Pistachio Strawberry Mini Cheesecakes are perfect two-bite sweet treats. They make a great dessert for a party or Sunday afternoon tea with family.
The crust is made out of sweet cookie crumbs and caramelized pistachios. As for the cheesecake layer, it is using a combination of sweetened cream cheese and lots of roasted pistachios. And finally, the gorgeous looking topping is actually a light and fluffy strawberry mousse. Can you imagine all the textures and flavors already?
Now, these mini cheesecake bites might sound pretty fancy. But I promise you, they’re not that hard to make. With a little bit of effort, you’ll have Instagram-worthy little desserts, that taste even better that a regular size cheesecake.
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What makes pistachio strawberry mini cheesecakes so good
If you love pistachios as much as me and my husband do, you’re in for a treat!
Not only is the cheesecake layer super rich in pistachio flavor, the bottom crust also consists of pistachios. But not just any pistachios – caramelized ones!
By the way, caramelized pistachios are super easy to make. But I do have to worn you, don’t try them while cooking! Otherwise, you might risk to not have enough pistachios left for the crust. Actually, doubling up on the recipe is always an option…
And finally, the strawberry mousse layer adds so much freshness to this rich and creamy dessert. But if you’re tight on time, check out my quick topping ideas below for some great substitution options.
Tips for success
- For a smoother consistency, use room temperature eggs and cream cheese.
- To prevent cheesecake bites from cracking, make sure not to ever bake them. Every oven is different, so baking time could be anywhere from 18 to 25 minutes. Bake your mini cheesecakes until the edges are set and the centers still slightly jiggle.
- For the best tasting cheesecake, make sure to use good quality cream cheese. My favorite go-to is definitely PHILADELPHIA cream cheese.
Ingredient substitutions
tea biscuits
In place of tea biscuits, you could use any cookies you like. If the cookies you’re using aren’t sweet, just add a little bit of sugar to the crust.
You could also use chocolate biscuits here or add melted chocolate to your plain cookies, if you prefer a chocolate crust.
caramelized pistachios
This part is completely optional. I find, caramelized pistachios add a special touch to the cheesecakes; but if you don’t have time to make them, simply skip this ingredient. Your cheesecake bites will still taste absolutely delicious.
roasted pistachios
When it comes to the cheesecake layer, you can totally use a store bought pistachio butter instead of roasting and grinding your own pistachios.
lemon zest
Lemon zest is also optional. I like how it adds a little bit of freshness to the rich pistachio flavor. I always try to have some frozen lemon zest on hand for recipes like this one.
What do I bake mini cheesecakes in
The perfect solution for baking mini cheesecakes is a simple muffin pan most people already have.
I like to line my muffin pan with paper liners for a mess-free baking. This way, you make sure the crust stays perfectly in place.
Can I make a bigger batch
Absolutely! This recipe yields about 9 mini cheesecakes, which is perfect for a smaller crowd. If making these for a big party, simply double or triple the recipe.
No changes need to be made. However, you can use 1 large egg in place of two egg yolks, if doubling the recipe.
What can I decorate my mini cheesecakes with
In this recipe, I’m using a simple strawberry mousse to decorate my mini cheesecakes. It adds a light and fluffy texture to the dessert.
What you can also do, is simply use my homemade strawberry sauce instead. I’m leaving a recipe for it in the recipe card below. You might want to double up on the ingredients to make enough of the sauce to generously top your mini cheesecakes.
Another great topping would be salted caramel sauce. You can either use a store bought one, or make your own caramel sauce using the recipe from my Instagram blog.
Also, you could just use lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh strawberries to decorate instead.
Or feel free to leave out the toppings all together. Your pistachio mini cheesecakes will be absolutely delicious on their own.
More store bought cheesecake toppings
Try more sweet recipes
Dutch Baby tastes like a combination of buttery crepes and a fluffy waffle. Perfect sweet brunch idea! Comes together in less than 5 minutes.
Traditional Russian crepes filled with sweetened cheese. Easy sweet treat.
The Best One-Bowl Banana Bread
Moist and flavorful sourdough discard quick bread. Perfect way to use up your over ripe bananas!
Pistachio Strawberry Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Toasted Pistachios*
- 80 g Pistachios unshelled
Caramelized Pistachios**
- 20 g Sugar
- 20 g Toasted Pistachios*
- 10 g Butter cold
Crust
- 80 g Tea Biscuits Crumbs or any cookie crumbs
- 20 g Butter melted
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon optional
- 1 portion Caramelized Pistachios** recipe above
- pinch of Salt
Pistachio Cheesecake
- 8 oz Cream Cheese (226 g)
- 1 Egg large
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 100 g Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 40 g Toasted Pistachios*
- pinch of Salt
- 1 tsp Lemon Zest optional
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Strawberry Sauce***
- 100 g Strawberries frozen
- 20 g Sugar
- 1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 5 g Corn Starch
- 35 g Water
Strawberry Mousse
- 1 portion Strawberry Sauce***
- 75 g Cream Cheese
- 60 g Sour Cream full fat
- 70 g Milk of choice
- 5-7 g Gelatin see notes
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract optional
- 20 g Sugar
Instructions
Toasted pistachios
- Start by toasting the pistachios. Spread them evenly on a lined baking sheet. Bake pistachios at 300 F for 5-7 minutes, or toast in a dry non-stick pan.
Caramelized pistachios
- Take 20 g of the toasted pistachios and crush them into smaller pieces.
- In a small saucepan, melt the sugar until golden-brown in color. Add the cold butter and mix quickly. Add pistachios and combine.
- Pour out the caramel mixture onto a piece of parchment paper. Let the caramel cool for a few minutes. It will harden. Break into small crumbs using a blender or food processor.
Strawberry Sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine frozen strawberries with sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until strawberries are very soft. Puree with a blender. Pour back into the saucepan and bring to a light boil.
- In a small cup, mix water with corn starch until no lumps left. Slowly pour the mixture into the saucepan with strawberries. Constantly mixing with a whisk, boil for about a minute.
- Let the sauce cool completely. I like to speed up the process by leaving my strawberry sauce in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
Crust
- In a small mixing bowl, combine cookie crumbs with melted butter, caramelized pistachio crumbs, cinnamon and salt.
- Divide the crust mixture between 9 muffin liners. Push crumbs into the base using a spoon or a small glass.
Pistachio Cheesecake
- Take 40 g toasted pistachios and blend them in a blender or food processor until flour-like consistency. If it comes out a little buttery-looking, it is totally fine.
- With a mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg and egg yolk on medium speed for 4-5 minutes, until smooth.
- To the cream cheese mixture, add blended pistachios, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest. Mix on low speed just until blended.
Baking Mini Cheesecakes
- Pour the pistachio cheesecake mixture over the prepared crusts.
- Bake at 300 F for about 18 minutes. The mini cheesecakes should be set with a slight jiggle in the middle. If you touch the tops, your finger should stay clean. Every oven is different, so it can take up to 25 minutes. Make sure not to over bake! If you see the tops starting to crack, it's definitely time to take them out of the oven.
- Cool to room temperature.
Strawberry Mousse
- Once the cheesecakes are cooled completely, start on the strawberry mousse.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine cold milk with the gelatin and leave for 5 minutes or so. If you like a softer mousse, use 5 g gelatin; but if you need it to stay at room temperature for long and keep its shape, go with the 7g.
- Beat the cream cheese with sour cream, vanilla and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes, until smooth consistency. Add the cooled strawberry sauce and mix for another minute.
- Heat up the milk just until gelatin is fully dissolved. Don't overheat!
- Add the gelatin mixture into the cream and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
Final Steps
- Work quickly, as the strawberry mousse sets within minutes. Pipe or spread the mousse on top of the cooled cheesecakes any way you like.
- Leave mini cheesecakes to set in the fridge for at least two hours.
- Optional: decorate with the leftover toasted pistachios and fresh strawberries.
[…] more cheesecake recipes, try my Russian Cheesecake or Pistachio Strawberry Mini Cheesecakes. I love both of […]