4th of July Cheesecake

Name: 4th of July Cheesecake with Oreo Crust
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 16 ounces cream cheese (softened); 1/2 cup white sugar; 2 tsp lemon juice; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 eggs (at room temperature); red and blue food dye; 1 ½ cups crushed oreos (without cream filling); 1/4 cup white sugar; 1/3 cup butter (melted); whipped cream; red, white and blue sprinkles

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This mini 4th of July cheesecake recipe is a delicious and simple patriotic dessert for the summer holidays. Dye a simple creamy cheesecake batter red, white, and blue, then pour over a sugary oreo crust. Top with sprinkles, whipped cream, and cherries for a bright and bold dessert that will wow your guests!

These red, white and blue mini cheesecakes are the perfect dessert for Memorial Day and 4th of July barbecues.

Mini cheesecakes make a fantastic dessert for their simplicity, quick cooking time, and individual portion size. They can be decorated differently, for added fun to holidays and parties.

As a 4th of July or Memorial Day cheesecake recipe, they are dyed red, white and blue, then topped with more red, white, and blue sprinkles and toppings. They are made with a creamy and delicious cream cheese filling and a chocolate oreo crust.

They take only 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook. You can also cook them in the Instant Pot in just 7 minutes, if you'd prefer that method.

More Patriotic Desserts to Try

Red White and Blue Cake
Patriotic Cupcakes filled with sprinkles
Chocolate and Coconut Patriotic Dip
Summer Berry Salad with Yogurt Dressing
Patriotic Charcuterie Board

red mini cheesecake with blue sprinkles and whipped cream

Ingredients

To make the filling you need:

softened cream cheese
white sugar
vanilla extract
eggs at room temperature
lemon juice

To make the crust you need:

crushed oreos
white sugar
melted butter

You'll also need red and blue food coloring, whipped cream and patriotic sprinkles.

close up of blue and white mini 4th of july cheesecakes

Cooking Tips

Making these mini cheesecakes is not complicated, but it does require following a few crucial suggestions.

Make sure the cream cheese is very, very soft so it does not stay clumpy when mixed. If not soft enough, microwave it in 10 second increments.
Beat the cream cheese first on it’s own until it’s completely smooth. I used to first mix it with the sugar but the batter becomes much more creamy and clump free if you beat the cream cheese first, separately.
Use slightly warmed or room temperature eggs. I leave mine on the counter for hours prior to making the cheesecake or microwave them for about 20 seconds if I forget to do that. Adding cold eggs will cause the soft cream cheese to harden a bit and become clumpy.
Add the eggs last and do not overly beat them. Eggs hold air inside batter and over-mixing can contribute to a cracked cake.
Lightly beat eggs before adding to the batter. This will help incorporate them quicker into the batter (refer to above tip!).
Use a water bath. Put a pan of water on the rack underneath the cheesecakes. Cheesecake loves humidity and the steam from the water helps make a crack-free cheesecake.
Use the convection setting on the oven if you have one. The convection setting circulates the air evenly around the oven. Cooking your cheesecake on the convection setting will help prevent cracking.
Spray the muffin liners with cooking oil. Spraying the liners will prevent the cheesecake from sticking to the wrapper. Mini cheesecake is different than a cupcake, and it can be finicky when removing from liners even if they are meant to be “stick free”.
Cool the mini cheesecakes in the oven. Once they are done baking, turn off the oven and open the door. Leave inside for 30 minutes. Letting the cheesecakes come to room temperature slowly with an even heat distribution prevents the centers from dropping.

What if my cheesecake cracks?

If your cheesecake still has cracks despite following these guidelines, try not to worry too much. You are going to top them with whipped cream, sprinkles, cherries, and whatever else you like anyway, so you can easily cover any cracks.

Step-By-Step Directions

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and fill a muffin pan with liners. Spray them with cooking oil. Then follow the below steps.

red, white, and blue mini cheesecakes on a wire rack

STEP 1: Make the filling: In an electric or stand mixer, beat cream cheese on medium-high until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until smooth, 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute. Whisk eggs in a small bowl and add to batter. Beat on low, helping to incorporate with a spatula, just until they integrate into the batter, about 1 minute. Be careful not to over beat the eggs here.

STEP 2: Divide the batter evenly into 3 bowls. Add a few drops of red food coloring to 1 bowl and a few drops of blue to another. Mix with a fork, adding dye until you reach your desired shade.

STEP 3: Make the crust. Using a meat masher, crush the oreos. Add sugar and melted butter. Mix thoroughly.

STEP 4: Add one generous spoonful of oreo crust to the muffin cups and press down to adhere. Fill 4 cups with red batter, 4 with blue batter, and 4 with the non-dyed batter.

STEP 5: Bake for 25 minutes. Turn off the oven and open. Let mini cheesecakes rest for 30 minutes (to prevent dropping centers). Chill before serving.

When ready to serve, top the blue cheesecakes with whipped cream and red sprinkles, the red cheesecakes with whipped cream and blue sprinkles, and the white cheesecakes with patriotic sprinkles and cherries.

Serve and enjoy!

How to Store

Store mini 4th of July cheesecakes in the fridge for up to 5 days. Do not add the toppings until you are ready to serve them.

white mini 4th of july cheesecakes topped with cherries and sprinkles

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