Delicious no-bake sweet potato mini cheesecakes with a crunchy biscoff crust are super simple to make! Top them with a dollop of whipped cream. These are great for entertaining, and everyone is bound to love them!
I don’t know about you, but I’m not one for trying a ‘new’ recipe for the holidays. Stick to the tried and true, am I right?! However, let me tell you that if you still need to decide on a dessert, this recipe is one you can (and should) add to your Thanksgiving menu. Not only can you make them ahead, but they’re also individual desserts, which make them perfect for entertaining! No-Bake Sweet Potato Mini Cheesecakes do require you to bake the sweet potato, but once again, all of this can be done ahead of time!
This leads me to the question: do we love pumpkin flavor, or is it overdone? Pumpkin is super healthy and nutritious, so I love incorporating different squash varieties when possible. However, if I’m being sincere, it’s not my favorite squash. Sweet potato, while not a squash, lends itself to a better flavor profile. While I’m not suggesting adding sweet potato to this dessert to make it healthy, I wanted to experiment with it and let’s say it did not disappoint. Butternut squash might even be tasty here as well!
Ingredients: No-Bake Sweet Potato Cheesecakes
- Cookie Crumbs: Graham crackers, Oreos (chocolate wafers), or Biscoff—you decide. My belief is that it depends on the flavor of your cheesecake which crust you’ll use. Since this cheesecake is sweet potato-flavored, I opted for Biscoff because it truly is the best crust! Oreo and chocolate cheesecake, however, would be a must-have combination!
- Butter: Yes, butter is needed to mix and hold the cookie crumbs together. Tested with 2 tablespoons and it wasn’t enough I used three tablespoons (and not 4) and it was just the right amount for 12 mini cheesecakes and crumb.
- Sweet Potato: I know I called this no-bake; however, the sweet potato must be baked/roasted, cooled, and then scooped to use instead of canned pumpkin. Canned pumpkin can be used; however, I preferred the sweet potato flavor over the pumpkin.
- Cream Cheese: Set out to come to room temperature. Cold cream cheese can leave lumps in your batter, and unfortunately, the lumps will not melt or bake out. Use only room-temperature cream cheese for a cheesecake.
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar to sweeten the batter just a tad. The cheesecake is not overly sweet, and I opted to leave sugar out of the crust as the Biscoff cookies are a tad on the sweeter side. If you used graham crackers, you might need to add a tablespoon or so; however, it is optional.
- Spices: Either use pumpkin pie spice or the spices individually, as listed in the recipe below.
- Vanilla: Not too much, but just enough to add a subtle hint of flavor. In some plain cheesecake recipes, also add lemon juice. However, I really opted for plain, minus the vanilla, to let the cheesecake shine all on its own.
How To Make No-Bake Mini Sweet Potato Cheesecakes
- Roast/Bake your sweet potato for ~45-50 minutes. The size of your sweet potato will depend on the yield. I baked up some extras and had them as leftovers, ensuring I had enough. However, one medium-large sweet potato should do the trick. Set aside to cool.
- Add a tablespoon and a half of the crust to each cupcake paper. Use the back of a spoon to press the crust down evenly
- Add the Biscoff cookies to your food processor bowl and pulse until finely chopped. (Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor, pound with a rolling pin until you have crumbs).
- Drizzle in the melted butter while pulsing, then carefully remove the blade, scrape the bowl, and mix the butter in completely. I did not bake these; however, you could bake for ~8 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Make the filling by adding room temperature cream cheese, sweet potato puree, salt, and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat together until completely mixed then scrape the bowl down and beat one more time. You can also do this with an electric hand mixer in a large bowl.
- Whisk your heavy whipping cream until the peaks are stiff.
- Fold the whipped cream into the sweet potato cream cheese mixture until just combined.
- Scoop the cheesecake filling over the biscoff cookie crusts and smooth the tops. Refrigerate overnight, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use the bottom of a small glass or your fingers to firmly press the graham cracker crust into the base of each cupcake liner.
- To check if your whipped cream is in stiff peaks, take the whisk attachment and hold it so the tip faces up. If the peak of the whipped cream folds over itself, it’s not quite there. You’ll know you’ve reached stiff peaks when the shape of the whipped cream doesn’t change when you turn the whisk upside down.
- Your filling will come together the easiest if you use room temperature ingredients. Take out all of the filling ingredients and place on the counter about an hour before you are ready to make your cheesecake. However, the heavy cream should be kept cold.
- Whip some extra heavy cream with some powdered sugar and pipe it on top of the cheesecakes, then sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on top!
FAQs
Absolutely! You can swap gluten-free graham crackers for the crust or any other gluten-free cookie that pairs well with the sweet potato flavor.
You can make these mini cheesecakes up to 2-3 days in advance. If you thoroughly prepare them, the crust will get soggy and lose its crispness. It would be a good idea to prepare the filling 2-3 days in advance and assemble the morning of your get-together. They’re still quickly prepared with minimal work (and even something you can have someone help you with!)
This will depend on the part of the country you live in and the temperature. I’d leave it in the refrigerator here in Miami until you’re ready to serve. Remember that these have cream in them, and you don’t want them sitting out for too long, as that can lead to bacteria/food poisoning; no one wants that at a holiday get-together!
You absolutely could if you want to make it easier and not have to bake/roast the sweet potato. Remember to use pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling, as they are not interchangeable.
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No-Bake Sweet Potato Mini Cheesecakes
Delicious no-bake sweet potato mini cheesecakes with a crunchy biscoff crust are super simple to make! Top them with a dollop of whipped cream. These are great for entertaining, and everyone is bound to love them!
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 20 Biscoff cookies, crushed into crumbs, plus extra for topping
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 8–ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup sweet potato puree
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger*
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves*
Instructions
- Roast/Bake your sweet potato for ~45-50 minutes. The size of your sweet potato will depend on the yield. I baked up some extras and had them as leftovers, ensuring I had enough. However, one medium-large sweet potato should do the trick. Set aside to cool.
- Add a tablespoon and a half of the crust to each cupcake paper. Use the back of a spoon to press the crust down evenly.
- Add the Biscoff cookies to your food processor bowl and pulse until finely chopped. Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor, pound with a rolling pin until you have crumbs).
- Drizzle in the melted butter while pulsing, then carefully remove the blade, scrape the bowl, and mix the butter in thoroughly. I did not bake these; however, you could bake for ~8 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Make the filling by adding room-temperature cream cheese, sweet potato puree, salt, and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat together until completely mixed, then scrape the bowl down and beat one more time. You can also do this with an electric hand mixer in a large bowl.
- Whisk your heavy whipping cream until the peaks are stiff.
- Mix the whipped cream into the sweet potato cheese mixture until combined.
- Scoop the cheesecake filling over the biscoff cookie crusts and smooth the tops. Refrigerate overnight, and enjoy!
Notes
*Alternatively, you could use pre-made pumpkin pie spice instead of each spice listed. Pumpkin pie spice tends to be expensive pre-mixed, so I listed each spice individually. However, if using pumpkin pie spice, use 2 1/2 teaspoons.
- Prep Time: 15
- Category: Desserts
3 thoughts on “No-Bake Sweet Potato Mini Cheesecakes”
Those look SO delicious! Can’t wait to try and take a bite 🙂
You do not say how much whipped cream is needed. Not in the recipe or the longer description.
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream to be whipped and added in (I made more and added the dollop on top) – just added now. Thanks for letting me know! Appreciate it – and thanks for stopping by!