No-Bake Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes with Ganache Topping
A no-bake chocolate cheesecake you make in cupcake liners or jars, finished with a silky ganache top.
No-bake mini chocolate cheesecakes are what you make when you want a dessert that looks fancy without much work.
You whip the filling, spoon it into liners or jars (making cheesecake cups), and let the fridge do the setting. The glossy ganache on top does the rest.
The catch is the wait. They need at least 4 hours in the fridge to set, and overnight is better, so this isn’t a same-day craving fix. But if you can plan ahead, they’re hard to beat.
As far as easy cheesecake recipes and simple desserts go, these mini cheesecakes are about as low-effort as chocolate cheesecake gets.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No fancy equipment. A hand mixer, a bowl, and fridge space — that’s the whole kit.
- Chocolate in every layer. A chocolate cookie crust, a smooth milk chocolate filling, and a ganache on top, each layer a slightly different kind of chocolate.
- Make the ganache your own. Go all dark for something less sweet, all milk for the kids, or white chocolate for contrast. The base recipe works the same either way.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Crust
- Chocolate graham crackers. The base of the crust. Chocolate digestives or any other biscuits you used for cheesecake crust work too.
- Unsalted butter. Binds the crumbs so the crust presses together and holds.
Filling
- Full-fat cream cheese. The backbone of the filling and what lets it set firm. Use block-style, not spreadable tub cheese, and bring it fully to room temperature.
- Milk chocolate. Sets the flavor and helps the filling firm up as it chills.
- Powdered sugar. Sweetens smoothly without the grit of granulated sugar. Sift it if it’s clumpy.
- Vanilla extract. Rounds out the chocolate. Vanilla bean paste works too.
- Cold heavy cream. Use double or whipping cream, at least 30% fat.
- Salt. Just a pinch, so the filling doesn’t taste flat.
Ganache Topping
- Milk and dark chocolate. Used together for a topping that’s glossy and rich but not cloying. Chop both finely so they melt evenly in the hot cream. You can go all milk, all dark, or white chocolate instead — see this chocolate ganache guide for details.
- Heavy cream. Melts the chocolate into a smooth, spoonable ganache. The same cream you used in the filling.
- Unsalted butter. Optional, stirred in at the end for extra shine and a slightly softer set. The ganache works fine without it.
- Salt. A pinch to sharpen the chocolate.
Step-by-Step: How to Make No-Bake Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
Crust
- Make the crust. Stir the crushed chocolate graham crackers with the melted butter until evenly moistened and sandy.
- Press and chill. Divide between cupcake liners and press down firmly with the back of a spoon. Chill while you make the filling.
Filling
- Whip the cream. Whip the cold heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks. Refrigerate it while you do the rest.
- Beat the cream cheese. Beat the room-temperature cream cheese with the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until completely smooth, with no lumps. And please make sure the cream cheese is room temperature.
- Melt the chocolate. Melt the milk chocolate gently, in 20-second microwave bursts or over a double boiler. If using a double boiler, pull the bowl off the heat once half the chocolate has melted and let the rest melt from residual heat as you stir. You want it warm, not hot.
- Combine. Whisk the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture until smooth.
- Taste and adjust. Taste and adjust the sugar and salt. It should taste slightly too sweet at this stage, since the cream will mellow it.
- Fold in the cream. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture in 2–3 additions, until smooth and uniform with no streaks.
- Fill the cups. Pipe or spoon the filling into the prepared liners.
- Chill. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before adding the ganache, ideally overnight, so the filling sets firm.
Ganache Topping
👉 For a detailed step-by-step of making ganache (with photos), check out my chocolate ganache guide.
- Heat the cream. Once the cups are set firm, heat the cream until just steaming.
- Melt the chocolate. Pour it over the finely chopped milk and dark chocolate and the salt. Let it sit 1 minute, then stir from the center outward until smooth and glossy.
- Add butter. Stir in the butter if using, for extra shine.
- Cool to spoonable. Let the ganache cool (stirring every now and then) until it thickens noticeably, so it spoons on neatly instead of running over the sides.
- Top the cups. Spoon the ganache over each cheesecake.
- Set. Chill another 30 minutes for the ganache to set.
Tips for Success
- Mind the chocolate temperature. The melted chocolate needs to be warm, not hot. Too warm and it loosens the filling into something soupy; too cool and it seizes into specks the moment it hits the cream cheese.
- Make the ganache your way. Plain dark, plain milk, or even white chocolate all work here — just match the cream ratio to the chocolate. See my ganache guide for the exact ratios for each type.
- Any vessel works. Cupcake liners, small jars, or little dessert cups all do the job. Just divide the filling and crust evenly so they set in the same amount of time.
Storage
Keep the cheesecakes covered in the fridge and they’ll hold for 3–4 days. Cover them loosely once the ganache has set so the topping stays glossy and doesn’t pick up other fridge smells.
You can eat them cold, straight from the fridge, or let them sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes before serving, so they soften a bit.
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 oz chocolate graham crackers, crushed 85 g; or chocolate digestives
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 42 g
Filling
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheese, room temperature 226 g; block-style
- 3 oz milk chocolate, chopped 85 g
- 30 g powdered sugar about 1/4 cup, more to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g cold heavy cream 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
- 1 pinch salt
Ganache Topping
- 1 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped 28 g
- 1 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped 28 g
- 3 tbsp heavy cream 45 g
- 1 tsp unsalted butter 5 g; optional, for shine
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Crust
- Make the crust. Stir the crushed chocolate graham crackers with the melted butter until evenly moistened and sandy.3 oz chocolate graham crackers, crushed, 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- Press and chill. Divide between cupcake liners and press down firmly with the back of a spoon. Chill while you make the filling.
Filling
- Whip the cream. Whip the cold heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks. Refrigerate it while you do the rest.150 g cold heavy cream
- Beat the cream cheese. Beat the room-temperature cream cheese with the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until completely smooth, with no lumps. Any cold lumps will trap the chocolate and turn into specks.8 oz full-fat cream cheese, room temperature, 30 g powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt
- Melt the chocolate. Melt the milk chocolate gently, in 20-second microwave bursts or over a double boiler. If using a double boiler, pull the bowl off the heat once half the chocolate has melted and let the rest melt from residual heat as you stir. You want it warm, not hot.3 oz milk chocolate, chopped
- Combine. Whisk the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture until smooth.
- Taste and adjust. Taste and adjust the sugar and salt. It should taste slightly too sweet at this stage, since the cream will mellow it.
- Fold in the cream. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture in 2–3 additions, until smooth and uniform with no streaks.
- Fill the cups. Pipe or spoon the filling into the prepared liners.
- Chill. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before adding the ganache, ideally overnight, so the filling sets firm.
Ganache Topping
- Heat the cream. Once the cups are set firm, heat the cream until just steaming.3 tbsp heavy cream
- Melt the chocolate. Pour it over the finely chopped milk and dark chocolate and the salt. Let it sit 1 minute, then stir from the center outward until smooth and glossy.1 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped, 1 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped, 1 pinch salt
- Add butter. Stir in the butter if using, for extra shine.1 tsp unsalted butter
- Cool to spoonable. Let the ganache cool until it thickens noticeably, so it spoons on neatly instead of running over the sides.
- Top the cups. Spoon the ganache over each cheesecake.
- Set. Chill another 30 minutes for the ganache to set.
Notes
- Makes 9 mini cheesecakes in cupcake liners, or about 5 half-cup dessert jars.
- Macros calculated on the full ingredient list including the optional ganache butter.
Tried this recipe?Comment below or tag your snaps @definitelynotachefblog or #madewithdnac!
Recipes You Might Like
- More mini cheesecake flavors. If you liked these, the same no-bake cups come in Oreo, Biscoff, lemon, pistachio, strawberry, and plain vanilla.
- Dubai chocolate tart. Ideal when you want the same milk chocolate ganache on something more of a showpiece — a pistachio-and-kataifi filling under that glossy top, made to slice and serve.