Description
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these delightful Mini No-Bake Cheesecakes featuring a colorful swirl of lime and aqua green layers. These bite-sized cheesecakes have a crunchy graham cracker crust and a luscious, creamy filling made with cream cheese and cheesecake-flavored pudding mix. Easy to assemble and perfect for a festive dessert offering, they are decorated with buttercream frosting and festive green sprinkles.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 package (3.4 ounces) cheesecake-flavored instant pudding mix
- 1 cup half-and-half
- Green food coloring (neon lime & aqua green for swirled layers)
Topping & Decoration
- ½ cup buttercream frosting (store-bought or homemade)
- Green sprinkles
- Optional: Edible gold flakes or chocolate shamrocks
Instructions
- Mix Crust: In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter until all ingredients are evenly mixed.
- Press Crust into Molds: Divide the crust mixture evenly by pressing it firmly into the bottoms of 12 lined muffin cups or mini cheesecake molds to form the base.
- Freeze Crust: Place the crust-filled molds in the freezer for 10 minutes to set while you prepare the filling.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Base: In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with vanilla extract and lemon juice until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Make Pudding Mixture: In a separate bowl, whisk together the cheesecake-flavored instant pudding mix with half-and-half until the mixture thickens.
- Combine Mixtures: Gradually add the pudding mixture into the cream cheese base, beating until they are fully combined.
- Add Powdered Sugar: Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, beating until the filling is light and fluffy.
- Color the Filling: Divide the cheesecake batter evenly into three bowls. Leave one plain (white), tint one with aqua green food coloring, and tint the last with neon lime plus a drop of aqua green food coloring.
- Layer the Filling: Starting with the plain white batter, spoon layers into each prepared crust in the muffin molds; add the aqua green layer next, then the neon lime green layer on top, smoothing each layer. Freeze briefly between layers to help them set.
- Chill the Cheesecakes: Refrigerate the layered mini cheesecakes for at least 4 hours or overnight to fully set and develop flavor.
- Decorate with Frosting: Once chilled, pipe buttercream frosting on top of each cheesecake for added sweetness and presentation.
- Add Final Decorations: Sprinkle green sprinkles over the frosting and optionally add edible gold flakes or chocolate shamrocks for festive flair.
- Serve: Carefully remove the mini cheesecakes from the molds and serve chilled for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Use softened cream cheese to ensure a smooth filling with no lumps.
- Freezing between layers helps create defined, colorful swirls without mixing colors.
- The recipe can be made a day ahead – keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- For a dairy-free alternative, substitute cream cheese and half-and-half with plant-based versions, and use dairy-free pudding mix and frosting.
- Adjust the amount of food coloring to reach your desired shade of green.
- Use mini cheesecake molds or lined muffin tins for perfect individual servings.
