Mini Cheesecake Bites with Pistachios and Cranberries

I’ve got your perfect holiday dessert, Cheesecake Bites with Pistachios and Cranberries are tiny, heavenly bites of the holidays! And you don’t even need to turn on your oven!

Can you believe we’re all planning holiday meals and desserts already?! It’s probably one of my favorite meals to prepare, but it’s bittersweet at the same time. It reminds me that it’s almost the end of the year, and so many thoughts float around in my mind reflecting on that year.

So today, I’m making your holiday dessert prep feel like a piece of joy rather than an added stress!

These mini cheesecake bites are a divine, no-bake cheesecake that come in bite sizes. Coated in pistachios, cranberries and white chocolate, they’re certainly a show-stopping holiday dessert you need to make this year!

CHEESECAKE BITES

Bite size and perfect for entertaining, snacking, plus super quick to portion and make!

They taste like the Holidays!

Since they’re a no bake recipe, they’re ideal to make ahead of time! So on the day of, you don;t have to stress about dessert! 

It’s a super versatile recipe to flavor and tweak!

I’ve added vanilla to flavor my mini cheesecake bites, but you can certainly add orange zest, lemon zest or a spice like nutmeg. I prefer the classic vanilla here.

To sweeten up the mini cheesecake bites, I used confectioner sugar. While you can use regular sugar here, it leaves a bit of a crunchy texture to my cheesecake. I prefer a smooth, almost melt-in-your-mouth cheesecake—so that’s why I prefer the confectioner sugar.

The cream. Ok, so it is optional (but not really), and for the record, it’s less than a quarter cup per 400 grams of Cream Cheese. The cream adds a lighter, fluffier texture to the no-bake cheesecake.

The cranberry sauce is almost a must here, too! You know how I love to offer flexible options with all my recipes, and you can skip this step also. However, it adds an extra level of sweetness, fruitiness and just festive holiday feel!

Shaping these mini cheesecake bites is a breeze when you chill the batter for 30 mins in a freezer and use an ice cream scoop. Pick the size you like and scoop away!

Finally, the coating. This is like the icing on the cake. I process equal parts of pistachios, dried cranberries and white chocolate bark. The size is totally optional—however the smaller, the better.

Now, you’ll simply be dipping the mini cheesecake bites in the coating mixture and rolling it over using a spoon or your hands if you prefer. I almost want to say use your hands because you can shape them better, but it still works using a spoon!

HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE CHEESECAKE BITES

First of all, have your Cream Cheese at room temperature. You’re going to need one whole 250 grams block of cream cheese (16 ounces PLUS half of another one. This is enough to make 26 mini cheesecakes.

You’ll see that I’ve used a mix of light cream cheese and regular. You can absolutely use entirely light or regular if you prefer. I find the mix is a perfect balance of creaminess for my taste.

You can almost whip this by hand, but an electric mixer works BEST. You’ll mix the cream cheese, confectioner sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt, and cream until fluffy. Then, use a spatula to fold in the cranberry sauce.

Another thing you can use is raspberry preserves, orange marmalade or any fruit preserves you like. The key is to gently fold it into the cheesecake batter, leaving beautiful streaks.

Then you’ll need to chill the batter, scoop it using an ice cream scoop and chill 30 minutes more.

Prepare the coating by placing all the ingredients in a food processor and pulsing until you get the size you prefer.

Finally, roll each mini cheesecake into the coating and press it firmly—using a spoon to ensure it sticks.

Now it’s time to indulge!! Seriously, just grab one and bite into crunchy pistachios and white chocolate; sweet, chewy cranberries; and luscious, smooth cheesecake with a swirl of cranberries.

CHEESECAKE BITES TIPS

• Always have your cream cheese at room temperature.
• Using heavy cream gives an airy texture, skip that if you prefer a denser cheesecake.
• Fold in your favorite jams or berry sauce instead of the cranberry sauce. Marmalade or raspberry preserves are a great alternative.
• Chilling the cheesecake before scooping allows for easier scooping and, likewise, chilling the scoops allows easier coating.
• Make sure the coating is processed to a fine size so it sticks without deforming the shape of your mini cheesecake bites.
• Use your favorite nuts for coating. Add some dark chocolate chips or caramel chips if you prefer; you can’t go wrong.
• This is really forgiving recipe; it’s very hard to mess it up. And it’s very versatile, too, so feel free to adjust it to your taste.
• These mini cheesecake bites can be prepared well in advance; they keep for 5 days if well covered in the fridge or can be frozen up to a month in advance. —They’re actually so good served frozen, too! They taste like a cheesecake ice cream with so much flavor, crunch and texture!

Make these and enjoy a stress-free holiday dessert! Happy holidays!! 🙂 

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4.9 from 19 votes

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Mini Cheesecake Bites with Pistachios and Cranberries

I’ve got your perfect holiday dessert, and you don’t even need to turn on your oven! These Mini Cheesecake Bites with Pistachios and Cranberries are tiny, heavenly bites of the holidays!

Course Dessert, holiday, holidays

Cuisine American

Keyword cheesecake bites, Mini Cheesecakes, no bake cheesecake

Prep Time 10 minutes

Chilling Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 24 Bites

Calories 139 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

• 400 grams Cream Cheese PHILADELPHIA at Room temperature, light, regular or a mix of both
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream 35%
• 1/3 cup cranberry sauce or your favorite preserves/sauce

Coating:

• 1 cup pistachios shelled and unsalted
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup white chocolate chunks

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add the cream cheese. Use an electric mixer and mix for 2 minutes until soft. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cranberry sauce.
2. Mix the no-bake cheesecake batter for 3-5 minutes until fluffy. Add in the cranberry sauce and switch to a spatula. Fold in the sauce carefully, allowing for streaks of sauce in the batter.
3. Chill this mixture for 30 minutes in the freezer.
4. Prepare a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper and choose an ice cream scoop that fits the size you prefer.
5. Remove the chilled mixture and scoop out bites of mini cheesecake onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
6. When you’re done with all the batter, chill it for an extra 30 minutes in the freezer while you prepare the coating.
7. For the coating: add all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to the desired size. The smaller the size, the easier they will stick to your cheesecake bites.
8. Remove the cheesecake bites from the freezer and use a spoon to roll one mini cheesecake at a time into the coating mixture.
9. Press the coating onto each cheesecake bite using your spoon, and return back to your parchment tray.
10. When you've finished all the cheesecake bites, serve them right away or keep them cold in the fridge/freezer until ready to serve. Enjoy! 🙂

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

—Always have your PHILADELPHIA cream cheese at room temperature.

—Using heavy cream gives an airy texture, skip that if you prefer a denser cheesecake.

—Fold in your favorite jams or berry sauce instead of the cranberry sauce. Marmalade or raspberry preserves are a great alternative.

—Chilling the cheesecake before scooping allows for easier scooping and, likewise, chilling the scoops allows easier coating.

—Make sure the coating is processed to a fine size so it sticks without deforming the shape of your mini cheesecake bites.

—Use your favorite nuts for coating. Add some dark chocolate chips or caramel chips if you prefer; you can’t go wrong.

—This is really forgiving recipe; it's very hard to mess it up. And it’s very versatile, too, so feel free to adjust it to your taste.

—These mini cheesecake bites can be prepared well in advance; they keep for 5 days if well covered in the fridge or can be frozen up to a month in advance. —They’re actually so good served frozen, too! They taste like a cheesecake ice cream with so much flavor, crunch and texture!

Nutrition Facts

Mini Cheesecake Bites with Pistachios and Cranberries

Amount Per Serving

Calories 139 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 22mg7%

Sodium 61mg3%

Potassium 46mg1%

Carbohydrates 14g5%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 255IU5%

Calcium 33mg3%

Iron 0.1mg1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.