightly tap the springform cheesecake pan on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Place the cheesecake in a larger pan with hot water going about halfway through the height of the cheesecake tin and bake.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool down in the oven with the door slightly cracked to make sure that the top of the cheesecake doesn’t crack.
- Chill the cheesecake in the fridge for a few hours before enjoying it.
Enjoy this cheesecake as is or with your favorite cheesecake toppings!
What are some other crust variations I can use?
While a graham cracker crust is classic, switching it up is easy and delicious:
- Digestive biscuits for a slightly less sweet option Just crush the cookies finely and mix with melted butter until it resembles wet sand.
- Oreo crumbs or Nilla wafer crumbs for a sweeter base
- Gingersnap cookies for a warm, spiced flavor (amazing with caramel sauce)
Tips for a Perfect 4-Inch Cheesecake
- Chill completely in the refrigerator for the best texture and clean slices
- Use room-temperature ingredients to create a smooth cheesecake batter
- Avoid overmixing, which can trap air and cause cracks
- Bake in a water bath to regulate oven heat and prevent splitting
- Cool slowly by cracking the oven door to avoid sudden temperature changes
How to Store and Freeze Cheesecake
Store cheesecake covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze the fully chilled cheesecake wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let sit at room temperature for 15–30 minutes before slicing.
FAQ- Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. This 4-inch cheesecake actually tastes better after chilling. You can make it up to 24 hours in advance, store it covered in the refrigerator, and serve it the next day once fully set.
Cracks are usually caused by over mixing the cheesecake batter, sudden temperature changes, or skipping the water bath. Using room-temperature ingredients, baking gently, and cooling the cheesecake slowly in the oven helps prevent cracks.
Yes, even for a mini cheesecake recipe, a water bath helps regulate oven heat and keeps the cheesecake creamy and smooth. It prevents the edges from baking faster than the center and reduces cracking.
Yes. This recipe uses full-fat cream cheese, sour cream, and a slow baking method to create that classic New York–style cheesecake texture, just in a smaller size.
The edges should be set, but the center should still have a slight jiggle. The cheesecake will finish setting as it cools and chills in the fridge.
This cheesecake is best enjoyed within 3 days. After that, the cheesecake filling is still safe, but the crust may soften as it absorbs moisture in the fridge.
No. Cheesecake is dairy-based and should not sit out for extended periods. It’s fine on a serving table for up to 2–4 hours, but anything longer should go back into the refrigerator.
The creamiest mini cheesecake recipe ever!
Equipment
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- 4-inch cheesecake pan
Ingredients
for the crust
- 1/4 cup crushed graham crackers
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp butter melted
for the cheesecake
- 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 & 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp sour cream or creme fraiche
- 1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp flour
- 1 egg at room temperature
Instructions
Make the graham crust
- Start by preheating the oven to 350F then proceed to greasing a 4-inch cheesecake springform pan. Cut out a circle of parchment paper and line the bottom of the pan then cut out a long strip of parchment paper to line the sides of the pan as well. Cover the outside of the 4-inch springform pan with aluminum foil to make sure that no water can get into your cheesecake.
- Now, add the graham crackers, sugar and the melted butter to a small bowl and mix until everything is incorporated.1/4 cup crushed graham crackers, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp butter
- Pour the graham cracker mixture into the cheesecake pan and flatten it using the back of a spoon or your fingers.
- Bake the graham cracker crust in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven lower the heat to 300F and let the cheesecake cool down.
Make the cheesecake batter
- Now onto the cheesecake batter. To make the cheesecake batter add in the softened cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, heavy whipping cream, vanilla, flour and sugar into a stand mixer bowl or a medium bowl and mix everything together with the paddle attachement of a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Don't over mix!4 oz cream cheese, 2 & 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp sour cream or creme fraiche, 1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream, 1/4 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp flour
- Once you have a smooth cheesecake batter, add in the egg and mix gently until it is mixed it. This should take about 10-15 seconds. Don't over mix again!1 egg
- Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the baked graham cracker crust and tap it on the counter a few times to make sure that the cheesecake has no bubbles.
- Place the cheesecake pan in a 8X8 inch pan or whatever pan you have and place that in the oven. Fill up the 8×8 inch pan with boiling water and cook for 35 minutes. Once the cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven, crack the oven door open and leave the cheesecake in there to cool for an hour.
- After the hour is up, remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
- Remove the springform pan, peel the parchment paper off and enjoy your delicious homemade 4-inch cheesecake!
I do keto so I subbed out the graham crackers for my keto shortbread and followed your crust recipe crushing those with a keto sugar blend (Splenda, allulose and swerve) and regular butter as it calls for. I followed the filling recipe exact and subbed out the regular flour for King Arthur Keto flour and a pinch of xanthin gum. I used the sugar sub mix again in place of regular sugar. Followed everything else exact and it turned out amazing! Only 4.5 net carbs per serving! Thank you, it’s a great recipe and the water really made the texture next level!!!
Wow, that’s awesome! Thank you for trying out the recipe 😁
Do you have a version of this recipe for a full sized cheesecake? I made the mini version and it was perfect! I want to make a large one for Christmas. Thank you!
I do not have a larger version of this recipe but I will make sure to work on it for asap!
I was delighted to find a recipe for a mini cheesecake. When making this cheesecake there is no need to place the cheesecake in a water bath. Just fill an 8″ square pan with water and place it under the cheesecake on a different oven shelf. I substituted powdered sugar for the sugar in the crust as I don’t care for sweet crust. I also exchanged the vanilla for coconut extract. The next time I will try lemon. Anything you choose should be delightful and tasty.
Ty!
Hi,
I was wondering if you could swirl raspberry jam into the batter, and it would turn out?
For a 4-inch cheesecake, I’d recommend adding about 1-2 tablespoons of raspberry jam. You can adjust based on how pronounced you want the flavor to be. Swirl it in gently after pouring the batter, but don’t mix it too much to keep those pretty streaks. This way, you’ll get a nice raspberry swirl without overwhelming the cheesecake!
AMAZING i quadrupled the recipe then i added caramel apple pie filling into all 4 of my cheesecakes and to 2 of them i added dried blueberries came out amazing a little sticking but still amazing only stuck because i ran out of parchment paper
So glad to hear you loved them! Apple pie filling on these sounds wonderful!
It was now I plan on making a blueberry one using pie crust because my grandpa doesn’t like gram cracker crust
This was soooo good! Alot of the cheesecake recipes I have been using always makes the top brown. They were delicious too. But your recipe doesn’t. I think it’s because the oven temp stays consistent at 300. Great recipe. Thank you!
So glad to hear this turned out perfectly!!
Deeelicous!!! I only made one change and it turned out so amazingly I needed to write this post and let people know, to put a flavour twist on this New York cheesecake I used Starbucks caramel macchiato creamer instead of the whipping cream as I didn’t have any. I needed to bake it 5 mins longer but other than that I followed Tyne recipe to the letter! The flavour creamer makes it taste like a Carmel macchiato cheesecake! I topped with canned whip cream and caramel sauce. Next time I’m going to use pumpkin spice creamer and ginger crisps for the crust!
Great recipe, will be using it regularly.
I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the cheesecake! Your twist with Starbucks caramel macchiato creamer sounds absolutely delicious, and it’s wonderful that it gave the cheesecake a unique flavor. Topping it with whipped cream and caramel sauce is the perfect finishing touch. Your plan to try pumpkin spice creamer and ginger crisps for the crust sounds great—I’m sure it’ll be another delightful variation. Thanks for sharing your creative spin, and I’m glad you’ll be using the recipe regularly!
Made this cheesecake today for my roommate who s diabetic. I did not put sugar in the crust and used only 1 TBSP of sugar for the cheesecake. She LOVED the little portion she allowed herself.
Thanks for n absolutely lovely, creamy cheesecake!
Thanks Mae! It’s great to hear that adapting the recipe worked out for you.
Followed recipe as directed…..love it. Even my husband who said he doesn’t like cheesecake hadme make him his own mini cheesecake.
YAY!! So glad to hear this 🙂
Subbed whole milk greek yogurt for the sour cream and half&half for the heavy cream (yay for quarantine baking!), and swirled in about a tablespoon of slightly warmed strawberry jam – turned out beautifully! Cook time was right on and the finished cheesecake was wonderfully rich and creamy.
YAY for quarantine baking for sure!! Strawberry jam sounds amazing in this! Glad you enjoyed this Aimee!
I just did the same thing without even reading your comment yet. My cheescake is cooling in the oven now…. excited to try it after reading yours turned out great !
I made this recipe with a couple of substitutions because what I had on hand and absolutely loved it! It came out perfect – very creamy and rich texture and delicious! I doubled the recipe and made two 4″ cakes. I substituted almond extract for vanilla, plain yogurt for the sour cream, and crushed (stale-ish) choc chip cookies for the graham crackers and sugar crust (left extra sugar out of the crust because the cookies are sweet enough). Will definitely make this again and add a zip of lemon zest and serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Yummers!
Thank you so much for sharing all these substitutions you made! So helpful and I am sure it’s gonna help a ton of readers 🙂